Marvel’s Black Widow has finally been released, in theaters and on Disney+, and it provides a lot more detail on Scarlett Johansson’s alter-ego. The long-awaited film provides more detail on Natasha (nee Natalia) and her brief time in America as a child of Russian spies and what led her to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Black Widow has been a fan-favorite since she arrived in Iron Man 2 and this film is long overdue. The story is very engaging and the cast is excellent with Florence Pugh stealing most scenes as Natasha’s younger “sister”. 

These illustrations are my tribute to the fandom as well as examples of my continued experimentation in combining traditional techniques to the digital realm. I am replicating the style of traditional engraver’s marks into these pieces, while also combining the digital painting techniques in the first portrait of Scarlett in the post.

Ultimately, creating a few alternative movie poster concepts that I share with the artist community over at PosterSpy.

I was recently asked about my illustrations and the reasoning behind their creation. And, simply put, I am an artist. I create for my vocation as well as my avocation, just different topics and motivations.

These illustrations allow me to think about something else with no limits and it rejuvenates my creativity and inspires me as I look to solve other problems in my other career – enterprise software design and design leadership.

The ability to detach from the focus on X-problem increases my distance and perspective on the challenges at hand and helps to deliver clarity in: 1.) creating a piece of artwork I like, and 2.) percoluting solutions to the challenges of leading a large team of designers on complex enterprise software for a global company.

I find this a great way to create a balance in my creative energies.

All of these images were created using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, while the first image also used Corel Painter in its execution.