Analog Data Visualization for Storytelling: My Weird Trip in Western PA

This was the first time I have used water color for a data visualization and I really like how it came out!

My original headline was going to focus on the particularly weird events that happened. However, after finishing the watercolor, I bailed on that plan - my intention was to use embroidery thread to highlight the weird events. Partly I was afraid of literally poking holes in the drawing and not liking the outcome, but I also had not thought ahead to how I would highlight the lake, since I ended up doing that based on size vs. one object per event. I do want to experiment with watercolor + embroidery in the future, but first I will do some more testing or do it on an image I didn't take so much time drawing!

My spin on this though, is that my runner-up editorial focus came through, which is that we experienced the full range of events and emotions in Tracy Ridge. That section (on the left) looks the most 'complete' and has at least one of each element, and a range of colors for emotions.

I also like that it ended up with a bit of a whimsical / Dr. Seuss type of look. So I'll take it that the 'weird' events came through in the overall aesthetic of this image, which is a forest with red, purple, and orange trees/ferns.

I got excited about drawing the mountains and forgot about my color coding, so those ended up being whatever colors I felt like drawing. I also didn't really think about how to use color in the lake, and drew those before I realized it, so the 'how it made us feel' really ended up applying just to the trees, ferns, and birds. I may take another stab at this and make some adjustments - I do think some red and orange mountains would look neat.

I did it on a paper sized so I can mail it to my friend I went on the trip with, so my last step is to put it in an envelope and send it off!