During the design process of The Possible Zone’s Boston Innovation Center renovation, Utile collaborated with The Possible Zone to conduct a studio, or “Pathways Internship,” to create a custom, three-story wall graphic. The studio took place during the winter and spring of 2021 and was conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I art directed the six high school student participants and guided them through the process of transforming hand drawings into high resolution vector graphics suitable for printing at a large scale. I instructed the students on the fundamentals of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. The skills that the students learned are the same techniques that I use to create my own wall graphics.
I worked with the students to create a layered composition with the goal of creating the illusion of depth in the narrow stair atrium that would house the graphic. The completed artwork features a cascade of characters that tumble down the stairs only to get caught by the railing at the bottom. Behind the characters, a rainbow juts between waves, clouds, and a rocky, triangulated landscape while a series of vignettes located across from the building’s meeting room windows define the background of the graphic.
Students uploaded their drawing progress on a digital, shared Miro board.
Students began with hand sketches.
Students refined and layered their hand drawings.
Students transformed their hand drawings into vector artwork suitable for printing at a large scale.
