STRAYLIFE - ONCE UPON A WILD
Straylife — Once Upon a Wild is a self-initiated editorial project exploring what happens to wild animals when their diet shifts to urban food waste. The project consists of three illustrations designed to work as a complete editorial set: a Feature Opener, a Half-page Horizontal spot, and a Square Spot. Each piece can stand alone or be published together as a feature layout.
If you are what you eat — how wild can a garbage-eating animal still be? I don't know the answer, but the question intrigues me.
The shift to a food waste diet affects most species deeply: metabolic changes, behavioral drift, increased activity on the edge of urban spaces. That last part is the most visible one, and the one I chose to represent in this illustration, to connect with the audience and raise awareness.
The idea came from something a guide said to me during a kayak tour through a mangrove forest in Langkawi, Malaysia. We spotted a macaque on the riverbank and he said: "That's a real wild one. Not like those in town — they eat garbage, they became something else." I wasn't sure about the scientific validity of that, but the idea stayed with me.
Scroll down for Layout Mockups, process images and the preview of the other two illustrations!
Editorial Illustration - Publishing
The illustration builds a parallel with the iconic shots of snow monkeys in Japanese hot springs. Instead of the pool, a troop of macaques is "relaxing" in a dumpster full of trash. I find the source photographs powerful because you can spot the distinct personalities of each monkey, and recognize yourself in the scene. So I depicted various characters in the group: the drunkard, the angry one, the relaxed ones, a mother with a baby, an energetic youngster, the observers — and finally, someone who hides, looking straight at us.
I designed it specifically leaving space on the top and bottom areas, for it to be used as Feature Opener (right) and eventually as main Cover of a Magazine (left).
Until the very end the Illustration had a graffiti writing in the middle of the dumpster. After gathering some feedback I decided to leave it out and let the image speak for itself.
Here a selection of the various stages of the development of the illustration. In the beginning I started with a quick staging of the scene, searching for an interesting perspective and deciding the various personalities of the group. At this point I used a strong background just to make the subject pop up. Then I proceeded to do a first pencil pass on the monkeys and I started adjusting the masses and the perspective. Once the composition felt strong enough I completed the linework of the main subjects, to start adding the main colors and shadows. The last image has all the main colors and shadows set. At that point I was going into the final stage, in which I add textures, develop the shadows, add the lights and the final details.
I use all these stills to evaluate step by step where I am going and if there are some issues with the image. They are very helpful for the communication with the client and the art director.
I love these subjects and I would love to illustrate articles and publications about wildlife, nature and environmentalism. If you have a similar project and like what you have seen, hit me up with an email!
A quick preview of how I am planning the other two illustrations on this set. These would be page 3 and 4. Coming soon!