I wanted to take a moment to share with you the illustration I did for this month's issue of The Amplifier. As you can see above, this month's letter was "R." We wanted to show that the holidays can be a very hard time for people, specifically for those who are homeless. People can be homeless for a variety of reasons which often include or result in their life being turned upside down and loosing the good times they had. The Christmas is a perfect time to think about the blessing of Christ's arrival, his crucifixion, and the gift of salvation through his resurrection. Its also a great time to consider the other blessings that we have, while trying to support, comfort, and help our neighbors around us that may not have the blessings we do.
Conveying large ideas like this in one small image can be challenging. Leslie, from the Amp, suggested showing someones past through their reflection in a shop window. I thought the idea was brilliant! It was the perfect way to depict our concept.
Here you can see some thumbnail sketches and quick (and sloppy) notes that I sent to Leslie. These can sometimes be very detailed and other times very simple and quick. They allow her to get a better understand of directions we can go with the illustration. They are also great for making sure I understand what she wants the illustration to be like. After communicating these ideas to each other and settling on which specific composition we want to go with, I begin the final illustration.
Here's the first version of the illustration with Leslie's text. As you can see I've taken the image much further into the "finished" stage by adding details, tones, and colors.
After a few needed changes with the text and its placement, the illustration was finished! If you want to see it out "in the wild" and support The Amplifier's ministry to the homeless and the community, just pick up a copy of the paper. It's available in the greater Knoxville, TN area. It is just one small way anyone can help make a difference in someones life over the holidays.
Thanks so much for checking in. I hope you all have an awesome-tastic Christmas and happy holidays! Until next time, God bless!