Caron and the Step-wells of India
#Illustration #VisualStorytelling #ArtDirection
Overview
A comic story about a man who dedicated his life to clean and revive the step-wells of Rajasthan in India. The narrative was conceptualised by someone else, I was commissioned to redesign the illustrations to improve visual quality. I was given rough sketches and was asked to make a comic that looks 'professional'.
The complete story can soon be seen on 'The Living Waters Museum'
The reference images
The Client
The Living Waters Museum is a virtual museum which engages youth in visualising water heritage and re-imagining sustainable, inclusive and equitable water futures. They are based at the Centre for Water Research at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research IISER- Pune and are a founding member of the Global Network of Water Museums, endorsed by UNESCO’s International Hydrology Program in 2018.
Who is it for?
This story is primarily for government officials who might be responsible for granting funds towards restoration and revival of step-wells in future. It is also for water and heritage enthusiasts from all over the world.
Style Explorations
Initially, I tried out different styles which were a bit detailed in the strokes and the shading - which looked good, but since we wanted to make the visuals feel more approachable, relatable, I decided to keep it simple and clean. When people see visuals they feel they too can make, they connect more with them.
Visual Style
The illustrations had to strike a balance between feeling 'local', 'handmade' and yet with a 'professional finesse'. For this reason, I went with the style of handmade digital sketches with minimal hatching on only the important parts of the illustration - mostly Caron. The fluorescent green vest popping out in a black and white sketch is to draw attention towards him being a proud cleaner and social worker.
My life's message is that you can work for the betterment of any society, no matter your age, nationality, or educational background" - Caron Rawnsley
