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  • Domestika Diary: Adolfo Serra
    Illustration

    Domestika Diary: Adolfo Serra

    Illustrator Adolfo Serra reveals his creative routine and the keys to fighting creative block Renowned Spanish Illustrator Adolfo Serra (@adolfoserra) specializes in books for children and young adults. He spent much of the lockdown reconsidering the nature of creativity. His colourful style is full of fantasy and is often influenced by the new places and cultures he discovers while traveling, which is one of his greatest passions. But the lockdown rules prevented him from moving, so his energies focused on finding inspiration in the things around him. In this Domestika Diary, Adolfo reveals the multitude of ideas waiting to be discovered and turned into art in our immediate surroundings. He invites us into his studio and talks about his creative routine, his sources of inspiration and his techniques for avoiding the dreaded creative block:

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  • 15 Thanksgiving Vintage Art Pieces
    Illustration

    15 Thanksgiving Vintage Art Pieces

    Check out some amazing retro artworks dedicated to this holiday As any other celebration, Thanksgiving Day is ever-present in popular culture, and can be found in artwork since it first began. We compiled some vintage art, illustrations, posters and postcards that will get you in the holiday spirit.

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  • 10 Creative Challenges To Try At Home
    Illustration

    10 Creative Challenges To Try At Home

    Activate your creative engines exploring these challenges with family and friends Are you still figuring out how to spend your family time this holiday season? These creatives, experts in disciplines such as illustration and graphic design, accepted some of Domestika’s creative challenges that you can try at home with family and friends. Spend some quality time with a creative twist! You’ll only need a pen, paper, color pencils or markers, watercolor or acrylic painting, objects you can find at home, and if you’re feeling like it, your tablet or computer for some digital drawing activities. To read full instructions on each challenge and learn more about each creative, please click on its red title. Enjoy!

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  • Materials: Botanical Illustration with Watercolors
    Illustration

    Materials: Botanical Illustration with Watercolors

    Find out which materials you’ll need to start creating botanical illustrations with watercolors Designer and illustrator Paulina Maciel (@pau_maciel) has made a career of botanical illustration with watercolors. She has worked on projects for brands such as Palacio de Hierro, Desigual, and various creative agencies. To capture a flower’s beauty or the intricacy of its filaments, not only will you need an understanding of color and botany, but also the right materials. In the following video and the guide below, Paulina shares which materials she uses every day and explains how she works with them.

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  • 5 Online Watercolor Painting Courses to Spark Your Creativity
    Illustration

    5 Online Watercolor Painting Courses to Spark Your Creativity

    Develop all your creative potential and learn from the best watercolor experts Watercolor painting is popular for the freedom it provides. Both the technique used to stroke the paper with the brush, and the way the colors are mixed, offer the opportunity to add your own personality to the sheet. For this reason it is often said that, more than a technique, watercolor is an attitude. But mastering it is not always easy: the balance between the amount of water and pigment will always define the final result and only experience will teach you to control the process. These five courses taught by professionals will help you start, develop and improve your talent. They are essential for those who know the unpredictability of watercolor and are an excellent option to make the most of Domestika's Black Friday.

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  • Meet Amy Pearson and Her Beautifully Illustrated Portraits
    Illustration

    Meet Amy Pearson and Her Beautifully Illustrated Portraits

    Be inspired by the unique style of her illustrations and her stunningly lifelike portraits Amy Pearson (@amypearsondesign) is a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator specialized in creating art that combines analog and digital techniques. At the heart of Amy Pearson’s work are beautiful images of women who display power and strength. She has worked with clients like The Beauty Effect, Nylon, and more. Her work has included magazine spreads, privately commissioned portraits, and other projects showcasing her unique creative style, and she markets her self-directed artwork through her website. In her Domestika course, Amy seamlessly combines graphite, watercolor, and Photoshop to create a stunningly lifelike portrait.

