Charlene Chua
Charlene is a digital illustrator who lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
charlenechua.com | charlenechuakids.com
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Did this some time ago but kept forgetting to put up the pictures. This was an interesting project for the wine label G. Marquis. The illustration was black and white; the final artwork was white embossed on a light grey.
The client wanted something that told a specific story, but also wanted it to be subtle. Originally it was supposed to be a more elaborate design but we gradually simplified it so that the illustration could rest on either side of the logo. The artwork was hand drawn with a brush pen and scanned in for delivery.
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Been a bit preoccupied lately with various things and haven’t posted for a while. So, here are some sketches to try and make up for the missing weeks:
The last one is digital, though it was based off a pencil sketch. When I get more time I would like to try stuff like this that’s simplified and graphic.
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Big thanks to the guys at Kayak for working with me on their Titanic anniversary issue cover.
The sinking of the Titanic was one of the big events of the 20th century; a tragedy that ended the lives of many people, but also marked the decline of an era of optimism and faith in human engineering and commerce. It also was a bitter display of classism at work - a theme that was played up heavily in James Cameron’s movie. As I was working on this, I kept wondering if society was slipping back into Titanic’s time, where a small number of super rich ruled the world and literally jumped ship when calamity struck, leaving behind the poor to perish. There were some 1st class passengers who did answer the call of noble self sacrifice, but the stories of those who didn’t have become even more legendary.
My initial suggestion was to show the Titanic in a more positive light, perhaps leaving port or being built. The magazine wished to depict the sinking however, but requested it not look too gruesome. I did want the ship to be visible, but I also wanted the passengers to be be prominently visible. So we settled on a shot of people in a lifeboat looking in shock at the sinking ship. I would have preferred not to have the small silhouettes of people in the water (as this is a children’s history magazine), but I guess for historical accuracy they had to be there.
The cover was accompanied by 2 spots in the article. I’d originally suggested the guys in the Marconi room, but we later changed it to the band instead.
For the record, in my head, the rich guy in the life boat is Bruce Ismay. He’s not meant to look like Ismay, but in my head that’s who he represents.
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Did this over the course of a couple of days. It was first and foremost a test for dry brushing oil on watercolor paper. I did the sketch (of 1920s starlet Agnes Moorehead) somewhat haphazardly in bed, and well, she’s not really lining up perfectly. But I think the painting part turned out pretty good! I do think the paper had too much texture (it’s a Canson cold press watercolor with a really heavy grain… makes it look almost like canvas paper), so when I get around to another test I’ll try a smoother paper instead.
It felt really good painting in oil, strangely. I used to hate oils, particularly when I was a teen. So either dry brush works for me because it feels more like drawing, or perhaps something has changed as I’ve gotten older and I now don’t feel as intimidated as before.
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It’s that time of the week again. Watercolor, waterbrush and ink. Comments are welcome, even if they aren’t all super.
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Girl with hat and bag, from Lookbook. Watercolor and pencil and brush pen.
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A lady in a school outfit from Lookbook. Pencil and watercolor sketch.
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Did this for an article in the Wall Street Journal, talking about the do’s and don’ts of discussing politics in the office. Was asked to keep party imagery out of the picture, which made it difficult to portray the subject matter. I suggested having the guy point to the date on the calendar instead in reference to the election date itself.
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A somewhat tired looking Wonder Woman, with lines and all. Watercolor and ink brush over pencil.
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The nice folks at the University of Indianapolis are holding an exhibition featuring my work, and the lovely work of my friend Kristal Melson.
If you are in town, do drop by the check it out. The show features (from me) pieces from the start of my career in Singapore, to more recent pieces done for the North American market.
Show details:
February 20 – March 16, 2012
Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday
9 a.m. to 9 p.m.Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center
1400 East Hanna Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46227-3697
