“Gently with a Chainsaw... (And other Luv Poemz”

Target Audience:

Adults aged 18-50 who are interested in Adult-themed Kawaii Noir, Graphic Novels.

Software Used:

Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign

Background:

This publication, entitled Gently with a Chainsaw, is intended to be a cute but twisted take on ancient mythological poetry or sonnets, but carrying post-post-post-modern day themes within a dark psychological thriller. The heroine, ironically named, “Gently,” is anything but gentle. (She would more aptly be named “Irony”.) She is featured on the cover, bearing a smirk while wielding a chain saw. There are cartoon-like side kicks she hangs out with, also equal parts danger and naivety.

Design Process:

I made the illustrations and graphic assets in Illustrator and Photoshop. I took the quote from a poem I wrote previously, and I will eventually be adding more copy from poems and vignettes I have written which I find to be cohesive with the story. For the illustrations and page layouts I drew rough and thumbnail sketches, (several iterations before finalizing them), then scanned the refined sketches in (and possibly cleaned them up more in Photoshop) before vectorizing, coloring,
and compositing them in Illustrator. I wanted more unconventional circular grids.

Design Problem:

The design brief is to create a fun and playful book which sparks fancy and imagination in the reader, but also is though provoking with disturbing and brooding undertones, musings, and artwork. The book is also intended to be expanded upon and features my original creative writing, inspirational musings, and artwork.

Design Solution:

I wanted to use good drawing technique and my own style for the girls, animals, and shapes and objects depicted in the illustrations. I learned a lot about lighting, shading, perspective, and composition, and I am very eager to learn more and expand on this for the future such as adding highlight insets and multiple points of light. The print production will have a padded, glittery finished book cover. Eventually, I want to create merchandise such as stickers and apparel, as well as digital media such as animations and GIF’s.