2020-2021: The Year of Illustration
How might I leverage the year-long series of "Independent Study" classes offered in my degree program to explore and develop skills in illustration, which is one of my passions? How might I strategize my learning to give each quarter in that year a meaningful goal?
Project 1: Editorial Illustrations about Guerilla Gardening
My goal was to improve my illustration skills by engaging in the specific challenges and tasks involved in illustration for editorial design. Ex: creating 26 spot illustrations related to a particular topic, ensuring an appropriate mix of representational and conceptual illustrations; and expanding three of the spot illustrations into half-page, full-page and spread versions. I chose to create editorial illustrations about guerilla gardening, a movement that attempts to mitigate urban decay, motivate city-dwellers to engage with their environment, and build community.
Project 2: Portraits Varied By Medium and Style
I wanted to expand the range of my illustration-styles by making portraits of the same human/animal in a various styles, such as Al Hirschfeld-style caricature; modern flat illustration; linocut; midcentury cartoon; watercolor; art nouveau, and folk art. One of my portrait series featured the well-known graphic designer and nun, Sister Corita Kent.
Modern Flat Illustration Style
Digital Watercolor Style
Digital Linocut Style
Digital Folk Art Style
Project 3: Explore the Aesthetic and Style of the Sixties
My goal was to strengthen my illustration skills and understanding of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop by researching the aesthetics of a particular era and creating a set of designs for products from that era. I wanted to convey the same retro style without replicating the products. I chose to create props for a fictional 9-year-old boy in a sixties movie. The props would flesh out the boy's personality and interests, while also making references to key events and cultural trends in the sixties.
The cereal box uses "Sugarcalifragilistic!" as a reference to the movie, Mary Poppins, released in 1964. It is a very sugary cereal, just like the ones in the sixties.
Poster in the little boy's bedroom
His favorite t-shirt, with a Flintstones catchphrase
The notebook in which the boy sketches cartoons
Postcard from the boy's grandfather
Merit badge earned by the boy for building camp fires
Stickers the boy finds in cereal boxes
