Illustration

New skills, projects, ideas and fun facts about the world of illustration

Illustration
Categories
Popular tags
  • Watercolor Tutorial: How to Create Shadow Using Color Theory
    Teacher Illustration

    Watercolor Tutorial: How to Create Shadow Using Color Theory

    Learn the basics of using Color Theory to create shadow in watercolor for beginners, with Sarah Stokes Sarah Stokes is a watercolor artist based in Worcestershire, UK. Known for her animal paintings, she uses tone and shadow to create movement, definition, and texture in her work. When working with color like Sarah, Color Theory is a great tool to use as it illustrates the relationship between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and how to use them together. The color theory tells us that by adding a complementary color to a base color, we can create a darker, more neutral shade, and dull the original base color down. This new shade can then be used to aid composition, depth, and balance when applied as a color to create shadow. In this beginner's tutorial, Sarah Stokes explains how to use a color wheel to find the complementary color to your base color, and how to create a muddier version of this shade to add shadow.

    • 13
    • 0
  • How to Combine Watercolor and Oil to Get the Best Results
    PLUS Teacher Illustration

    How to Combine Watercolor and Oil to Get the Best Results

    Ale Casanova explains how to improve your creations by combining watercolor and oil painting techniques Ale Casanova (@casanova_ale) is a painter and teacher with a degree in fine art. He works mainly with oil paints and watercolor to create striking portraits and nudes. His work has been exhibited in cities across Spain and Europe and has enabled him to build a career as a teacher, carry out workshops around Spain, and develop a technique where color and light become focal points in his paintings. In this exclusive tutorial for the PRO community, Ale challenges what we have always been told: we shouldn’t mix watercolor paints with oil paints given that they are oil- and water-based. He shows us how to combine these seemingly opposing techniques. How? Using an intermediary element. The painter guides us through his process so that we too can mix these techniques and use them to our advantage, no matter our level. He shares tips and helps us to discover new uses for our paints that will give us unexpected results.

    • 9
    • 2
  • Free E-Book: 100 Creative illustrations By Weberson Santiago
    Teacher Illustration

    Free E-Book: 100 Creative illustrations By Weberson Santiago

    ArtBook features vibrant designs by an illustrator who specializes in children’s illustration Aside from lots of practice, illustration is a creative process that requires a vast library of references and influences. It is only then that an illustrator will be able to develop their own style and succeed in capturing our attention with lines and colors. Weberson Santiago (@webersonsantiago) is an illustrator, writer, and teacher who has published several projects and books for children since the beginning of his career. He has worked with major Brazilian and Portuguese publishers, as well as Veja magazine and Folha de S.Paulo newspaper.

    • 8
    • 0
  • The 6 Most Expensive Comics in the World
    Teacher Illustration

    The 6 Most Expensive Comics in the World

    Check out original artwork and first editions of comics that have sold for over a million dollars each The current NFT craze (NFTs are collectible certificates that certify the authenticity and exclusivity of a digital artwork, some of which have been selling for tens of millions of dollars over recent months) grew out of the obsession humans have with owning something unique and special. This, of course, also applies in the world of physical art. In January, the 1936 original Tintin cover for The Blue Lotus–the fifth volume in the legendary comic book series created by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé–sold for $3.84 million. The drawing–painted in gouache, watercolor, and Indian ink–is a much more elaborate version of the final printed cover, including Chinese characters, textures, and other details that were eventually removed. Hergé gave it to the seven-year-old son of his editor at the time, Jean-Paul Casterman, as a gift. It remained "forgotten" in a drawer for decades until it was discovered in the 1980s.

