When a scene in Sally Forth calls for a specific locale (grocery store, movie theater, etcetera) I’ll often use spots around my hometown of Minneapolis for reference. Take the following…
A recent script for Sally Forth from Francesco called for me to create a store called Small Wonders, a store that resembled one of those arts & craft/greeting cards & candles stores you see in small tourist towns.
I always prefer taking my own reference pics over google images in cases like this so I can get a real feel for the set I want to use. Scouting out locations I chose one in biking distance of me called Digs Studio.
Using the reference pic above, here is how Small Wonders ended up looking.
Digs’ owner, Katie Koster, was very generous in letting me take lots of reference pics. Invaluable for getting a good bead on the particulars of a gift shop like hers.
And here’s Jackie’s new boss, Tashsa, with Jackie behind the counter.
It’s the small details that will make or break a good drawing, that’s why it’s so important for me to get the best reference I can. If something looks off, it’ll break the reader’s suspension of belief and you’ve lost them.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this little behind the scenes look at the making of Sally Forth.
And if you want to know more about Digs,
check out their website at ShopDigs.com
or the Digs Facebook Page
Until next time…
-Jim Keefe