Most of my sketches hardly see the light of day. They have been crumpled up, stashed away in folders both real life and on my computer. Some of them I end up throwing away. Especially the unfinished ones. I know it’s a bad habit, but I hate to be reminded of illustrations that didn’t work out or frustrated me. Sometimes (especially with commissions) I really like the sketch but they do not match up with the wishes of the client. Sketches can also be a ‘light bulb’ moment, reminding the client that this is not what they were looking for. That’s okay, that’s why I make multiple sketches! Sketches are a crucial part of the journey to a finished illustration.
Here is one of the sketches I made for a recent commission for a school:
This sketch wasn’t chosen. I ended up making something that better suited the clients wishes. But I still liked the sketch, I liked these kids! It’s also a style that’s been missing in my portfolio. So instead of having the sketch disappear into the black hole that is my computer’s hard drive… I wanted to bring this group of kids to life. Here’s the final result (click on the illustration to see the bigger version):
I really enjoyed finishing it! I’m pleased with the colorful result. Who knows, maybe some other old sketches will turn up in the future…
It turned out awesome, Corona! I love the diversity, too <3
Thanks Gwen! If you google similar illustrations I found the diversity a bit lacking. So glad you noticed!
This is so adorable! Love seeing you experiment with a more cutesy style. The colors add so much life to this sketch!
Thank you Heather! I wanted to have bright colours but they still had a to match 😀 Would be cool to have a children’s book in this style 😉
I think it looks very nice as well!
Thank you Nadya! 🙂