Henry Darger was an outsider artist and hospital janitor who lived in Chicago. He created a massive fantasy world through illustrations and writings. His work included mixed media collages combining drawings, watercolors, and found imagery. It told the story of the Vivian Girls and their rebellion against child slavery in the imaginary land of the Realms of the Unreal. Darger was self-taught and his figures showed this through their tracing of silhouettes from children's books. The document discusses using mixed media and found images to create one's own narrative world, as Darger did.

1. Bridge 3: Past Impressions
(Remaking as Research for Bridge 4 Proposal)
Henry Darger at MOMA
Violet Ruby

2. Henry Joseph Darger Jr.
April 12, 1892
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Outsider artist and hospital janitor, self taught,
reclusive, unknown. Discovered after death by
fellow artist and landlord Kiyoko Lerner.
The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known as
the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-
Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave
Rebellion.
Much of his artwork is mixed media with collage
elements, drawings and watercolor illustrations.
Fantastical, contemporary, folk, storytelling,
comics, found imagery.

5. Front
Back

6. Watercolor Value Scale
Rough Sketch

7. Final Replication

8. Written Proposal on Your Thesis Project
Darger’s work combines elements of American pop culture and history with his own fantastical personal
narrative and illustration. Because he was self-taught he struggled to draw figures and bodies so instead he’d
trace silhouettes from children’s books and magazines. I love the idea of bringing in multiple mediums and
references into one work. Picking and choosing from different realities in order to create your own. I think in
weird ways as well his work does bring up this question of gender identity and sexuality, It’s a form of
exploration.
Mixed media tarot deck using my own and sourced images as reference.
Watercolor and charcoal.
Pen and pencil characters.
Using a mix of my own images that I plan to shoot digitally and found images of celebrities, structures, etc.
Text included/narrative.
Focusing on the major arcana.
Reimagining these archetypes and their symbolism. What do they mean to me? How do I interpret their
teachings in terms of my life?
I plan on making 1-2 cards a week.

10. Research Grid and Inspiration