Opera in the Heights!
2022–2023 Season Poster Illustrations
Padrón & Co. had been creating the Season Artwork for Opera in the Heights since 2017, and in 2022 I had the opportunity to tackle this yearly tradition myself. After being in discussion with their General Director, I knew I wanted to follow the artistic style of pervious years, with a more hand-made feel this time around. Previously, Padrón created very clean, vector art for OH!, but in my 2022 artwork, I attempted to create a style that, while similar, had an almost layered-paper effect. For Rigoletto and Elixir of Love, I watched performances of these operas while doing my ideation for the posters, which really helped inform me of the tone to highlight for each. Overall, these posters were a labor of love, and I greatly enjoyed creating artwork for these performances.
Season Artwork Development
Tools
• Procreate
• Adobe Illustrator
After discussion with Opera in the Heights' director a few key notes about what his production would be about really informed the illustration as a whole. He didn't want to focus on Rigoletto himself or his humpback, so I pivoted the illustration to focus on the jester's scepter instead. The atmosphere the director was going for was something akin to Edgar Allen Poe's Mask of the Red Death, which sparks in my mind decadent imagery and rich, velvet red curtains. In the illustration, the bright, joyous light above casts a dark shadow, not only revealing Rigoletto's secret and later tragedy, but also alluding to how behind the aristocrats' glamorous parties, there is a sinister side to their affairs. The curtains drape in a way that faintly resembles dripping and pooling blood, another allusion to the dark dichotomy displayed in the production between luxurious lifestyles and the evil that can result.
Verdi's Rigoletto
Tools
• Procreate
• Adobe Illustrator
Total Time
Procreate: 7h 13m
Original Sketches
Speed Painting
In contrast to the grim story told in Rigoletto, Elixir of Love is a fun and cheerful romantic opera—this time set in a 1950's diner! This production was to be based off of their sister company's show with many of the same elements used, including a classic jukebox. While the director liked the inclusion of the jukebox, he wasn't a fan of the graphic that the Pacific Opera Project used, and wanted something more realistic.
In my illustration, I set the elixir on top of the jukebox's turntable as a counterpoint, symbolically saying that the elixir is what is influencing much of the events of the opera. The jukebox is vibrant, yet still includes the classic wood trim to capture that 50s aesthetic and allows the jukebox to frame the elixir better.
Donizetti's Elixir of Love
Tools
• Procreate
• Adobe Illustrator
Total Time
Procreate: 6h 9m
Original Sketches & Inspiration
Speed Painting
This 25th Anniversary Concert was a belated celebration of Opera in the Height's history and would feature an entire live orchestra ensemble. Because this performance was amore personal to Opera in the Heights, I wanted to use elements that were unique to them. This illustration pays homage to the beautiful and historic Lambert Hall by using it's stained glass rosette window as a centerpiece. Instead of using the real stained glass motifs, however, I used orchestral instruments and backlit the glass to create an iridescent focus on the orchestra ensemble. This illustration shows that he performance will be inclusive of many elements while also harkening back to Opera int he Heights itself and their 25+ year history.
OH! 25th Anniversary Concert
Tools
• Procreate
• Adobe Illustrator
Total Time
Procreate: 7h 28m
Original Sketches
Speed Painting
Originally titled "Holiday Songbook," this illustration was more complex than the others due to all of the working elements to account for. The concertt itself was comprised of 9 different companies, a multitude of songs, and all held together though the concept of a holiday party. The focus of the illustration are the silhouettes of carolers at the door, opening inward to the entrance of Lambert Hall. I included the signature small, Fleur-de-lis on the carpet, similar to the carpet in the hall's entrance. The doors open up into a songbook that includes classic holiday melodies. Unfortunately when the name of the production changed, the significance of the songbook was lost, but it still speaks to the overal performance. The backdrop and wall behind the door is reminecant of a Christmas sweater. I originally intended this to look more knitted, but the illustration became too complex and stood out too much from he rest of the posters, so a more simplifies style was used.
Decameron Opera Coalition's Doc the Halls
Tools
• Procreate
• Adobe Illustrator
Total Time
Procreate: 5h 3m
Original Sketches & Reference
Speed Painting
Posters in Use
Once the art for the posters were finalized, the artwork was used in various marketing material that we made at Padrón & Co., including a season brochure, a rack card, postcard, and large-scale banners that were draped over the building.
