My client wanted to have a custom portrait of his dog, who just might be the sweetest pitbull ever.
My task was to create a simplified illustration based on the provided photo showing the dog smiling. I had access to several other photos which helped greatly in capturing the small details and features.
I started by creating an outline of the dog’s head. Some of the shapes created on this step later became masks and fill areas.
Next, the fill was added using the colors sampled from a photo. Smooth, fluid shapes were used in order to convey the smooth coat characteristic for the breed. As the photo was taken with two sources of light of different color, at this point the two halves of dog’s face looked mismatched.
The shapes forming the fur were refined, as were the colors. To make sure the color matches the fur, I offered the owner several versions with warmer and cooler tones.
After some little adjustments, the portrait was ready.
The dog’s owner was really happy with the illustration.
Reference photos were provided by the client