This is James.
He has a great face. He just looks like and illustration to me. His proportions are interesting, so I knew I could sum up his features with a few precise lines.
The Sketch
I wanted the shapes to be blocky and the lines to be sharp and square.
James always seem to have a tiny hook at the corner of his mouth that threatens to smile at any moment. His glasses are huge and graphical, adding to the squareness of the image.
The Final Illustration
I was going for a retro palette (which is coincidentally the color of my hallway). It turned out to be really simple, which I tend to like more than things that have more detail.
James, by the way, is an incredible ceramicist. With his partner, David, they create the most incredible handmade porcelain. If you have a moment, check out kleinreid.com
I’m a writer living in Los Angeles, making emojis of faces I find on Instagram. When I get a moment, I paint portraits on canvases I build from reclaimed wood.
