As part of a fictional design team contracted to create a display for the Cleopatra Collection at the Field Museum in Chicago, designers were tasked with the challenge of creating full-color illustrations of preserved beetles, moths and bugs of all kinds. The focus for this project was on color theory, illustration of depth and form, lighting and composition.

This is my personal observation of the Violet Ground Beetle.

After researching and presenting 30 images of bugs, designers created silhouettes of each to determine which would create the most interesting composition. From there, four bugs were isolated, transferred to grey scale and then sketched by hand with graphite on paper.

Two of the most realized bugs were chosen to be pulled back into digital format and stylized as vectors. Here, designers experimented with color harmony, shadows and highlights, and abstracting pattern and form.

After using Adobe Illustrator to create the vectors, designers dialed their designs back to silhouettes to create negative space within each design for the purpose of creating vinyl decals. 

Each designer produced a fully realized vector image, a set of stylized vinyl decals and a page of adhesive stickers from their designs. Above is a collection my final deliverables.

During the course of this project, I strengthened my skills in the use of Adobe Illustrator, illustration, color theory and form. I struggled at first with creating depth and form to my bug. Improvements were made as I played with opacity, feathering, texture and adding significantly more layers than I thought were necessary. I'm proud of the outcome of this illustration.