COYWOLF

The client dreamed of telling a story in honor of his mother, god-daughter, and his mixed Mexican and Native heritage. He wanted full color illustration in comic book style. He needed not only an artist to help him with developement of character looks and logo design but also needed a storyteller to help with overall plotting. The client also needed support navigating the comic book industry and print specifications.

 We began with collaborative brainstorming sessions with the client, where we hammered out a plot and script. This led to further research about the southwestern geography, cultural influences, history, and mythologies. At the same time art from Hopi, Navajo, Aztec, and Mexican cultures were gathered.

We made a trip out to Arizona and toured from Phoenix to the Mexican border at the Mariposa Port of Nogalez. In between we saw Picacho State park, Tucsan, Tombstone, and Bisby.

Next, we developed a typography and iconography, along with a color palette. The typography was inspired mostly by the towns of Tombstone and Bisby. The iconography was inspired mostly by the Hopi and Navajo cultures. And, of course, the great southwest inspired the color palette.