Avatar Diagram

The attached image show how I build each of the avatars in the Diversity Avatars collection.

Each avatars stars with a simple pencil sketch on paper. I scan the sketch and import it into Illustrator where I then outline it, manually, using the pen tool. I don't do any shading/hatching on the sketches, normally, because I really only need the outlines.

The curves and shapes are very carefully built using geometric shapes, as much as possible, and the pen tool for refinement. Even the shadows are meticulously built and measured and aligned to the grid.

The process is time-consuming, but there is no substitution for craft, in my opinion.