HOW TO RECREATE RETRO GLAMOUR
Louie explains how he used one of his favourite artists as inspiration for this classic but modern illustration, and subtly evolved it, including adding a red layer underneath
1 Bob Peak vibes
I’m a fan of classic illustration from the 40s, 50s and 60s. The inspiration for this piece that I call Neon Boa is the amazing [American commercial illustrator] Bob Peak. I love how deceivingly simple some of his work looks and how graphical and evocative it is at the same time. So, I wanted to capture some of that essence using a bit of retro glamour.
4 Neon and minimal
After some experimentation, I got the idea of going with a neon colour scheme. To keep things minimal, I wanted to work more in tones rather than do full-colour rendering. I wanted it to be graphic just like those glorious Bob Peak illustrations that I have so much admiration for, so I picked this neon red colour and placed it on a layer under the sketch.
2 the right expression
In the preliminary sketch, I loved how it looked immediately but after a little pondering and thinking about it, I discovered that I want less of her torso area and for most of her top to have the texture of a feather boa. I also wanted her to be looking at us a bit more and have a much more subdued but alluring facial expression. So I revised the sketch.
5 Keep it unpredictable
Once I settled on the background colour it was pretty simple execution wise. To frame the skin, I added a medium grey tone based on the background colour. I used an acrylic-type brush and I applied colour while keeping it fast and loose. Again, the idea is for things not to look too deliberate and predictable, for them to look a little more ‘casual’.
3 App ly some pressure
I wanted the silhouette to really take up most of the square canvas. I highlighted her face. I liked the expression right away. Once I have a face I like it’s just a matter of making the rest of the details match. I used a pressure-sensitive texture brush that mimics a very soft grease pencil – dark lines on heavy pressure, and loose, sketchy lines with light pressure.
6 Classic, but modern
Finally, I added one last layer over the skin tone, in between the sketch layer, to highlight the feather boa and hair, the boa being the lightest in value. This ensures that your eye really zones in on her face. This is one of my favourites because of how things flowed from concept, to execution, to final, and hopefully evokes a classic but modern essence.