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  • How to Use Color to Shape Your Compositions
    PLUS Teacher Illustration

    How to Use Color to Shape Your Compositions

    What are color values and why should we pay attention to them before creating a color palette? The sentence “color doesn’t need color” might sound strange at first, but all will soon start to make sense. When creating a structure or composition in an illustration, painting, design, or other visual work in which color plays a key role, it is not the color wheel itself that is of key importance, but the spectrum and the values that we apply. Below, illustrator and concept artist Jean Fraisse (@jbfraisse) explains why color doesn’t need color if we know how to apply it using the right values:

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  • Illustration Tutorial: Drawing Composition Basics
    Teacher Illustration

    Illustration Tutorial: Drawing Composition Basics

    Learn why composition is the backbone of any illustration and how to apply the basics of composition to your own work, with Pietari Posti Composition—how the elements of an image are organized—tells a viewer how to read an image, showing them where to look, in what order, and why. Knowing how to organize the visual objects in your drawings will help you make sure they are read the way you want them to be. In this tutorial, Pietari Posti (@studioposti) shares a few basic tips to help you compose a balanced and harmonious image.

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  • Domestika Creatives: Marina Esmeraldo
    Illustration

    Domestika Creatives: Marina Esmeraldo

    We dive into the geometric and colorful world of Brazilian illustrator and artist Marina Esmeraldo Marina Esmeraldo was born in Brazil, but her desire to learn and evolve her career has transported her to London and Barcelona. Despite training in architecture in the north east of Brazil, her frustration with the industry and her passion for graphic arts rerouted her career and she became an illustrator. Her style, inspired by everything tropical and her training as an architect, is all about shapes, patterns, and experimental compositions. Her career as an illustrator has led her to work with brands and publications such as Google, Coca–Cola, Adidas, Häagen–Dazs, The Washington Post, Wired, Women's March, and many more. Marina Esmeraldo welcomes us into her Barcelona studio to tell us about her career, her creative process, and shares advice for diving into the world of illustration. Discover more below:

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  • Drawing Tutorial: Using Basic Shapes in Children’s Illustration
    Teacher Illustration

    Drawing Tutorial: Using Basic Shapes in Children’s Illustration

    Jimena S. Sarquiz shares tips for creating characters in Procreate using basic shapes When it comes to producing artwork that demonstrates creativity and imagination, it’s certain that the artist will have developed formulas to make their processes easier. In illustration, basic shapes–circles, squares, triangles, among many others–play an important role when it comes to determining the key elements that make up a character or a scene. Illustrator Jimena S. Sarquiz–creator of monitosbonitos (@monitosbonitos)–has worked on illustration projects with Editorial Norma, Edebé, Santillana, Macmillan Education, Cambridge University Press, and Editorial Televisa. Today, she shares tips for getting your proportions right, as well as how to take basic shapes and turn them into characters. Discover more in the video below:

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  • The Importance of Observation When Drawing Birds
    Illustration

    The Importance of Observation When Drawing Birds

    When depicting plants and animals, careful observation is essential. Here are some tips for drawing birds Nature illustrator Antonia Reyes Montealegre (@antoniapajarito) is passionate about birds and their diverse anatomies, something she loves to capture in her drawings. Nothing’s as good as looking out to the treetops and capturing the essence of the colorful birds that live in them. It is necessary to focus on details to recreate a realistic picture of nature. For this reason, we must learn to observe these creatures.

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  • 5 Watercolor Artists Whose Work Will Inspire You
    Illustration

    5 Watercolor Artists Whose Work Will Inspire You

    Be inspired by the work of these contemporary watercolor artists Few are lucky enough to grow up in a house whose walls are plastered in art. So, when it comes to launching your own creative career, you’ll need to seek out your own inspiration. Isabela Quintes (@isabelaquintes) –an illustrator and painter specializing in botanical watercolor painting–did exactly this. Quickly she found that one artist led her to another, and so on, and soon she had built a network of influential references. Today she shares five of her favorite watercolor artists with the Domestika community. Ana Victoria Calderón (@anavictoriana) Mexican artist Ana Victoria Calderón inspired Quintes to first experiment with watercolors. Calderón uses a diverse color palette that expertly mixes darker and lighter tones. She also shows off her technical versatility mixing in acrylics and employing tricks using salt.

