world record comps

Guinness World Record

The first sheet has my initial sketches for the world's largest cupcake, weighing in at 1,316 lbs. The second sheet has some more sketches playing up the weight issue. And the third is the one I'm going to work on some more. For the next pencil comp I'm going to angle the forklift more and maybe create more space for the eventual text.

another marker comp

This is the second marker comp for the conversation illustration. I'm in the process of watercoloring the final 10 x 10.

final Time in the Woods

For the final layout I put the headline all at the top to make it more connected. Since the left side is more linear I added the leaf coming in on the right side working in with the text. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Something I may change if I submit this for the final portfolio is the headline.

gouache montage round 2

This is my final gouache montage the second time around. I think the colors came out that more closely matched the colors on my illustration board. It was difficult to do this project twice because I was trying not to do the same exact techniques used in the first one.

October part 2

2nd version of October spread

final professional photo layouts

don't tase me, bro

This is my revised pencil comp and new marker comp for my cop illustration. I'm going to make the background simpler in the next comp by creating an alley-like scene with less color and texture.

pencil comp for conversation illustration

I made my pencil comp 8.5 x 11 which was apparently not right so I'm working on downsizing the next marker comp to 5 x 5. From the feedback I got, most people weren't understanding what was going on and I agree. So for the next comp I'm going to include a second person, being the "perpetrator" who is in danger of being tased. I'm also working on the proportions of both figures and giving the cartoon a sense of depth.

revisions for professional photo layouts

I completely redid the poster for National Get Outdoors Day. The color scheme I had before was too similar to fall and the event takes place in the summer. I decided to make the poster more image dominant since there isn't a lot of text and the purpose of a poster is to catch someone's attention, usually with a good image. I tried some different color schemes on the text to tie in with the imagery.

I spent a lot of time formatting the text for this article. I wanted the columns to line up just right and I didn't want the pull quote to look awkward. So far I think it's coming together, but there's still something missing. I can't decide how to add something a little more eye-catching.

This advertisement hasn't changed much since turning it in for my midterm portfolio. I know it still needs works to be resolved.

conversation cartoon sketches

The conversation I overheard was a guy talking about almost getting tased by the cops. So I went with that and drew 10 different scenarios for it. The one that I will go forward with is the one with the blue square around it.

Illustration Midterm Portfolio

3 Image Gouache Montage 10 x 14 gouache on illustration board

I really liked doing this project, picking whatever three things I wanted, choosing the composition, and deciding on the color palette. Most of the other projects I have worked on have dealt with more traditional colors so I was excited to experiment with the lime green, bright blue, and brilliant red. The parrot was the most fun to paint. With a range of colors and textures, I worked the longest on it. I did use the subtractive method somewhat, but ultimately just layered paint. I actually found the flower a little harder to do and in the scan it came out darker than the original. First, I tried the subtractive method with the flower, but it was lacking depth so I decided to focus on enriching the color and adding paint layers. The ladder didn't take me as much time as I thought because I painted in the shadows first and then used water to draw the color down for the rest of the ladder. I like the way my original turned out, but the scanned copy was a little bit too dark. For the re-do of this assignment I want to work a lot more on the flower and the texture of the parrot. I will keep the color scheme mostly the same.

DMV Cartoon 3 x 6 black ink on illustration board, colored in Photoshop

When I found out we had to draw a cartoon I was really nervous. Initially it was very hard for me to draw in a cartoonish way. By doing research I was able to practice drawing different facial expressions and get more out of my cartoon. When I took the line art into photoshop I spent a lot of time trying to figure out shadows and highlights. I wish I would have given myself more line to work with because in the back of the car and the outside of the car I didn't give myself any direction to go in. Overall I'm happy with the way it turned out and have a much higher respect for cartoonists and anyone who deals with coloring in Photoshop.

Pepsi Can Product Illustration 8 x 10 gouache on illustration board

I used the artograph to sketch the Pepsi can onto the illustration board so it was accurate. Because I coated the illustration board with a mixture of gesso, matte medium, and water I wanted to use the subtractive method with gouache. I painted the entirety of my can a blue color and then used a paintbrush to pick out the highlights and the label. I needed to use white paint also because the subtracting wasn't getting white enough for the logo. The small detail of the logo was hard to paint and I spent a while making sure it was right. I think the highlights and the colors turned out the like the original picture. To finish this illustration I decided to use a bright yellow as an accent color and applied it very loosely and with very watery paint so it dripped and made a spontaneous pattern. I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out for my first attempt with a product illustration in gouache.

