Harstad Project Illustrations
Harstad Project Illustrations
Background
As part of Harstad Kommune’s initiative to upgrade Rikard Kaarbøs Plass and develop Ottar Håløygs Plass into a playground and park, several visual elements were required to inform the public and enhance the presentation of the project. While I was not responsible for the blueprints, my task was to create illustrations that showcased the envisioned final result.
These illustrations were used for promotional materials and informational signs at the construction site. I collaborated with CHILI HARSTAD AS, who developed most of the project’s promotional and graphic content. For this project, I will only showcase what I have made, and how.
Project Objective
Illustrate the planned town square and park improvements, to help residents and visitors understand the transformation of the town square and park into a more accessible, vibrant, and community-friendly space.
Roles & Tools
- Primary role: Illustrator
- Digital tools: Fresco, Photoshop, Lightroom
- Traditional Tools: Ink pens, Blue pencils
- Other tools: Scanner, rulers, image references
Project timeline
12 weeks+ weeks for both projects, from initial sketches to final digital renderings and from doing clinent revisions.
Town Square - workflow
Gathered references
I used the client’s photos, blueprints, and material samples to capture the current layout and how the future benches’ light poles will look.
Sketch Scaling
The grid method was used to scale an image of the town square from A4 to A3 to accurately sketch it traditionally before inking.
Inking & Scanning
The final sketches were inked and scanned at 1000+ DPI for a sharp look on larger signs and posters.
Digital Cleanup
I cleaned the inked image in Photoshop using masking techniques to remove scuff marks and the white background for easier coloring.
Coloring & Revisions
Colors were applied digitally for easy revisions based on client feedback, who liked the hazy summer morning look.
Hybrid Sketching
I traditionally sketched parts of the new features and Digitally in Photoshop for better accuracy.
New park - workflow
Digital approach
I decided to do everything digitally for this project, since the deadline and duration was much shorter. Due to this, I sketched all out in Fresco, basing it on the reference images.
Layers
Keeping separate layers for elements like the sketch, lineart and individual colored areas made it easier to do revisions based on customer-feedback.
Revisions
I didnt start coloring until the final ink lineart was accepted.
Color & Texture Application
By using Fresco’s digital brushes to mimic traditional strokes, I was able to draw something that fit with the other previous illustations.
File sharing
After the customer was pleased, I sent them a PDF-file of the illustration. Sending it in this format was imporant, since it would be used for print and production.
Final Thoughts
Combining digital and traditional approaches can be helpful in this project. Digital sketching offers a more precise result, whilst inking traditionally adds a naturally emotive quality to the final art piece. However, I also realized that working fully digitally is excellent if you’re working under a time constraint. Despite this, I still prefer my approach for the first two illustrations, as its final results look more natural compared to the third.
I found however, all in all, that the project was a valuable learning experience. I learned techniques I could use to combine a traditional and digital approach for large-scale public projects and how to archive something traditional whilst working fully digital. Working on these site-specific illustrations for Harstad’s revitalization of the town allowed me to explore these new artistic approaches while contributing to a meaningful urban development project.