The idea behind this illustration is to metaphorically express my graphic novel using typography in a creative way. My graphic novel is called Smack Talk and is about a student named Jeff who is confronted with a verbal conflict on a field trip. On the bus Jeff wants to mind his own business but the Bully's smack talk provokes him to release his inner gangster self. Suddenly Jeff explodes with anger. He hadn't just changed inside; his anger had actually changed his physical appearance. His hair was spiked up, his clothes were more "Gangster" and he had a microphone in his hand. Jeff challenges the Bully's superiority to a rap battle. An intense rap battle begins and rages on for many rounds, but unfortunately Jeff loses on the last round because he ended a sentences with the word orange which disrupted his lyrical flow. Jeff may have lost, but he promises himself that he will gain vengeance in the future.
My illustration is of a warrior made up of words. The warrior represents a "rap battle”, because in rap you use words instead of a sword. The words travel from his body to his sword to fight whom ever his opponent may be. I created this illustration inside of Illustrator and then brought it into photoshop for color adjustment.