Mixed media illustrator based in Hanoi
Inktober is a famous drawing challenge to explore how your own style with ink and in 2023 I decided to join as a fun side project. Though I ended at #20, the project took me further than I thought.
I got to express many of my thoughts and apply many new knowledge (composition, shading, value) to these illustrations.
Below are the progress for 2 illustrations.
This is a personal challenge to design a set for the book The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie.
From 2019, I started my career on Fiverr by taking small and medium commissions. Most of my requests are for business articles, comic gifts and small-sized ebooks.
Most of these drawings below are taken out of its context and re-drawn to a certain degree.
Business comics are in high demand, they helps lighten a difficult concept or idea. I enjoy drawing annoyed and surprised emotions, experimenting with moving the eyebrows and mouths to exaggerate the expression.
Comics are also great gifts for friends and lovers, even colleagues. The below characters are from gift commissions or small-scaled books. They are to illustrate moments of awkwardness, relatable accidents and funny moments.
Here is a simple progress image. I often sketch lightly, then reline with ink and add gray shades using a watercolor brush.
Animals are often used when the topic gets too sensitive. They have metaphoric meanings themselves, based on the bias and symbolism we attach to them for a long time. For example, cows are often thought to be silly and rabbits are pure and cute. Sometimes I reuse the bias, sometimes I just draw against them.
Below is the collection of character designs from my 2023 projects. Some are commercial and some are personal. 2023 is the year I challenged myself to get out of my comfort zone and stop caring about styles.
I focus on using the characters as tools for the story, the story will decide the level of exaggeration, use of colors (strong/ soft), level of facial details, etc.
I decided to re draw the characters from past projects to see how far I’ve gone and add a new vibe to the character. I like to add a touch of comic and fun to my characters, no matter they are human, animals or objects.
In 2023, I had the chances to work on many small children’s book and kid-friendly illustrations.
The ones below are not the original designs, but rather an updated version. I chose this particular coloring style recalling gouache paintings, which are my favorite medium.
Jeanne Lolness 