Store Front Sketch

Pencil Sketch

As always I like to scan the final sketch, send it to the client, get it approved, then start to colour it in.

I had to send about 3 pencil scans and the client made a few small amendments to each. (Adding in flags, larger store window. Nothing big, but I feel more secure knowing that the pencil sketch has been signed off.)

On a side note: The lady who hired me was very encouraging in each email. She kept saying

“We love it, its brilliant! But… can you please add this bit here and maybe amend that there?”

I don’t know if her praise was sincere but I did appreciate it regardless.

I can only assume she must have worked with very touchy artists before, but I enjoy client feedback and suggestions.

Sometimes if you’ve drawn something to a deadline your focus wavers between finishing it and may miss seeing something that the client would see. Anyway, her suggestions were great and I think really work (Flags & carpet).

I hesitated before colouring it in. I rather liked the starkness of the sketch and as we know, my water-colour skills are poor at best. 

I also wasn’t sure if the wood panels all down the arcade should be shaded in or not.

So I decided to do some test tuns before I cracked open that terrifying paint box. I shrank the pencil scan above to A5, and printed it out on a sheet of A4 paper to try out different colour styles and to practice my water-colour technique

Test Run

In the end I used my watercolour pencils instead of the paint box. I find them much nicer to use.

If you dip the tip of the pencil in water, it does this nice combo of wet and dry simultaneously.

The first test is too dark, the focus isn’t on the shop. On the second one the brown on the panelling was too heavy and the yellow distracting.

So just 4 main colours for the final: Blue, red and turquoise. Yellow and panelling only for the shop.

Final

I’m reasonably happy with it.

I think it’s going on a bunch of invites for the store launch. Hopefully they’ll send me a few copies.

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