Summary:
I was tasked to create an illustration using one character and one environment (drawn at random) using Adobe Illustrator. The illustration had to be 8in by 10.5in and we had to use multiple tools that we had been using in class. Also, the illustration had to be fully colored, and all ideas had to come from me. The random choice that I got was a warrior as the character and the environment for me was in the clouds.
Narrative:
My original narrative was going to be a warrior jumping in the air, like a freeze-frame moment, but after looking over the preliminary sketches, I decided to change it. The narrative I have now is a warrior on a dragon giving the sign to charge into a war against 2 kingdoms.
This is the full story:
After Earth and the Dragonlands merged, the dragons divided and went into 2 kingdoms. The kingdoms hated each other and so when the dragons showed up, they took it upon themselves to take each other out. The other kingdom thought the same and they met in the clouds to fight. With the chief warrior's sword high, she signals the others to charge.
These are my preliminary sketches, I wrote my narrative base on the first one but after discussion I change it to the top right one.
These are my final sketches, the reason that I have 2 was because I started making the one on the left and didn't like the way it was going and so I redrew it and did the one on the right.
Goals:
The main goal I want to accomplish is to use anchor points and Bezier curves effectively. Another goal is that I want to be able to take my sketch and successfully make it in Illustrator. I would like to explore how to use the software when playing around with the dragon scales in the picture to make it more “realistic”. I would also investigate making or finding a way to make clouds in the background.
Work in Progress:
I started with the first final sketch on the left but realized that I didn’t like how the dragon was sketched and was having a hard time with the angles of it in Illustrator.
So, I decided to redraw it and this is what I came up with. From here I got my main elements in and then played around with the effects to see what I could come up with.
Final Work:
This is my final piece; I think it shows my narrative relatively well. I think the sword gets the point across that this is a warrior and she’s in the sky with clouds so in the clouds. To further add on that she is an important person, I add a flare to try to show leadership.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I liked this project, if there was something that I would change it would be that it was more detailed, but I think it’s just my beginner experience using Illustrator. One thing I learned was that keeping it down to shapes is better than using the pen tool to trace everything. Also, that paintbrush tool is hard to use without a stylus.
