Process Post: Under the Pier

     For our current project in our Studio class, our assignment is to create a piece specifically to enter into the Society of Illustrators student contest.  There were no specific rules or guidelines as to what we were supposed to make.  The only thing they told us to do was to make it represent ourselves as artists; this should be able to be put on the front page of home pages and forever tell the world what we stand for.  No pressure or anything. 
     What I've finally settled on is a couple of runaway teenagers.  I'm only a few steps into the process, but I shall post what I have so far.  I'll continue to post as I get farther along in the process.

 

These are a few thumbnails I drew before settling on what I ended up choosing.   The bottom-right was the last thumbnail I drew before getting to the one I chose.  You can pretty easily see how it morphed into the one I picked.

 

After throwing the idea around for a while, and sketching out different variations, I finally came to this one.  It happened mostly by accident.  I added the top diagonal just for the purpose of composition, and it quickly turned into this. 

  

I scanned it, put it in photoshop and fixed stuff.  I changed the paper size to open up the composition.  In the thumbnail, the pole was right on the edge, and that's generally a big no-no.  Also, the background pier went straight through the male character's head and leg, and that's also something you don't do.  That would be a tangent, and we don't tolerate those in these here parts.  (I realize the pier is still pretty confusing with his leg.  Fear not, I shall be fixing that)

As far as the lighting and color go, the thumbnail looks a bit too much like a sunset.  I want to have light coming through the boards, causing sweet lines to fall on my characters, so I need the sun to be in the middle of the sky, noon style.  Also, then I can have pretty vivid colors, and make it feel all warm and summery.  It's gonna be pretty much two-toned, with variations of yellow for the sky and blue/teal for the shade.

I want a strong emphasis on mood in this piece.  I'm trying to evoke the feeling of summer as a teenager.  There's that sense of freedom you get from the lack or responsibility, and yet there's the feeling or imprisonment, because as a teenager, you have no way of changing your situation, and can only run from them.  I want it to feel a bit like Peter Pan's lost boys, never wanting to grow up, yet simultaneously be grown up immediately. 

Anyways, keep an eye out, updates are coming soon! Also, some other stuff that has nothing to do with this project will also be coming!  Lucky you!