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Edge Of Seventeen

Edge Of Seventeen

Maheen Sana
February 26, 2018
1 Comment

Star Wars meets Stevie Nicks! This is a personal design project I did in November 2017. I named this project after the first song that I heard by Stevie Nicks. Edge of Seventeen. It's a song about losing a loved one. She wrote it after the death of her uncle and John Lennon. It's a very personal song - the kind you can easily relate to and find inspiration from.



I had recently finished watching all of the Star Wars movies and was listening to quite a lot of Stevie Nicks and I guess that's where the inspiration came from. I immediately knew that my next portrait was going to be of Stevie Nicks and that I wanted it to be kind of psychedelic space and 80's themed. I always thought that young Stevie Nicks and Carrie Fisher kind of looked alike. Weirdly, when I was searching for a reference picture for the portrait, I found one of Stevie Nicks donning a hairstyle similar to the one that Princess Leia had in A New Hope. So, it all just fit perfectly.

I knew I wanted to go with digital painting with this one because it allows you to experiment with an endless amount of tools and colors. Therefore, this medium was perfect for the project.


I used Adobe Photoshop CS6 and a Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch Tablet (Small) for this portrait. I use Photoshop for nearly all of my projects.

I started off by making a rough line art for the portrait. After I was happy with how the line art looked, I began adding blobs of colors, starting with the face. I would cover a small area and then quickly shift to the smudge tool in order to blend the colors together. So, I would add a few strokes and then blend. I don't really make palettes for skin tone, eyes, etc. like most artists do. It's all very random and spontaneous for me. After I was done with blending and creating a solid base, I began to add details. I always start with the eyes first. This part is actually pretty time-consuming as I keep adding layers of details until I'm completely happy with the results. It's just so much fun to do, it's kind of therapeutic. The part that took me the longest to make was the hair - I spent a lot of time on it.


It was a pretty good experience - everyone responded very positively. I appreciate the support that I get a great deal! I learn something new and get a little better with every project I work on. Every project for me is a trip!

You can find me on:
Instagram: @maheensana_
Twitter: @maheensana_
DeviantArt: Maheen-S
Behance: @maheensana

Thank you!

Maheen Sana

I'm a 19 year-old Graphic Designer, Illustrator and a Sketch Artist. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. I love psychedelia, minimalism and everything in between.

Some of my favorite artists, whom I admire immensely, and draw most of my inspiration from include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Picasso, Van Gogh and Rembrandt.

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