10 Things to Remember When Illustrating

Image from sketaoz.com

We all have our own way of doing things, when it comes to illustrating - that is what makes us unique as an artist. However, there are a few things every artist stores at the back of their minds, to make the job easier and to allow the process of illustration to take place.

Image sketaoz.com

Get organised & prepared with
​all the tools of the trade.

Here are the important ones I put to work on a daily basis.

• Before getting to the task of illustrating or drawing anything - get your work space organised and prepared with all the tools of the trade you are going to need to complete the task. You don't need to be getting up every five minutes to get water or a paint brush. It takes you off task and your brain will take anything from 5-15 minutes to settle and refocus.

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• Keep your workspace clear of distractions that could sway your train of thought - so if you are illustrating a farm scene, don't have pictures of trucks in direct line of sight. You want to create the feel of farm, smell farm, see farm, touch farm and hear farm. You don't want your brain to hear tooting, truck horns.

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• Get your pictorial references in front of your eyes, if you are not out in the field. Do your research, print them out or load them onto a screen in front of you, but have nothing on that is still attached to the internet. Turn off the wifi - ASAP! Just get to the task!

Image sketaoz.com

Image sketaoz.com

Make sure you are using good, natural lighting.

• Make sure you are using good lighting - as natural light as possible. This reduces eye strain and allows your brain to translate the colours on the page with greater accuracy. Everyone's eyes are tuned to differing amounts of glare and   you need to eliminate this as much as possible. Working on a rough style paper or using cream, as opposed to stark white, will help and add an element of class to your illustrations. Find out what works for you.  Experiment.​

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• Turn off all electronic devices. It is so ease just to pick up the phone or iPad and answer that message, tweet or to check a 'like' on Instagram. Before you know it, you will have spent 40 minutes just looking around or worse - engaging on the social media site. This is all, off task time. You will have 20 minutes left in your assigned hour, but it take the mind at least 15 minutes to refocus. So, you are left with not much more than 5 minutes to do what you set out to do. So, be vigilant - turn 'em off!

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• ​Remember to go to the loo, eat or get a coffee before you start. Again, these are self-imposed distractions and forms of procrastination. It is also a well known fact in the literary world that if you walk through a doorway and you are thinking about an idea for a story - chances are, your brain will forget the idea and you will need to reinitiate that idea or lose it entirely. For me, it works the same for illustration, as the process is the same - you're telling a story, but pictorially.

Image by Sketa

Don't leave the mixing of paint
to chance...

• Take note of your ideas in a little art diary or book. This allows you to apply ideas that you would otherwise have forgotten. You can't do everything in a day, but you can come back to great ideas, if you have quickly storyboarded them. 

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• Don't leave the mixing of paint to chance. If you have a few illustrations that all need the same skin tone, because the character appears throughout the book - mix up a good amount of that particular colour and paint all skin tones in one go. This creates uniformity and balance among your illustrations.

Image from sketaoz.com

• ​Find out the best time in the day or night that allows your brain to be the most creative. ​It doesn't matter what everyone else does. Don't get sucked into having to work 9-5 hours, just because the rest of the world says that is the norm. It's the norm for them, not you. Your ebbs and flows are entirely different, because the life you lead is entirely different. So experiment - find out what works for you.

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• Document this in your diary. How did you feel at that time, how long could you work, were you exceptionally creative or were you tired? It all matters and will reflect in the illustrations/art works you create. Your selection of colours will differ. Your attention to detail will differ. Even the initial sketch will be off or on form.

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• Work in blocks of 2 hours. It is long enough to focus, but not too long to strain the eyes, ideas or thought processes. Remember, to always take a break every couple of hours. Your creativity will remain longer, task completion greater and love for what you do will feel a blessing, not a burden. This is especially relevant, if you are commissioned to work for others.

For me, I believe these to be the essential, thought tools of the trade. If you have a few thought tools you live by as an artist/illustrator, feel free to share your thoughts.

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We are all students of life!
Happy illustrating!