Aaliyah Sparrow

The long and short of it is the photograph I am working on for the base. I treat my subjects like paper dolls. I usually end up with a "layer" for each figure in the image - even if they're touching - so I can move them around. I try and do the same for larger pieces of furniture or background elements.

Honestly though, I try and photoshop the base image before I work out what I want to keep or discard (using photoshop as a verb here, I very rarely use the actual program).

Lightening colours and isolating elements under masking layers means when you vectorise the raster image, you get the lighter finish, and adding the watercolour texture over the top (or underneath, if it looks better) gives it the hand-painted look.

As far as choosing backgrounds, though.. I pick the stock image that works best for what I'm looking for. It's not that hard to photoshop someone's face onto an existing body, already located in a background that makes sense.

People seem to believe that if it's something they cannot personally do, then the people around them (who are obviously "lesser" than them in some way) are also not capable of it.

I'm sorry this happened to you.

I also apologise for not replying in a more timely fashion, but for a while there I was very overwhelmed by the attention (good and bad), and I just decided it was easier to stick my head in the sand and ignore everything and everyone.

Lo and behold, that reaction does not stop people from existing.

Aaaand here we go again 🙄

https://www.threads.com/@slowyearn/post/DaxjwPUkY9P?xmt=AQG0LOOHGGqTOe_10m8XxFo3Lo27gGpFB4SV69dtwvn5hX_hGTB6f4Mi5fW5ks9tca2X6po&slof=1

Hi! I don't have threads, so I can't read this 😭, but I'm totally okay with you sharing links to my work, just not posting my stuff under your own account 💜

"It followed me home", Ilya Rozanov [Connor Storrie] and a "friend", based on this post of Erling Haaland returning home

I saw someone @brokenberries post this with an art request, so I saved the screenshot, and now I cannot for the life of me find it again. If/when I do, I'll link it in. Whoever you are, please feel free to request stuff like this more often because it is GENIUS!

Photoshopped image (images sourced from instagram, and google), watercolour texture from stock image databases, overlines by computer program and me (I was not going to try to do the raccoon by hand, I'd still be there in six hours). This is not AI.

July 2026

"Shane Hollander Swims", Shane Hollander [Hudson Williams] from the Heated Rivalry AO3 fic Untouchable Face by ZenaidaMacroura, inspired by AO3 user Halloweenqueen369's comment.

I'm sorry I didn't go for one of the all zipped up versions of the professional swimming uniforms, however I found this uniform from team Canada (don't @ me, I think it's from 2020 but close enough), I jazzied up the background to look like a pool, added the London 2012 mascot/logo, pulled in the amazing pic of Hudson in the pool scenes from Laufey's music video, and... well. Here you go. I'm posting it now before I keep making changes and ruin it.

Jul 2026

"The Real Wedding", Ilya Rozanov & Shane Hollander [Connor Storrie & Hudson Williams], scene from The Long Game

Jul 2026

Photoshopped image of Connor & Hudson, bowtie, top hat and flowers from google searches, watercolour texture and background from stock images, vectorising and recolouring by me, overlines are a combination of hand drawn and image isolation techniques

"The Whole Damn Book", Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series • Connor Storrie as Host • Saturday Night Live • Host: Connor Storrie • NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video

Do you really need the run down of what I did? Again?

Jul 2026

"Steak Your Claim", Connor Storrie [from Heated Rivalry], BTS at the Met Gala 2026

Overlines done by hand (trying out a new drawing tablet), practice piece so I didn't really try with the lines that much (harder than it seems, but way easier than using a mouse or tracking pad)

Jul 2026

"Shades of Saint Laurent", Madonna with Connor Storrie [from Heated Rivalry] at the Saint Laurent Men's Summer 27 Show

Jun 2026

Yes, I know Madonna was wearing red, but I recoloured this from the black and white photograph and I really liked the look of the final image with black lace (I don't know why, but I don't like Madonna in red?). Keeping her in black sort of, I don't know, makes it feel a bit less polished. Same reason for not fixing the mistakes I made with some of the holes in the fishnets filling in. I like it. It's for me.

And no, it's not AI. All mistakes are my own.

"Lost in the Moment", Ilya Rozanov & Shane Hollander [Connor Storrie & Hudson Williams] from Heated Rivalry, part of an art exchange with @eggchayi

Jun 2026

Isolated images, watercolour textures and overlays, overlines drawn by hand, simple and what I wanted from this moment