Snug Lyfe: “Tha Snuggle iz Real”

Target Audience:

People of all ages who love cute creatures and sci fi fantasy landscapes, interested in escaping into a whimsical and serene puddle of cuddles.

Software Used:

Illustrator

Background:

Snug Lyfe was first conjured during a tumultuous time in my lyfe (to put it mildly) … The Pandemic coincided with embarking on a relationship with my now partner. That love was an inspiration for the theme of this piece: that of being in a safe bubble, in a cuddle puddle, and in a nesting phase of me and my love. Viewing these cute, cuddly creatures feels like being embraced in a warm hug of love and light. I hope that others feel that as well and are similarly transported to this beautiful world, as a momentary respite when the real world seems a bit much.

Sloths are definitely part of my animal totem, contrasted with the razor-sharp and lightning fast hummingbird, to which I also relate (my natural state).

Sloths, in stark contrast, are slow and not rushed, but just so pure and tactile, the epitome of cuddly! (Although during my studies I discovered their fur to be very coarse ironically). Coincidentally this project was slow-going, but so very worth it to me in the end.

Design Problem:

To showcase otherworldly sloths in a cuddle bubble with space angel koala and baby on skateboards scurrying about, with half of the sky a night space sky and half rainbow overlay sky with a jewel hear sun.

Design Solution:

I created a printed poster with the full landscape and collection of characters and I also created transparent background png’s for printing on apparel (print on demand). I have printed some garments already for myself and family/ friends and hope to open an online storefront in the future. I also created square format web and mobile images for social media.

Design Process:

I spent a lot of time researching, gathering inspiration and reference pictures on Pinterest and deciding on the color palette and art direction. Not only did I create a mood board in Photoshop, but I also created a board on Milanote as well as Pinterest. I also did some research on how to recreate bubbles and an iridescent effect in Illustrator. No videos I found online showed how to create bubbles to my satisfaction, but I took bits and pieces here and there I learned and it was a lot of trial and error, but I am really pleased with how the bubbles and the piece came out and I now have a lot more renewable creative energy I can utilize for future assets in other projects or printed materials for the same project.