A STYLIZED MINI PORTRAIT SKETCH

 Today I I reached for my mini sketchbook again. I remembered this cute stylized mini portrait sketch that I haven't shared yet. When I say a stylized portrait, it means that the portrait isn't mean to be realistic. You can think of it as a creative and non-realistic portrait style. What is typically meant as stylized portrait invokes images of anime, fashion illustration, Disney or any mainstream cartoon drawing style to my mind. You know, the big or exaggerated eyes, barely there nose and puffy lips- that kind of thing. I typically draw in this style only when I'm making fashion illustrations. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure it was my intention to draw in this style for this mini portrait. In all honesty, I made this sketch to practice drawing hands and food. In addition, choosing this reference might had something to do with my sugar craving. I have temporarily cut all sugar from my diet so I'm taking comfort in illustrating sweets. I do have a sweet tooth but I'm mindful of my sugar intake and if health reasons require it, I can say no to sugar. I uploaded this illustration to my Redbubble shop


ART TIP OF THE DAY: YOU DON'T HAVE TO STICK TO THE REFERENCE
My art tip of the day will be short and sweet. When using reference, remember that you don't have to follow it closely. Sometimes you can use a reference loosely. For example, the only thing I really wanted to take from this reference was the long spoon and the hand position. That is what attracted me to using this specific reference.  I like to use my own photographs (or those taken by my husband) as a reference for two reasons. One is to avoid copyright issues, the other is that I have an actual memory of the place and that helps for a variety of reasons. So, when I want to practice illustrating, I browse my archives. If you don't have a rich archive to rely on, remember that there are specific online sites with free references for artists, painters and illustrators that you can use. I haven't used them yet, but if I ever do, I'll share my experiences. Back to the subject that is- changing up your reference to suit your idea. 
As you can see, I changed a lot of things in my illustration. First, I didn't go realistic to start with. Then, I changed the colours of the outfit because I was going for spring vibes and this reference photograph is from November last year (and all about the Autumn colours). Instead of illustrating a hot chocolate drink, I illustrated strawberry  and chocolate ice-cream. I also changed the position of the head a bit.



THE PROCESS OF MAKING THIS ILLUSTRATION


STEP #1- SKETCH WITH AN ORDINARY PENCIL
Bellow you can see my pencil sketch. I don't know how well you can see the pencil sketch so I added another darkened photograph underneath that should give you a general idea of how I sketched this mini portrait. 


STEP #2 - SKETCHING WITH WATERCOLOUR PENCILS
The next step was sketching with watercolour pencils. As you can see, there is also some transfer from another portrait drawing I did. That happens in sketchbooks sometimes if you aren't careful. 

#STEP 3- ADDING WATER TO TURN IT INTO AN AQUARELLE PORTRAIT SKETCH
Finally, here is the finished look. I added water to turn it into a watercolour sketch.  I even signed my name. 
MORE LINKS TO MY OLDER POSTS, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT WANT TO SEE MORE OF MY FASHION ILLUSTRATION ACTIVITY


Thank you all for reading and commenting. Have a nice day!

Comments

  1. Using "artistic license" is one of the most important things! You aren't there to reproduce an image exactly, but to play with it and tease out the emotion that you see.

    I try not to eat a lot of sugar, but that fancy coffee does look yummy! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a hold chocolate and yes it was very yummy.

      Delete
  2. Te quedo muy bien el color de su ropa es muy lindo. Te mando un beso y de paso me dejaste con ganas de tu chocolate caliente.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Check You Out - You Scream - We Scream - We All Scream For Ice Cream

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautifully done, Ivana! Great work!
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Zaista mi je drago što si objavila članak sa koracima kako crtaš svoje ilustracije! Sviđaju mi se zaista, zanimljiv i prepoznatljiv stil crteža, zaista tvoji crteži zaslužuju pažnju! Volim i vodene boje iako dugo nisam ih koristio. Zadnjih par godina crtam samo olovkama hehehe. Inspirisala si me da se malo vratim vodenim bojama!

    Alekboras.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hvala. Ja isto crtam olovkom, za neke stvari olovka je najbolja.

      Delete
  6. So glad you find inspiration everywhere!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Really inspiring! I had a friend who took selfies with all her expressions and then she traced over them with tracing paper to help her with her characters in a graphic novel she was creating.

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  8. Whatever its intention, I really love this mini portrait. I think you did the hands very well indeed. I had to smile when you mentioned the sugar craving, and that you're taking comfort in illustrating sweets :-) I'm not cutting sugar from my life altogether, far from it, but I have stopped eating sweets, which I often indulged in when I was still working full time. But I still get sugar cravings from time to time, which sometimes I give in to and other times not. xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I gave up on the no sugar diet as it didn't get me any results but I'm always careful of my sugar intake.

      Delete
  9. Beautiful. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi
    I think that Art is just seeing beyond what our eyes see, so it doesn't have to be a copy of your reference !!
    Yes, it is necessary to be cautious about the works of artists and their licenses, but I think you are an excellent model for your art, look at this portrait so beautiful !!!
    xoxo

    marisasclosetblog.com

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  11. Lovely portrait and it is very resembling too. The changes you have made to your clothing and consumation is very appropriate for this season.

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  12. Your fabulous sketch almost reminds me of the series we just fashioned about inspiration from a photo instead of imitation!! And it's fabulous.
    I too have pretty much given up on sugar. I always had a sweet tooth, so it's not easy. But I know it's good for me.
    XOXO
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice sketch and loving the photo of the you and coffee you sketches from :-D

    ReplyDelete

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All your comments mean a lot to me, even the criticism. Naravno da mi puno znači što ste uzeli vrijeme da nešto napišete, pa makar to bila i kritika. Per me le vostre parole sono sempre preziose anche quando si tratta di critiche.

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