Whew. I knew i was in for a ride when I started laying the groundwork for this piece a couple months ago, and sure enough it was a grind. I originally intended it as a third entry in my series of bird illustrations, but it ultimately turned out quite different from the other two. Compositionally I was inspired by pictures of peacocks where their plumage fills the entire background, and also saw it as an opportunity to experiment with some new techniques and treatments. I started by making the entire composition as an outline sketch, and then gradually built out the coloring and shading a bit at a time. For the plumes I drew up three different patterns and used the Envelope Distort > Mesh tool to warp and reshape them into an interlocking layout. 

While I do enjoy making highly detailed vector pieces like this, I occasionally get bogged down partway through, and even wonder If I should cut my losses and go work on something else. But in hindsight I’m glad I stuck it out, it’s nice to finally have it done. I think it’s more about learning to trust my design instincts and gaining confidence in my own ability to pull it together in the end. I’m not enamored with the grind, but more often than not I am quite happy with the results. Next up: I have some 3D projects on tap, but also I want to add some more 2D vector pieces to my list. In fact while I was finishing up this one, I came up with another subject I’d like to start working on next in a similar visual style. But not a bird!  To be continued…