Illustration FAQ
Posted under #illustration
- How do you make your illustrations?
- I start with a rough sketch of the final idea using coloured and graphite pencils. The rough sketch is then transferred on to watercolour paper and inked using a combination of brush and fountain pens with waterproof ink. The inked illustration is then painted using watercolours. Sometimes I do the inking after the watercolours for loose and spontaneous work. Very rarely I use colour pencils for subtle texture. Read about my Illustration Tools.
- Do you keep a sketchbook?
- Most definitely! I take a sketchbook with me everywhere, even if I don’t plan to draw. My sketchbooks are for ideation, experimenting and for location sketches (nature/travel/urban sketching). I don’t have a fixed process for sketchbooks. The whole point is to have fun, observe and ideate. Some of my best, finished illustrations began as sketchbook doodles. I highly recommend keeping a sketchbook if you don’t already.
- Do you use digital tools?
- Almost never. Very, very rarely I draw on my iPad using Procreate’s default brushes, but I really enjoy the tactile nature of drawing on paper, using a wide range of tools. I do use a scanner and any decent image editor to scan and prepare my illustrations for print. This is for basic stuff like cropping and preparing a print-ready layout for posters, t-shirts and merchandise.
- How did you develop your style?
- Stop thinking about developing a style. Just learn to draw from reference and once you’ve become reasonably good at it, start drawing your own ideas and characters. Your style will eventually develop on its own. What you surround yourself with outside of drawing has a bigger influence on your art style than anything else.
- Is all your work original?
- Everything I post online is original, unless I mention specifically that it’s fan art. Even that is always done in my own style. Plagiarism is the one thing I really cannot tolerate.
- What/who are your influences?
- I grew up reading stories, comics like Tintin, Asterix, Calvin and Hobbes and watching animated films and shows like Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes and the Disney classics. These inspired me to draw. I still continue to be inspired by animated films, short stories, classic literature and films and many other things. Read more about my Illustration Influences.
- Can I use one of your illustrations for my project?
- If your work is for training AI, the answer is no! For anything else, please contact me about licensing my work.
- What’s your take on AI generated art?
- I don’t consider that to be art. It’s sterile, devoid of emotion and unethical. Good only for people who don’t understand the true meaning of art and the large soulless corporations that make money from it. I’m noty against AI. I’ll be happy to see AI do good things in science, medicine and areas that will benefit society. Art is innately human. Leave the machines out of it.
- How do I keep up to date on your work?
- I’m glad you asked! Please subscribe to My newsletter
- I want to be an illustrator. Where should I start?
- Start by learning the basics. Try to draw your favourite characters from books, animation and comics first, but don’t stay there. It is important that you quickly start drawing your own characters and stories, no matter how hard it feels. Learn more about the world. A good illustrator needs to be well-read and have a wide range of interests. Most important thing is to enjoy it. Not every interest has to be turned into a career.
- Should I go to art school?
- I never went to art school or art classes, so I don’t speak from experience. If you can afford it, art school might be useful for a structured learning approach. Self learning is great if you do it right and learn from the right places. Honestly, I struggled a lot with self learning, but I count that as part of my experience and it has probably shaped my art style more than I know. What works for me might not work for you though. Sorry about the ambiguous answer :)
- Will you teach or give a talk at my school/institute/office?
- I’d love to! Please visit the Teaching and workshops page for details.