Being Human - Competition Entry

I had time to fit in one last project before our final hand in date, so i decided to take part in the 'Being Human' competition from Cheltenham Illustration Awards. The brief is essentially to design an illustration based around your own perceptions of what it is to 'Be human'. I had to work fast due to a looming deadline, so quickly mapped ideas out on paper, eventually, i settled on this more thought provoking idea, something different for my portfolio.

to begin, this was my first brain storm sketch, I had to get the idea down in some form to see if it would even work, and although it is strikingly different from the final result, it was an important step in the process.

This however is the final product. I eventually went for a more 'evolutionary scale' type of look, and added in the quote to fill the dead space. I'm really pleased with the outcome, for an idea i was so unsure about seeing the result was a pleasant surprise. The ropes in the design represent our mistakes, and how we can't allow them to drag us down, eventually the figure uses the ropes to pull himself from the depths and casts them off behind him. Metaphorically representing our ability to allow ourselves to grow from our mistakes, and make us stronger.