Rico Turns Nine

This digital illustration, “Rico Turns Nine” (2024), was created as a personal project and birthday gift for my younger brother. Based on a photo from a sunny afternoon in Australia, it captures a small but meaningful moment, our bus rides home from school. The piece focuses on warmth, connection, and the carefree spirit of childhood.

Created in Adobe Fresco, I started with a loose sketch to develop the scene so that it is an illustrated mirror image to the original photo. Colour matched from the original, I layered various shapes and colours in order to build visual depth. These elements work together to evoke comfort and a sense of shared joy.

This illustration reflects my ongoing interest in capturing emotion and storytelling through everyday moments.