Luco

餐廳整修前面貌 / the look of the restaurant before renovation

兩個多月前朱銘美術館為了擴大今年的長廊徵件，很有誠意地打電話給歷屆入選的創作者，我想過之後還是決定不參加，並不是失去熱忱，而是來回往返都得麻煩家人和朋友。同時佳璇媽媽問我願不願意為她即將開幕的餐廳畫壁畫，因為空間和時間的規模都比較容易掌控，這就變成夏天裡我最期待的行程之一。

More than two months ago, I received phone calls from the staff of Ju Ming Art Museum for this summer they would like to expand the outdoor mural contest by inviting winners from the past few years. I did give some thought to it, but in the end still decided not to participate. It was not that I had lost zeal for such a thing. The difficulty lay in the inaccessibility of the museum, so I wouldn't be able make it to travel back and forth on my own. Meanwhile, Erica's mom, Jade, asked if I was willing to paint one side of the walls in her new restaurant. Since the project is more manageable chronologically and spatially, this invitation becomes one of the top missions I look forward to this summer. 

剛開始我沒有任何的設限，不過也因為如此，每天走在路上東看西看，好像什麼都有可能，卻又畫不出來什麼像樣的東西，只好逼自己穩當地坐在書桌前腦力激盪。在Camilla Engman的網站裡看到一張很棒的相片，心想先走裝飾風好了，只要一有了開頭，想法就會延伸下去。

In the beginning Jade didn't specify what kind of style she prefers. I collected ideas by glimpsing at as many objects and people as possible when I walked on the streets. However, when there are too many possibilities, it is hard to really settle on one choice. Thus, I had to force myself to sit down at the desk and brainstorm. I happened to see a really fantastic photo on Camilla Engman's website, and I thought the decorative style might be a beginning point. Once there was a start, my creativity would grow and take me somewhere I hadn't expected. 

接下來我收到餐廳的菜單，主項是漢堡和排餐，便把圖像的發展方向拉至食物。

畫圖畫了好幾年，放在部落格上總是完成版的作品，直到去年底面試才發現，如果要去國外讀書，這些發想的紀錄比成品重要，所以從前不喜公開草圖的我，現在開始要改變作業的習慣，其實光發想的試驗圖就用掉將近一本畫冊。

Next I received the menu of the restaurant and learned that the main specialties will be hamburgers and sets featuring several kinds of meat. So I put the focus on "food" in the image. 

I've been drawing for several years, and it is always the finished images that I post on my blog. Not until the interview I had at the end of last year did I learn that at least in art schools in the U.K., the process of brainstorming matters much more than the result. I wasn't used to making public my drafts, but from now on, I am going to change my ways. As a matter of fact, it took me almost a sketchbook to come up with a version that satisfies my client this time. 

餐廳的主色調是木頭色和紅色，為了平衡這兩個較有重量的色調，我選了綠葉當背景，把葉子的排列從靜態變成動態。這個階段最後寄出三個版本。

The main color themes of the restaurant are the wooden and red colors. To find a balance, I chose green as the background color. The patterns of leaves also underwent certain change from being static to dynamic. At the end of this stage I sent three versions of draft. 

佳璇媽的回覆是，壁畫的內容不一定要和食物有關連，於是母女三人挑了幾張我過去的畫讓我參考。

Then I got a reply from Jade telling me that the image doesn't have to be related to food. The mother and the two daughters then picked some past works of mine for my reference. 

這讓我想到之前類似的經驗，多半接到案子時，我會急於重新創造，但對方其實是喜歡作品集裡的某種表現方法。佳璇媽偏愛小楷站在鋼琴上的圖像，而佳璇喜歡餅乾騎士，不過挑戰因此而來，餐廳的牆面是長寬高短，怎麼把這些偏向直立式的作品套進去呢？也對，如果那麼容易就想出來，還需要我做什麼呢？

This reminded me of my previous experiences. When working on new cases, I was more than eager to create from scratch, but the clients actually took a liking to a certain style in my portfolio. Jade prefers the image of Kai standing on the piano while Erica sets her eye on the cookie knight. Here came the challenge though: How to fit a vertically rectangular picture into a horizontally rectangular space? Well, I wouldn't be needed if the answer was right there for everyone to see. 

畫彩色稿其實很費時，被退稿之後，我換了新的工作模式，就像很多插畫家會先送鉛筆稿給出版社過目，如果構圖沒問題再上色，我也應該要試試這種方法。

It's actually time-consuming to come up with colored samples. After being rejected again, I changed my working mode. In fact, illustrators don't go on until the editors are ok with the sketches. It occurred to me that I should do the same. 

第二次去餐廳勘查時，突然發現一塊之前沒有注意到的空間，還好圖得重做。

On my second visit to the restaurant, I discovered a piece of space that I hadn't included. I thanked God for my not thinking up the final version yet!

這個是太過於浪漫的版本們。雖然佳璇媽說自己沒什麼美術方面的經驗，但是每天得到她的建議，再去修正和探索新想法，是我從未有過的經驗，與其說不可能，不如用視覺表現的方法證實，而這麼一做便冒出來之前想不到的點子。

These are the over-romantic versions. Though Jade said she hasn't much experience in art, she has stimulated me by giving new suggestions every day. Instead of denying the possibilities right away, it'll be much more constructive to experiment with her advice. And like I said before, once there is a start, new ideas will spring up on and on and on. 

小女孩變成女巨人了！

The little girl becomes a giant!

客人得歪著頭吃飯！

Customers have to tilt their heads while eating!

做到這時我已經有點疲累，還好佳璇媽和孩子們幫我做了組合上的選擇。

I was at the end of my wits by this time, and luckily, Jade and the girls chose the best part from each draft for me so that I could combine them in the final draft. 

這張映著影子的草圖是在晚上九點多拍的，之後已拿去做別的用途，無法再重新拍照。

This draft with my shadow reflected on it was photographed at about 9:30 pm. It was used for other purposes,  so I couldn't take another photo of it. 

似乎快要完成任務了，但佳璇媽提出新的思考角度，我繼續玩插畫裡最愛的變形遊戲。

It seemed that I was about to achieve my first-stage mission. Yet Jade approached from new angles, and I kept practicing the favorite game in illustration--changing the realistic sizes of characters and objects to create various visual effect. 

終於在這幾張裡我們挑了一張有共識的圖，偶爾我也要給讀者挑戰，是哪一張呢？或者如果是你，會挑所有圖中的哪一張？

Finally, among the last five drafts,  we picked one of which both of us approved. I feel like giving the reader a challenge from time to time. Guess which one is it? Or which one would you select out of all drafts?