From sketch to "finished" illustration

If you've been following me for some time, you're aware of my passion for rockets and vintage technology. I decided to create an illustration of an early helicopter soaring over a city, but it didn't quite come out as planned :D.

The final illustration

Starting with the Concept

So i started with a simple sketch. Just a weird-looking aircraft above a city shrouded in clouds. With the building peeking through. Easy peazy. No?

I think you can see the problem in the next shot. It's just to darn white. The colours are off too, i tried to get some striking colours, colours that "pop", but it just started to look like a 90's logo. Just too wild.

Ok ok, so i pulled back the colours. Red and blue, big contrast + a big white splotch in the middle to focus the eyes. Also, new brushwork. Let's get a bit more dirty, a lot less delineated, less square.

But i still didn't like it. The little airport just rubbed me the wrong way. too big, too sparse, etc.

So i kept the colours. But i changed the backdrop a little bit. More focused, more centralized, with a few little monument-valley type mesas. Also changed the ratio of the illustration a bit, since instagram is really picky with sizes.

Lessons Learned and Tips for Illustrators

Working on this illustration reinforced several important lessons:

• Start with strong references to guide your creative decisions.

• Work in layers to maintain flexibility and control.

• Balance detail and simplicity to keep the image engaging without overwhelming the viewer.

• Flip your illustrations to get a new view.

• Walk away sometimes it's just time to post :)