Stylization begins with shape vocabulary. Ask: Is this portrait built from circles, squares, or triangles?
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. Stylization begins with shape vocabulary
Before you dive into painting exaggerated features, you must understand the underlying machinery of the face. A stylized face still breathes; it still turns in perspective; it still has bones beneath the skin. They mixed colors as if tuning an instrument,
Paint one realistic grisaille (gray-scale) portrait from a photo reference. Then, on a tracing overlay, circle three features to stylize (e.g., eyes enlarged, jaw squared, nose simplified). A stylized face still breathes; it still turns