Commercial Art Drawing 2023: An Artist’s Process

In last month’s blog I mentioned a new commercial art drawing project about to begin. While it’s still in progress and the final art isn’t complete, I thought I’d share my journey so far.

What is my new project?

I was contacted by the management of the Eumundi Markets and asked to create a poster-style artwork capturing the iconic “Original Eumundi Markets.”
It’s a huge honour for me here on the Sunshine Coast, as the markets are very well known, much loved by locals, and a major tourist destination.

Some Background

The Original Eumundi Markets were established in 1979 and are one of the first “artisans and farmers markets” on the Sunshine Coast.
The inaugural market day took place on 24th March 1979 and was confined to the Country Women’s Association Hall.
Today the Eumundi Market hosts more than 600 stallholders and, on a typical market day, thousands of guests.
The first market day had just three stalls, some refreshments and attracted eight guests.
For those of you who would like to know more about the history of the markets, these linked articles are excellent: https://www.noosa.com/the-history-of-the-eumundi-markets/ & https://www.visitnoosa.com.au/blog/40-years-of-original-eumundi-markets

The Challenge and the Process

The challenge was (and still is, as the work is not yet finished) to capture the excitement and vibrance of the “market town” in a poster-style piece that can be readily identified as the Original Eumundi Markets.
While I had already been to the markets as a tourist and local, the first step was to pay the market a visit, reconnect with the market town vibe and establish the orientation of the market grounds and town.
In the end I made two visits – one on market day and a second on a non-market day, with lots of photos and notes taken each time.
Then, I met with the market management for the briefing meeting and this time I was very prepared with questions aimed at gaining as much clarity around management’s vision for the art as I could.

Next Steps

The next step was an initial line drawing. The line drawing process wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be due to complexity of the subject and the number of elements I wanted to incorporate.
However, I managed to include the elements requested by management which all worked well to create that market vibe while still keeping the art composition balanced.
I will say that getting the balance right required much juggling. I felt quite good once I submitted the line drawing for review.

What I learnt

As it turned out, despite a really clear briefing meeting, my first line drawing wasn’t exactly aligned with management’s vision for the poster, but fortunately it was close.
What I have learnt from the process is that to get a composition right in the first drawing may not always happen when creating a commercial art drawing for a client, and that isn’t a failure.
It’s an opportunity to bridge my creative vision with theirs.
Refining that first drawing to align with the client’s vision was where I have invested most of my time. The next step – resubmitting the updated line drawing.
It was really wonderful to get detailed feedback with the initial line drawing from Eumundi management.
And, although I was hoping it would be perfect, the information given to me has made the new version easier to create.
The general vibe I created in the initial line drawing was a “busy market day vibe.”
So, lots of buzz and energy in the piece. Management preferred a “market town vibe.” A simpler, cleaner, more relaxed capture of the town of Eumundi with elements of a market day.
The revised line drawing is almost done, and I am looking forward to bringing it to life in colour for the poster art. I look forward to sharing the final art with you all in next month’s blog.