With his new book The Legend of Kaptain Karnival out now, illustrator/DJ Jem Panufnik steers us through the process of creating a few of his favourite graphics and illustrations from the book.
The initial spark for The Legend of Kaptain Karnival happened during lockdown. I’d been piecing together some ideas for a new album under my Jem Stone monicker and was keen to give it a narrative much in the same way as I’d been doing for the theatre and dance music commissions I’d been working on.
I was particularly intent on giving it a visual edge, my background being record sleeve illustrator for my label Fingerlickin’ Records amongst other things, and most importantly I wanted something tactile, physical, something you could hold while listening to the grooves, much as our generation did with LPs. I have always adored the fusion of music and graphics, from Pink Floyd to Grateful Dead to Lemon Jelly, and wanted to create something as inextricably linked, and the idea for a book took a life of its own.
The story, it turns out, developed in a surprisingly autobiographical way: dissatisfied I had pulled myself out of a career in club music and was searching deeply for a bit of magic, mystique and mischief in both life and art. So it became a voyage of discovery to track this character Kaptain Karnival, an apparent comedic monkey but potentially something divine, an elusive icon that continually morphed depending on what one was seeking. That’s my personal interpretation at least, it’s my hope that others will find it applies to them in totally different ways.
Musically I was able to draw on my love for electronica, jazz and film scores using some amazing musicians, and visually I could express each emotion and stage of the journey in different mediums and attitude, from bold graphics and cartoon to abstract and surreal painting, printmaking and collage.
The Legend of Kaptain Karnival is a freeform journey to enlightenment, be it joyful, surprising, disconcerting or heart-tugging. To be enjoyed at your own pace with a poison and a pinch of salt.
