Stefanie Achenbach

I really want to revise my portfolio and make it more diverse. Since March 2024, I’ve switched to illustrating with colored pencils. My style has changed a lot and I’m currently learning so many new things. That doesn’t always make it easy to approach publishers and agencies.

But I want to change that. So I’m working on a series of pictures that will tell a little story. I got the rough idea from an Instagram challenge #FreeYourFearsWeek24.

I also want to simplify my work process a little. Working with colored pencils takes a lot of time and patience. That’s why I’m going to work with alcohol markers for this series of pictures to get the basic colors done. Let’s see if that works.

Here I have started to sketch the basic image idea as thumbnails. Then I dedicated myself to the first and second picture and sketched individual picture elements.

I imported these images to Procreate and combined them into one image. Then the real work began. I check the composition of the thumbnail and revise all picture elements. I mirror my canvas and rework the lines. I enlarge and minimize objects. This prozess can take several hours.

The finished drawings are now waiting for their color scheme.