Swans in the Canal

Digital illustration for an album cover. This project showcases my iterative design process while executing a specific vision.

Role: Illustrator / Designer
Platform: Adobe Photoshop

Background

The client, an artist by the name of Brainorchestra, was inspired by a scene he saw in Amsterdam. There he saw a serene view of swans, swimming in a blue canal with sunlight glimmering on the water. He asked me to Illustrate this scene in in an impressionist and painterly style.

Reference Images

I gathered some reference images for subject matter and others for design inspiration and style direction, which the client agreed upon.

Conception

I took his original vision and expanded it into three distinct and detailed compositions. I wanted to incorporate the use of brain imagery to reference the artist’s brand.


I presented these concepts to the client with  descriptive notes and reference images. After reviewing the concepts, he decided to go ahead with Concept #3 - because of its bold graphic composition.

Final Result

I started the piece by drawing an outline of a human brain. I then traced over this outline, adding swans contorted in different positions to match the brain overlay.


Everthing came together organically through the iterative process, resulting in a freshly original album cover that exceeded the client’s expectations.