No Shrek without Donkey

Last year, I made the dog Zero from Nightmare before Christmas to match our Jack and Sally outfits. So this year, I figured I’d do something similar when deciding we’d be Shrek and Fiona.

Because, as a random guy said when seeing us dressed up, “is there a Donkey?!”. Can’t have Shrek without Donkey.

(On that note – all dressed up on Friday, we went to a house party. On the way home, several people asked for photos of and with us. We stopped by a pizza place, and the guys working topped our visit by playing All Star (used in the opening of Shrek); all of a sudden, even more people had their phones up and started filming. Could not help but dance a little. Good thing my boyfriend handles attention much better than me!)

I love creative projects like this. It took much longer than I thought it would, I had to get the saw out a few times, and his face went from normal Donkey face to pumpkin… but it was so much fun.

Although digital art is an absolute lifesaver in many situations, I often miss using my hands, physically. This project had me covered in flour, water and feathers (so many feathers!), but I reckon that’s just part of the fun.

Plus, people absolutely loved him. We had so many comments from strangers in the streets, and everyone at the party adored him. Some wanted to take him home, others took selfies with him. And that’s the main thing for me – seeing how much he brightened other people’s evening as well.

The rest of the costumes

In addition to Donkey, we obviously needed our own costumes as well. So after considering our options, I eventually made the ears out of clay, pipe cleaners and headbands. Painted these to match the green face paint – which was so much better than I thought it would be!

Other than that, we didn’t go too crazy with our own costumes. The green faces and ears were enough. My boyfriend did have a pillow belly, though, which resulted in some rather impressive belly dancing.

Have a spooky day!

With that, I wish you a Happy Halloween!

Background

Behind the Iron Curtain was initiated by a man serving a lifetime in prison in the USA, taking readers on a journey of darkness and despair, where poor choices led him to prison. The project consists of a poetry book, and a website that includes an online shop.

The overall goal is to reflect on the author’s life story to understand and shed light on the circumstances that influenced his choices. Our hope is that by sharing these insights, we can contribute to preventing others from making similar mistakes.

As the project was never about seeking personal fame or financial gain, all proceeds from the book (after production costs) will be donated to the two organisations World of Children and Military Veterans Against Child Abuse.

While I acknowledge the author’s incarceration, it is important to note that Healthy Pixels does not condone or support any form of illegal activity. As a design agency committed to making the world a better place, my role was to translate the raw and honest texts into impactful visuals that evoke emotions in the readers.

Creating the book

The book showcases over 50 emotional poems and short texts, brought to life with strong illustrations that take you on a journey of hope, forgiveness, and triumph over impossible odds.

I had full creative freedom for all visuals. After exploring a range of creative directions, I landed on a limited colour palette with high contrasts. By focusing on strong visuals and emotions, we are left with expressive visuals that are captivating. I also truly enjoyed experimenting with the human body in the illustrations.

With vivid and poetic prose and illustrations, Thoughts from Behind the Iron Curtain will take you to a world where the power of the human spirit knows no bounds.

Final thoughts

In many ways, this has been one of the toughest projects I have worked on. The actual texts are full of rage, frustration and sorrow, and visualising that has been challenging – but a great experience to learn and grow from as a designer.

As some people – family included – do not understand why I would ever even speak with someone serving a life sentence, it’s been strange talking about it. At times, I’ve felt defeated, as though I wasn’t doing the right thing.

But every time, I’ve brought myself back to the core idea and concept of the project: of giving back. Had the goal been to earn money for legal aid or to get famous, the story would have been different. But it’s been extremely motivating to know that the sole intention is to raise awareness and support these two organisations:

• World of Children improves the lives of children by supporting innovative programs in education, health, and social services.
• Military Veterans Against Child Abuse provides families with education and resources to identify and prevent child abuse.

So I’ll give myself a tap on the back for doing this!