Celebrating the Spurs' First championship
Editorial Illustration
Adobe Photoshop, Ink
This illustration was commissioned by San Antonio Magazine for a special issue celebrating San Antonio's tricentennial. The specific article this artwork illustrates looks back at people's fond memories of San Antonio, including the celebrations surrounding the San Antonio Spurs' first NBA championship in 1999. The illustration aims to capture the excitement of the event and the way in which all kinds of people were unified by their love for the Spurs. The pink, blue, and orange color palette also hearkens back to the "fiesta" colors of the 90s Spurs team that is still popular among fans, though they are no longer officially in use.
process
The process began with thumbnail sketching. Although the car parade idea was my first idea, I continued to create new sketches in order to explore different approaches and avoid being complacent. However, after presenting the art director with my three favorite options, the first sketch was selected.
Once I knew which direction to go, I began working on the final artwork. I knew that I wanted to include the fiesta colors since they are so iconic among Spurs fans and clearly associated with the 1999 Spurs team; however, I was not quite sure how to best utilize and balance these colors. I ultimately decided to make sure that the art would work in black and white first before adding color.
