Apoptosis
Adobe Illustrator & Acrylic Paint
Overview
As a personal creative exploration, this project focused on combining the irregularity of hand-painted textures with the precision of vector graphics, with special attention to focal point and visual tension. The goal was to create a cohesive set of pieces that embrace organic form and digital structure.
Process
I designed three distinct visuals, each formatted for different Instagram dimensions: a square post (1080x1080px), a landscape post (1080x566px), and a profile picture (100x100px).
I began by painting abstract shapes in my sketchbook, inspired by sunbeams. Once digitized and layered in Illustrator, the pink and greenish-blue forms began to resemble coral reef imagery, which sparked the creation of a human-like character at the center of the composition. The character's head evolved from a painter’s palette to a stylized shell, reinforcing the underwater theme.
I titled the series "Apoptosis"—a scientific term for programmed cell death. In these pieces, the pink abstract form represents the heart of the figure, caught in a dramatic moment of internal collapse. The character clutches onto it, a visual metaphor for grasping at what’s already fading. This project blends emotion, abstraction, and intentional design to tell a quiet, visceral story.