Jerry
Running from the police, Jerry escapes the horse racing track. An illustration I created based on a Craigslist ad. (Created in Procreate for Digital Imaging class. Completed in two-week timeframe in September 2021.)
Project Brief
For this project, we were each randomly assigned an eccentric Craigslist ad and told to make a portrait of the author. The ad I received was posted by a man in Reno looking to rent out a room in his apartment. However, the ad goes on for over three printed pages in all its misspelled and grammatically questionable glory, rambling about fears that the federal government is always watching, the merits of keeping tabs on the real estate market in Reno, and the thrilling highs and lows of horse racing.
What I Created
This is Jerry. Jerry is a 68-year-old "professional horse race gambler" who lives in Reno. He has a passion for real estate and is paranoid that the FBI will steal his credit card information. Jerry has just left the racetrack with his winnings, but has taken off down the highway as fast as his ancient station wagon can go at the first sign of the sheriff car that had initially approached Jerry just to reprimand him for parking in a handicap spot. In about half an hour, Jerry will be in a holding cell. But right now, he's running for his life in a desperate gambit to keep the feds from confiscating his cash, his car... and, God forbid, his credit card information.
Takeaways
This project allowed me to work on my skills in creating a single composition that contains a complete story. While the action in the scene moves from right to left, I wanted to use the left-to-right way a viewer would scan it to reveal the story bit by bit, creating something that's engaging and has some humor to it: first, you see Jerry's car in front, with money flying out the windows, and only then do you see the police lights gaining from behind.
Process work
Deciding on a Subject
Although I initially considered creating some kind of traditional portrait, I ultimately decided creating a snapshot of a narrative would be a better challenge, allowing me to practice some character development and worldbuilding. To brainstorm, I sat down at my computer and typed out story ideas as they came to me, listening to the Raising Arizona soundtrack and reading Florida crime articles for inspiration. Then, I moved to my sketchbook and thumbnailed until I had a composition and a narrative in mind.
Finding References
I referenced Google Map streetview pictures on the highways outside Reno to get a sense of the landscape and the plant life that grew along the highway. The car was inspired by an ancient station wagon I saw in a grocery store parking lot, while having all the items strapped on top was specifically inspired by the beginning of the film Raising Arizona, a scene in which Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter drive off to commit a ridiculous break-in plot with a ladder tied to the roof of their car.