The sketch

like most creative processes, in the beginning there was a scribble. In this case there were a lot of loose pencile marks but this one seemed to resonate with me. Below I will touch on the process I used to create the design. I know there are also a million ways to do things and this is just my approach. 

At this point in the process I feel like the concept has potential now the line work needs to be tightened up and for this I use Adobe Illustrator. 

It can me tedious but its time to trace the sketch line with the trusty pen tool!

Im not saying vector is my favorite but its pretty amazing how versatile this tool is and how far its has come. I remember when you couldn't vary the stroke widths and now there is a tool for that.

Now that the lines are styled I begin to quickly add in the color. 

Adding color is quick and simple. Just make a new layer collection and place the outline above the new layer. Then with the Pen tool create the shapes with a solid color fill. Just stay within the outline stroke ;) 

Using the same process as above instead of using a color fill create new shape layers and use a gradient fill to add in subtle areas of shading and tone.