I’ve been so busy lately that my time to update the site with Make-Up Artist issue 83 details has come and gone. However, I wanted to post at least one piece from this issue and talk about it a bit. I chose the below opening spread from a feature about artist Alex Box.

I like the simplicity of this spread. When I first got the photos for the article this image of the girl with a flowing pattern caught my eye immediately. Sometimes when I start work on an article it’s tough to nail down exactly how to open it. But quite often, as with this spread, I see where I want to go right away. I knew that the photo was strong enough to stand on its own so I decided on a very clean design that wouldn’t detract from it but enhance it.

The original title of the piece was “Outside the Box” or something along those lines. For good or bad I tend to go very literal in my title designs. So I immediately began designing the box graphic in Adobe Illustrator. I made a simple square and then used the 3D extrude & rotate tool to made a cube which I rotated around until I had in the position I wanted. Then I expanded the object so I could manipulate each of the cube’s faces. Using the scribble tool I tweaked each side to exactly where I wanted the detail to be. Color scheme for the title was inspired by the quirky acid goth make-up that Ms. Box wore to IMATS London. After completing the initial layout and turning it over to Editorial for proofing the Managing Editor, Heather Wisner, decided she wanted to change the title to “Box Set.” I changed the artwork accordingly.

You can see a few more of my Issue 83 designs here.