Illustrating for Downtown Woodstock
Chair Illustrations for Downtown Woodstock
Hi! Can I talk to you about a project I'm over the moon for? I got to play a small part in Woodstock's history by drawing 6 historical chairs for the visitor's center. This was such a fun and meaningful project to me. I was born in Fresno, California, but Woodstock is where I grew up. It's my hometown and I'm so glad we're still here. Here's a little behind the scenes!
Each chair was illustrated digitally using an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Procreate. I started with a pattern study based off of photos of each chair. Then I sketched them, using the photos for reference. Then I added in color and textures based off of the materials each chair was made out of.
Last summer, I did a series of small illustrated objects from around my house. I was just playing and using those tiny projects as an opportunity to practice. (You can see some on Instagram if you scroll a bit!) Working digitally was kind of disorienting at first. There is a tiny bit of lag between the pen and the screen - plus you really have to experiment with the brushes to get the right look. It's not quite as easy to get texture as it is with actual materials. I'm so glad I spent time playing because it gave me the skills and experience to work on a project like this. We shouldn't shrug off play time so much - it leads to fun projects, new interests and growing our skills.
This bad boy above by far took the most time. (In fact, the gif might have a hard time loading because there are that many layers.) My chiropractor recommended more abstract art and left handed tasks to balance out all the realism I'd been working on. Left / right brain imbalance - it's a real thing! That was the first time I got a prescription for more art. I mean, I should probably go buy some more paint. Thanks Dr. Bob!! :)
I am so excited to see these printed and hanging in the new visitor's center. The new visitor's center will be open on February 23rd, so you should plan on stopping by to see what an amazing job the team at Downtown Woodstock has done! Seriously so proud of this city and happy to be a part of it!
Hugs!
Mads