Vector Based Portrait
Artist, Illustrator: John Potter - Escape Key Graphics
This piece sits somewhere between illustration and fine art. I cannot always say where one ends and the other begins, and that ambiguity interests me.
I wanted to create a character study of an older South Florida gentleman with a Cuban feel to him. Something between a portrait and a caricature. I pushed the distortion as far as I could without losing respect for the subject. The goal was to capture the earthy yet tropical atmosphere that Cuban culture brings to this part of Florida.
The image is vector based, built in Adobe Illustrator, but I think of it as a painting. Burnt umber carries most of the composition. That tone shifts slightly toward yellow for his clothing and toward pink for his skin. His sunglasses are a bright purplish blue, which sets them apart from everything else. The cigar sends up elaborate geometric swirls, and the whole composition is just simple shapes overlapping to form other shapes.
My love of pre war Italian futurism shows here. You can see that influence in some of my other illustrations too. The way forms break apart and reassemble, the energy in what could otherwise be static lines. That tradition taught me a lot about making pictures move.
If you need expressive or stylized imagery for a project, contact me. I enjoy work that asks for personality and visual attitude.
(Created using Adobe Illustrator)
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- Tools I use: Everyday software includes Photoshop, Illustrator, SketchUp, and InDesign; motion work relies on Premiere & After Effects.