Yesterday, I ran across a photo of a woman whose head was tilted at an interesting angle. It gave her a sense of intrigue, and I traced her features to understand that expression better. I wasn’t sure where I was going with it, I just liked the position of her head and hand. As I traced her head, her hair suggested she could be wearing a turban. That triggered a thought about the Mideast, since many Mideastern males wear turbans, so I decided to make her into a male.
I wanted to capture a sense of mystery in the finished drawing. And I think the resulting portrait triggers wanting to know more—which is what storytelling is all about. So I considered it a success.
My digital doodles are a way to improve drawing and design skills. Sometimes, they will lead to larger illustrations with which I can tell a more complete story, but most of the time, I just leave them as is. The only times I allow myself to trace are: When I paint or draw a tight likeness of someone from a photo; when building a layout for a larger illustration or painting; and, as just demonstrated—to explore an expression or idea.