Create an abstract portrait.

Whether you're a professional illustrator or you're aspiring to be one, the ability to illustrate people in an interesting and appealing way is a top skill to have in your toolbox.

It is worth taking some time to experiment and explore this area of illustration, as editorial commissioners in particular like to depict the people behind a story, plus a well-done celebrity portrait can see your reputation skyrocket.

This tutorial explores a technique I've been using in many of my illustrations recently; I'm going to share with you the fundamentals behind it. The following steps will help you to evolve your sketches into full-blown abstract pieces using Adobe Illustrator, give levels of depth and realism to features using Illustrator's Colour Guide and, finally, provide you with the tools you need to take your illustration into Photoshop to give it a rich, textured feel.

Click here to download the support files (28.9MB)

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