D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson

I hope to look at some of the studies in Thompson's book On Growth and Form, but am currently struggling to get hold of a copy.

I have begun reading some background on D'Arcy Thompson at http://www.darcythompson.org/about.html and have found him to be a fascinating researcher, and have become interested in his theory on morphology and the process of growth being altered by surrounding conditions. His transformations theory is also interesting, as it shows that the consistant deformation of an existing structure, i.e. a skull, could create the shape of the same structure belongin to a related species. This is perhaps one of the most famous images from his works On Growth and Form.

Although I couldn't find a copy of D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form, I have used the Collins Pocket Guide to the Sea Shore by John Barrett and CM Yonge to get a more ideas for sea creatures and plants. These are some of the illustrations I was interested in.

Shells

Plants

Jellyfish and Other Creatures

I am now considering using some of these plants and creatures in my designs to help built a realistic environment, as well as one that is full of life and movement. This is going to be very important to the success of my imagery. If the illustrations don't have a sense of motion and life, they will be in danger of being boring to my audience. This is very much the opposite effect to that which I hope to create.

Wednesday 25th May
I have just recieved a copy of the shortened version of D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form and I have taken this opportunity to study some of the images that show shells and sea creatures.

These sketches are beautifully detailed and interesting to study. I am glad I finally got hold of the book; unfortunately, I was interested in reading some sections of the text, but do not have the time at this stage in the project.