Hipster totes are essential to society

 "You can construct compositions, layouts, and patterns by dividing a space into fields and filling in or delineating its cells in different ways. Try building irregular and asymmetric compositions against the neutral, ready-made backdrop or grid." (Lupton, Graphic Design)

This week's theme of grids, modality, and pattern sounded straight forward and simple, but the execution felt a little challenging when I actually had to tackle it. As I read the book, I wanted to try and play with modality, or pixels, since I already create digital artwork regularly. However, for the grids, I didn't want to do something that "fit" in a grid because I wanted the grid to build that irregular and asymmetric composition with the plant behind it.  

hipster tote

I created this art on my iPad using procreate -- I used the 6B pencil overall for the entirety of the plant's composition and used some soft airbrush to add some shadows and dimension to the plant to make it appear less "flat" on the surface of the tote. I created the tote using the monoline calligraphy pen which is a very smooth pen with a consistent thickness of line weight -- I wanted the tote to have a smooth appearance as compared to the textured appearance of the plant.

I implemented the pattern aspect by having tiny versions of the plant on that center band of the plant pot. It's not something you notice right away, but it's a touch that brings more attention to the pot. Pots are often overlooked or boring, so I thought bringing that unexpected kind of pattern in the pot was a fun way to play with the composition to have the eye wandering.

Additionally, the tiny patterned plants on the pot also contribute to the irregular and asymmetric composition against the neutral band of the pot. The grid laying over top accentuates that irregularity because the tiny plants don't perfectly fit into any of the grid spaces. 

As always, my art will be hyper-linked to its respective Instagram post and you can also support me on Patreon for more exclusive rewards and perks.

Thanks so much for reading!