Brainstorming new designs for little boys has always challenged me. As soon as this idea popped into my head, I was really excited to paint it. Water-skiing after school with my dad was one of the best parts of my childhood and teen years. I cannot wait to teach Lucie when she gets a bit bigger.
Usually I start by hand-painting or drawing an illustration and then tracing over it in Illustrator to make the design clean and flat for product development. This is one of the few times that I have let the watercolor and gauche paint texture and color variation show through for Helmsie products. Part of that process decision early on, making all the designs flat and finished in Illustrator, was to keep all of artwork looking cohesive. I love to draw and paint in too many styles. This time though, I couldn't resist the waves getting a painted, watery texture.
xo Karla
