Witch’s Consort

Witch’s Consort, 30″ x 14″, #5- and 6-cut wool on monk’s cloth. Designed and hooked by Tish Murphy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2012. ©Tish Murphy, 2012.

A well-executed portrait in any medium sets a mood. The expression in the eyes, the slope of the mouth, a tilt of the chin—all of these facial features pro vide clues to the person’s character and story.

Another way to create character and mood in a portrait is in the interaction between the primary figure and another person, creature, or object, sometimes referred to as the “foil.” That interaction provides a narrative for the viewer and suggests deeper qualities or intent.

As with most of my character rugs, a relationship is an essential element of this Halloween design. It informs the mood of the piece, which in turn informs the color-planning process. Once I determined the foil (the raven) for the main character (the witch), I was able to develop the full design.

The Raven

I rejected many possibilities for the secondary figure in the design, especially the companion most often shown with a witch, a black cat. A raven seemed a good choice, and its visible bond with the witch gives this design its narrative. In folklore, the raven symbolizes power, strength, and superior intelligence. Its sharp eyes and ability to soar through the skies make it a valuable observer and messenger. How fitting, then, for the raven to become a consort—a conspiring partner to the witch.

Green swatches for the witch’s face and hands.

Gray swatches for the background, the raven, and the witch’s outfit.

The size and position of the raven in the design imply a status equal to the witch. The pair appears on the same plane in the design, neither one higher or lower than the other, and the direct eye contact further conveys the status of a respected associate. This creature is not sim-ply a pet or a prop: it is fully engaged with its mistress in . . .  alchemy? plotting? mischief ?

The Witch

The persona of the witch began thousands of years ago, evolving from the wise tribal elder who was skilled in the use of herbs and remedies into the mythical, more sinister being who casts evil spells and cavorts with the devil.  Over centuries and centuries of appearances in woodcuts, paintings, and illustrations, the witch’s features are in-stantly recognizable: a long, hawkish nose; gaunt, heavily creased face; and thin lips, contorted cruelly.

Close-up of the sky and one of the bats in the background. The motion in the hooking and the tumbling bats gives the background an air of turbulence.

The witch in Witch’s Consort reflects this image. Un-earthly in their greenish hues, the features mimic the myth of the aged, malevolent hag. The hand upon which the raven is perched continues the characterization. It, too, is wasted, gnarled, and adorned with fingernails that could inflict harm.

Hooking the Witch’s Face

The face is hooked using #5 and 6 cuts with very narrow hand-cut strips squeezed in around the lips, nose, and eye to accentuate those features. Hooking any portrait—even a witchy one—is an opportunity to use all of the principles that I teach in my classes on hooking faces. The witch sim-ply uses a different palette. Keep these principles in mind:

1. It is essential for the proportions of the features and the relationships of the features to be credible, even when stylistically the image is closer to caricature. For example, the implied size of the witch’s head inside the conical black hat as well as the size of the witch’s hand are proportionate to the dimensions of the face.
2. Shapes and angles of individual features should reflect the perspective from which the head is viewed, in this case a simple profile. Examples: the round iris of the eye, when viewed in profile, becomes an elongated oval; only the outer corner of the eye is visible; the corner of the mouth lines up approximately with the center of the iris.
3. As with any hooked portrait, it is the range of values that creates the volume and contours of the face. In this design, I have used only six or seven values, but because they vary from very light for highlights to very dark for deep shadows, the limited number of values is sufficient to define the features. The green palette used for the witch’s skin tones (see dye formula) follows the relatively contemporary interpretation of the witch’s appearance and emphasizes the witch’s otherworldly reputation.
4. Finally, the direction of the hooked rows reflects skeletal structure and further creates the volume and contours of the face. The principle of directionality is evident in the way the hooked rows arc over and around the cheek-bone, become horizontal across the forehead, and follow the vertical line of prominent tendons in the neck. The hand supporting the raven is an important part of the portrait. The flesh of the hand is hooked using the same palette as the face, and the same principles of con-tour and values bring the hand to life. Its bony, sinister appearance emphasizes the age of the crone, and the vivid, talon-like nails suggest a position of power and control. This old hag is not spending her days doing common household tasks!

Hooking the Background

The atmospheric background serves as a third partner in creating narrative and mood. The undulating, ominous, purple-gray sky seems alive with portent. The bats (in this design, merely a device to balance the composition) are buffeted about in the sky’s wake. The sense of turbulent movement engages and guides the viewer’s gaze back and forth through the piece. Without this roiling backdrop, Witch’s Consort would be a much simpler, static scene, and the narrative would not be as dramatic or compelling. A background cluttered with additional figures or landscape elements might also diminish the powerful image of the two characters.

The focal point of the design is in the space between the raven’s and the witch’s eyes—to the left of center. It is one more element that adds to the feeling of unease or apprehen-sion. However, some of the other elements—movement, contrast of light and dark, color rhythms—prevent the design from being weighted to the left. The eye may rest on this focal point briefly but will always be drawn to follow the flowing motion of the witch’s hair and the dramatic sky. WLRH

Close-up of the witch’s face. Squeeze in very narrow hand-cut strips around the lips, nose, and eye to accentuate those features.