18 Aug Sugar Skull One Postcard #24

I really like the tradition of Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. In most cultures skulls are spooky or creepy, but in Mexican culture, the life of loved ones who have passed on are celebrated with the use of sugar skulls that are brightly painted and have colourful flowers all over them. Gifts of favourite foods and drinks are also offered at the gravesite or a constructed alter for people’s loved ones. The key is that they celebrate and remember the life of their loved ones, not their death.

I plan to do a few different sugar skull postcard designs so this one is the first. It is another postcard that has been in the design process for quite a while, I started it way back in April but I could never find the right colour palette or finishing touches to finish it. It never quite felt right. This week I sat down and tried a few things and it finally all came together.

My original rough sketch done in ink on tracing paper.

This postcard was done entirely in Illustrator but I sketched the skull design as the beginning inspiration. I then scanned it into Photoshop and used it to trace the shapes in Illustrator and correct all the wonky lines. As you can see the final illustration looks nothing like the original sketch. I usually make a lot of changes along the way as I work through a design and take out parts of the design that don’t add anything to the overall look of a piece.

I’ve always liked the shape and contrasting colours of Anemone flowers so I incorporated some into this design. And here is the final postcard.