Entries 1 & 2 for the Accademia Riaci 2016 International Art & Design (Illustration Category)
I was inspired by the American Old School/ Traditional style of tattoo illustration that uses bold black lines, limited colours, dot shading and specific typography. This style is typically used to display icons of American culture and nature so I wanted to choose icons of Australia’s natural identity to illustrate. Both pieces are now on their way to being displayed in the academy in May as one of the Third Place Winners for the category.
#1: Waratah & Wattle:
Pictured are the Southern Cross constellation (as it is displayed on the Australian flag), a waratah flower which is the state flower of New South Wales (where I was born), and golden wattle which is the national flower. On the ribbon is written Terra Australis which is the term used by Europeans for Australia before it was officially named, and translates in Latin to “Southern Land”.
Pictured are the Southern Cross constellation (as it is displayed on the Australian flag), a waratah flower which is the state flower of New South Wales (where I was born), and golden wattle which is the national flower. On the ribbon is written Terra Australis which is the term used by Europeans for Australia before it was officially named, and translates in Latin to “Southern Land”.
The ribbon, lettering and wattle were all initially sketched on paper using lead pencil and then scanned and redrawn in Adobe Illustrator CC using a Huion 580 small pen tablet as well as computer mouse. The rest of the illustration was created exclusively in Illustrator using the pen tablet.
#2: Girt By Sea:
Pictured are a Pelican (a common sea-bird that I saw often as a child), ocean waves, a sunset with a red sun and yellow sky (to pay tribute to the Australian Indigenous flag), and coral and fish typically found in the Great Barrier Reef. On the ribbon is written ‘Girt By Sea’ which is a lyric from the Australian national anthem and references our unique status as a large island nation.
The entire design was illustrated in Adobe Illustrator CC using a Huion 580 small pen tablet as well as computer mouse, with photographs used for reference.
