Kelly (2020)
This portrait marked a shift toward more hyperrealistic rendering techniques as I continued learning Procreate, often alongside Kelly himself, who served as both muse and creative sounding board. Using his photo as reference (with permission), I focused on capturing subtle facial textures and undertones, including freckles and the blend of purple-green hues beneath the skin. To introduce a visual contrast without overpowering the realism, I added symmetrical, diamond-like structures around his head. The piece also served as a study in digital hair rendering, where I practiced building depth through clumped brushwork and individual strands.
Reflections & Areas for Improvement:
While I aimed for hyperrealism, the skin lacks actual texture beyond tonal variation and freckles, which limits the depth and dimensionality of the portrait.
I struggled with composition framing, particularly where to crop the figure. In hindsight, ending the portrait at the neck feels abrupt and visually imbalanced.
This piece made me more aware of how critical structural decisions, like framing and textural layering, are to achieving realism in digital portraiture.
