I’ve always been fascinated by some of the excellent vector portraits that other designs have created. A quick google search will showcase a range of different styles and techniques utilised to produce each artwork. These range from the extremely detailed life like productions to simple but stunning pieces.

So I decided recently that it would be a good experiment to undertake, not to mention something different into my portfolio other than web design work. This would be my first vector portrait and hopefully it would turn out fairly well and I would know the art style I’d prefer.

I began by getting a photograph and polarizing it to get an idea of the different colour tones. From there I started creating an outline of the hands and face using the PEN tool.  Proceeded to detail the hands, face, then hat, hair and finally the shirt. Since I was missing my Wacom I ‘cheated’ slightly by taking some of the original photograph to help highlight the hair a little better instead of brushing/PENing every detail. Below is my workflow at different stages from start till finish. First ‘Vector Portrait’ completed.