To follow up with my post showing my attempt of semi-realism by painting a portrait of my wife in 2011, I thought it would be fitting to show my most recent illustration, again featuring my wife. This time, however, I wasn't concerned with trying to be something that I am not. My forte isn't painting, but rather, creating cartoon and comic art.

The Photo Reference

On a nice Spring afternoon I took my family to a new hiking trail. When the weather allow it, we often go hiking on the weekends. I had purchased my wife a nice new shirt, hat, and belt earlier that day and I wanted to take photos of her, showing off her new outfit and recently dyed red hair. She was stunning. However, I chose to illustrate this photo because it was a goofy shot of her pulling her pants up. She's very quirky like that and I love how silly and casual she can be some times.

The Wire Frame

Using the photo as reference, I built a simple female shape using the wire frame technique. In the photograph, the camera distorted her with a fish-eye effect and it warped her proportions a bit. I didn't want my drawing to look distorted, even for the sake of "staying true to the source". I easily adjusted my wire frame to a decent size and shape.

The Sketch

Sketching this one was probably the best part for me. There's a little bit of fashion designer in me that enjoys drawing apparel and outfits. The more unique and accessorized, the better. I loved how her shoulders were exposed and the straps from her bra were revealing. Despite that, her look still carried with it some modesty, especially with such a playful smile.

The Line Art

One of things I want to emphasize when drawing the line art is how wrinkles and folds can really make or break the realism of the clothing. Without any proper training in the area of fashion, I can remember being frustrated many times in the past because I was not satisfied with my lines. Some artists absolutely nail it, so why couldn't I? That's a story for another post, but for this drawing I didn't run into the same trouble like I used to.

The Flat Colors

To be honest, I find this step in the process to be the most underwhelming. When posting my art online I have folders for my drawings that include: WIP, sketches, line art, and finished art. However, I don't think the flat colors are strong enough to justify its own folder. It's really just the beginning of the coloring process, while important, pales in comparison to the finished work of art.

The Finished Illustration

So I stayed true to my style and shading this one using the cel-style technique. However, I tried something new and that was using the blend/smudge tool to soften the edges of my lines in a gradual process for select areas. I don't know if this has an official name to it, but I think it really takes it to a next level. If I have the time I will try to implement this technique into more of my future drawings. Unfortunately, once I finish shading I am too tempted to tell myself I am done and move on.

In the past I used to get worked up regarding backgrounds because I didn't find it as exciting to do, and I hated drawing all those little details. However, I recently started experimenting with line-less backgrounds and I think I prefer it now. By not drawing a line art for the background, my subject stands out and remains in focus. Plus, I believe it makes the background more realistic, especially if it's environmental. I believe Scott McCloud refers to this as the Masking Effect. More on that for another post.