Final Thoughts

I really learned a lot about illustration this semester. Coming in, I had no idea how to create a decent watercolor or how the word "gouache" was even pronounced. The technique exercises were definitely helpful before starting on an actual project. It was also helpful to go through the approval process with some of the projects. First, concept comps must get approved, then a pencil comp, then marker comp, and finally the illustration. I also found it helpful to learn about story/character development, especially for the cartoon. Although I made a couple of cartoony illustrations, I mostly tried to depict a certain amount of realism. My least favorite technique was airbrush, but mostly because it didn't seem worth the effort of finding the airbrush pieces, assembling the thing, testing it, cleaning it, and doing the process over every time I needed to use one. It made me appreciate the wonder of Photoshop, which I was also grateful that we learned for coloring in line art. Overall, this class was a learning experience and I'm happy with the majority of work that I produced.