ep: biff - coloured pencil drawings & digital process

Here are all the pages that I have created for the book! I did them in an A3 sketchbook, 15cm x 15cm each page or 15cm x 30cm double page spread (I have a thing for square books and think having Biff & Monty the same will look nice). I am going to use a technique that I discovered in first year of university when working on a zine about greyhounds. I will use photoshop to enhance the coloured pencils as they look quite dull otherwise.

Here is a greyhound example page:

(still really love this book)













and here is an example of Biff and the difference photoshop makes:

ep: drawing my friends 2.1

okay, this is the last time I'm going to rework this little mini brief i promise. so i thought i had decided to just leave them as headshots, but something inside me really wanted to tackle a full body pose. so i did it.

here is me trying to work out the full body, trying to mix together my more realistic style with a more cartoon approach:

here is the finished sketches:

ep: montgomery - zine mockup IRL

ep: montgomery - zine mock-ups

ep: photographer commission: finished designs & extras

this is the design that the photographer liked best and was one of my personal favourites so i am glad that she chose this one. (one of the things that i struggle with sometimes when working collaboratively is the differing of opinions where i think one thing is the best and the client likes a different one; therefore this was quite refreshing for both of us to have the same ideas).

I then went to work on the back of the business card.

and the final design:

some extras that she asked if i could do if i had time (which i do especially for a client where i can get experience) was a sticker design, banner & extra logo.

sticker:

banner:

extra logo: 

all in all working on this project has been really fun and refreshing. it helped me to find a part of my practice that i didn't even know i had and really enjoyed. so now i can add promotional material to my repertoire. im really proud of myself for pushing the boat out and trying something different, i will strive to do this more in the future as i could discover more things i enjoy that i didn't know! 

ep: biff - storyboards & cover ideas

Started a storyboard and decided to revise it (below). Like the new format better and think it flows better as a short children's story and has a good moral and ending.

The storyline & words go like this: 

• Far away in a distant land, there lived a dragon called Biff.
• He was born without any wings.
• He would always watch while the other dragons played in the skies.
• Wishing that he could fly too.
• He tried a lot of different ways to attempt to fly.
• But nothing worked.
• While out on a walk one day, Biff heard cries from the top of a hill.
• It was a princess! Her leg was caught under a fallen tree, with a rockslide quickly approaching!
• Without thinking, Biff sacrificed himself to protect the princess from the rocks.
• To his surprise, his skin transformed into a protective metal, saving him and the princess!
• He was so brave and saved the day with his new skill!
• The princess was so pleased that she decided to make Biff her new protector!
• After this, Biff didn't worry about being different anymore.
• Because different doesn't mean bad.

Really pleased with the story! I think that it has a nice moral and flows quite well, although it does get a bit chunky near the end and if i had more time and resources i would extend the length of it.

ep: biff - finalised character designs & colours

ep: photographer commission - digital ideas

after playing around on photoshop with the logos and some colour ideas, i decided to fully encapsulate the geometric design that she wanted, using adobe illustrator would be the easiest tool to use, utilising the pen tool and how easy it is to effectively make triangles.

much happier with these designs and think it reflects what the client wanted more. 

this brief is allowing me to push my limits and use applications that wouldn't be my normal go to. it gave me a new understanding of how useful Illustrator is and using it to my advantage can sometimes have really nice payoffs.

ep: montgomery - finished zine

ep: photographer commission - beginnings

 the photographer sent me some images of colour combinations that she likes for some inspiration, mainly focusing on blues and grays. she wanted a muted and geometric style in the work and logos so i decided to take that idea and run with it. we had good communication throughout, making sure that it was professional and on time.

 here are the logo sketches that i sent to her for clarification on which she liked the best. having this communication between us was essential to me being a professional and ensuring that she gets exactly what she wants.

after looking over the logos she decided that these two were her favourite and wanted me to do some different designs including these two logos so that she could see which worked the best.

ep: where is my motivation?

this easter holidays was supposed to be my time to do some catch-up work and get stuff done. i'm disappointed in myself, however at the same time it's my brains fault and not my hearts. (that was cliche, sorry). but depression is a murderer when it comes to my motivation and i find myself lying in bed not wanting to move or do anything which is a real struggle when there is so much work that i want to complete. so much to do.

i need to psyche myself up and get my head in the game (as troy bolton would say) because i do not want to let this depression stop me from doing what i love. drawing.