Domestika Diaries: Joel Santana

Joel Santana, an illustrator specialized in character design, has a daily routine that helps him start the morning with more creative energy

Staying active and creative, especially during times when you can't leave the house, can be difficult if you fall into certain routines. But thankfully there are always ways to reignite that creative spark and to get back on track.

In this Domestika Diary, the concept artist and children's book illustrator Joel Santana (@themaddhattr) shares his routine and the daily rituals that help him start his morning off on the right foot so that he can stay focused throughout the day.

Learn more in the video below:

After getting up early and eating breakfast with his family, Santana goes old-school: though the majority of his work is done digitally using Adobe Photoshop, the illustrator prefers to start the day with analog drawings.

Using traditional techniques, and materials as simple as paper and a pencil, Santana recommends not setting any goals or rules and to instead just let your hand and mind flow freely. The objective is to wake your creativity and have fun, and the activity should last between thirty minutes to an hour. By incorporating this simple exercise into our morning routines, we can prepare ourselves to face the rest of the day in the most creative way possible.

Have you enjoyed this Domestika Diary? If you want to learn how to bring your character sketches to life through and color with Photoshop, check out Joel Santana's online course ‘Digital Painting for Characters: Color and Light’.

You may also be interested in

- Illustrated Characters Factory, a course by Patricio Betteo.
- Introduction to the Creation of Cartoon Style Characters, a course by Ed Vill.
- Introduction to Design of Characters for Animation and Video Games, a course by Jean Fraisse.