Why Digital Dexterity is Blowing New Life into Portraits

The power of an excellent portrait as a visual enhancer of great editorial content has long been known to editors the world over. We’re seeing the versatility of the illustrated editorial portrait expand in various beautiful and useful directions.

Pencil and graphic portraits are steadily invigorating print publications: novels, arts magazines, finance and business magazines, glossies and newspapers – they all host a great variety of portraits. But as media is digitalising, so is the use of illustration. Skilful likenesses of people’s faces are being seen, tapped and swiped on a global scale. Digital illustrated portraits captivate a reader’s attention and make editorial content more memorable. Like good branding gives a business a corporate identity, good artwork gives content a personal identity.

The variety of illustrative styles is expanding as digital dexterity and technique becomes more elaborate, innovative and adventurous. Some portrait experts Jello London represents stand out for their pure skill in creating true likeness, others make us marvel at artistic interpretations of a unique face, and some truly excel at characterisation. 

See portraits by Jelly London's illustrators here.