Darth Vader

I have been working in Adobe Illustrator for a lot more of my recent work. Typically, I will block out most of the illustration in Illustrator and then move to a bitmap program to do much of the detail work. 

Recently, however, I have been focused on creating illustrations based around the concept of fauxsaics – tile-based patterns replicating the look of intricate mosaics. 

To create this effect, I created some custom brushes in Adobe Illustrator that looked like a simple tile. Using that brush as the stroke of the line allows the “tiles” to flow along the long and create these intricate patters, as above.

Once the tiles “layout” in the pattern they are then turned to outlines so they can be distorted a bit to add more realism to the fauxsaic. This distortion combined with a few layers of grime, reflection, and shadows finishes the details to the illustration.

The original layout of the piece, above, was inverted, with Vader entering the chamber from above, as if he was walking towards you in the frame. However, the strength of his silhouette seems more impactful when rotated 180-degrees. I like this version better for its subtley and it aligns with the original concept I had initially envisioned.