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Final Layout: Initial Progress VS Final 

I decided to frame my composition to something that resembles a Chinese calendar (I will insert a picture of it below) which is a reflection of my ethnicity background, especially being in a multi-cultural country, patterns and colours can hint at a certain tradition/culture. Therefore, with hues of red being the most prominent colour, I thought this can better bring about a sense of festivity especially for a time like now, ITS THE CHINESE NEW YEAR! 

P.S: It is my favourite holiday as I get to indulge in the most sinful snacks as well as receive money from Red Packets! Two of my most loved activities (Talk about a win-win situation!) 

The traditional Chinese calendar

The mandarin text in the border means “Food is life”, and the subtle details such as the date further build the impression of this being a Chinese Calendar. The dates that were written below signifies my birth date, a representation of the beginning of my life that reflects the ideology behind this advent calendar layout. More than just that, it is a reflection of my upbringing under the care of very strict and traditional parents. The traditional aspect, therefore, resulted in my personality as I am just a ball of shyness. The portrait is shying away to the right side to support my personality trait as forward facing portrait kind of suggest strength and confidence.

The random collage of food items in the background just brings out the quirkiness and vibrancy of my character as well as the stylistic aspect of hand drawing and detailing of the food packagings that brings out the personalised aspect of this portrait. 

Challenges faced:

As I attempted the food illustrations on the Ipad, I had to ensure that the brushes and colour scheme is seamless throughout each and every food packaging drawn. Restriction can sometimes be seen as a challenge as well, as you are only allowed to work within a limited ground with very specific tools. Experimenting with colours was quite a journey as well! I designed multiple colour schemes before finalising with the one above – which I am eventually satisfied with! Also, conceptualising the overall idea and theme is one of the hardest aspects, in my opinion. Besides just realising a portrait, I want my design to be able to tell a “compelling” story. 

This is the end of my journey for project one! Thanks for following!