Digital Illustration: Year of the Dragon
I created this packaging design to celebrate the Year of the Dragon in 2024, bringing traditional Chinese zodiac symbolism into contemporary retail packaging. The local print company commissioned me to develop an illustration that would capture the dragon's mythical energy while meeting their commercial printing requirements.
Designed for print and digital. Photoshop, Illustrator
Concept
Drawing from my passion for natural and animal subjects, I followed a comprehensive creative process - beginning with in-depth research, developing detailed mood boards, and exploring multiple concepts through thumbnail sketches. This methodical approach culminated in the refined final sketch shown here, which captures both the dragon's mythological essence and my naturalistic drawing style.
Illustration
Using a seamless digital workflow, I transformed the initial sketch into a polished vector illustration. First, I digitized the artwork in Procreate, creating refined line art that preserved the organic quality of my hand-drawn style. Moving into Photoshop, I developed a strategic color palette that would resonate with the lunar new year theme. The final phase involved vectorizing the design in Illustrator, where I enhanced the artwork with dynamic effects to ensure both scalability and visual impact for the packaging application.
