The Brief

Were were asked to create two final illustrations based on plants:
-A poster of our illustration
-A poster of our illustration as a printed product (mockup)

We were all introduced to painting with watercolors, but were welcome to chose a different medium for the final illustrations.

Our final print designs were supposed to work in a series / come in different versions.

The Idea / Background

I decided to create stickers based on an already existing illustration-series of mine: In this series, I draw tiny dragons in natural settings, which I think suits the botanical theme nicely.

So the main question I asked myself was: How can I make these designs simpler so they work in a sticker-format?

The Moodboard

We were all advised to create a moodboard that helps us find visuals for our project.

I decided to focus on different flowers as I think they work nicely in smaller formats such as stickers.

I picked out reoccuring colors from these references and created a palette based on the moodboard. I would later base the colors of the stickers on this palette.

Sketches and Watercolor Tests

We started exploring some basic watercolor techniques first. Since I've not drawn with watercolors in a long time I preferred to make some more studies of my own before I started thinking about the final illustrations.

Once I was a bit more confident with my skills, I started making sketches for the final illustrations.

I picked out my three favorite flowers from the moodboard and created quick thumbnails for each flower.

I then redrew the chosen thumbnails digitally. You'll also see an extra version on the right where I considered the kisscut of stickers.

To me, it was important that the flowers were dominant. So I based the design of the dragons on the flowers, and not the other way around. This way, they camouflaged among the petals.

Creating the Final Illustrations

I printed the digital sketches on an A4 sheet of paper with different sizes. This helped me determine how big the stickers would be in the end and how many details are possible to include in such a tiny space.

I then transferred my sketches onto watercolor paper and painted two of the designs by hand.

The stickers were then edited digitally were I added some lineart and final coloring effects.

I decided to experiment with the third sticker: Instead of painting it with watercolors, I decided to work digitally. I did this to see how an entirely digital process would affect the final design.

Part of our brief was to create an A3+ poster that included our illustrations.

I struggled with this a bit since the designs I made were pretty simple. What works on a sticker doesn't necessarily work on a poster.

So, I decided to reuse and duplicate elements of one of my designs and turn it into a storybook-like illustration.

Final Illustrations

I printed the final designs on semi-gloss paper and cut around the kisscut so I could use them for custom mockups.