It’s late and I drank too much coffee- might as well post some storyboards! Right? So here we go:
A few months back I had the pleasure of working on a Gillette spot for their 3 Venus Summer Goddess Embrace line of razors- I’m sure there’s a distinct shaving advantage for each one, but, being a guy, I wouldn’t know. I can barely manage to shave my face, much to my wife’s dismay. But she uses these Venus razors, so there must be something to them! I’m sure they are born of Aphrodite’s seafoam womb, and all that.
This was a fun project because it was all about drawing a smiling, pretty girl. That’s basically it, and that’s right in my wheelhouse. I like to think I draw women very well, because my style emphasizes utility of line. That’s a fancy way of saying ‘I like to use as few lines as possible when drawing,’ and because it’s the best way to draw quickly (I only had 8 hours for these boards). If you want to draw young, attractive women, then simplify the contours and limit your strokes. And above all: draw absolutely perfectly and make zero mistakes.
Ok, well maybe it’s easier to draw “perfectly” when you are using a Cintiq and can Undo your strokes if they go wild, but it’s worth pointing out that if you fuss over and “pet” your strokes like this you’ll just end up drawing what look like, well, hairy legs! And that’s no good for a shaving commercial! We need long, smooth, sleek legs, so we use the opposite approach- bare minimum of strokes or suffer the consequences. When you add lots of lines to a figure, it looks haggard, dirty, or old, like you are drawing wrinkles and cellulite. That’s fine, if your figure should look that way, but not if it shouldn’t. You dig?
So check out my Gillette boards below, and compare to other drawings/storyboards you see around. Which kind do you think clients prefer?
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By the way, I have no idea if this commercial was ever made! The director was german, so maybe it aired in Europe somewhere? Oh well!
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