Grapefruit + Ants = Crazy Imagination

For my first design project, I made a 4x6" postcard which expressed my reflection/analysis of my object of choice, which was a grapefruit. At first I did not understand what my professors wanted; they just wrote "let the post card 'breathe' the essence/style of the selection." What exactly does that mean? Should I fill the entire page with grapefruits to the point that I'm sick and tired of seeing grapefruits? Is the essence of a grapefruit its sweetness? I do not know; therefore, I started sketching and brainstorming ideas.

I was going to pick lemons for the postcard project. Since, citrus fruits evoke vibrant colors, fun, and summer; and I wanted to incorporate that into a postcard. But how? My first idea was a small town obsessed with lemons. Every store or inhabitant was associated with lemons such as a Starbucks that only served lemon flavored coffee or a farmer who only grows lemons. However, I thought this idea was a bit of an overkill and overpowering for a 4x6 card. So, back to the drawing board.

During class, I draw or doodle on my notes to stay awake. I'm sorry but astronomy and art history of European decorative arts is sooooo boring. It is truly a struggle to stay awake. I draw whatever comes to my mind and the little characters always look cartoonish (probably because I still watch cartoons). In astronomy, I came up with this idea of ants enjoying summer by chilling on a lounge chair, playing volleyball or swimming just like humans. Of course, an actually swimming pool will seem like the vast oceans of the world to ants; but a fruit is a great alternative; especially for greedy sugar ants. Also, I changed my fruit from a lemon to a grapefruit because grapefruits have two hues that give me a lot of options when designing. So, I started sketching again.

My choice of medium for the end product was watercolor on cardstock. I had some left over cardstock so I might as well use it. I used watercolors because I wanted to experiment with a medium I never used before. Thank God the postcard turn out decent because it would be embarrassing if my professors tore me apart for crappy craftsmanship.

Summer Days