Illustrator is without a doubt my favorite software to use from the Adobe Creative Suite. In between projects I like to experiment and improve my skills using tools that I don't master, such as the gradient mesh tool, the blend tool, etc.  Lauren Hill's portrait below allowed me to just do that by making the shades on her face blend seamlessly. The gradient mesh tool became my best friend to create the photorealistic illustrations of La Prairie serum bottles. The pen tool, THE King of all tools, allowed me to draw the illustrations for the rolodex cards. Yes, some of us still have rolodexes on our desks :-).