Outdoor Still life 4 x 5 watercolor and black ink

This still life was done with watercolor first and then I went back over it with black ink. I tried to keep the highlights the white of the paper. I enjoyed doing the clouds and trying out different techniques. I found it harder to go over the watercolor with the black ink and found I prefer to map out my image with black ink first.

Still life 4 x 5 watercolor and black ink

For this watercolor I started with black ink drawing out the shapes and areas of shadow. I then went in with the watercolor to start dropping in color. For this one I remember taking the approach a little differently than I had been previously doing. I decided to get my brush really wet and let the watery colors blend together. I also wanted to leave the highlights on the fruit the color of the paper so I made sure not to get the paint close to there. The watercolor was done probably about halfway through our initial phase of getting used to watercolor so I feel like I had a better handle on the material and also I think having the black ink drawing to go off of helped me with my coloration and shape.

Viscom II Midterm Portfolio

Advertisement coordinating with chosen professional photo

11 x 17, two page spread, full color

When I picked this picture I knew my layouts would need to deal with the outdoors. I decided to advertise for a campground in Missouri. Since the most important part of an advertisement is the call to action, I decided to put emphasis on the words "outdoors" and "camp". On the right side I found a coordinating picture to sit in with the necessary text. The opening paragraphs give reasons to go camping and discuss Missouri's campgrounds. The two columns underneath contain specific information pertaining to Ozark Trail Campgrounds. I went with the colors green and brown/yellow to go with my original image. I think there is a good use of white space in this layout and it sends the appropriate message. Since being in the outdoors is associated with serenity and rest, I wanted an uncluttered layout.

Rapala Lures Advertisement

11 x 17, two page spread, full color

This Rapala spread went through a lot of changes since the version I turned in last week. I moved around the picture on the wall and the intro paragraph. The headline stayed pretty similar, but I'd say it's more uniform and I think it works better. On the left side I go rid of all of the lures and used one as an accent. The lure connects the text with the sidebar advertising the Rapala fishing club. The blue/gray color is a nice accent to the image and goes well with the red Rapala logo. I think this layout has enough balance with text and white space. I used size and color to emphasize the sub headers. This layout was pretty difficult to resolve and overall I'd say I spent around 8-10 hours on it. With two final versions I think that estimate is about right.

"How Safe?" Layout

10 x 14, two page spread, full color

I had a lot of fun doing this spread dealing with the vibrant colors. Since this spread had limited text, I focused on finding a good image. To provide some contrast I reflected the image with a lighter opacity and placed the photo caption in the reflection. I also lined up the headline with the body copy which shows a grid structure. To make the text pop more I made the 'o' in 'How' the orange/red color along with the drop cap. The intro paragraph is green to tie in the green peppers. This one was easier for me to deal with because I really enjoyed the imagery so I'd say I spent around 4 hours on it.

"Stressed Out!" Layout

11 x 17, two page spread, full color

The first thing I did on this layout was to find imagery that related to the topic. I used stock photos that were high resolution. On the left side image I cob'd the guy and put in a more neutral color. The watch picture goes along with the first image and breaks up the text on the left side. The pull quote also helps break up all of the text. I focused a lot on making sure the text lined up and there were no widows or orphans. I didn't want the layout to be too overwhelming with red so I used it as an accent color with the red rule at the top and with the sub headers in the type. Also, for the heading I wanted it to go all the way across to tie the two pages together. I'm pretty happy with this layout and spent about 4 hours on it.

Ceramics Flyer Redesign

8.5 x 11, black and white

This is one of the flyers that I redesigned for my portfolio. On the first version I liked the hand print so I wanted to keep that. I decided to add another hand print to enhance the "get your hands dirty" message. The fonts were changed too to better relate with one another. I used a more messy font for 'ceramics' to add some contrast. It also helped for me to put a grid in for this re-do. I think this new layout is simpler and has a better flow between parts. The re-do took about two hours.

Greek Language Class Flyer

8.5 x 11, black and white

I started completely over on this flyer in terms of concept and imagery. I actually found the image first and though of a concept to go with it. Since the grecian figure is reclining I wanted to go with the laid back feel of Greek culture and the sun-kissed glow that Greeks have so I came up with "bask in the grecian glow". I wanted to go pretty simple with the layout since the image is very dominant on the flyer. I think this flyer not only gets the message across, but would appeal to a college audience. I spent 1-2 hours on this redesign.

final gouache montage

This is my finished gouache montage. When I scanned it in the colors were a little different so I manipulated it in photoshop to get the colors closest to the original. I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out. If I had longer to turn it in I would have spent more time with the flower and the sky background.

