Digital Illustration (WK4) - Design Blog

This week, I spent a lot of time working with the gradient mesh tool, which is something I still find very intimidating. I wouldn’t say I’m confident with it yet, but I’m starting to understand how it actually works. The more I use it, the less scary it feels, even if it still fights me most of the time. Every time I think I'm getting the hang of it, it reminds me that I still have a lot to learn.

The hardest part was using gradient mesh to make an illustrated self-portrait. I was getting VERY comfortable using the tool on banners to show movement, but faces are brutal. Every tiny color shift or misplaced point showed immediately. There were a lot of moments where it felt wrong, and I wasn’t sure how to fix it, but slowing down helped. I had to pay more attention to light, shadow, and subtle color changes. I’m still not fully comfortable with gradient mesh, but this week made it feel a little less daunting. We've learned so much over this month, and I'm really looking forward to having all of this knowledge as I move forward! 

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