Boat Show Illustrations

Illustrations Used by a Boat Show

illustrations for the 2014 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

Two of my illustrations were used to promote this years Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. I will give a little behind the scenes insight into each starting with the illustration of the couple standing on the bow of a superyacht.

This illustration was originally created on speculation that I could find a marketable use for it. I showed it around along with some similar pieces trying to stir up some enthusiasm. It paid off. The company that manages the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show purchased usage rights in association with the 2014 boat show and used it in ads, on banners and more. They did request some revisions and versions with some different colors, so you may notice that in the examples. Also among the revisions I added a building that is highly visible at the boat show in the background. Usage rights remain available and art prints and related merchandise is still available from my Society6 store.

The following is my original commentary from when I created it on speculation...

(If you are interested also see the relevant July 9, 2013 and February 23, 2014 posts.)

I had been looking at the work of the futurist movement in Italy a lot as an alternative to a Deco look to capture a South Florida feel and felt this was a good time to try such a look. Although Art Deco is considered the look and feel of South Florida, most original Art Deco applied to design and not illustration or figurative art (with the fine exception of Tamara de Lempicka). As a result I have been looking to other similar art movements for inspiration and have come to truly admire the works of the Italian Futurists, particularly Tullio Crali.
For this illustration I wanted to capture that bold sense of motion and excitement. I also needed to convey an inherent sense of class. On the practical side it’s also nice that illustration provides lots of negative space to drop type over.

Here is an animated GIF that shows some of the creation process...

animated yacht illustration

Here are some examples of the illustration in use...

The illustration ran in ads in Yachts International Magazine, Showboats International Magazine, Yachting Magazine and more

The illustration as used on the VIP Pass cards

The illustration as used on the MyBoatShow App

The illustration for sale as a print

The illustration as used on banners around Fort Lauderdale

The illustration as used on tickets

The illustration as used on the program cover

Although the client was pleased with the initial illustration they requested a second illustration that targeted a different demographic. Rather than the high end superyacht crowd they wanted this illustration to appeal to families, sport fishermen and buyers in the 40 to 50 foot yacht range. They provided me a great deal of creative freedom to come up with pretty much whatever I wanted provided it achieved the goal of appealing to that specific group and literally depicted a family, some fishing gear and a boat in the 40 to 50 foot range. Of course I wanted it to stylistically match the previous illustration in look and feel. I did many sketches and studies and settled on this distorted perspective that accommodated most of the vessel and the family clearly. I also chose a palette that was a little more exciting and sporty rather than rich and luxurious. Usage rights remain available and art prints and related merchandise is still available from my Society6 store.

Here are some of the sketches I created during development...