Fuego the Friendly Flame
Fuego the Friendly Flame is a comic I was commissioned to illustrate for the National Forest Service, that would introduce a new character that would teach others about the use of prescribed burning to maintain forests.
Platform used: Procreate, Canva and Adobe Illustrator
Character Design
Fuego is a character created to teach others how the National Forest Service uses Prescribed burning to maintain forests, keeping them protected from the spread of wildfire. For the character Fuego, my client wanted to make the character a flame to connect with the idea of prescribed burning. I drew up a cartoonish flame character with a friendly face, seeing as this comic was meant for children. To ensure a clear connection to the fire service, the character is dressed in the uniforms of the Nation Forest Service's fire responders unit.
The client and I worked closely to decide what color style worked best for the comic and the audience. I created different linework and color combinations, determining the best for the comic. In the end, we decided to go with the full-color option.
Sketches + Rough Draft
Fuego was the first comic I had ever done, so to prepare for the task, I researched comic layouts and ways to convert fleshed-out stories into illustrations. (5 Tips For Making Comics by Ebbe Waxin (link) was an excellent resource for learning how to create a comic) It was vital for me to make sure that the client's message was portrayed accurately and successfully through the sketch. From my research, the first thing I should do is work with the client to create a concise script that is fit for a young audience to understand. From there, I sketched up scenes that would follow the script and would inform me what parts of the comic should be the focus.
Final Comic
After finishing the illustration portion of the project, I added text and speech bubbles, cleaned up the comic, and gave the finished product to the client.
