Far from Euthymia
Far from Euthymia is a graphic novel / illustrated poem about bipolar disorder and hospitalization. It is a personal story told through metaphors, Greek mythology and a visual language of fairy tales, horror and the cold white sterility of hospitals. The book was made during eight weeks for my final degree project at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Sweden. It was shown at the 2019 Konstfack Spring Exhibition and printed in a limited quantity of 30 copies.
Process
I wanted to mix my way of drawing in a very controlled, smooth and delicate way with elements of chaos as a way to go along with the theme of bipolar disorder and it's contrasts. It was also a way for me to experiment with techniques that I otherwise wouldn't have thought of. I created my own brushes out of scraps of plastic, tinfoil, matches and medication blister packs. I used black ink and played with the amount of water I diluted it with. Most of the drawings are made on fine tracing paper to be able to incorporate my hand painted shapes and textures into my pencil art.
