Royal Hearts by Alexandra Adler
What is Love for you? Alexandra Adler was approached by dontparty.co.za who asked a bunch of local (South African) artists what they felt "Love Is.." and to illustrate it in a Valentine's Day type card. (Alexandra basically had half a day to illustrate it! Ha!) The brief also requested that it had to be something that still related to their country (even just slightly) but that was pretty much the only requirement.
I used the word "Befok" stitched into the blanket. This casual Afrikaans term means "really good" and/or "wild". My naughty and fun illustrations were designed like the Queen and King of Hearts cards from a deck of playing cards titled "Love is the best kind of game of chance!" The cards hint at the post love-making cliche of lighting up a cigarette after sex, flushed cheeks and all! I added to this piece by including cards for the LGBT community - because the cards are very visual I didn't want to exclude anyone!
-Alexandra Adler
Love and sex are quirky in nature and one of the most attractive things in a person is a sense of humor. Because of this I thought about what kind of Valentines Day card I'd want to receive and decided to take a more original and lighthearted route with these illustrations. Let's be honest the "Be My Valentine" etc repeats are just so boring! I've often considered how a deck of cards live together and how serious the expressions on the cards always tend to look! I started off drawing my idea out on a sketch pad just so I could visually plan. Because of the playful way I imagined these cards to look I decided to use digital art as a means of illustrating it. The rounded edges and juxtaposition of vivid colours and pastels were what I felt would give the idea life.
- Alexandra Adler
Like I mentioned before, I did a quick sketch to just get my idea down on paper, deciding what sort of personality and facial expressions the characters would have. Once I had the basic idea down I took it into Adobe Illustrator and carried on with the illustration there using my Wacom Intuos Pro (a staple for those who enjoy illustrating digitally). I first did the "wire framing" of my design making sure the outlines (strokes) were where I wanted them to be. I then went in and applied the colours. Finally I added a few shadows and highlights to the characters.
- Alexandra Adler
People really responded well to the illustrations. Many people said the cards made them smile and feel gigglish. I think a lot of the time with design, when one moves away from what is conventional and rather tries to do something different (ie: try a cheeky and kinky Valentines Day concept rather than the bland fluffy, feel good stuff) the responses will surprise you. The idea is universal so I didn't feel like it narrowed its impact. I learned how social media and some portfolio-like design platforms (like Behance) are a great way to gauge feedback about one's work.
- Alexandra Adler
About Alexandra Adler
Although her name is Alexandra some people call her by her nickname "Sandy". Alexandra live in sunny South Africa and work as a designer / art director / illustrator. Years ago, after studying a BA in Creative Brand Communications and working for over 2 and a half years, she decided to try something different so she moved to Japan for a year and a bit. Learning and living in another culture was an incredible experience that still inspires her to this day. She came home and went back into the advertising industry which she had sincerely missed! Anyone in advertising will be able to tell you what a fast paced, crazy and open minded industry it is which makes it that much more addictive! She continue to study Japanese, drumming and soon will be starting a special FX and prosthetic makeup course. Sandy firmly believe that continuously challenging yourself and keeping inspired is essential to any creative. You don't just have to stick to what you know! Stepping out a comfort zone will expand your mind and push you to go further.
Super cool! I love the colors :)