January is a time of renewal and the time to explore new interests...Illustration. Not really new but I
never really pursued this type of art making. I did do some illustrating in the late '80's and early 90's
having taken a fun course from a local graphic design studio that had clients like Helene Curtis, Bayer, Participaction (a government sponsored health and wellness initiative) and La Senza lingerie. That led to actual assignments. So without the formal training as an illustrator, I was fortunate to have these designs in my portfolio. But that was a long time ago before I became enamoured of computer digital arts. But being self taught and actually putting these new found interests "out there" is quite a bit different. Which brings me to the here and now. I decided to take a "Bootcamp" style of online
courses from Lilla Rogers. A series of assignments over a six month period to hone the skills needed by an Illustrator in the 20th century. And who knows...maybe even be represented by an agent.
First assignment was to research Edwardian jewellery (brooches specifically) and ultimately create a cover for a journal. My first design was the photo below of the sapphire stone brooch. And although I did like the result, I realized it was too much within my comfort zone of being quite literal in the depiction of this piece of jewellery. After seeing the work of many accomplished illustrators who are
also doing this bootcamp, I realized that the suggested theme was merely a starting point that led to
many wonderful interpretations. So for my month's end submission I completely changed my approach. The jewelled dragonfly is my "nod" to the theme and design became my purpose. Still within my comfort zone but without being so literal. The mockup of the presentation is also new to my skill set but necessary in order to pitch an idea. So within this first month, I am already learning a great deal.
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