A few of you may have participated in my social media survey, in which I asked which of the following thumbnail ideas should I proceed for a final illustration. Incidentally, the final illustration was for a presentation all about the importance of thumbnails.
I wanted to demonstrate how thumbnails can lead to a progression of thought. They should be a string of ideas slightly related to each other that eventually spurn on new thoughts and ideas. When we allow it, each new concept should lead to another concept. And then this concept, to yet another.
My initial thought for this illustration was using an apple as the idea, and the brain as the place for these ideas to germinate. As you can see, this led to the exploration of different variations. I eventually stumbled across the idea of the tree growing out of the head, and the apple being ripe for picking. When we go through the process correctly, it should lead to ripe ideas.
Above are the ten best solutions. I actually had more, close to 20, but the others didn’t turn out quite as decent. These best showcase my progression.
Then, I had to make the art. I only had a couple of hours to turn around the illustration, start to finish, so I had to crank it. I kept the color palette simple, relying on grays and neutral versions of the primary colors. And, of course, I time lapsed the whole thing, set it to music, so if you need something relaxing to watch for a few minutes, certainly check out this video.
