I started teaching myself Adobe Illustrator because I wanted to create custom artwork for my bare apartment walls. There was plenty of artwork that I saw online or in galleries that I thought I could replicate for myself. I began my foray into Illustrator by creating a series of iconic Philadelphia places and attractions. All were based on preexisting artwork. Once I got comfortable with the program, I sought to create my own version of an iconic Philadelphia landmark, Boathouse Row. I used photographs of the boathouses to make sure the lights that illuminate each house at night were correct. The first challenge was determining the proportions of each house because the land the houses collectively occupy is curved. It wasn’t necessary to get each dimension exactly correct, but the overall shape and light arrangement of the house had to be easily recognizable. Once I outlined each house, I thought I would just keep them as straight lines and print it, but I was unhappy with how simple it looked, so I translated each line into individual gradient bulbs. At first, I was going to reflect the lights like a mirror because it was easy, but again, I didn’t think it looked finished. After months and frustrating internet searching, I combined a few techniques in Photoshop to get the bulbs to more realistically reflect in the active river. Once I got the river to a satisfactory level, it was finished. It is hanging above my couch, many other friends have bought a print and I am working on getting it into gallery shops.
