The Three Musketeers
In order to make it through this final semester with my brain still intact I refused to look ahead at projects before the Monday in which they were introduced. So when the sticker project came up I was immediately excited to start brainstorming and working towards something tangible that I'd get to keep for years after. I (obviously) geared my subject towards combat sports and that made everything so much easier in terms of long hours and brainstorming and just an all around drive to make something special that I knew I'd love and those I know who train in martial arts would love as well.
Sketches
My sketches were relatively easy to throw down since I had so many ideas and directions within this niche realm to choose from. From boxing rings to "TKO" to black eyes, I was in idea heaven. By the end of the project all of my initial ideas had either morphed together into something entirely new or been completely forsaken.
In order to make it through this final semester with my brain still intact I refused to look ahead at projects before the Monday in which they were introduced. So when the sticker project came up I was immediately excited to start brainstorming and working towards something tangible that I'd get to keep for years after. I (obviously) geared my subject towards combat sports and that made everything so much easier in terms of long hours and brainstorming and just an all around drive to make something special that I knew I'd love and those I know who train in martial arts would love as well.
Sketches
My sketches were relatively easy to throw down since I had so many ideas and directions within this niche realm to choose from. From boxing rings to "TKO" to black eyes, I was in idea heaven. By the end of the project all of my initial ideas had either morphed together into something entirely new or been completely forsaken.
First Go
My first two stickers were the easiest to get down into Illustrator but the third eluded me until the final week. The knuckles were definitely my favorite of the three to mess with and try to continue improving. As you'll see by the end of the project the tattoo ink has become more of a green/blue base instead of black seen here. The man's face also continued to go through further coloring to bring out the TKO he'd suffered. Thickened strokes can also been seen growing from first draft to last.
Stick Me Everywhere
Finally, I completed (so far, because is it ever really finished?!) my three stickers. From the popular "Goodnight, Irene!" heard in Muay Thai matches commentated by veteran Michael Schiavello to my forever connection to body ink. Finishing with a depiction of what it feels like to have your hands be the only thing between you and your opponent and how explosive that feels. I'm excited to see them with the nice die cut and semi-gloss and will probably be sticking them on everything from my training notebook to my laptop. Better print a few extra for the fam at the gym, too!
