"Thrill of It" – Cover Art

Illustrated a hyper-realistic single release cover art for a local R&B artist, reimagining her portrait in cool-toned purples and magentas to reflect the song’s cinematic and smooth, atmospheric mood.

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This project involved creating a hyper-realistic illustrated single cover for a local, Milwaukee R&B singer. Inspired by a reference photo of the artist leaning against a sleek car, the goal was to reinterpret the image in a cool-toned purple and magenta palette that reflected the song’s smooth, late-night atmosphere.

While maintaining the pose and overall composition, the artist requested a hairstyle transformation — giving her long, flowing natural curls that felt windswept and expressive. During the digital sketch phase in Adobe Photoshop, I separated the hair in a light periwinkle tone to distinguish it from the primary linework, allowing for focused revisions before finalizing the hair.

After approval, I completed the refined linework and moved into color blocking. Careful attention was given to skin tones, dimensional shading, and highlights to achieve a hyper-real yet painterly finish. The car’s surface was rendered with smooth paint reflections, metallic silver accents, and a glossy windshield, balancing realism with stylistic softness.

The background was developed in layered purples and magentas with subtle texture and atmospheric blur in the lavender sky, reinforcing the mood of a calm, stylish nighttime drive. Final adjustments included subtle shirt color variations to better align with the artist’s desired color palette.

The completed cover visually complements the song’s chill, melodic energy — capturing the feeling of a breezy evening drive shared with someone special.