PROJECT 3 - NEW FACES IN STRANGE PLACES
SUMMARY:
To begin this project, each student had to draw from two cups, one included a subject and the other included a setting. When I drew, my subject was Detective and my setting was somewhere near or in an automobile. With our setting and subject, we needed to create an illustration with Adobe Illustrator that contained what we had drawn from the cup. Using our knowledge through our demos with Illustrator, it is our job to use tools correctly and use mixtures of pen and brush tools. This project tests our knowledge we have gained throughout our class and our ability to explore other tools and effects that Illustrator provides.
SKETCHES:
Before beginning the project, we needed to create 8 sketches to show what we wished to create in Illustrator. With my subject being a detective, I wanted to create a scene that was in action. I wanted my Illustration to have movement and create an intense scene. I combined small details from each of my sketches to create my final work. I used the idea of a city, cars, evidence markers, and blood as evidence.
FINAL SKETCH:
NARRATIVE:
First Narrative:
Detective Perry (a platypus) has been hunting down a fugitive responsible for many bank robberies. Perry has found evidence of the fugitive's whereabouts in the city and the possible bank he might rob next. Perry does a stakeout on foot because he is small and easy to hide. Little does Perry know, the fugitive has already robbed the bank and Perry must act quickly but safely. The fugitive can smell Perry and is rushing to get away on his getaway motorcycle. Perry now has to figure out what the best approach is. Should he reveal himself and risk his chances of the fugitive getaway or find what Perry looks like or should he stay hidden and have to find the fugitive's next bank target?
I decided to change my sketch to create a better composition. When I changed my sketch, the narrative did not fit the sketch, therefore, I needed to change it.
Final Narrative:
Detective Perry is on a case of a 5-star-wanted fugitive who is known for committing crimes throughout the city. Detective Perry has found evidence of this fugitive's last whereabouts, on a city bridge where traces of his blood were left. While Detective Perry is collecting evidence and has sent a team out to search for the fugitive, a nearby train has exploded. It is a reasonable guess that the train was the fugitive's next target. It is Detective Perry's job to hunt down the 5-star-fugitive before the whole city is destroyed.
GOALS:
-Before starting project 3, I wanted to enhance my knowledge with:
-Using the pen brushes to create a unique composition for my piece.
- How to use different effects within my work.
- How to use Pathfinder to break shapes apart
- How to have more control with the pen tools (understanding how to make lines smooth or rigid purposely).
WORK IN PROGRESS:
I wasn't sure what color palette I wanted to use, but I imagined the scene taking place at night. I was able to create lots of blue swatches that worked extremely well with each other. I also wanted to add an easter egg of the criminal in the clouds. If you look at the left side of the clouds, you can see a cloud that looks exactly like a lizard. I created the clouds using the ellipse tool.
When creating the city, I needed colors that made it stand out against the night sky, but I still wanted the buildings to be blue hues. To separate the buildings from the background, I created a neon city. I began to mess around with the effects that Illustrator offers. While browsing the effects, I found tools that allowed me to mess with inner and outer glow, creating a neon effect. I also created the city structures using the rectangle tool and the line tools to add the neon edges.
My next obstacle was to decide where I wanted the detective to stand. With the layout of the city, it would be hard for me to create the same composition that is in my final draft, therefore, I had to move things around. I decided to create a bridge that would hold the detective and the automobile. To create the shadow of the poles on the bridge, I used the gradient tool, which made the bridge seem to continue past the art board. The gradient created depth on the bridge. I used the pen tool to block out the shadow as well as create the railing for the bridge. I also used the line tool to create the actual poles in the railing.
Big cities usually have tons of billboards and I even included it in my final sketch. My city is more futuristic and I felt like a regular billboard wouldn't fit the theme. I decided to do a big digital billboard on one of the city buildings that shows the fugitive that the detective is searching for. I had to free distort the image to line the image of the lizard on the building correctly. I used the brush tool to create the ribbon on the bridge. I wanted to add something that would show movement from the helicopter, therefore, the ribbon is blowing in the wind. I also played around with the outer glow and the blur effect to create the helicopter spotlight that is actively searching for the fugitive.
Since my fugitive is a lizard, I wanted to add blood that would somewhat resemble the blood that some lizards have. I also used green to match the color of the lizard so viewers can connect that the blood belongs to the fugitive. I also added a train in the background to fill in the space. I wanted to create motion so I decided to make the train actively being torn apart. To create the effect, I used the warp tool to bend the train.
FINAL WORK:
For the finishing touches, I worked on filling the bridge with the subject and automobile that I had drawn for this project. I used the brush tool to create the evidence marker that highlights the blood on the bridge. I also darkened the train to bring more attention to the bridge. I also added lines and shapes to amplify the idea that the train is being broken apart, possibly exploded. I created the car with the line tool as well as using the ellipse tool. I also did the same with the detective. I wanted to add a glow from the city reflecting off of the detective, therefore, I added a thin line of neon pink to add the highlight.
KNOWLEDGE GAIN:
For this project, I used tons of tools and effects that I had never used before. I also learned how to manipulate anchor points to create lines and curves exactly how I want. I also learned how to work between more layers and understand how layers can affect others. Overall, I was able to create a unique composition that provides motion and action within the scene with Illustrator's various options of effects and tools.
