This is the continuation in the series of designs based on the alphabet from our Creative team. Each post will include their designs and a peek into their process. Enjoy!
The last time I remember sitting down and drawing something was probably over 18 years ago at the age of 11. My grandma always encouraged art and creativity, so I would spend a good portion of the summer at her house sketching and drawing what any 11 year boy enjoys. Superheroes! So when I found out about the Type Tuesday project I was excited for the challenge.
Since I was assigned the letter “I” the first hero that came to mind was Iron Man. And since Tony Stark is all about technology, why not try illustrating using only an iPad. Get it “i”Pad…i…anyways. So I headed to the app store and downloaded the beautiful app Procreate and began sketching.
Process
#1 I needed to somehow incorporate the letter “I” into the drawing. So I decided to show Iron Man flying through the air with his after-burn creating the outline of the letter.
#2 Now that I had a very basic sketch to go off of, it was time to draw in all the detail of the Iron Man suit. I quickly went to the web to pull various references of the character and used them as a starting point for creating all the detailed elements.
#3 I next moved onto coloring. This was by far the most challenging/time consuming part of the process. However, it was also the most rewarding. I could now see my drawing take shape. Using the color references from the web, I worked my way from his helmet down to his legs trying various color combinations and shading techniques to give a realistic yet soft tone to the overall piece. Check out a quick time lapse video of the coloring process below.
#4 Now that I was pretty happy with the main subject being completed, I turned my focus to the background. I began coloring in the clouds and shaping out the thrusters to form the letter “I.” Once the background was done, a few little tweaks and touches later I was finished.
Looking back, I think my kid self would be pretty happy to know that he would be doodling superheroes again for work one day. Thanks, Grandma!
–Dillon White, Web Developer
