Recreating the character of Hunter S. Thompson

Recreating the character of Hunter S. Thompson

Creating a character is a difficult task in itself. Recreating a character is an altogether different story. Using traditional and digital techniques, Illustrator Sajid Wajid Shaikh, designs popular characters that resonate with the audience and simultaneously surprise as well with the addition of personal twists to the tale. Here, he takes us through the creation of Hunter S. Thompson.

Step 1 

Head
Like most great works of art, a raw sketch is made to get a basic idea of how the face should look like.

Step 2 

Once the basic contouring is put in place, this step involves using tools to gradually give the face its features in order to define the character.

Step 3 

After this point, both Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop are used to design perfect shapes to accessorise the character, like a hat, cigarette and smoke. This concludes the top most part of the design.

Step 4 

Body
Next step involves focusing on the lower portion of the body by drawing out the shirt, only partially.

Step 5 

The next step involves taking a hand drawn pattern on Adobe Illustrator for the shirt. This pattern is later wrapped on to the shirt to add effects and texture according to the flow of
the body.

Step 6 

During these steps, the focus is in completing the entire body. Adding characteristic detailing enhances the creation of the character design. The fly swatter is composed in Adobe Illustrator. As a designer, it's important to make the best of both programs.

Step 7 

And like the shirt, a pattern is created for the shorts.

Step 8 

In the final stages of the composition, typography is added to give a lasting appeal to the artwork. Here, a selfcreated type face called Drifter is employed to blend with the posture of the character. This vague element adds meaning to the design and helps relate it to the viewers.

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