# Illustration — people, characters and worlds

> Character design, portrait painting and visual development, with the studies that show the proportion, construction and gesture behind them.

Source: https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/illustration
Language: en

---

ILLUSTRATION · CHARACTER DESIGN · VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
# I draw people, characters and worlds.
Illustration was where everything started for me. I work between stylised character art, portrait painting and visual development — then carry that same eye into product, brand and interface work.
Ricardo Costa · formerly Yohuro Kano
PORTUGAL → UK → CHINA
![Victoria, a character portrait from Faction](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000034333.jpg)
VICTORIA / FACTION
Character portrait · 2026
NOT JUST PRETTY PICTURES
A finished image should prove taste. A character sheet should prove thinking.
For jobs and university applications, I want the work to show both: the ability to finish an image and the ability to build a character consistently.
01
## Character design
Characters are more than a face — silhouette, costume, pose and context have to agree.
![Angel and demon character pair](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000005018.jpg)
![Elf character in a street scene](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000004937.jpg)
CHARACTER PAIR / ORIGINAL DESIGN
Character contrast, styling and visual storytelling through pose, costume and expression.
STYLISED CHARACTER WORK
NARRATIVE CHARACTER SCENE
Original-IP development continues across portrait studies, costume direction and a full multi-angle character sheet.
02
## Portrait & painting
Different faces, materials and lighting — without forcing everything into one style.
![Portrait of a crowned figure](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000034358.jpg)
DETAIL / MATERIAL / LIGHT
![Painterly figure study of a reader](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000034335.png)
PAINTERLY FIGURE STUDY
![Portrait in dramatic light](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000004928.jpg)
DRAMATIC LIGHT
![Outdoor portrait in natural light](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000004968.jpg)
NATURAL LIGHT
MORE SELECTED DRAWINGS
![Stylised figure in colour](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000004892.jpg)
![Portrait study](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000006427.jpg)
![Close study of an eye](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/eye.jpg)
![Character portrait](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/phoebe2.jpg)
![Figure in a forest](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000004962.jpg)
![Yohuro Kano artwork](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000006401.jpg)
![Character portrait, second pass](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/phoebee.jpg)
![Portrait illustration](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/new%2520jeans%2520hanni%2520low.jpg)
![Yohuro Kano key artwork](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/yohuro-kano-ks.jpg)
![Tarot-style illustration](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000005102.jpg)
![Fashion-editorial illustration](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000004914.jpg)
![Pin-up study](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/pin%2520up%25201.jpg)
![Feathers study](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/feathers.jpg)
![Character illustration](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/eating.jpg)
03
## Characters in context
Pose, clothing, props and setting matter as much as the face.
![Full-body character against the sky](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000000280.jpg)
PERSPECTIVE / FULL BODY / LIGHTING
Scene work
I like when the environment supports the character instead of competing with them.
![Elf character in a street scene, wide crop](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000004937.jpg)
04
## How I think
The polished image is only the last step. Structure comes first.
![Sheet of figure sketches](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/yohuro-kano-body.jpg)
ANATOMY STUDY
![Anatomy study](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000004990.jpg)
ANATOMY
![Line and shape study](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/1000000331.jpg)
LINE / SHAPE
I keep studies in the portfolio because they show the part that finished pieces hide: proportion, construction, gesture and decision-making.
MORE ART ON ARTSTATION
## 15+ years drawing. Still learning.
The archive is bigger. This page is the work I want people to judge me by.
View ArtStation ↗ — https://www.artstation.com/yohurokano
Ricardo Costa
Product · Brand · Visual · Front-end
© 2026 Ricardo Lourenço da Costa
Designed in Figma · Built with React
Leeds, UK