Every time I work on a new piece like this, I try to find a new way to challenge myself. The other illustrated posters I’ve done (Historic Courthouse, Wilson Park, etc) all feature a landmark structure that define that area and therefore make them easy topics to draw. But how do you draw Lake Fayetteville? If you’ve even been there, then you know there’s nothing there that really takes the eye in (other than that small concrete tower in the corner that’s somewhat of an eyesore). There’s lots of trees, a walking/biking path, water, a small marina…but none of these are particularly striking. So I had to get creative.

Like always, I walked around the site, observed, took photos, took in the area. But then I had an idea: what if the lake itself wasn’t the main draw? What if it was an animal — what about a cool-looking bird? That particular day wasn’t full of birds, so I went to the internet to research. Sure enough, there was a site that tracked what kinds of birds migrated to Lake Fayetteville, whether to take a break on the way South or be it their final destination.

To shorten this story, I saw the blue heron, founds some good images, and got the poster done!