Donate Life

This work was created for the Donate Life competition, which is designed to increase support of organ and tissue donation. I like drawing human anatomy, and so I wanted to take advantage of that in my design. The poster is supposed to show a heart being planted like flowers in a garden.

I began by sketching the hands and heart using graphite. I took advantage of reference photos to ensure that they were anatomically accurate. I traced over the graphite with ink, adding depth and value. I also outlined the small yellow flowers. I finished by adding watercolor to create a colorful backdrop surrounding the more detailed areas of the piece.

Although I was certain of the anatomical elements, I was unsure about the background, or how detailed I wanted the floral elements to be. In the end I chose a simpler design to showcase the heart and hands. The warm colors of the background are supposed to encourage positive feelings about organ and tissue donation. The whole piece, with the warm colors and the flowers, is designed to encourage people to think about whether there is a heart on their driver's license.