Cycling and Illustration
As our studies have moved us into the early 20th century, I have come across an intersection of my interests. I enjoy Art Nouveau’s illustrations and organic whiplash curves, and the beginning of cycling as a sport emerging in 1903.
This year was the inaugural Tour de France, and with the creation of more commercially available photographs, we can glance back at the early riders of this competition. The mustaches and cycling caps haven’t changed much since then, but the bikes and other equipment certainly have.
Rolling
My passion for cycling provides me with the knowledge that milled cotton cloth handlebar tape was popularized during these early distance races. With some research into some product packaging and poster advertisements of this era, I set out to recreate a version of the packaging that may have come with this tape. This product still exists today, and I have a few rolls of it on hand for some of my bike projects. The French name for this item is still used today as Ruban de Guidon. I developed a fictitious brand name called Rouleur, a term in cycling for a “Good all-around rider”. Below is the mood board I compiled while doing my research.
Illustrations
Utilizing curved lines to decorate some white card stock, I attached the illustration of a cyclist in a dynamic side view to a small watch box. The dimensions of the package fit two rolls perfectly! In addition, to give the front cover a sense of antiquity, I rubbed the paper with coffee grounds.
cyclist sketch museum card layout photo sketch package sketching
Reflections
I feel thrilled with how the cyclist illustration came out, and I was a bit sad to lose some of the detail when I condensed the size to fit the packaging. However, attempting a couple of variations of the curved shapes as well as placement of the text on the package took some time. The end result was an enjoyable process of ink on paper. I envisioned that the original package from 1903 would have been an ink-printed process, and I feel that my ink drawing is a close approximation.
I feel it deserves an 85% grade, and I feel quite proud of the thought I put into creating a little fictitious brand. Cycling is an area that I feel very passionate about. I spent about 9 hours in total on the execution
