A tribute to the the Blue Angels and the US Naval Academy's Commissioning Week in Annapolis, Maryland.

A week of U.S. Naval Academy festivities accompanies the Graduation and Commissioning ceremonies at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Each year, more than 1,000 of America’s best and brightest young men and women graduate and receive their commissions in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. This illustration pays tribute to the excitement and energy the Commissioning Week brings to Annapolis, Maryland.

The hallmark of the week is the Blue Angles air show within their F/A-18 Hornets over the Severn River. They also fly a formation flight over the stadium during graduation.

Another memorable tradition that is understated in this poster is the Herndon Memorial Climb. The freshman (Plebes) form a human pyramid to climb to the top of a tall gray obelisk monument that is covered in grease to replace a first year student's dixie cup hat with a midshipman's hat.  

The creative challenge for this illustration was to capture the energy of the Blue Angels in flight along with the week long events of Commissioning Week while, at the same time, showcasing the beautiful setting of the US Naval Academy within Annapolis. I have placed some of my reference photos that helped me illustrate an accurate portrayal with a little artist license thrown in. I hope you enjoy this illustration. — Joe Barsin

See more of Joe Barsin's illustration work or purchase products with this design then follow this link.