Working in Procreate, I challenged myself by creating a colored illustration based on a black and white reference photo. The subject of this piece is Cirque du Soleil contortionist and fitness instructor, Odgerel Byambadorj, who is originally from Mongolia.
Focusing the on range of values and various reference photos, I carefully selected a color pallet to play with. I then used various airbrushes and the smudge tool to apply those colors like a makeup artist. Seeing the two images side by side, I notice subtle inconsistencies but the illustration itself is quite nice. I love how adding color to a composition can change the viewer's emotional effect!
