Project 1 - Conceptual Imagemaking
Anna Galioto
For this project, we were given the task of creating and illustrated image that conveys a compelling concept from an assigned article. The article I chose was titled, "She Faked Her Chimp's Death. Then Things Went Apeshit" from Rolling Stone Magazine. The article discusses a chimp owner's conflict with PETA, as she lied about the death of her exotic animal Tonka. The story includes legal trouble, $20,000 in reward money, and elaborate lies, all of which are displayed in the iterations and illustrations below.
Concept Sketches
Iterations 1-20
The first 20 iterations seen below include a variety of AI prompts from Midjourney. Many of them include a monkey getting in legal trouble, found in handcuffs, using a banana gun, or taking a mugshot. This first round of iterations allowed me to brainstorm which direction I wanted to take the image and test out a variety of styles in Midjourney.
Iterations 21-40
After receiving feedback from the first 20 iterations, the following designs were created. Here the focus was honing in on which prompt to use, and the female owner was included in many more illustrations. I also shifted to using the New Yorker style in many of the illustrations.
Final Variations
Finally, I tested out a few variations fo the woman and the chimp hiding together behind money. I was drawn to the styles and colors in these images and felt that they perfectly captured the drama and secrecy discussed in the article.
Final Image
The image below captures the scandal in the article, while drawing potential viewers in. It appears as if the woman and the chimp are hiding something, and the cash reward is on display. This final image fits with the theme of other illustrations by the publication and summarizes the article well.
