Christmas 2016 E-card
The initial concept for this design came from the realisation that some holly leaves bare a striking resemblance to a Christmas tree - but of course finding the right leaf is a challenge. The hardest part was deciding how to compile the frames in order to best tell the joke - too many transitions and the punch line falls flat and isn't as obvious as it should be. In the end, short and sweet was best and in keeping with the simplicity of the layout and imagery.
A selection of holly leaves were hand picked (which became the butt of the joke) and photographed on tracing paper with natural light. The best one was selected and only basic adjustments were made in Photoshop (brightness, contrast, sharpness) as I wanted the design to be as simple and natural as possible. An unexpected but welcome surprise was the way the specular highlights on the leaf help to complete the illusion of a Christmas tree decorated in fairy lights.
