Silkscreen travel poster: Final

Here is my Rainier poster prettied up with some changes incorporated--mainly the text of the title more closely matching the Amtrak logo, and creating a softer brown with the rocks in the foreground.

I also worked on a poster for Mt. Shasta, using an awesome palette that I really love. The problem is that it is 4 PMS colors, and we are supposed to only do 3 for the sake of the silkscreeners who are helping us.

Travel silkscreen poster: Proof

For the proof, I decided to go with Mount Rainer. Although I liked the Mount Shasta image perspective a lot, I was having trouble only being limited by three colors. The colors in this proof are grey, blue, and brown (which looks like black when overlayed with the others).

I'm not sure if it's good that the Mount Rainer font is different than the Amtrak logo (gah, I have to find that?). I also tried to play around with the reflections' registration being off, but it's not so obvious because the registration isn't that tight to begin with...

Silkscreen travel poster: Concepts

Here are my two best concept sketches, of Mt. Rainier (left) and Mt. Shasta (right). What I pick will depend mostly on the colors I chose.

The assignment calls for three PMS colors (colors that can be mixed by paint). In silkscreen, the colors can be totally opaque or you can add a transparent element, allowing two colors to create a new color when they are layered on top of each other.

For Rainier, I am thinking of the color scheme on the left below, and for Shasta the colors on the right below. I like both of them--the blue, brown, grey is exciting and crisp, but the yellow, pink, and purple is a nice palette for sunset.

Silkscreen travel poster: Inspiration

I found these silkscreen posters via Posters for the People: Art of the WPA Era, by Ennis Carter. The first is a very well-known, gorgeous poster by Alexander Dux around 1936 - 1938. The composition of the piece is fantastic-- the little black silhouettes of the people are emphasized against the blue colors of the columns, and the repeated vertical shapes (even the vertical shape of the poster) creates a really nice sense of unity. Brilliant!

This next piece is by an unknown artist in 1938 for the Grand Canyon National Park. What I like in particular about this piece is the use of color to create depth. The canyon in the foreground used the same colors as the one behind it, but by using black in the shadows, the canyon has more clarity and the impression that it is closer to the viewer. The canyons in the far distance do not use the dark gray/blue color, so it looks faded and far away. It is a very creative use of a limited palette to create a huge sense of space.

Silkscreen travel poster: Brief

Client: Amtrak
 
Project: Silkscreen Travel Poster

Specifications: Create an illustrated travel poster to be hung at various Amtrak stations. The client wants the art to be in the classic travel poster style that was prevalent in the 1930's and 1940's during the WPA era, a style still popularized by artists like Michael Schwab.

Reproduction: The poster will be printed using the silkscreen process at a size of 12 x 15 inches at Weiskamp Screen Printing (Champaign, IL). The poster must have the name of the destination, Amtrak logo, and use a maximum of three PMS colors.

Justification: I looked at several routes on the Amtrak website and the name of the "Coast Starlight" appealed to me visually--I imagined a train traveling along the ocean with the stars above. The route extends between Seattle and Los Angeles, stopping at cities like Portland, Sacramento, and Oakland; the illustration will probably feature famous scenery from one of those places. I particularly liked this description: "The dramatic snow-covered peaks of the Cascades Range and Mount Shasta, lush forests, fertile valleys and long stretches of Pacific Ocean shoreline provide a stunning backdrop for your journey."