Blocking and Layout
After some light experimenting was when I began the bulk of the planning. Figuring out the layout and how the story would unfold as the viewer opens the letter is just as important as the visuals in the final piece.
With the blocking, I would continuously print out and fold different versions to see exactly how the letter lock would take form.
Value and Finalization
This is the section of the project where I realize the ornate details I wanted would come back to haunt me. This final sketch was but a stepping stone towards the level of line detail I would later show in the final piece.
This was also the time I decided to add the story into the center. I kept it fairly simple for now, as I knew I’d have more than enough time after I finished the line work.
Line Work
The final line work was without a doubt the most time consuming part of this process. While there were a few moments were I knew I could’ve taken certain short cuts, I’m glad I followed through with the original vison I had planned from the beginning.
As this was the top of the mountain in terms of difficulty, the rest of the project was smooth sailing. All the way to the final pieces.
Final Product
After reworking the story’s text and the title page, the letter lock was complete! While there are some thing’s I’d change about it now, I can still say this is a long form project that I’m very proud of.
I’ve included both the folded and unfolded versions here, but what I wont include is the 14 versions I have at different stages of the project. Yes, I did print it after every stage, and yes, they were all crooked until the end when I finally got it right….yay!
Thank you for reading and/or looking!
Concepts
Before starting any layouts for the Letter Lock template, I began with experimenting with the aesthetic I wanted to convey. I wanted something more ornate and also tying into the themes of the Moon and stars.