wildscape. literary journal

Title: Stop the Genocide in Gaza // Artist: Frances Marcellin

about the piece

Homeless and with rubble all around them, two children – a little girl and a toddler – are somehow still alive as the neighbourhood they knew crumbles around them. They look stunned, unsure of what comes next. As homes and apartment blocks are destroyed behind them, a red wash of watercolour represents the bloodshed. In the foreground, a small plant is miraculously still growing – life continues defiantly against all the odds. The children, alone and now without parents to look after them, have to find a way to survive, along with everyone else in their community who has had their lives torn apart. There is a little hope, but in the meantime they must endure this heinous hellscape with barely any food, medical care or opportunities to leave. I hand-drew this piece in Procreate as a response to how I was – and sadly still am – feeling about the genocide of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli occupation. My heart is broken for the thousands of families impacted, and as a mum I feel very distressed when just one child is endangered or hurt, let alone the numbers that have been killed and injured in Gaza. One of the ways I most enjoy drawing is with pen and ink – my current analogue favourite is a TWSBI Diamond 580 fountain pen, which is a dream to draw and write with – and I had been working hard to find a way to create the look I wanted using a digital canvas. I found that by layering certain textures and working with a particular “pen and ink” brush, I could create the look I was seeking, which provided a hand-drawn, textured feel while remaining digital and ready for publishing.

about the artist // Frances Marcellin