Creative process: Creating a Personalized Portrait

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Recently, I was commissioned by a thoughtful mother to create a portrait of her son for his birthday. She shared so much more than just photographs — through several emails, she told me about his personality, his favorite hobbies, his job, his family, and even the objects he treasures most.

With all this information, I began by sketching a few mini portrait drafts, capturing different aspects of his world and character. I sent these to her so she could choose the one that felt most like him.

Sketches of the different proposals and formats of the illustration that were offered to the client.




Sketches of the different proposals and formats of the illustration that were offered to the client.

The first sketch showed him working on a scale model in his room (he’s an architecture student). It was a wide shot, almost like a scene from his everyday life — full of details from his world, his passions, and the things that make him who he is. It was less about his physical appearance and more about portraying him in action, immersed in what he loves.

The second idea was a bit closer. He’s sitting at his computer, surrounded by his things. This composition allowed me to bring in environmental elements while also focusing more on his facial features and personal characteristics.

The final sketch was a more traditional portrait — a close-up view with minimal background. This version focused on his expression and appearance, with less narrative context.

After she chose her favorite draft, I began working on the final piece. It was such a rewarding process — turning someone’s world and personality into a hand-drawn portrait that tells their story.

Not counting the ideation phase, the final drawing took me over 10 hours to complete. Of course, those 10 hours weren’t all in one sitting — I took breaks, sometimes even a full day, to let the drawing “breathe” and come back to it with fresh eyes. This was especially important when it came to color decisions, which, for me, are usually the most time-consuming part of the process.

Imagen de las estadísticas que brinda la app Procreate sobre trazos realizados, tiempo insumido y tamaño del archivo de la ilustración digital

In the end, both the mother and her other sons were really happy with the result — and honestly, that means more to me than anything else. Even more than starting to make a living from what I love most: drawing.


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