Monster Doll: The Counterfet

By their advise, and her owne wicked wit,

She there deviz'd a wondrous worke to frame,

Whose like on earth was never framed yit,

That even Nature selfe envide the same,

And grudg'd to see the counterfet should shame

The thing it selfe. In hand she boldy tooke

To make another like the former Dame,

Another Florimell, in shape and looke

So lively and so like, that many it mistooke.

(The Faerie Queene. III.VIII, 5 )

Welcome to the Photography section of Monster Doll's The Counterfet.

We use photographs for two purposes. First, the photos are used to provide references for our artists as they sketch and paint the graphic novel's scenes. Second, some of the scenes and promotional materials use a mixed media approach: we filter the photographs and combine them with hand painted or digitally drawn elements.

At the end of August, we began building our home studio in preparation for the Fall '08 photo sets. During September and October, we will ideally round up our first batch of character models and get to work building a library of reference photos. We've spent the last two months designing and building costumes, and in order to expedite the first round of photos, we've decided to use the characters with the simplest costumes: Amoret, Britomart, the Florimells, Helenore and Satyrane. We have purposefully avoided the steam-armored knights for the first batch, and instead decided to work with the primary maidens and two non-steam knights: Britomart and Satyrane.

While this is still a project that we carry out part-time, we do have deadlines, particular an invited lecture in the Faerie Queene course at UNBC in the Winter '09 semester. The lecture will include sketches, paintings and photography. The photography that we are preparing specifically for this presentation will be a mixed media "revisions" of two existing Faerie Queene paintings: Britomart Redeems Faire Amoret by William Etty and Britomart and Amoret by Mary F. Raphael. Note: our versions replace uninspiring nudity with unbridled pwnage.

Sept 15-19	Photography: Florimells; Color tests: "Britomart and Amoret"
Sept 21-25	Photography: Helenore, Duessa, Florimell alternate (Edmonton)
Oct 6-10	Photography:"Britomart and Amoret"
Oct 13-17	Color tests / costuming: Satyrane
Oct 20-24	Photography: Busirane, "Britomart Redeems Faire Amoret"
Oct 27-30	Costuming: Finish costumes for Halloween!
Nov	Props: "Britomart Redeems Faire Amoret"
Dec	Composition and Processing: "Britomart Redeems Faire Amoret"
January '09	Composition and Processing:"Britomart and Amoret"
February '09	Prepare lecture notes
February '09	Guest Lecture:"The Counterfet's steam-punk Land of Faerie"
March '09	Planning for second batch

Keep in mind that this is a schedule for photography (and costuming / processing) only. At the same time, we are also sketching, painting and scripting. So, while the photography schedule is weighted towards Britomart and Amoret, that is a product of our simple costume approach to the first batch of photos. Amoret and Britomart also dominate the photo schedule due to their prevalence in existing Faerie Queene paintings, which are the targets of our "revisions."

Please come back soon to check out our photos. We will post them as they are shot and processed.

© Monsterdoll.ca 2008-2009

Florimells Photo Set 1

Archimage for presentation slides

Amoret Costume Testing