Johan Cruyff

I’ve taken on a side project. The last couple of weeks I’ve been working on an illustration of Johan Cruyff. It’s my first time doing a portrait.

I started out with a vector drawing in Sketch based on photos to get the outlines right. Yes, Sketch. ;) Faces are hard so it took me a while to get the eyes and nose right. While working on it I started sending friends shots asking them who this person was. Leaving out he recognisable number 14 on the jersey. When I felt comfortable enough with the outlines I transferred the image to Photoshop and started giving it a more natural feel with the pen tool. I’ve used a combination of strokes on vector path’s and a Wacom tablet.

In this shot Johan is wearing an Ajax Amsterdam jersey but I’ve also made a version of him playing for FC Barcelona and the Dutch National team. I’ve attached some of my progress.

I just ordered the first test print to see how it looks when framed.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and don’t forget to hit ‘L’ to support me. And let me know who you’d like to see next in the comments. :)