For the second part of the narrative unit in Design, we used Adobe Illustrator to create illustrations that reflect a part of one of our stories. This time, we had to incorporate typography into the illustration. Tracing the dog took the most time in this picture, and was very frustrating for me to complete.

 

"Leashed"

 

I decided to base my narrative illustration on the same story as my diptych. It is essentially about a boy who never learned how to make decisions for himself due to his highly controlled upbringing. His mother became very cautious and strict after her husband died in a careless accident shortly before the boy’s birth. She was very worried about him making any incorrect choices in his life, so until he leaves high school for college, his mother makes every choice for him. In this illustration, I have depicted the boy’s childhood.

 

The dog on a leash is a metaphor for the boy and his mother. As the dog walker controls and directs their dog, the boy’s mother controlled and directed him every step along the way. The woman’s attire represents the strictness of the mother. The darkness of her skirt represents depression, and the red shoes represent pain. The dog is a golden retriever, a breed known for its loyalty. Like a loyal dog, the boy never questioned his mother. The background of the illustration is a fence with colorful hills behind it, representing the limits of what the boy experienced as a child.