Original & Imagined Character Portraits

Drawing characters from my own imagination is honestly my favorite kind of chaos. When I am not working on specific commissions, I am usually sketching portraits that do not exist anywhere else, playing with bold color palettes in colored pencil or finding the drama in graphite shading. It is all about capturing a specific vibe on paper, even if it starts as just a random idea in my head.

My process for these imagined portraits is a bit different from my standard commissions. Without a reference photo to follow, I have to rely on my understanding of anatomy, lighting, and color theory to make the character feel alive. I usually start with a rough pencil outline to get the expression right, then layer in color or shading until the piece feels finished.

I love using this space to experiment. For example, my recent work with the Derwent Chromaflow pencils allowed me to push the saturation in the background, which creates a totally different mood compared to my standard graphite work. I typically use 200gsm to 250gsm Bristol paper for these, as it handles the multi-layer blending really well without getting muddy.

If you want an original portrait for your profile, as a gift, or just for your collection, I treat these with the same technical care as my realistic commissions. Whether it is a semi-realistic character with a specific color scheme or a high-contrast graphite sketch, you get the same professional fixative protection and rigid packaging to keep your art safe during shipping. Since these come entirely from my imagination, each one is a one-off, meaning nobody else will have the exact same print.