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  • Challenge: 3 Fun Ways to Stimulate Creativity
    Illustration

    Challenge: 3 Fun Ways to Stimulate Creativity

    Art director, graphic designer, and illustrator Rogério Puhl tests out his own challenge and surprises himself with the results Since he was a teenager, Rogério Puhl had always dreamed of being an artist. At the age of 14, he enrolled at Chapecó School of Arts in Brazil. After discovering the world of digital illustration at the age of 18, he began a career in advertising, and went on to work for some of the most successful agencies in Brazil: AlmapBBDO, DM9DDB, Africa, Ogilvy, WMcCann, Young & Rubicam, and more. His portfolio includes projects for clients such as MTV, McDonald's and Red Bull, and he has created copyrighted murals around the world. Thanks to many years of experience, Rogério has lots of tips on how to get your creative juices flowing. In this challenge, the artist shares three ways to keep your mind active. The exercises can be carried out anywhere using whatever tools you have at hand. Not only will you have fun but your brain will also get a workout. Rogério was in fact very surprised with the results he got when he tried it out himself.

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  • Download Over 15,000 Comic Books for Free
    Illustration

    Download Over 15,000 Comic Books for Free

    Comic lovers can now access thousands of high-quality gems from the Golden Age Are you a comic book lover? An illustrator curious to explore character and background designs popular before the Sixties? Or simply interested in researching historical commentary through graphic storytelling? In that case, the Digital Comic Museum has a massive treat in store for you. A vast archive of pre-1959 comic books in excellent condition, uploaded by users, has been compiled by the museum and keeps growing. The comics are available under public domain restrictions and fully downloadable. All entries have been meticulously checked by the site’s moderators and administrators to avoid copyright infringement, and contributors are encouraged to keep on entering new scans adhering to the rules.

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  • What Is Zentangle?
    Illustration

    What Is Zentangle?

    Learn about the abstract pattern drawing style that will help you relax and refine your mark-making The term Zentangle comes from the words 'zen' (the Buddhist meditative philosophy for balancing the mind) and 'tangle'. The goal of this art practice is to achieve calm. It was developed as a concept in 2004 in the United States, from the minds of Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts. Zentangle is a style of drawing, mainly abstract, that uses repetitive patterns and represents an artistic method of relaxation for many.

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  • 20 Watercolor Paintings by Ana Victoria Calderon's Students
    Teacher Illustration

    20 Watercolor Paintings by Ana Victoria Calderon's Students

    Check out these projects of the Domestika community made with the watercolor painting technique Ana Victoria Calderón (@anavictoriana) is a painter and illustrator, who has found watercolor one of her favorite means of expression. She is inspired by elements of nature to create illustrations that you can also find applied to all kinds of products.

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  • Three Ways to Mix Watercolors
    Illustration

    Three Ways to Mix Watercolors

    Learn three methods for mixing watercolors to create different colors and effects, with Alex Hillkurtz One of the many reasons for watercolor’s popularity is the freedom and experimentation that it affords. Beyond the technique you use when putting brush to paper, the way you mix your colors offers an opportunity to add your own personality to the page. In this video, storyboard and watercolor artist Alex Hillkurtz (@alexhillkurtzart) shows three easy methods for mixing watercolors to create different colors and effects.

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  • The First Steps to Tell Children's Stories
    Illustration

    The First Steps to Tell Children's Stories

    Illustrator and author Estelí Meza presents you with an exercise to create and organize the initial ideas of any story Estelí Meza (@estelimu) is an author and illustrator of children's books, book covers and magazines, working acrossMexico, Spain, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. She is an expert in creating engaging stories and has worked for publishers such as Scholastic, Anaya, Fondo de Cultura Económica, Kalimat, and Penguin Random House. She has created an exercise which will help you learn successful storytelling steps, regardless of where your story is destined for.

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  • What Is Your Worst Creative Nightmare?
    Teacher Illustration

    What Is Your Worst Creative Nightmare?

