For the Illustrator project, we had to use what we have learned so far about Illustrator in order to create something such as a patch, stickers, or a t-shirt. I decided to design something to put on a sweatshirt using an iron-on vinyl. After some brainstorming, I ended up choosing to draw a Long Furby saying “Eat the Rich!” based on some doodles I had done earlier in my sketchbook. In late 2018, my friend, Lia Tsur decided to undertake the project which we had seen circling around the internet for a while: making a Long Furby. A Furby, as you may know, is a children’s toy which shot to popularity in the late 1990s. In recent years, youth on the internet have taken to customising and lengthening Furbies, with faux fur and doll armature. Lia and I have made two Long Furbies, Terrold Frumple Dumple “Boogaloo” Gilbert, and Eggward “Electric Shimp” Gilbert, to represent me and Lia respectively. In this Illustration, I depicted a version of Terrold Frumple Dumple “Boogaloo” Gilbert, with the addition of arms, saying the slogan “Eat the rich,” to express a distaste for class disparity. These elements together are a comedic juxtaposition which contrasts the mass produced, capitalistic nature of Furbies, and the online culture which have taken them as their own and repurposed them as pieces of art.
Throughout this project, I valued utilizing my Illustrator skills which I have gained in Design and Digital Media class to do an assignment with a lot less restrictions, where I could basically do whatever I wanted. I had a lot of fun, and it’s pretty cool that the end result is a physical object which I can wear.
Related website
