I hope this does not sound like a cliché story but I have been drawing since I was a little kid. My mother, who loved drawing fashionable women, encouraged me. She always gave me constructive feedback and taught me how to draw human figures proportionally. I did not study illustration in college and actually have a Bachelors Degree in computer science. Illustration was always my hobby and I developed it over the years. I went back to school to get a Masters Degree in graphic design. That is what got me started in my business as a graphic designer in 2009, and later an illustrator when I started combining my illustrations with my designs.
I work both with watercolors and Photoshop to create my illustrations. That way, they still have the texture of the traditional medium, yet look crisper and more refined when I digitally color over the original illustrations. I first start with a pencil sketch. After I get my client's approval, I redraw my illustration on watercolor paper and color it. I then scan it and digitally modify in Photoshop to add more colors and textures. It usually takes up to 8 hours to complete an illustration, but sometimes even longer than that!
I also love branding projects. I tend to add a personal touch to each logo I design. I like my designs to look organic, not a rigid corporate cold designs. I want for my logos to look personal and approachable, yet professional. I do follow a different process for logo design. However, much like the illustration process, everything starts from scratch, with a pencil and paper and then optimized in both Adobe Illustrators and Photoshop.
Please visit my Etsy shop for custom work: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Reani?ref=hdr_shop_menu
and this one is for clip art sets and premade logos: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ReaniDesigns?ref=l2-shopheader-name