La Partida
Illustrated adaptation of the short story
My roles
Illustration, character design, and editorial layout
Context
An academic project involving my own adaptation of the short story La Partida, by author Alberto Chimal.
Process
I read the story and pulled out its key narrative points, then sketched several rounds exploring different styles and symbolic elements to give the story my own spin. I landed on the moth as the central symbol, representing the change one goes through after a loss. The main characters (the mother and child) were designed around this metaphor, and the story’s spreads were illustrated and colored primarily in red, representing destruction and passion, with photographs of tablecloths and lace overlaid on certain pages to reinforce the narrative. The book was printed with a hardcover.
Impact
The project was well received for its concept, with certain spreads standing out as visually striking and important to the story.
Learnings
The text for a book like this should be presented more cleanly and modularly, rather than sharing space with the illustrations. I also learned to overlay photographic elements onto illustrations harmoniously, in a way that supports the story.
