Take a photograph. Set a timer for 5 minutes. You are only allowed to use 2 values (light and dark) and 3 geometric shapes. How much personality can you retain?
Maru chose a limited palette — ochre for warmth, ultramarine for shadow, a punch of cadmium for life. They mixed colors as if tuning an instrument, aiming for a harmony that would make the portrait sing. With each brushstroke they exaggerated: a cheekbone lifted just enough to hint at stubbornness, a nose narrowed to suggest a secret, the mouth given a slight asymmetry that read as mischief. Take a photograph
: Use a clear value structure (dark, mid, and light tones) to define 3D shapes. Avoid "same face syndrome" by understanding how light interacts with different facial planes. Light and Color How much personality can you retain
: Start by simplifying the head into an egg shape and "sculpt" the features from big to small. With each brushstroke they exaggerated: a cheekbone lifted
Unlike caricature (which exaggerates flaws) or realism (which replicates nature), stylized portraiture emphasizes —simplification, rhythm, and emotional tone. Success depends on knowing what to exaggerate, what to omit, and how to unify those decisions.
The core of stylization is reducing complex organic forms into manageable geometric shapes. Instead of seeing a nose or an eye, look for "primitives" like spheres, cylinders, and pyramids.