My color palette was inspired by Einar Nerman, a Swedish artist born in 1888. I wanted the colors to attract children as well as adults, so I used limited colors that still cover a good amount of the spectrum.
Maybe it's the gamer in me, but I love isometric perspective. It creates a dollhouse effect where many elements can be seen at an equal scale.
I wanted to have many objects to look at, but also keep the style minimalist so that the viewer can tell what's going on even in a thumbnail version. The character designs are definitely Japanese-inspired to an extent. I'm a sucker for cuteness!
Here are some process shots: Originally it had a daring salmon-pink background;
I ended up with a more natural green background (favorite color!)
Now I see a few mistakes, but that's what happens when you work til the last minute. I think I needed to be more consistent with the playground equipment width. The focus is definitely on the children, who are more organically shaped than everything else. The trees were the most difficult object to depict with this style.
If I were to do it again, I might omit some objects and the trees, and only have five children around the center, though this one does give the illusion of a continuing pattern. The trees help to shape the composition, being so dark.
If I don't win, I am contemplating selling the children as clip art. That sounds kind of bad in writing... -_-v I am kind of attached to them so we'll see!
