My PSA consists of a butterfly contrasted against a purple flower and background with text that reads, “ Adapt and Flourish” along the top. The butterfly is drawn with various yellows and browns, similar to the original coloring of the butterfly. In order for the butterfly to stand out, I use several muted shades of purple to make the main focus be the butterfly and the text. The message behind my piece is based on my personal essay. In my essay I focus on the importance of learning to grow and adapt even when life gets hard. This message is reflected in my piece by using the butterfly to represent how I am constantly changing and adapting. The phrase, “Adapt and Flourish” is meant to bring hope and light to the idea of change rather than seeing it as an intimidating thing. I hope to invite people to the idea of change being a good thing through my PSA.
Using Adobe Illustrator, I completed my PSA. I first began by taking reference pictures of Gerbera daisies at my local nursery. I then chose the best image and used Image Trace in Illustrator to make it appear to be a drawing. I recolored the daisy to be various shades of violet to fit my color scheme. Using the font “Titania'' I wrote out “Adapt and Flourish” for the message of my PSA. I used a soft purple to stand out against the background and included a drop shadow for the text. I also used Image Trace for the background as it is a recolored image I took of a fern. Finally, I drew the butterfly and used elements of Image Trace in order for it to look as realistic as possible. I also recolored the butterfly to make sure the yellows were soft and not harsh. Finally, I applied a layer of grain to the background for a textured effect. Some areas I struggled with included making sure the coloring of the background was right. I wanted the pattern to be noticeable but not take away from the focus of the piece. In the end I achieved the perfect balance of purples. Overall, I am really happy with how my PSA turned out and I think my message is both clear and visually appealing.
Related website
