5 Free Instagram Tutorials for Illustrators

Discover how to make your creative profile stand out on Instagram with experts in illustration and marketing

When an illustrator shares their work on Instagram, they are showing off their style, techniques, and creativity. It might seem like a spontaneous choice, a random photo to fill their feed, but what lies behind this decision? Dedication and hard work.

Illustrators who manage their personal brand on Instagram know that the road ahead can at times seem more like a maze. However, their passion for what they do drives them to try out new tools and explore new ways to connect with their followers on social media.

Even if an artist already has a complete portfolio, they will also need a surprising and inspiring Instagram profile. It's often the first thing people come across when they look up your work. That's why the more an artist familiarizes themselves with the different features available, the easier it will be for them to navigate the world of likes and comments.

If you're an illustrator and want to get the most out of Instagram, here are five free tutorials with tips from top experts. However, first, we would like to encourage you to review the look and feel of your personal brand and check out 10 apps to improve your Instagram Stories.

What is the look and feel of your brand on Instagram?

As an illustrator who has launched their own personal brand, you'll want to prioritize developing certain aspects of your account. For example, what do you want your profile to look like? Crafting the look and feel of your page is very important. Do you know what this means?

In the video below, Silvia Bosch (@silviaboschmunoz), a digital consultant with over 50,000 followers on Instagram, explains the meaning of this key branding term and how to make your name stand out if you’re an illustrator.

As Silvia explains, your profile has just three to five seconds to make an impact on another person. It sounds impossible, but if you work on creating the right look and feel, you'll see results. Under Silvia’s guidance, discover how to make your personal brand sparkle on Instagram.

10 Apps for Improving Your Instagram Stories

On Instagram, Stories continue to draw us in: this instant and easy format entertains and informs, keeping us up to date on the latest news from the brands and people we follow.

Like the images you post on your feed, you will also need to define a strong visual identity for your Stories. The aim is to convey your message in a format that stands out among the thousands of posts published every day. Think about what you are going to use Stories for: do you want to share your work or do you want to build a relationship with your followers?

We recommend checking out these ten apps that will help you create Stories that catch people's eye: Canva, Mojo, Unfold, Adobe Spark Post, Prequel, Bazaart, Word Swag, BeeCut, HUJI Cam, and BeautyPlus.

5 Creative Ideas for Instagram Reels

Do you use this short vertical video format? As an illustrator, you are sure to find it useful. For Nuria Mañe (@nuriacomunica), a communication consultant and social media strategist, this feature is a perfect way to connect with an audience that is increasingly looking for short, visual, and digestible content.

In this post, Nuria shares 5 creative ideas for Instagram Reels, such as showing what goes on behind the scenes or the process of packing and sending one of your illustrations to a new customer.

5 Instagram Tutorials for Illustrators

If you've been using this social media platform for a while, the following tips from marketing experts and other artists are sure to help you give your brand a boost. If you're just starting out, listen up!

You can watch the videos below or click on the titles in red to access the complete tutorial. Enjoy!

Illustration Tutorial: Tips to Succeed on Instagram

Illustrator Alex de Marcos (@alex_de_marcos) shares advice on how to make your illustrations stand out on Instagram and make the most of the app’s features. Under his guidance, you will discover that the "influencer artist" is here to stay.

Alex de Marcos has illustrated children's books, Kurt Cobain's biography, and stickers for Instagram, as well as collaborating on advertising projects for clients such as Coca-Cola, Nike, and Bombay.

Instagram Tutorial: How to Create Attention-Grabbing Photo Captions

Crafting a great feed requires great photos. However, great captions will help take your account to the next level and attract new followers. To make sure your content makes an impact, take the time to write attractive, witty texts that allow your personality to shine through.

In the tutorial below, photographer Pati Gagarin (@patigagarin), who has worked for clients such as Adidas, Google, Vogue Spain, and Reebok, will share basic tips for creating captions that give your Instagram posts more meaning.

Illustration Tutorial: How to Launch Your Instagram Profile

Lots of illustrators began using Instagram without having a clear strategy in place and quickly realized that they would have to change the way they were using the platform. The good news is that it’s never too late to make changes. In this tutorial, Sandra López from the illustration agency Pencil (@pencil) will guide you in your strategic decision-making.

Pencil was the first illustration agency to launch in Spain. It currently represents around thirty artists such as David de las Heras and Iban Barrenetxea.

Instagram Tutorial: The Secret to Engagement

Having fewer followers who are active and engaged is much more valuable than having more inactive followers. The reality is that with so many conflicting messages, it can be difficult to decide which strategy to adopt when it comes to interacting with people on social media to try and increase engagement.

In this tutorial, social media expert Dot Lung (@dotlung) explains the best ways to increase engagement. The self-proclaimed 'Mother of Social Media Dragons' has helped develop digital marketing strategies for clients such as OFFF Festival, Wix, Sonar, and Facebook.

Freelance Tutorial: How to Grow Your Audience on Instagram

During his career, lettering artist James Lewis (@jamesllewis) realized that his audience was interested in seeing his process, behind the scenes. Creating such content has helped him generate more and more engagement and has allowed his followers to learn more about his techniques. In this tutorial, James shares advice on how to promote your work on Instagram.

Lewis is a full-time illustrator specializing in calligraphy and lettering, collaborating with clients such as Pepsi, Amazon, Montblanc, BBC, and many more.

While it’s down to you as an illustrator to inspire people, these Instagram tutorials will help you take your career to the next level.

If you want to discover more expert advice, check out Domestika’s social media and digital marketing courses.

English version by @eloiseedgington.

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