Driphop Illustration

Portrait 2: Hunter S Thompson Typography portrait.

This was my first attempt at a digital Typography portrait, previous typography portraits of mine were all done my hand or mixed media. Using a 'reletively' simple tutorial I applied several steps in photoshop to achieve the final illustration (see bottom). To start I drew a simple sketch by hand and scanned it in to photoshop.

Thoughout the process I just use the initial sketch as a base, or template. The silouette of the image as well as some minor detail (glasses, clothing pattern) was required to give the portrait some depth. I then cut the image, removing the background. I made a new layer called 'letters' where I typed out some Hunter. S Thompson quotes and lines from the move 'fear and loathing in las Vegas'.

I then made a selection of these words into a custom paint brushes but choosing 'Edit' 'define brush preset' and allocating sizes and font. I then made a custom filler by 'free transorming' the text together, this way i was able to fill sections with bulk text and the go over by stamping the layer with larger more recognizable words and phrases.

After 'posterizing the image I am able to break the process up into a few simple steps. I made about 5 differnt layers each one focusing on a specific tone from the initial sketch. I have Added an image for each layer so you can see the transitional stages of the piece.

To get some extra detail I used the 'majic wand' tool to select some of the facial regions and shirt design then stamped heavily with text to give more detail to the layer.

Finally I added an underlayer entitled 'background' and placed a classic photograph of Hunter S Thompson, lightened the tone and contrast and gave it a sepia tint. Very happy with my first digital typography portrait and will definately be attempting some more over the summer. watch this space...