This lesson was dedicated entirely to Adobe Illustrator. We learned how to create a portrait in a very interesting black and white graphic style, which creates a stunning result that looks incredibly complicated but is actually very simple and, with some practise, easy to do. In order to create a portrait with this style, firstly, we had to choose who to draw. The example presented to us was Eunice Kathleen Waymon, a musician, arranger, and civil rights activist, in recognition of black history month. We also had a few other examples to choose from if we wanted – and I wanted to choose someone myself. So, after looking through the internet, and many images, I decided to do Whitney Houston, to celebrate black lives and all they have contributed to society. She was also a brilliant singer, and I love her music! When picking out an image, I was careful to pick one entirely in black and white, making sure that the shadows and highlights were quite pronounced, and that the picture wasn’t blurry in any areas around the face. This is so that I can see the details clearly and I know where to put the blacks and the whites.
Once the image is saved, you then have to make it a template to work on top of. In Illustrator, this can be done by going to file, place, selecting the image and ticking the box for a template. It then automatically becomes a template layer and the images is a little faded/transparent to make it easier to tell apart from your work. After this, the fun part begins! This style is essentially a build-up of layers. Looking at the template, I decide what shapes to draw and what colour to fill them in, one after another until gradually, the image starts to appear. My first layer was for the very darkest of shadows, and most of the blacks, but not all, went into this layer. I named it ‘black base’. It took some getting used to; I have a graphics tablet at home, but I am just beginning to learn how to use it, and mine is a different size from the ones we used. Soon though, I grew more comfortable creating the blobs and circular shapes and progressively got quicker as time went on. Since I was only at the start, almost every shape I created looked wrong to my eyes. This was because I hadn’t gotten used to thinking in the frame of layers and how the end result would look – I cared about how things looked in the beginning. Especially the lips, which were so difficult to ignore. I had to get over the fact that no matter what I did, it wouldn’t look right yet, because these were only the darkest parts.
I also had a new tool to get used to. In order to create these more organic shapes, the pen tool would not suffice, as it is too restricting and mechanic. That’s why we were introduced to the pencil tool, which adds links to any sort of line you draw on the canvas. The freedom I had with the lines was quite difficult to navigate at first. I kept making mistakes half-way through my line and having to go back and amend them with the selection tool or restart them altogether. It would have been a long process, if not for the fact that we were simply making shapes with the reference underneath. I was also met with obstacles like having to make shapes transparent, in order to see the image underneath, to do the highlights on top. As can be imagined, there was a lot of things to keep track of; if all the shapes are back to 100% opacity if the layer I was working on is the right one for this shape, and if there were any gaps, which couldn’t be seen unless the template layer was turned off.
Slowly, but surely, my portrait was starting to come together. Each new layer I created was a lighter grey until I eventually go to the highlights, which were in white. I actually really enjoyed watching the image build-up through the layers and it was honestly quite remarkable how simple shapes can make up such a complex image. I struggled most with the hair, and I’ve learnt that tight curls are extremely difficult to draw in low key lighting. This is because their highlights were extremely small, making it difficult to tell which direction the hair was going in, and how much volume there is. I also don’t particularly like how the microphone turned out. I wanted to get this portrait finished within the span of the lesson, and I knew that if I focused on every tiny highlighted detail, I wouldn’t accomplish this. So, I just focused on the main highlights and shadows. My mistake was that I was too careless with the lines, which should have been more controlled and tight, as well as transitioning too quickly form black to white. There was only one mid-shade to do this, and I see now that there should have been more, to make the blend more seamless and less jarring. Even so, I really enjoyed this lesson, and I love the way that the stylised image looks at the end. My favourite part of my portrait is Whitney’s face, which I think I did best and demonstrated the most variety in shades. I am happy with the final result, and I would like to do more of this type of illustration.
