Since my original plan for my final piece fell through, I decided to go back to my initial ideas of using a Smick and Millie stereotype, as they fit well together and I believe these were my strongest pieces of work.
I chose to stick with the digital medium, as I was rather pressed for time, and also for the convenience of not having to take a photograph of a physical piece of work, as I feel that it takes away from the artwork, unfortunately. I used my Ipad Pro, my Apple Pencil and the app Procreate to create this illustration.
I decided to expand on the Millie representation as I was not 100% happy with it, but I am very glad that I did, as I think it turned out great.
For my Smick representation I decided to use that alternative pose that I had previously come up with, with a bottle of Buckfast alcohol in one hand, the iconic drink for smicks, and giving the finger with the other.
I stuck with similar colour palettes as they fit the characters very well in my opinion, although I decided to give a background a shot with this piece.
I am not very skilled with backgrounds, as they are not my forte, although I had an idea of having a run-down stone brick wall with spray-paint splatters, to signify that they are in a rough area that people would vandalize.
I chose to stick with the digital medium, as I was rather pressed for time, and also for the convenience of not having to take a photograph of a physical piece of work, as I feel that it takes away from the artwork, unfortunately. I used my Ipad Pro, my Apple Pencil and the app Procreate to create this illustration.
I decided to expand on the Millie representation as I was not 100% happy with it, but I am very glad that I did, as I think it turned out great.
For my Smick representation I decided to use that alternative pose that I had previously come up with, with a bottle of Buckfast alcohol in one hand, the iconic drink for smicks, and giving the finger with the other.
I stuck with similar colour palettes as they fit the characters very well in my opinion, although I decided to give a background a shot with this piece.
I am not very skilled with backgrounds, as they are not my forte, although I had an idea of having a run-down stone brick wall with spray-paint splatters, to signify that they are in a rough area that people would vandalize.
I really went out of my comfort zone for the colouring of this piece, as I would typically do flat blocks of colour with some mild shading and highlights, as you can see from my other digital work.
For this piece I went a bit crazy with adding textures to the illustration, as you can see I made the fox have a fur-like texture with the highlights. I also added a light stubble to the pit bull, as they are short haired dogs.
I also added clothing textures to the camouflage leggings and Adidas track jacket, to make them look a little more realistic and interesting.
I tried to make the piece look quite rough around the edges too, to match their aesthetic, as some areas aren’t blended, and I refrained from using a smooth brush to do my line work.
Overall I am really pleased with how this final piece turned out. I think I really improved on capturing what a typical Millie stereotype would look like if you compare it to my first sketch of one, although if there was one thing I would like to improve on, it is my backgrounds.
I was very inspired by Pauline Ellision’s work during making this, as her work is quite textured, and so I thought I would take a leaf out of her book and give it a go myself. After viewing the work of Crown & Paw I have also decided that I would love to do a classic-style anthropomorphic animal portrait sometime in the future, in a similar sort of style.
For this piece I went a bit crazy with adding textures to the illustration, as you can see I made the fox have a fur-like texture with the highlights. I also added a light stubble to the pit bull, as they are short haired dogs.
I also added clothing textures to the camouflage leggings and Adidas track jacket, to make them look a little more realistic and interesting.
I tried to make the piece look quite rough around the edges too, to match their aesthetic, as some areas aren’t blended, and I refrained from using a smooth brush to do my line work.
Overall I am really pleased with how this final piece turned out. I think I really improved on capturing what a typical Millie stereotype would look like if you compare it to my first sketch of one, although if there was one thing I would like to improve on, it is my backgrounds.
I was very inspired by Pauline Ellision’s work during making this, as her work is quite textured, and so I thought I would take a leaf out of her book and give it a go myself. After viewing the work of Crown & Paw I have also decided that I would love to do a classic-style anthropomorphic animal portrait sometime in the future, in a similar sort of style.
Screenshots of WIP (The pieces of text are just the brush names I used so I wouldn't forget them)