Almost without exception, my travel journals are for personal use. It does happen that an isolated drawing ends up as an illustration in an article or book. But then, it is out of his original context.
So when the Deputy Creative Director of Road & Track (Hearst magazines) contacted me, I was challenged! If I could create a travel journal by next week? Sure!
The briefing was clear: Bring the story of a Porsche 911 Dakar to life in a travel journal. The deadline was close, and I had to step on the gas to get the pages done on time.
A quick behind the scenes video:
Journaling without travelling
The real challenge was the fact that I did not visit Morocco and didn’t drive the Porsche. (darn!) All my pages are traditionally drawn on site from direct observation. That is how the stories evolve, how I chose what to draw or write. In this case, there was already a story. Some pictures, but not very evocative.
Now, I believe that illustrations should tell a story by themselves and not just serve as a visual reminder of what is written. Which is mostly boring. With this in mind, I started with some research about camels versus dromedaries, the origins of the vermouth striping, tire patterns, etc. Within a few days, the pages were done. Although it was out of my comfort zone, the pages were used without leaving out much in the final layout.
These are the original pages:
I would like to thank the Road & Track Art Department for their enthusiasm and professionalism. A joy to work with!
You can read the article on the website of Road & Track with the full size pages of the travel journal.
Road & Track, vol. 17, Sacred Ground. June/July 2023 issue.
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