Dragon Fly v2

I was commissioned by Tatami Fightwear to create a sequel to the first Dragon Fly rashguard I designed back in 2012. The new version is available now from the Tatami website.

My digital drawing and painting skills have improved since 2012 so I wanted to use this opportunity to improve on the 2012 version with finer details and better composition while still honouring the first version.

Here's how I did it:




Back Design.
Contrary to logic, I started on the back design before I attempted the front design. The reason being was that I wanted to start things by referencing the original dragon fly artwork.

1. Very basic pencil sketch

2. Inking over the pencil lines

3. Playing around with transparencies and colour

4. Final version, coloured in an ukiyo-e style

Front design
The last version featured a simple graphic so for the new version, I wanted to add more visual drama. The samurai mask and helmet seemed like an obvious choice, especially when you consider that a lot of samurai helmets were very ornately decorated.

1. Pencil sketch, I wanted lots of detail in the final picture

2. Inked version

3. Final product

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