LINDSEY ROSE
The K.I.A. Memorial Project
Illustration
The St. Henry Village is a small Ohio community of just under 3,000 residents. Like any small town in America, they pride themselves in their patriotism and honoring those who have served in the military. They added the St. Henry Veterans Garden outside of their amphitheater and street banners to honor all those in the community that served them. They continue to look for ways to honor and remember their military service. This project was to honor those that gave America their all. Since World War I, there are eight men from the St. Henry community that have given their lives for their country. They had friends, family, and brothers in arms that want to remember them and honor them. This project was to give them memorial pieces to do that — not let their service be forgotten and the faces and names to be remembered.
GOOD DESIGN REQUIRES GOOD RESEARCH
The Process
Research - 5 weeks
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Collecting information on the K.I.A.s
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Tracking down uniforms worn
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Understanding weapons used
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Collecting proper references
Rough Sketch and Concept Approval - 1 week
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Posing/Body Language
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Grouping and Layout
Illustrating - 10 weeks
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Referencing research as creating a rough sketch on posing forms
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Color blocking
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Add shadows and highlights on clothes
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Add hands and faces
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Create background and shadowing
The Final Product
With this one illustration, the goal was to use the drawing in multiple ways. While in my research and exploration phase I made the poses work together and apart allowing for this flexibility.
The Poster
The poster displays all Killed In Actions together in one group with the poem “In Flander Fields” behind them. By creating this as a whole composition, it allows them all to be honored together for their service.
The Outdoor Mural
The mural creates a large year-round display for the community that honors the Killed In Actions. The location of the mural next to the St. Henry Legion carries forward a piece of the American Legion mission to remind others of the sacrifices given and acts as a memorial.
The Street Banners
This use of the illustration highlights each soldier individually and serves as a reminder for all those who drive down the main street. It shows they are more than just veterans, and by showing their uniform, it puts in perspective how they served their country.
Social Media
Like any organization, social media can play a key role in connecting them to the community. Through social media, the Legion can honor the KIAs especially as we approach holidays like Memorial Day. This illustration in social media highlights the detail of the work and focuses on the individual KIA.
Legionnaires constantly remind communities that freedom and prosperity come with a price, a price often paid in blood. They know the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. They raise the money, put in the hours and bring into existence monuments and memorials to “preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in all wars.”
- From the American Legion Mission Statement
The Learnings
While I have done many illustrations in the past, this was the first digital realistic large-scale illustration I had done. I learned about the program Procreate- its features and limitations. The biggest challenge of this project was the research and finding the references I needed to best reflect and represent the soldiers. This project helped me grow my knowledge and skills in Procreate while providing me the opportunity to prove my illustration skills.