The making of the Yaraw 2016 calendar
Getting the task: to create a wall calendar and a gift bag with design inspired by Turkmen rug patterns.
Piling up ideas.
The art director chooses three directions worthy of further investigation. Assembling a presentation and showing to the client.
The client likes three ideas, but ultimately chooses the design based on national stories reflected in traditional patterns. Keeping two other ideas secret for now.
Generating story sketches for each month, dividing them by Welayats, country’s provinces.
Deciding to create two stories for each of the Welayats with the exception of the fifth, Ahal Welayat, which will have five as it is the central district, home to the country’s capital. Besides, three of the four stories are characteristic for almost the entire country, which makes their distribution by Welayats almost uniform.
The client approves the idea and provides some clarifications. Starting to create the drawings.
Inviting the designer who spends a lot of time googling and looking at the client’s pictures of rugs before starting to see all the differences between various goels and Welayats. Then he draws four patterns based on the Akhaltekin group of ornaments and two patterns for each of Chovdur, Yomud, Ersarin and Pendin groups.
Deciding that we need borders.
Creating the stories, constantly consulting the illustrator for the correct coloring of the patterns. To improve composition, taking into account the colors of neighboring shapes, increasing the overall impact of the illustration.
Akhaltekin horse was bred in the area of modern Turkmenistan and is one of the most ancient horse breeds that influenced many modern horse breeds. When drawing an Akhaltekin horse, it is important to keep in mind the unique features of its body. It is tall, muscular and mostly without mane. Letting the horses run wild on poppy fields, which are also abundant in Turkmenistan.
/x.gif){kind=small}
The Balkan Welayat is located near the Caspian Sea. Türkmenbaşy city of this province is a place of a large international sea port. Mid-way through drawing, deciding to change the composition to make sure it does not look like the image from the July page.
Oil and gas industry plays the leading role in Turkmenistan’s economy. A huge deposit is located in the Mary Welayat. Using 3D to “build” the oil and gas complex and create the illustration.
The Daşoguz Welayat is famous for its musicians. It is a place of burial of Aşık Aydın pir, the patron of musicians and singers of the East.
Discovering dutar and gidzhak, Turkment national instruments, and drawing the picture.
The Lebap Welayat is famous for its landscapes featuring deserts in their most traditional form. And of course camels, which are single-humped in Turkmenistan. Drawing a beautiful sunset.
The Saparmurat Hajji Mosque in Gökdepe is one of the symbols of the Ahal Welayat.
The Avaza resort area is located in the coastal zone of the Balka Welayat. Drawing a romantic seascape that brings warm sea and relaxation to mind.
The Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum in the ancient city of Merv is one of the symbols of the Mary Welayat. Deciding to use 3D for this illustration as well.
Eid al-Adha is the annual Muslim holiday which in 2016 will be celebrated in September. One of the traditional entertainment of the holiday is riding on a swing. Decorating yurts, throwing fireworks around and working on the anatomy of swinging people.
Trying to use different parts of the goel for the fireworks.
Amu Darya is the main river of the Lebap Welayat and its main feature are its bridges. Changing the composition several times, then modeling the bridge and the train, adding a texture and finalizing the image in Photoshop.
The Kutlug-Timur Minaret and the Tekesh Mausoleum are the most recognizable landmarks of the Daşoguz Welayat.
National dances are an integral part of Turkmen traditions.
The type designer draws the digits for the cover. Assembling the composition using textures with five different patterns by the number of Welayats.
Finalizing and approving all the images, sending the result to the typesetter who works on the layout grid and the text.
Creating the gift bag. It features the same five patterns surrounding the company’s logo.
Preparing everything for printing and sending to the print shop.