    • 6
    • 0
  • 5 Bullet Journals Accounts that Will Inspire Your Work
    Illustration

    5 Bullet Journals Accounts that Will Inspire Your Work

    Discover some inspiring bullet journal approaches to help you organize your life creatively Bullet journaling is a simple and creative way to help you organize your life. They are also a powerful tool for mindfulness and help you channel your creativity while keeping you centered, grounded, and productive. Annie Weir (@_a_journal_by_annie) is a Scottish artist who specializes in bullet journaling, a craft she discovered by chance on Instagram. Her background is in graphic design, which is where she learned that you could combine words, lettering, and images together on a page to create something striking and meaningful. Bullet journaling turned out to be another happy space for her love of lettering, illustration, and art, so much that she decided to start sharing it online in 2017. She created her first Instagram account, @ajournalbyannie, and quickly became one of the leading voices in the bullet-journaling online community.

    • 4
    • 0
  • Free Guide: How to Draw the Oblique Projection Perspective
    Teacher Illustration

    Free Guide: How to Draw the Oblique Projection Perspective

    Do you want to add volume to your drawings using a simple perspective method? Check out this guide Mattias Adolfsson (@mattiasadolfsson) creates illustrations for magazines like The New Yorker, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, and animation studios like Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, and Disney. His artwork is filled with playful characters and detailed objects. His sketches are intricate, yet he manages to create harmonious and balanced compositions that invite the viewers to observe each little detail up close. Mattias found inspiration in Chinese art and oblique proportion perspective to help him achieve volume in his drawings.

    • 9
    • 0
  • 10 Online Courses For Getting Creative with Botany
    Illustration

    10 Online Courses For Getting Creative with Botany

    Explore the creative possibilities of botany with our experts in illustration, embroidery, and flower pressing Botany has always provided artists with endless inspiration. Whatever your discipline of choice, capturing the beauty of nature is one of the greatest creative challenges you can set yourself. If you like to observe nature’s textures, colors, and shapes, let them inspire you to start creating with your hands. In the following list, you will discover ten online botany courses for beginners exploring illustration techniques, embroidery, and printing on paper or textiles. If you like drawing, you will also find a sketchbook course. For those looking to go a step further, you can even try your hand at designing flower and plant-inspired tattoos. Basic Botanical Pressing Techniques, a course by Happy Green Family Would you like to create unique botanical compositions with flowers? In this course, Camila will introduce you to the world of herbaria and teach you about the history of this practice. You will then learn how to collect and preserve plants and try out different pressing techniques to create a page separator or a picture. The founder of Happy Green Family–a botanical laboratory focused on creativity–will encourage you to embrace her passion for plants and what you can do with them.

    • 4
    • 0
  • Free Download: How to Create a Botanical Pattern in Photoshop
    Teacher Illustration

    Free Download: How to Create a Botanical Pattern in Photoshop

    Do you want to learn how to create a botanical pattern with your illustrations in Photoshop? Check out this guide shared by Lapin Nowadays, it is super easy to print your drawings on fabric and other surfaces through various online platforms. Botanical illustrations are a perfect subject for this type of activity. Urban sketcher and illustrator Lapin (@lapinbarcelona) believes you can find peace in the rush of everyday life by drawing the plants and flowers around you. He believes drawing from observation is a great way to develop creativity and mindfulness. You can turn your watercolor sketches of your favorite plants and flowers into beautiful botanical compositions to replicate as a surface pattern in Photoshop.

    • 8
    • 2
  • Willian Santiago Will Always Be Remembered with a Smile
    Illustration

    Willian Santiago Will Always Be Remembered with a Smile

    A tribute to illustrator and Domestika teacher Willian Santiago from the team who collaborated with him on his course We always smile whenever we see photos from Willian Santiago's Domestika course. They stir up powerful memories. To create his course, Willian set off from Londrina in Brazil and took a plane for the first time, crossing the Atlantic and landing in Madrid, bursting with excitement. He wanted to share everything he knew about illustration generously and gently.

