The Rocket Launch Matchbook
Short Summary:
This final project was aimed to challenge us to create our own matchbooks. As with all projects, there is always a twist. The twist this time was aimed to do matchbooks based off of the words, “Fire” and “Match.” We were able to do a play on words, but our concept had to be unique and different. The goal was to be able to create an original matchbook, but also being able to create more than just one. This project was focused on good craftsmanship and time management. There was also an emphasis on intrecrate and high level designing; we had to add two or more elements to our matchbooks, not just a digital render.
My Concept:
My theme for my matchbook was at first, all over the place. I could not decide on what theme I wanted to do because I sketched 30 different concepts. It was like playing a game of heads or tails. After dwelling on what would go best, I decided on doing a rocket launch. The rocket launch ties into fire because of the flames that come from the rocket when it is taking off. The visual I had for this was the best looking and complimented my art style really well. Once I had a game plan, that is when I started to tackle how I will go about it. I knew the major thing I would be working on and fixing would be the color aspect of it because in my opinion, that plays a huge role in digitally designing.
My Process:
Before starting anything, I had to research and look at different art styles for matchbooks. That way I am able to see how other artist tackled this type of art style and made it their own. I was able to find an array of different style matchbooks to look at.
Making the rocket-themed matchbook was a combo of digital and hands-on steps. I kicked off by sketching the rocket launch on paper, then refined it digitally using Procreate. I took my time and made sure that the colors worked well together. I felt it was necessary to do a galaxy themed color wave for my background since the rocket is launching in the sky. I also took the initiative to look back at my hand drawn version and think of what more I could add. Once satisfied with the digital version, I did some test prints to map out what I should fix and what I could add further. After making final adjustments, I then started to think more on what my additional elements could be. I chose to do cotton clouds, golden tassels for the launch, and flame design cut-outs for my matches. For the matches, I also decided on not going with plain matches in the matchbook and added the flame designs from the rocket launch to help it blend as one.
What I Learned:
When making the rocket-launch themed matchbook gave me a lot of insight into how traditional craftsmanship and digital design work well together. Working with Procreate improved my graphic design skills by teaching me the subtle aspects of converting hand-drawn concepts into a polished digital format. I was able to develop patience and accuracy by hand cutting each matchbook, which made me appreciate the tactile part of crafts, since art is very time consuming, yet rewarding. The project demonstrated to me how having a solid theme can help produce an original and captivating result. In short, I learned a lot when dealing with this project. I am very appreciative that it gave me some challenging parts. Overall, this was a very rewarding task to do.
