Inspiration
This design is inpired by Empress Nam Phuong, who is the last empress consort of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam. She is not only an intelligent woman but also a caring and legient one, who brought a splash of hope and compassion to the country during struggling time.
In addition to the portrait of Empress Nam Phuong, I also incorporate the patterns of Vietnamese traditional kettledrum, which tell the stories of the country during the early age.
Process
In order to make my design look like a real currency, I used different media to create the illusion of depth on the 2D surface. The focal points are mainly created by pens and markers, which I find really effective in making things highly contrasted. In parts that I do not want much focus (such as the outer parts of the background), I used colored pencils, which create the fading effects.
I chose yellow to be the main hue because it represents royalty in Vietnamese culture. All the patterns used in this design are inpired either from the kettledrum or from the royal clothing. Also, the currency unit is 20,000 VND because 20 is the age when Nam Phuong officially became the Empress.
For all of such reason, the name of this currency is "Perfume from the South", which is the meaning of Nam Phuong, the Empress' name.
Final product
Hope you enjoy my drawing!
Thank you.
