Alright, so today I’m gonna spill the beans on my little adventure with Yama Gonzalez. I wouldn’t call myself a pro or anything, but I do like to mess around and see what I can cook up.
First things first, the initial spark. I stumbled upon Yama Gonzalez’s name while browsing through some design blogs – can’t even remember which one, tbh. But her stuff just jumped out at me. It was bold, colorful, and had this raw energy that I really dug. So, I thought, “Why not try to recreate something similar?”
Gathering the tools. I fired up my trusty ol’ Adobe Illustrator. That’s my go-to for vector stuff. I also had my Wacom tablet plugged in, because drawing with a mouse? Nah, ain’t nobody got time for that. Found a few reference images of Yama’s work online to keep me on track. Having a mood board, even if it’s just a few pics, really helps.
Sketching and blocking out shapes. I started with a rough sketch of a face. Just basic shapes, nothing fancy. Think circles, triangles, and squares. Then, I began layering in the details, mimicking that layered collage look Yama’s known for. This part was all about experimenting. Trying different shapes and seeing what stuck.
Coloring the chaos. This is where things got interesting. Yama’s color palettes are wild! I tried to channel that energy by throwing in a bunch of contrasting colors. Bright yellows, deep blues, hot pinks – the whole shebang. I played around with different blending modes too, like multiply and overlay, to get some interesting effects.
Adding those signature lines. Yama’s work is full of these bold, graphic lines. So, I grabbed my pen tool and started drawing some thick strokes around the shapes. This really helped to define the forms and give the whole piece that signature Yama Gonzalez vibe.
Tweaking and adjusting. After laying down the main elements, I stepped back and looked at the whole thing. I spent a good hour or two just tweaking colors, adjusting shapes, and moving things around until it felt right. This is the most tedious part, but it’s also where you really refine your work.
The final touches. To finish it off, I added a few textures. Just some subtle grainy overlays to give it a bit of depth. Then, I saved it as a high-res PNG and slapped it on my Instagram. Boom! Done.
What I learned. This little project was a blast. I didn’t try to copy Yama’s work exactly, but I definitely learned a lot about her style and how she uses color and shape. It pushed me to be bolder with my own work and to not be afraid to experiment. Plus, it was just plain fun to mess around with some new techniques.
So yeah, that’s the story of my Yama Gonzalez-inspired adventure. Give it a shot yourself! You might surprise yourself with what you can create.
