4.2 - My Own Illustrative Works/Approaches
Precinct35
01.
The collage as seen above is in relation to the shop Precinct35. What I have tried to show, is what a customer of this shop would look and how they would present themselves with the tote bag product. The style used in these illustrations is one I believe I am best at. It follows the idea of using clean, one-coloured lines to outline a character and to do the same with details such as shadows and creases (in this example). I have tried to present the almost stages of my process above.
Starting off with essentially a silhouette of the figure, I then process onto adding these smaller lines in order to resemble those finer details and to help create some idea of depth and realism. What I struggle with however sometimes, is creating a well enough balance between a basic line drawing and then one that has great realism and resemblance to the concept. As I developed this figure more, I found that when adding colour, I was able to achieve a better sense of realism and also learnt that if I were to change the colour of the 'detailed' lines by -10 or -20 from the original colour, I was able to show a better sense of texture and depth.
02.
This piece, as with the first is also in reference to the shop Precinct35. however what is illustrated, is much more abstract of what I see this shop representing. What is visualized, is a cotton flower 'growing' out of a modern, concrete display unit. These two elements were added to resemble the high quality and presentation of both the shop's interior and products it sells. The cotton flower portrays the fact that when I first walked into the shop, I really enjoyed the style of a men's cotton twill jacket they have there. However, rather than drawing the jacket in a similar approach to the figure as seen above, I explored the use of texture and colours. In the form of a numerous lines closely aligned side by side, I made a swatch which is eventually seen representing the shadow and curvature of the flower's bud. Another example of a texture being used can be seen in the concrete installation which uses a grey colour fill along with the same line swatch over the top to portray the commonly perceived rough feel of the material.
What I like about this piece, is the incorporation of detailed textures with singular colour filled shapes. Another element successful in my opinion is the idea to use the watercolour brush tool to create two diagonal, weaving strokes over top of the illustration. These strokes were intended to portray both the sense of serenity while looking inside the shop, and also the sense of care and appreciation that has come from the picking of both local New Zealand mad products and humble, unbeknown international ones. The use of the watercolour effect also helps to contrast the singular fill of the background elements, as it incorporates various shades of one colour into one stroke.
