Provided with base black and white linework, the Brave Agency commissioned Stephen to colour the illustration. The brief entailed creating a "Find the hidden birds" guessing game for kids, hiding a portion of the birds while leaving some more visible. Franklin approached the project by first creating areas of flat colour and deciding on which birds would be more visible than others. He then added depth through shading and varying tones within the flat areas. After sighting the first draft the client instructed Stephen to increase the depth through a greater variation in hues. Working with this feedback he was able to produce a colourful and vibrant scene. Adding just the right amount of difficulty in spotting the hidden birds within the illustration.
Art Direction: Brave Agency
Illustration: Stephen Franklin
The final composition needed a few rounds of development to achieve the right balance.
The original sketch included a birthday cake which was later substituted for the bowls of Froot Loops and the box packaging.
This animated build-up of the illustration shows the initial sketch Brave sent Stephen, which he took into Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for adding colour and tone.
The solutions for the "Find the hidden birds" guessing game were printed on the inside of the box packaging.
Stephen supplied the final illustration to the Brave agency as a high-resolution Photoshop file for placement into the finished artwork.
