When beginning this project, I created a series of thumbnails using digital tools after researching what a “Rags to Riches” story is and looks like. It was a difficult project to start because it was hard for me to fit a narrative within four pieces, but I did it!
I started by creating two different concepts of what my story should be. They were very quick. Almost like storyboarding. The first problem I encountered was that the thumbnails didn’t necessarily scream a “Rags to Riches" story. After lots and lots of constructive criticism, I ultimately ended up going with a different thumbnail version of the bear as shown below.
After figuring out which thumbnail and which story I was going to make, I moved onto the refined sketch. I used graphite on a mixed media paper. After receiving some feedback, I made final changes to the sketches, removed the third panel and added a new fourth panel. The final panel being that the bear ate all the food and grew a belly.
Every stage up to this point was critiqued and I felt I was ready to dive deep into color and the final. I decided that color pencil and gouache would best fit this story.
However, I decided to change materials because I felt that the materials that I had originally decided to use didn’t compliment the type of warm atmosphere that I wanted to highlight in the piece. So I decided experiment with digital tools.
Finally, the final print is completed! I created each piece on its own file and then complied them into a one big square. That being said, I settled on a blue and orange color palette to transition a sad and gloomy atmosphere into a warm and cozy one. The bear once lost and hungry filled its belly with baked honey goods. Granting its the name “Hungry Hungry Honey Bear.”