One of the skills I want to work on this year is creating simpler work. While I like the more complex and intricate illustrations, I’d like to do some artwork that are just as successful as my more detailed work. Since I work well within parameters, I gave myself some rules to follow with this illustration of the 77 community areas in Chicago. The main rule…it had to be only one color so it could easily be screen printed. Plus, if it could be screen printed, I would be able to use different colors and different paper as a way to make them more interesting as a print.
In the end, I decided to go with this handwritten style. I thought about using a specific font and manipulating it, but I thought I could achieve a more hand drawn feel by just doing the writing myself. After scanning everything, I just needed to trace the writing and figure out a way to make it pop off the page. I went as far as including some of the more recognizable neighborhoods housed within the community areas like Wicker Park and Pilsen, but it was beginning to look messy. In the end, sticking with just the 77 community areas made everything look much cleaner.
What’s next? I am going to do a dessert/sweets factory with a perspective looking up. Plus, I want to do a few more simple Chicago illustrations.
As usual, great job. The font really works. Sadly, it reminds me that Old Town is not a community but rather a subsection of Near North. I don’t like it! Not sure why that bothers me… it just does.
Thanks…I had gone so far as to add some of the more well-known neighborhoods on top of the communities, but it just looked cluttered. I know if I go through the process of trying to sell this it might hurt the “marketability” of it without Old Town, Wicker Park, Bucktown, etc on it, but I’m willing to take that risk for aesthetics. Actually, the one that bothers me the most is not having Back of the Yards. It covers most of New City, but I had never even heard of New City before.
BTW, I realized I have not checked your site out in a while. I will need to get on that soon…