    5 illustrations of the scariest situations creatives face In this Halloween season, some enjoy horror movies, books or stories that may have to do with supernatural beings or monsters from other worlds. But in the world of creativity, there are everyday situations that are much more terrifying than a classic pop culture horror piece: facing the blank page, not having a backup of your precious information... Spooky! Now five illustrators share their take on some of these fears from the Domestika creative community that will make you tremble:

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  • 10 Websites to Sell Your Art Online
    Illustration

    10 Websites to Sell Your Art Online

    Learn about the pros and cons of popular art selling sites for different creative disciplines If you are an arts, design, illustration or craft professional, you will surely know that it is a good idea to improve your sales method. In addition to having a sales strategy on your social networks, promoting your pieces on a specialized site could be of help to you. We compiled some popular websites that you can explore to decide if they fit your sales needs.

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  • Digital Painting Tutorial: How to Use Light In a Digital Portrait
    Teacher Illustration

    Digital Painting Tutorial: How to Use Light In a Digital Portrait

    Learn how to use light in digital portraits on Photoshop, with Samuel Smith Light is a key element to any painting and it's no different when it comes to digital portraits. Knowing how to apply and control light on Photoshop will give depth and soul to the creations of any digital painter. 3D animator Samuel Smith got his first major job as a digital painter on Klaus, a film that went on to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Here he shares some basic tips and tricks for making an impressive digital portrait on Photoshop.

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  • 5 Free Classes to Learn How to Create Color Palettes for Watercolor Painting
    Teacher Illustration

    5 Free Classes to Learn How to Create Color Palettes for Watercolor Painting

    Discover how to create color palettes that reflect your style with these 5 watercolor experts If you are thinking of getting started in watercolor painting, or if you already practice it and want to perfect your technique, these lessons will be very useful for you. Learn to choose the best colors for your illustration, to change colors, and recreate those that you observe in nature. To watch each class, just click on its red title. Enjoy!

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  • What Is Color Theory?
    Illustration

    What Is Color Theory?

    Learn the basic rules for creating colors so you can create color palettes more easily Color theory is a set of rules that apply to color, regardless of how color is applied. It helps us to understand how different colors are created, and how they complement one another.

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  • 5 Free Classes to Learn How to Vectorize
    Teacher Illustration

    5 Free Classes to Learn How to Vectorize

    Discover the basic tips to master vectorization in Adobe Illustrator Vector illustration is a discipline in which aspects of both graphic design and digital illustration come together. Whether you use Adobe Illustrator or similar vector software, knowing vectorization principles will make your sketches look professional. Join these 5 vector illustration experts to discover easy ways to vectorize your designs. To watch each lesson, just click on its red title. Enjoy!

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  • Adrian Brandon on Creating Art That Starts a Conversation
    Illustration

    Adrian Brandon on Creating Art That Starts a Conversation

    The Brooklyn-based artist talks about the power of art to start a conversation about Black lives and Black culture Adrian Brandon (@ayy.bee) is an artist dedicated to raising awareness of injustice towards Black people, and celebrating and creating an understanding of Black culture, “and the unique joy, swagger, and love that is shared in our community”. For Adrian, creativity has always been a huge part of his identity, “I was that kid in the back of the classroom doodling way too much and not paying attention in class.” Having grown up in a crafty household–in which Mother’s Day called for designing a full brunch menu and pulling flowers from the garden, while his father’s birthday was preceded by making a chessboard and all its pieces out of clay–he credits his parents for fuelling his early interest in art.

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  • Jon Berkeley: Illustrations That Tell a Story
    Teacher Illustration

    Jon Berkeley: Illustrations That Tell a Story

    Editorial illustrations complement a text and tell a story without using words Irish illustrator Jon Berkeley (@jon_24) found his call in editorial illustration. While he usually enjoys drawing for younger audiences, he has also found that working for newspapers and magazines is ideal for educating, informing, and entertaining readers, an activity he finds challenging and gratifying in equal parts. Berkeley was born in Dublin, the city that saw him grow and develop into a professional illustrator. He took his first steps in this field when the internet had yet to become the hive of creative opportunities it is nowadays and carved himself a career by knocking on every possible door. This is how he got to collaborate with Time, Newsweek, and The Economist.

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