Athletic: A Fusion of Sports and Art

Hao Li's Award-Winning Illustration Series Captures the Beauty of Sports

The inspiration for 'Athletic' came from Hao Li's fascination with sports-related topics, sparked by an animation about badminton he created a few years ago. He found that each sport has its own standard movements that are easily recognizable and present a unique form of beauty. This led him to focus on capturing the beauty of the moment rather than showing the whole process of sports in his illustrations.

The unique properties of 'Athletic' lie in its fusion of traditional painting textures with digital technology. Hao Li has generalized the complex form of motion into simple lines and shapes, presenting the dynamic beauty of sports in a new light. The series was created using computer painting software, Adobe Photoshop, with Hao Li developing suitable brushes and textures to replicate the feel of traditional painting.

The technical specifications of the design include an original painting size of 1920X1920 pixels, at 72 dpi each. The sports-themed illustrations aim to convey the unique beauty of each sport to the viewer. The project was made in 2019 and featured in Behance Illustration in January 2021.

In creating 'Athletic', Hao Li undertook extensive research, selecting the most representative movements from a large number of picture materials. He then simplified these complex body languages, retaining only the most critical information. The biggest challenge was finding the most representative and aesthetic movements from the vast array of body movements in each sport.

The design was awarded Bronze in A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award in 2021. The award is bestowed upon outstanding and creatively ingenious designs that authenticate experience and resourcefulness. Esteemed for incorporating best practices in art, science, design, and technology, they exhibit strong technical and creative skills and contribute to quality of life improvements, making the world a better place.

In conclusion, 'Athletic' by Hao Li is a testament to the power of art in capturing the beauty and dynamism of sports. Through his unique illustration style, he has managed to bring out the dynamic and energetic ethos of athletes, creating a series that is as captivating as it is innovative.