This idea was my favorite of the four sketches you did, so I went with
it. I thought it would be cool to do this with the original pen drawing
and a little color thrown in in photoshop.
O.k. Rob, I think the idea is solid, so now it's about the execution and the details and "pushing it" to really sell the idea. I put another sketch under yours to compare. I am just focusing on the snow woman and melted snow man for now.
I want my illustration to evoke some sort of emotion. Hopefully, in this case, it's to make people laugh, or at least smile.
This is probably one of many sketches I might do until I nail it. I am having fun as I am drawing, "feeling" the pose, as if I am an actor in the part of the snow woman. How would I feel? Does it come across in my drawing?
Whenever I approach an assignment, I'm always thinking about the what if questions and of the ways I can push the drawing to make it more funny and expressive. What details can I add to make the scene more funny, since this is a humorous card? How can I push her pose and expression, for example? Is she hunched over? Is her hand on her cheek, in sort of an "oh dear" or flabbergasted expression? What details in her face can I exaggerate? Is her nose tiny in contrast to her big eyes and big 1950's style hairdo? Is it funnier if the umbrella is tiny but the handle is long? Does she have rubber hose arms rather than sticks?
I want her body language to help tell the story that she is in shock, so she is hunched over. I want her nose, eyes, even body pointing down so that I direct the viewers eye toward the melted snowman. It's like telling a joke visually. The viewer looks at the snow woman first, then down at what she is looking at.
What funny little details can I do with the melted snowman?
I thought it would be funny to have the hat resting on top of the nose, with the eyes barely poking out. We see his boots in front of the puddle. Even the shape of the boots are wonky.
When working on or in trying to learn how to do humor illustration (or any genre of illustration) look at the great artists who are at the top. Analyze what makes their art successful.
I try to make myself laugh, and the people at my art review laugh. If that happens, then I know I've succeeded to some degree. I have a much better chance of convincing a customer in Target or Walmart to pick my card over all of the other ones on the rack!
Anyway, lots of food for thought... stuff I want you to think about as you approach every assignment. How can you push it to make it the best?
