Al Boswell

For my artist copy, I chose to copy Al Boswell's chalk illustration of early 70's Paul McCartney. The reason behind my choice is that I want to experiment with chalk and how it can create delicate or dramatic lighting within illustrations. Lighting can be an important part of video game posters as it can suggest the mood of the game or the theme. Examples would be cool, low-key lighting for a horror video game or warm and high-key lighting for a game aimed at younger audiences. 

My Copy

Original illustration by Al Boswell

Taking inspiration from Al Boswell's chalk work, I chose to draw out two images of subject matter that I'm considering using for my final piece. 

The first piece I did in colour in order to get a feel for which colours would create the correct tones and how they should be blended in order to create the subtle contrasts I want in my game poster. I feel that this was very successful as the blended colours and darker tones give the image form and shape, making it easy on the eye and interesting to look at. 

The second piece was done in charcoal and white chalk in order to capture the contrasts of light and dark that I created in my own scamps. The charcoal and black paper contrast greatly with the white as well as blending with the chalk to create a smooth transition to different tones as well as a variety of lights, darks, and mid-tones. I feel that the use of black and white creates more of a horror feel and still has the same aesthetic appeal as the coloured illustration. 

Coloured chalk illustration

Achromatic chalk and charcoal illustration