Overall, I feel my final outcomes are satisfactory. They fit the brief; adhere to set dimensions, use only 3 colours, and communicate the article in some way. However I feel they aren't as good as I would have liked them to be. I think that the first two are slightly stronger, and that the landscape image brings the others down. I was pleased with the pencil drawings, so maybe it was the execution / digital treatment that caused issues.
Once I started sketching out rough ideas, I quite liked that way of working and gradually found it easier to do. It's definitely a valuable way of recording ideas on paper, and trying out different arrangements in a shorter time.
I spent quite a long time trying to figure out an aesthetic for the illustrations on Photoshop. This may have been more straightforward if I had developed the appearance further (e.g. colour palettes, line types, media tests..) before putting them into software.
In terms of process, I do like the mix of traditional and digital methods used. I think that at times when something is purely digital it can look too synthetic. I enjoy seeing scratchy pencil lines, mark making, and things of that nature. A problem I encountered with printing was that the colours on screen were altered and blending modes lost their effectiveness. In future, I will definitely carry out a test print to avoid this.
When looking at the images themselves, the compositions vary from each other. This makes them more visually interesting and less repetitive. The consistent colour scheme draws them together as a set too. But for some reason, they aren't as punchy as I wanted. Maybe some of the embellishments detract from the final illustrations? A minimal approach may have been more effective.
The biblical concept is effective because the story is more or less a universal one. Although imagery of the experiment in the article (children, marshmallows..) is more of a direct link I tried to go for something not so obvious. However I wonder if this compromised how communicative my illustrations were, and if the Garden of Eden theme is apparent at a first glance.
When thinking about the work I will produce next, I would love to do something experimental, freer, more emotive. Even though experimental work is a bit of a risk and could potentially look terrible, I do want to create things that have atmosphere and energy to them as I find that admirable in the work of others.
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