The illustration process.

Lately I've had a lot of opportunity to draw and illustrate. I've never felt very confident about my drawing, so it has been a step of faith to explore this area of creativity in my work.I thought you might be interested in seeing the process of how I get from the sketch to the final product.

When it comes to drawing people, I usually need a photo or some other model. Here, I found a photo of a woman in a similar pose from a photo shoot we did a few years ago. This helps me to know how the arms and legs should be bent, and give me a guide for proportions. However, you'll notice she looks pretty different otherwise. That's when I get to exercise creative license.

After the sketch is done, I trace it onto tracing paper with a Micron pen - this gives me a more defined line to work with when I bring it into the computer.

I use the traced image and scan it into the computer, increasing contrast so that the lines are opaque and clean.

Once the image is in the computer, I bring the file into Adobe Illustrator and use the "Image Trace" tool to convert it into vector lines. This allows me to easily make adjustments and clean up any errors in my tracing.

Once I'm satisfied, I start to add color and texture. For this particular illustration, I added a denim texture to her pants with a gradient fill, to make them look more realistic and add some interest. I also added a little bit of feathered color to her face so she looks rosy and happy. I chose the colors of her clothes and shoes carefully, communicating that she is trendy and conscious of student culture.

This piece was used as a printed insert for all the receipts that go out to our donors. So I added the text that was written for the piece, and a textured blue background to make the drawing stand out.

Here's the final product!

My Top 10 Favorite Projects in 2012

This year has been eventful in so many ways. In terms of my work and ministry, 2012 was the year I explored and developed new areas of creativity. Beyond my design work, I've had the chance to write, learn photography, and manage social media. It has been a wonderful opportunity to branch out and serve God in new ways.

Here are 10 projects I'm proud of from this past year:

10. Receipt insert illustration, September
Every month I design the receipt package that goes out to all our donors. Admittedly it is not my favorite project by any means. But in September I created this illustration for the insert, and it turned out to be pretty fun. I enjoyed the process of drawing the hands and the text, as well as creating the texture behind the image.

9. Illustration for InterVarsity blog, May (on intervarsity.org)
Illustration is another area of creativity in which I've had the chance to gain more skills through one of my ongoing projects - the InterVarsity blog. I enjoy the process of visualizing ideas that had only previously existed in words. This one I did in May was a fun one that I particularly enjoyed. I'm developing a particular style of drawing that I hope is fun and engaging to viewers/readers.

8. Campus photo shoot, June (original post)
During the summer I got a crash course in photography, running eight separate photo shoots over the course of eleven days! It was a great opportunity to develop my skills in photography, something I've enjoyed all year. I still have a lot to learn but I'm proud of the progress I've made.

this was one of my favorite shots from the photo shoot
I did on campus with several new staff posing as students

7. Urbana 12 Special Guest Invitation, June
I enjoyed this project because of the process of problem solving it entailed. Previously the reply card was a separate postcard that did not seem to have any connection to the actual invitation. By designing it as a perforated attached card that you could rip off and mail in, it kept the whole thing cohesive and elegant. I enjoy projects where I can use my creativity to solve problems, as well as make them look good!

 

 

6. Urbana 12 infographic "How to Raise Money to Get to Urbana," June (on Facebook)
This was the first of several infographics I designed to promote Urbana 12. I was excited because I not only designed it but was heavily involved in coming up with the ideas. I enjoyed creating each illustration and using the Urbana color palette to convey a light-hearted, fun tone to the piece. Humor is one of my favorite ways to communicate.

5. Books of the Bible pie chart infographic, April (on Facebook)
This simple infographic was our most popular of the year. The team meeting for this infographic was one of the most memorable, fun moments of the year.

4. Urbana 12 Conference Handbook, October (original post)
Despite the stress this project inevitably incurred, I am actually very proud of it. For Urbana 09's handbook, I began with a layout that another designer had started. But this time, I was able to create the entire handbook from scratch. I'm excited about the solutions I came up with for the various types of information that needed to be presented.

3. ONS infographic, June (on Facebook)
If you're counting, this is the fourth (out of 5) that uses the Urbana color palette, and the third (of 3) infographic on my list of favorite projects. I was especially excited that this infographic contains real (and interesting, in my opinion) data. This is the only infographic to date for which I have had to come in on a Saturday to complete. I'd like to say it was worth it, because I'm very pleased with how it looks.

2. "Singleness Sucks, Sometimes" blog post, October (on intervarsity.org)
I wrote three blog posts for the national InterVarsity blog in 2012. This one about my journey as a single woman was by far the most personal and significant. It became the year's fifth most read post in only a month! I've been truly enjoying the opportunity to communicate truth through my writing. I hope to continue this area of creativity and expression in 2013. 

1. Join-In Booklet for Urbana 12, November (original post)
Once in a while there is a project which really inspires me to create something really good. The Join-In Booklet for Urbana was my favorite piece of the year, and I'm apt to think it was because the cause was so important. Through this booklet I helped 16,000 Urbana participants join in assembling 32,000 medical kits, in partnership with caregivers in Swaziland, Africa. 

More Illustrations

Here are a few more illustrations I did for InterVarsity's blog!

For a post titled,"I Got My Butt Kicked By Oprah"

For a post titled, "My Kite Keeps Crashing"

 For a post yet to be published! You'll have to check back on the blog to see when it shows up. :)

Urbana Myths

I recently created an illustration for a post on our national InterVarsity blog. For some reason it's one of my favorites that I've done. I particularly enjoyed using so many bright colors. Check out the actual blog post here.

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