There’s nowhere to hide in black and white.

No color to separate elements. No gradients to smooth things out. No lighting tricks to fake depth. You either understand composition—or you don’t.

That’s why comic page layout work, especially in black and white, is one of the fastest ways to level up as a designer.

Every decision becomes structural.

Line weight isn’t just style—it’s hierarchy.
Negative space isn’t empty—it’s intentional breathing room.
Contrast isn’t aesthetic—it’s direction.

You’re building the entire visual language from scratch.

With this piece, the goal was controlled chaos—pushing overlapping panels, breaking traditional framing, and letting motion cut through the composition instead of sitting inside it. The energy doesn’t come from color. It comes from tension between forms.

Comic layouts force you to think sequentially too. Not just what looks good—but what reads clearly. Each panel has to move the viewer forward without friction.

That’s where illustration and design collide.

You’re solving:

• Composition
• Story flow
• Depth
• Focus
• Rhythm

All at once.

If you can make something feel dynamic in black and white, color becomes optional. And once color becomes optional, your design work gets sharper across the board.

This is less about style—and more about discipline.

More Work & Projects

Full portfolio and project breakdowns: https://rieleyfinn.com/

Design, branding, and marketing work: https://www.sevenspiritmedia.com/

Additional visual work: https://www.instagram.com/sparrow_finn/

Professional background and experience: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rieleyfinn/

 I didn’t make 404 N*t F*und to be clever.

The phrase already exists. Everyone’s seen it. Everyone knows what it means. Something’s supposed to be there—and it just… isn’t.

That’s the whole point.

The design doesn’t try to dress it up. It just reinforces it. Big type. Straight structure. A small break with the asterisk. Enough to feel off without breaking the system.

It holds across every version because it’s not relying on complexity to work.

Most logos fall apart because they try to say too much. Too many ideas jammed into one thing. You end up with something that needs explaining—and once you’re explaining it, it’s already weaker than it should be.

This doesn’t need that.

It reads instantly. It sticks. It feels familiar, but not empty.

But this isn’t just a logo.

404 N*t F*und is about that weird disconnect we all feel now. Everything is connected, but nothing really lands. Messages get sent, content gets posted, people are constantly “there”—but it still feels like something’s missing.

Signal everywhere. Meaning nowhere.

That’s what this is built on.

Not adding more noise. Just making the absence visible.

This piece is part of the ongoing 404 N*t F*und project.

— Rieley Finn

Explore it here:
https://www.youtube.com/@404-Nt-Found

https://www.facebook.com/404.nt.fxund/

https://www.instagram.com/404_n0t_f0und.exe/

https://www.sevenspiritmedia.com/

As a digital illustrator, I’ve spent years experimenting with different tools — from full desktop painting suites to browser-based concept apps — but nothing has felt as natural or intuitive as Procreate. For me, it’s the perfect intersection between artistry and engineering, and it’s become my daily companion in every stage of my creative process.

I’m Rieley Finn, and I’ve built my workflow around understanding how tools either expand or restrict imagination. Procreate removes barriers. The interface stays invisible so you can focus purely on the brush, color, and form in front of you. Every motion feels immediate — no lag, no friction — just the sensation of drawing directly on light.

The technical depth under its simplicity is what makes it stand out. With features like pressure-sensitive brush engines, gesture-based layer control, and time-lapse recording, it lets illustrators merge craftsmanship with digital precision. When I’m refining light gradients or balancing saturation curves, I never feel like I’m “working inside software.” It feels more like sketching on glass with paint that reacts perfectly to touch.

Procreate’s color dynamics are exceptional for building atmosphere. Its dual-brush system and real-time smudge blending make it ideal for expressive work — whether you’re rendering skin tones, atmospheric fog, or high-contrast lighting effects. For digital painters, that instant feedback loop is what turns experimentation into progress.

But beyond features, Procreate’s real power lies in accessibility. It gives artists the tools of a studio without the overhead of a workstation. On an iPad, with an Apple Pencil, I can paint anywhere — in a coffee shop, on a train, or on my couch at midnight. Creativity becomes mobile, immediate, and alive again.

The future of digital art belongs to tools that get out of the way of the artist, and for me, Procreate is leading that movement.