Behind the Scenes: Charlotte Agenda City Notes Project

  

I'm so excited to share the illustration project I've been working on for Charlotte Agenda. Being a Charlotte resident made this commission extra special, especially because I've read the Agenda since it launched and it was an opportunity to paint so many spots that I love and frequent! The Agenda team commissioned 4 neighborhood illustrations (Uptown, Southend, NODA, & Plaza Midwood) to print in their annual newcomer's guide to Charlotte. I worked on the project throughout March and April, and ended up wrapping them up just in time for a last-minute/semi urgent wisdom teeth removal. No joke---I went to the dentist on a Wednesday, found out I needed them out "ASAP," drove home to Georgia where my family lives on Sunday, spent the entire next 3 days working day/night at my parents' kitchen counter finishing the art for this, had my wisdoms taken out Thursday, and emailed in the final images for this Friday. Needless to say, it was a really busy week! Really grateful I don't procrastinate things or I never would have finished! 

 

Before I started the project, I worked with them to create a list of some suggested landmarks/attractions to include. I then plugged everything into Google Maps and created digital collages in Photoshop of where I laid everything out. Obviously, since I live here, I knew where most everything was, but it Google Maps helped fill in a few gaps. From there, I started sketching and painting with my usual mix of gouache, acrylic, and watercolor! I drew each neighborhood out on about 5-6 different sheets of paper that I later combined together in Photoshop. I scanned everything in and edited it so that each building was its own piece. That way, I could easily move things around and delete them as needed (kind of like a puzzle). 

  

Thanks to the entire CLT Agenda team for including my work in this year's publication. Ya'll are awesome and it was so much fun!