I have a phrase that encapsulates my relationship with commercial illustration work quite well: 'art inspires me but it's the client's vision that challenges my talent'. In this way, I want to emphasize that I don't always have a stroke of genius for an illustration or painting idea, even though I try to stay active in the fundamentals of visual arts production. It's often the client, sometimes the art directors, who present projects that require entirely new approaches to art production. This serves as a creative stimulus that takes me out of the safe and comfortable space of practicing themes I merely enjoy or appreciate. That said, I'd like to mention that this piece of my dinosaur with an 'before and after' idea didn't come about instantly but was built during spare hours between one project and another.
One interesting aspect of this artwork was starting the finalization with the idea that the dinosaur would have two distinct parts: one complete and the other just the skeleton, divided directly without edge smoothing.
I still didn't know exactly why, but I thought this sharp cut could convey the idea of an infographic for a school book or something related to the biological study of a species.
It's worth noting that this project was developed entirely instinctively, with the "pieces" gradually falling into place.
The Krita program is a very intuitive digital painting tool, but it's always beneficial to spend as much time as possible using a tool that can help in your project productions, thereby enhancing muscle memory and speeding up work. I used layers, but whenever possible, I would combine them. I'm not a big fan of the idea of using many layers to compose artwork because, as I practice the fundamentals of traditional art, I don't want to rely on the conveniences that layer usage offers in most digital art or painting programs.
The most incredible thing was being able to play with the idea that, after the meteor and the end of the dinosaurs, there was a great opportunity for mammals. And the fun here was to show a certain type of cheeky mammal that could torment the deceased dinosaur. There's nothing like unruly kids running wild in a museum. I took the opportunity to exaggerate the appearance of the guard as well, who should seem outraged by the lack of respect from the little mammals.
It was an amazing moment when that dazzling light shone over my head, reminding me of the British band T.REX. It was perfect because I've always been fond of illustrated album covers, and the art style would be perfect for depicting a fictional album by the band. In addition to the cover, I took the opportunity to decorate the central part of the vinyl record, ensuring that the album would be perfect.
Wow, I just envisioned a campaign at the Natural History Museum where visitors are reminded to respect the exhibited artifacts. Here's an intriguing idea for banners and informational leaflets for the visitors.