October spread

The "Time in the Woods" article deals with the changing scenery of fall so I went and took pictures at Thousand Hills. I got a lot of different types of imagery to work with and put some of the pictures in photoshop to enhance the fall colors. It was a pretty cold and overcast day so a lot of my pictures needed work. I like the picture on the left spread, but I'm not sure about the one on the right yet.

layout revisions

For the revision of the ad I wanted to do more of a colorful headline and have it incorporate the image better with the headline. I found another image that I want to compliment the initial one. The green and yellow/brown color I chose because they are colors found in the picture. This version changed a lot from the first one. I think it looks better but still needs a lot of work.

The article layout didn't change as much since the first one. I put in the colored bar at the top to incorporate more color from the photo and I fixed the pull quote. One of the fonts didn't carry over to the computer in the viscom lab so my pull quote didn't fit in the green rectangle.

Once again a font didn't transfer so my headline overran and threw off the whole flow of the poster, but you get the idea of the layout. I tried some new colors and found a picture of leaves. But I think I'm going to look for greener pictures since the date of national get outdoors day is in the summer.

gouache color comp #2

I redid the color comp for the montage and was more precise with the color. I also added a background in so the composition looks complete instead of unfinished. The size of the comp is 5 x 7 so I will be able to upsize once I put it on the 10 x 14 illustration board.

final Rapala ad

I'm going to change some of the layout for my midterm portfolio.

gouache montage color comp

This is my color comp for the image montage. I want to use bright colors in this piece to contrast the more neutral tones of the ladder/building/window. I'm still not sure how I'll be doing the building behind the ladder. I also am not sure how else I'll be resolving the background.

final dmv cartoon

I added some shadows and highlights to the clothes and skin to provide some contrast. The background is supposed to resemble the sky. I wanted to whole picture to have a shaky feel to it because of her swerving motion.

3 layouts for 1 photo

This time we got to chose a professional, unaltered photograph to base three layouts on. This is the picture I chose.

For the first spread I started with the article layout and found one titled "The Preservation Predicament". Since my picture is showing

various parts of the environment I wanted to focus on the ecosystem. The left side of this layout is focusing on the picture and the headline, while the right page is mostly text. I have some of the text starting on the right side with the picture. I want to add a pull quote, but I'm not sure where yet, so the green box is where it will be.

For the poster I found National Get Outdoors Day and decided to promote that. There isn't a lot of text so this layout will be simpler and I want to play around with color and placement of the image. This layout is still really rough, but I wanted to focus on getting a concept.

The last layout was the advertisement. Since my image is of the outdoors I wanted to advertise the activity of camping. I will potentially use a specific tent or camping gear company, but right now the text is just advocating getting outside to camp. I made breaks in the image that I was thinking about putting a headline in. Right now the text is echoing the image with the breaks, but I didn't mean for that to happen.

rapala ad- 3rd version

I changed a lot on my Rapala ad since Friday. I made the left page strictly heading and image, with the text all on the right side. I found a new picture that is larger and a fresh-water fish. I put a wood paneled wall behind it and made it look like it is hanging on a wall. The intro paragraph is still blue with white writing and I changed the "join the rapala..." ending the same way because it is separate from the ad. What I'm focusing on for the next time is fixing the lures and how they interact together and with the text.

coloring my cartoon

This is how far I got on Friday coloring my cartoon. With this project I have a newfound respect for cartoonists.

rapala ad- 2nd version

I changed pretty much everything from my previous layout for Rapala. I downsized the Rapala logo and focused more on the heading. I used a new picture and worked it into the heading by placing in the middle separating the heading phrases. Instead of using the Rapala red as the accent color, I went for a blue/gray color to relate to the water in the picture. I kept the lure picture and liked having it interact with the text. In order to resolve the empty space at the bottom I found a picture of fish hanging and added that. I'm not sure about the image yet, but it does have some blue in it so it goes with the picture and color blocks. Overall, I think it is a definite improvement on my previous layout, but I know there's more work to be done on it.

final food layouts.

For the final layout for "How Safe?" I kept most things the same. I increased the font size on the picture caption and made the title for the caption the red color. I made the caption a different font also, and put it in italics to emphasize that it was separate from the text and the caption. I really like how this spread turned out. I think having less text gives you more freedom with the headline and the imagery. The photo is the obvious center point of this spread and by carrying it over across the spread it ties the whole thing together.

To resolve the "Feeling Full" article I moved the image over to the edge of the page and I think it looks better with the text. I also like how the knife is cutting into the text. I changed the color of the bar on the right side to better match the image. Most of everything else was kept the same from the previous revision. It took me a while to figure out what to do with my image. I messed around with it for a while until I finally found where I wanted it. I also tried a different image, but kept coming back to this one. I do like how it turned out.