Process

Behind The Scenes

"Using this incredibly simple tool, I build up geometric shapes using reference photos. The basic process involves translating changes in tone and color into overlapping shapes that give the illusion of form until the subject become recognizable." This time-lapse video shows the process of this technique as Joshua pays tribute to one of his heroes.

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

These portraits are created using only the Polyline Tool. Creating overlapping shapes with just straight lines and selecting colors from the Fill Color dropdown is how Joshua archives these stylized, vector, portraits.

With the reference image on the left, you can see the way these illustrations begin to have life and vibrance. The reference photos help with alignment and proportions as well as tone.

Building up shapes with lighter and brighter fill colors on top of shapes with darker and less saturated fill colors creates the perception of depth and dimension.

This illustration shows how little visual information is needed for the eye to recognize the subject. Color also hardly matters compared to shape and form.


For more videos, check out Joshua's YouTube channel