I created this series of portraits with the aim of breaking down my usual method which was very straightforward in terms of line and colour. The main goal was to sparingly use line work to direct viewer focus. I added more subtle flavours to the colouring which is something I’ve long lacked. It can be hard to verbalise these aims but my main thrust was to just let myself off the leash more than usual, try to mix fun into the process and see how it translates.
Notable departures from my norm here include the use of gritty texture brushes on the smooth crisp nearly vector remainder. The pink shading squiggle on the shoulder always catches my eye, which makes me realise it’s an element of the piece that works. Full posters created in that fun free flowing spirit are on my list of things to explore.
I’ve given the piece depth by adding a bright floodlight in the background with makes the subject backlit. An alternate version with no ambient lighting is included below for comparison. This piece combines the two techniques; sparingly using line work & gritty texture brushes for lighting.
