This was a small breakdown and informative illustration based on the 90's virtual pet toy Tamagotchi. This piece was intended for a children's science and technology magazine, more specifically as an editorial piece on retro toys from the past. Altogether this was a fun project and something of a nostalgia trip for myself as well.

This project was for an informative illustration project in my advanced illustration class at NCAD. The theme for this assignment was to create an accurate portrayal of either a process or a product to be used in promotional materials such as ads. My own Tamagotchi was a big part of my childhood and doing a visual breakdown of it seemed like a great way to go for the assignment. This particular breakdown style is very much in vogue right now due to its stylistic and clean approach to the world of technology which can often look cluttered and confusing.

Since this was intended for a younger audience, fun bright colors are a must. In general, human minds react more to blocked out shapes and colors, so I try and keep this graphic approach in mind in all my work. Especially when you are working for a children's publication, you have to keep in mind a more simple and bright style to it all so it is more visually appealing to them. Tamagotchis are all about fun loud colors that express the unique personality of their owner, so they come in all sorts of funky combinations that as an artist, you can really go wild with. The unique designs coupled with the plastic material on the toy itself was a lot of fun to capture overall.

These pieces were created in Adobe Photoshop. Overall my process is very similar to other artists I've seen creating work in the same style as mine but for the sake of clarity, my process basically follows these steps:

Step One:
Sketches/Color Comps

Step Two:
Blocking out large shapes

Step Three:
Refine smaller shapes/details

Step Four:
Polish it up!

Step Five:
Adjustment Layers i.e color correction, photo filters, levels

I cannot stress how important post production editing is in my process, and I highly recommend every artist add it to their process if they aren't already. Even if you work traditionally but want to take your work into a digital format, you need to color correct at least and get your work looking as good as it does in person.

I think overall this piece was well received. It was unlike any other piece I did before since it was so technically based but I think I grew as a result of stepping out of my comfort zone. I learned how to take something complicated like machinery and break it down into more simplistic part for the sake of clarity. As a illustrator you need to know the difference between detail and clutter, and I think this piece gave me a better eye for distinguishing between the two.

Remember to keep you intended audience in mind at all times through the creative process, and remember that polish is key to a successful illustration!