The process always begins with an idea! Since I have very strong ties to Africa and I sell some products from there also, I wanted this to be my main theme, even though I am also a web and graphic designer. Once I have an idea in mind, I start by either drawing a sketch by hand or drawing the outline directly in Adobe Illustrator using the pen tool and give it a stroke. This way, I always have the basic outline incase I decide to apply irreversible effects later on!

Now it's time to add some color! I chose a medium-dark brown in this case!

The color is great but the gourd looks a bit flat... don't you think? I'll add some highlights and low-lights/shadows to the basic gourd in illustrator using gradients. This gives me greater control on where and how the light hits the surface and also lets me mould the gourd to make it look 3D.

Now we have the the highlights and the shadowing done, but the gourd needs a little texture and the lighting  still needs to be adjusted to create more depth. Since I want it to look as realistic as possible, touch of texture and grain to the gourd will give it that realistic appearance.I did this step in Photoshop using my Drawing Tablet, so that I could have greater control over it, as if I were coloring and shading on paper.

I'm quite pleased now with my shadows, highlights and texture. So now I can begin to add some decorative elements to the gourd. Every tribe in Africa will have it's own designs, patterns, color schemes and materials used to decorate the gourd, I decided to combine different techniques, such as painting, carving and beadwork.

I started by drawing my leather straps in illustrator and then created some beads to string through the leather. I added cowry/cowrie shells to the ends with some smaller beads. I kept the tones of the beads slightly more subdued so they wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb on a brown surface. I added more bead work to the neck of the gourd and a cowry shell in the middle.

 Since the pigments used on real gourds are natural, they have a very washed out look to them, so I achieved the look using various brushes in Photoshop. I began with drawing the basic geometric designs and then coloring them, adding textures, shadows and highlights to match the gourd itself.

Et viola'! My Gourd logo is ready!!! I added some more shadows behind it and then paired the Gourd with an updated version of my signature "spear", adding some cowry shells and beads to it as well, so everything ties in together nicely!!!!!!

 I hope you enjoyed this special segment on How It's Made! :) Feel free to browse through my portfolio for more of my designs! If you're interested in Custom work please do feel free to contact me through the Ask Seller a Question Tab!