For my final product, I decided to transform the headshots of my characters into playing cards. This format allowed for me to also showcase some bits of their personality, if I ever wanted to use them for a future project. The cards are simplistic, but they provide a decent base for me to improve on if I decide to do so.
Willow
Drawing Willow was hard initially because she was the first character to be created. I had to manage creating a semi-distinct drawing style, the learning curve of Procreate, and stretched my imagination and drawing skills. Doing the braids for hair took the most time, and if I were given more time, I would work on developing the hair more. The braids are created of individual heart shapes that overlap each other. Once I had done the first layer, it was intimidating to add various shadows and lights. However, I think Willow is a good start on developing a character style. While simplistic, there are many ways I could improve on this design in the future.
Willow by Ellen Feng, 2021 in Digital Art
Penelope
Drawing Penelope was actually the easiest out of the three. I started out with a decent sketch loosely based on someone in my life, and was able to have a better plan going into this character, compared to the others. After finishing drawing Willow, I had learned when the appropriate time was to use layers and how to use them to my advantage. This made coloring and adding shadows a lot easier. One thing I would like to improve on is making certain facial features more unique compared to my other two characters. While doing research about digital drawing, I read that many artists run into the problem of creating the same face but redrawn on different characters. I would like to play around with different nose and mouth shapes; however, I also wanted to create a cohesive style among the three characters.
Penelope by Ellen Feng, 2021 in Digital Art
Reese
Reese was the last character I created, but was also the one I had the most issues with. I made many sketches of this character, but none of them felt right. I then realized that even before I started using a digital medium, I did not typically draw men or boys. Shifting from drawing a female face shape to a male one was very difficult for me. Making sure features like the jaw line, or neck area, wasn't too rounded or overly square was a challenge. The way I overcame this obstacle was by doing daily sketches of male face shapes to gain inspiration and practice. Once I had figured out the face shape, the rest was able to be finished quickly.
Reese by Ellen Feng, 2021 in Digital Art
final project
Header image from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, directed by Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Bob Persichetti