THE IMAGE
Luke, dazed upon awakening and startled by the stranger before him, demands to know her name. An illustration from the first chapter of The Tripartitus.
Time: ~20 hours over several sittings
Tools: Adobe PhotoShop 7.0 (airbrush, eraser, and smudge tool), Wacom tablet
Layers: an unnecessarily large number (26)
References: none
Age: 19/20

THE THEME
The Latin word “tripartitus” describes a whole comprised of three parts. The purpose of The Tripartitus is triple-facetted: to experience the development of Luke Damon, to understand the character of Jayli, and to stimulate thought in the reader. Similarly, its meaning may be applied to the characters alone, their relationships amongst each other, and how this is reflected in the reader.

The single most important relationship in The Tripartitus would be that between Luke Damon (who acts as the reader's eyes) and that character known by most as Jayli (the protagonist). Seemingly cold, dark, with a closely-guarded past and a dispassionate attitude, she nevertheless compels the then-naive Luke to investigate her enigmatic nature, knowing unconsciously that her unfeeling surface is not an accurate reflection of what lay beneath. As he goes through his own experiences and ordeals, changing his perspective (and thus the reader's) accordingly, he eventually comes to know the truth of the one known as Jayli.

The story is a journey to find what truth can be found, about one's self and about those most dear - a search for one's "name" and meaning. This illustration marks the first encounter between Luke and Jayli, a pivotal meeting for both characters for their own personal reasons. They tell each other their names, but what these names actually mean (to themselves, and to each other) is yet to be defined - one of the purposes of The Tripartitus.

Story and characters © Jen Philpot (The Tripartitus)