Money Money Money
Illustrator and IGI member Fintan Taite has sent us another great Step by Step. This one is an editorial illustration for You And Your Money Magazine.
The Client: You And Your Money Magazine
The Brief: full page colour illustration to accompany a feature article on the looming energy shortage and worldwide credit crisis.
My Idea: I decided to focus on America’s lack of investment in green energy while rapidly continuing to use up oil reserves. The Image of Nero fiddling while Rome burned came to mind. I quickly sketched out my idea in pencil and a bit of photoshop and sent it off to the client. After I received approval it was time to move start the final artwork.
Step 1: I gather a couple of pictures off google for reference and with my rough as a guide I start to sketch out the main elements of the composition. I try to keep the pencil work quite loose. I like to leave some decisions until the inking stage in an effort to keep the line work as spontaneous and fresh as possible. 
Once I’m happy enough with what I’ve got I start inking. The materials I use are brown India ink, a Hunt 99 drawing nib and arches 300 g/m hot pressed paper. For some areas of the image that i want to recede I dilute the ink before applying.
Step 2: Using watercolour I lightly wash in the main colours working from light to dark, trying not to get distracted or bogged down in any one area.
Step 3: After painting is complete I add extra texture and tone using watercolour pencils and strengthen a couple of weak areas with different coloured India ink.
Step 4: I scan the final artwork and open The image in photoshop where I make final minor adjustments to the colours and clean up the edges of the image using a wet media brush. From start to finish the final artwork took the guts of a day to complete.
April 28th, 2008 20:38
love this – i would call that a good days work!
April 29th, 2008 16:54
very nice indeed.
April 29th, 2008 18:41
Great Step by Step Fintan… I am amazed at the speed you have to work at to make it in a day.
Well done indeed!
April 29th, 2008 22:59
Fantastic Fintan, I think your work is marvellous. How long did it take to get client approval for the idea and does the process normally go so smoothly?
April 30th, 2008 00:50
Great work & step by step Fintan. It’s wonderful to see it in the magazine too. Well done!!
April 30th, 2008 13:37
Lovely work, Fintan and great to see real, non- digital pigments!
April 30th, 2008 16:45
I think once you have a got that perfect initial input/idea: “America’s lack of investment in green energy” combined with the “Image of Nero fiddling while Rome burned” in your case, with your high skill for draft and colouring, you knew you were 99% already done!
Great work, I like it. And really a nice idea!
April 30th, 2008 17:19
lovely stuff Fintan.
May 3rd, 2008 14:15
Hi Guys,
Thanks for the comments..it’s great to get such positive feedback! To answer Neils question about client approval it normally takes a day or two to get the go head..that’s if they like the idea!