Pencil Stage
The altered photos were printed out at the size I wanted to use for the final rendering; in this case the subject matter was about 6 inches high. I placed tracing paper over the photos and began the sketching process. It is important to emphasize that the photos were used only as a rough guide for making the sketches—many changes and additions had to be made while doing the pencils. Those changes included the addition of appropriate clothing, the correct style of bike, and the adjustment of anatomy.

The fee for this project included doing the finished scratchboard rendering and one pencil sketch, with additional sketches being billed at a flat fee per sketch. However, with the aid of Photoshop and some preplanning, I was able to throw in extra versions for the first round of pencils.

Note: The reason a fee is added for additional pencils is because logos inherently require multiple pencils, and the additional fee protects me from doing endless pencils without being compensated.

Note: In the jargon of graphic arts, "sketch" or "pencil" are words used to describe the planning or idea stage of a project. The word sketch implies a drawing that is done quickly and without concern for detail. However, when doing a "pencil" for a logo illustration, a term such as "pencil design" may be more accurate, since an illustration to be used in a logo should be designed to flow (balance) with the overall logo design.