Monday, January 19, 2009

Kitty in a Basket

Ok one more layout option on the PetSmart Charities project. On the last samples I was counting on the toys to create a story and unify the pup & kitty. In this sample the repetition of round objects ( the basket, balls and dog tag) are unifying the layout and allowing your eye to happily bounce throughout the composition.

My husband is an artist and this weekend I asked him for help in figuring out the best composition. He asked me if I had thought about using the kitty basket from the original photo. I had thought about it but not enough to sketch it out. When I did revisit the idea I found that the basket gave the kitty some weight & importance. Suddenly Desmond the kitty had more of an equal share in the compositional real estate to her pal Maggie. I like this new solution a lot, and the lesson learned is that when dealing with tough design challenges, try it all and get second opinions.

8 comments:

Tatyana said...

I like it! The kitty does have more of a presence in the picture when it comes with a basket.

My only criticism is that the kitty looks a little superimposed on the picture of the basket. Is it possible to put a little bit of a shadow behind the kitty maybe?

Archie and Melissa said...

i totally agree rebecca!
the basket is perfect. the kitty stands out but is totally natural in the scene. It does give her a bit more size next to such a big dog.

Manon said...

Sometimes our husbands are right on.....lol! It looks wonderful with the addition of the basket! Great job!

Anonymous said...

I agree, including the basket adds a nice touch.

artpaw said...

Thanks for the input everyone!

Unknown said...

Hey Rebecca - The picture looks really good. Could you make Desmond and the basket a little bigger? Maggie's head is enormous - bigger than a bushel basket. Although Maggie does walk around the house from time to time a little full of herself...lol

artpaw said...

Tatyana & Jennifer, thanks so much for the critical input. I am actually waiting to hear back from the folks over at PetSmart. They may also have some needed changes to one of the many provided samples. When I get too many cooks in the kitchen things can get crazy. I think a dark shadow under the kitty is a great idea and I will try that, size and layout may also be addressed before I finalize.

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is really coming along. I wanted to say that I really like the "splattered paint" and pillow one. I like how it looks like they are just hanging out on the couch together. And Maggie looks more "awake" too. And I also think it helps the Pit Bull breed, to have the kitty and the dog "hang out" together, rather than have the kitty in a safe basket. (did that make sense?).

But overall, this is awesome. I think I might one of my dogs done!!!!

Keep up the great work,
Sara