    • 9
    • 0
  • Drawing Tutorial: how to make an illustrated map in 10 steps
    Teacher Illustration

    Drawing Tutorial: how to make an illustrated map in 10 steps

    Learn how to draw a map in a few steps and in a simple way, with Stef Maden. Creating an illustrated map can be a great way of bringing a city to life as well as a wonderful way of remembering your favorite place. Illustrator Stef Maden (@stefmaden) has worked with clients such as Sainsbury’s, Hallmark, and Tesco. She loves to travel and create maps of places she’s been, using illustration to help capture the essence of each place. In this step-by-step guide, she shows you how to create your own illustrated map using Photoshop.

    • 8
    • 0
  • 5 Anatomy Books to Improve Your Figure Drawing
    Illustration

    5 Anatomy Books to Improve Your Figure Drawing

    Discover some invaluable resources to help you when drawing the human figure Human anatomy is undoubtedly complex, and studying it is an activity that deserves years and years of commitment. Like all complex things, it needs to be broken down to be more easily understood. Studying artistic anatomy books routinely is key to a figurative artist's practice. Understanding how human anatomy works is essential to strong, powerful figure drawing. It improves the ability to represent the human figure and contributes to creating successful dynamic figure drawing. Artist Shane Wolf (@shane_wolf) has dedicated over ten years to exploring and experimenting with the art of figure drawing. Hailing from the US, where he graduated as a graphic designer, he soon realized that his true calling was to explore his inner artist with unwavering determination. He set off to Florence, Italy, where he studied at the Angel Academy of Art and is now a professional painter working from his studio in Paris, where he experiments and seeks to express the depth of humanity through his art.

    • 12
    • 0
  • Farewell to Willian Santiago, Illustrator of Vibrant Colors and Infinite Talent
    Illustration

    Farewell to Willian Santiago, Illustrator of Vibrant Colors and Infinite Talent

    We remember the life and work of the Brazilian illustrator and teacher, who died at the age of 30 Domestika deeply regrets the passing of Willian Santiago, a Brazilian illustrator, teacher, and member of our creative community. The artist's agent has announced his death. His strong artistic instincts are expressed through the work that he made, characterized by the combination of simple shapes and vibrant, uniquely Brazilian colors. Willian was primarily a digital artist, but he gave his work an artisanal and analog touch by digitizing old papers or mark making with chalk and splashed of ink.

    • 78
    • 15
  • Free Drawing Exercises to Become an Artist
    Teacher Illustration

    Free Drawing Exercises to Become an Artist

    Do you want to learn some drawing exercises so you can warm up before you start illustrating? Check out this guide Illustrator Sarah van Dongen (@sarahvandongenillustration) uses fun methods to develop her ideas and knows that the best ideas come when we least expect them. She encourages you to draw from observation, and without restraints. Before you set off to create a finished illustration, you should start with some warm up exercises. Draw using a variety of materials and fill up your sketchbook pages as you practice. This type of routine free from expectations helps you overcome the fear of the blank page, and to further develop your style.

    • 8
    • 0
  • 10 Free Online Classes for Improving your Illustrations
    Illustration

    10 Free Online Classes for Improving your Illustrations

    Personalize your illustration skills with valuable tips and techniques from expert illustrators Following an illustration course can help you find your own style and create highly communicative visual images. Illustrations are not simply drawings: they are a powerful complement to the text, they can be eye-catching book covers, and they can stir emotions, whether they are pictures hanging in your home, murals on a street wall, or a simple decorative feature on your coffee cup. There are even more applications to this art. Under the guidance of ten highly experienced illustrators, you can learn to visually interpret a concept or a written piece and turn it into a meaningful illustration. They will give you tips on brainstorming ideas and help you explore traditional and experimental techniques. Click on the red links to access and enjoy the classes! Free Class: Reference Images Search An illustration is a communication tool that creatively enhances a text. When looking for ideas, you can find inspiration from other artists' work and images. In this video lesson, editorial illustrator Emma Hanquist addresses searching for such reference material and what part of the images you need to focus on to open up your idea process. Find out by following her class, taken from her course Editorial Illustration for Magazines.

    • 7
    • 2