May 09, 2012

Howard Carter's 138th Birthday

This Doodle’s Key Themes

Howard Carter's doodle was so much fun to work on! Researching it and diving into his writing was a claustrophobic process in itself. The rich, detailed account and the anticipation of when he finally chiseled away at the tomb sent chills down my spine... so much so that I couldn't wait to read more. I now seriously hope to visit Tut's tomb someday. Below are two concepts which only attempt to match this monumental discovery. The first sketch attempts to capture that 'claustrophobic' feeling (almost cinematic) with the help of reference photos. In the numerous photos that are out there there were pulley systems supporting Tut's golden resting place, beams that supported the structure and a very cool lamp that looked like it was, well from an Indiana Jones movie... but I guess the influence was the other way around :)

Thumbnail Concept Sketch

The concept we chose was the one below where Howard Carter stands proudly in front of the treasures he led to discover. There were thousands of artifacts that took roughly a decade to catalogue and we unfortunately only have so much space on our homepage ;) Below is a brief look at the step by step process it took to get to the final Illustration. I have to be honest and say It was a bit tedious and it took a lot of failed attempts at decent painting but in the end I'm very proud and honored to have had the chance to work on Howard Carter's 138th birthday Doodle.