passion project
turning a viral collectible doll into a special souvenir.
ABOUT
YEAR: 2024
TOOLS: ADOBE PHOTOSHOP, ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
ROLE: ILLUSTRATOR, DESIGNER
I have forever been a big fan of souvenirs. Having grown up with family all around the world, I have cherished my time in those places by bringing something back, whether it be as small as a postcard or a keychain.
In 2023, “Sonny Angels” dolls broke the internet. These dolls are small figures which come in a themed box like “animals” or “sweets”, and you do not know which one you are going to get until you open the box.
A passion project is a project which you work on for 30 minutes every day for 30 consecutive days. For this project, I wanted to focus on improving my illustration skills, which is something that I have never been too confident about. I wanted to combine my love of souvenirs with these trending dolls, so I made a new doll every day for a specific city or place which holds a place in my heart.
The photos in this section are from trips I have taken which inspired this project.
PROCESS
The process of this started began with me considering the places which I have been in my life and places where I think that these dolls could be successful. Whether it is a big metropolitan city like New York, a destination trip like Hawaii, or a campus visit to Syracuse University, there is a doll for any demographic here.
Once I gathered this list, I began to brainstorm what made these places so iconic, and what makes them so worthy of being on this list. This process took up the first few days, so I did not have enough time to make 30 dolls.
I then started designing.. and designing more.. and designing more.
The design process was the most challenging, because I have never considered myself the world’s best illustrator. It was a lot of learning and designing at the same time, which was valuable experience for me.
Full series can be seen below!
