The process to get the artwork complete was a basic three step process. I tried to generate a roughish style that could be applied quickly, but have detail. This was also helped, as each piece was set at 10000px width, so when reduced it forced the detail into the smaller image. As in this example of Ebony Kenney, the client sent a set of reference images. From the best version I created a sketch of the caricature. Once I was happy with the sketch this was scanned in, and placed in a document in Photoshop at the correct dpi and px ratio. The ‘armless’ version was painted first, and once that was completed and looking good then I added an extended element to all of them with a arm section, holding cards, and with a pile of chips in front of them. The idea was that it could be utilise inside the site/app in whatever way they required.

As with most illustrations that require some amount of referencing, these avatars placed some challenges on the process. Mainly, you don’t get resource photos in good quality, or at the right angle for the delivery of the caricature in the required pose. Or, the reference images are not all at the correct lighting, and resolution that would define a good quality reference image. Nonetheless, the images were all comprised of either a given photograph of the known players, or comprised of several images found as referencing material.