This commission really helped me evolve this portrait style further, and I honestly found the work so much fun, and the designer who worked with me super helpful and friendly. I am so pleased that they got in touch and wanted me to work more in this style.
I wanted to share how the illustrations look on the individual pages, though I know it might be tricky to read the actual article itself. But fear not, if you are wanting to read it all, it s available online. Keep scrolling for a larger view of the illustrations.
A more detailed view of the portrait. I used multiple reference images for this portrait, and some of the colours are also mirrored in the spot illustrations (see below). The background colours are all based on the colours from Courier’s design manual, which are therefore often used in the magazine.
The spot illustrations are meant ot go well with the text in the article, but contain things which signify things that Aurora James has worked towards. The clogs represent her business, Brother Vellies, which sells luxury fashion items, many of which are made in Africa. The bag signify her 15 percent pledge initiative, which aims at getting as many shops to pledge 15% of their shelves to Black-owned businesses, as 15% of the US population is Black.