I created a full spread illustration for Rhode Island Monthly Magazine - August 2019 Issue, for an article about Sea Gulls at the beach.
Much of my sketches were inspired by drawings from life during family vacations at the beach. Growing up with an avid birding parents, I enjoyed the article’s reference to the identification of different Gulls and how difficult that can be. The chosen thumbnail sketch contains labels that identify the different species of Gulls.
You can read the very entertaining article by Casey Nilsson here.
Below is my process work, including thumbnail illustrations, sketches, inked line work and the final illustration using Photoshop to color.
Big THANKS to AD Doreen Chisnell !
Ring Billed Gull
Great Black Backed Gull - (HUGIFY and PROPULTION are words that my 10 year old nephew created, as I was sketching with him at the time, and wrote down his dialog.)
A rather hilarious google search image for drawing reference.
THUMBNAIL VERSION # 1
THUMBNAIL VERSION # 2
THUMBNAIL VERSION # 3 - This thumbnail was the winner!
Final INK - You can see the changes from original thumbnail. My father has a lawn chair like this one, which he uses in his living room, as well as out of doors.
Colored ink line work in Photoshop. Playing around with Layer Modes, Textured Brushes, Gradients, Different Line Color, and Layer Opacity.
