Graduation Milestones
In the postcard series Graduation Milestones, the emphasis was on applying previous illustration knowledge to a digital narrative. The ability to produce four drawings that go well together was the key goal. Stepping outside of the box was a key strategy for this series, but the focus was more on demonstrating how intricate and detailed these postcards can be.
My postcard series' focus is on graduation milestones. I wanted to illustrate how a person's life progresses from one stage to the next. The message I wanted to show was about how some family members are unable to attend these important events, but will always have a way to show their support. That was my main reason for having my postcards be so vibrant and full of life so they may be sent to the graduate.
This four-postcard series complements the various types of graduations. I intended to show elementary, middle school, high school, and college on my postcards since these are the major points for an individual. The concept I later chose was to use a boy and a girl to represent two of the four milestones. The girl signifies elementary and college graduation, while the boy represents middle and high school graduation.
My initial thought was to choose only between the stages of a boy or a girl; but, after receiving input, I realized that it would be ideal to create two of each gender. My first set of sketches featured several depictions of people who are graduating, but was shown in several poses and angles. I decided on my final four, and then I started outlining and selecting colors for each postcard. I wanted there to be a difference between them, therefore I didn't want everyone to wear cap and gowns that were the same color. In order to make each postcard distinct and offer the viewer something to look at, I also made sure to design each one differently.
From my first WIP, I had to focus more on detailing and not leaving a widow on the back of my postcards. I started with a child-like font for the back side of my postcards, but as I went back and looked, I soon realized that I needed to use a simple font because a child-like font would not match every postcard. For the front side, I focused more on what could make it stand out and that helped my design in the end.
After completing each one, I learned that creating a series is not as hard as it may seem. I was using a new program, Procreate, and that was a new experience for me. Overall I believe I did use and learn this programming well. This helped me learn to not be scared to step out of my norm because I was used to using Illustrator, but as soon as I willingly learned something new it came out really good.
