Illustration

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  • 5 Essential Courses to Start Your Sketchbook Habit
    Illustration

    5 Essential Courses to Start Your Sketchbook Habit

    Take your sketching and creativity to another level with these experts The sketchbook is the perfect tool to develop as a creative. Regardless of your experience, it is a medium to develop in almost any creative discipline. Establishing the habit of always having your sketchbook with you will help you create surprising and innovative projects. Start to fill one up right now with ideas, sketches, watercolors, and anything else that might occur to you with the help of these five experts.

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  • What Is Exploded View Drawing?
    Illustration

    What Is Exploded View Drawing?

    Learn all about this illustration style used in industrial design and architecture Exploded View is a technical drawing style that shows the individual parts or the assembly order of an object as a diagram. While it’s often used for patenting objects, it first appeared during the Renaissance, and today is also a popular illustration style that is used to create interesting images that don't necessarily guide the assembly of an object. What is it used for? In industrial design, this drawing style helps designers, engineers, manufacturers, and artisans get a three-dimensional, explanatory view of the different parts of an object. Usually, the diagram gives instructions on how to assemble the object, which you’ve probably seen examples of in manuals explaining how to put together a piece of furniture.

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  • 5 Free Tutorials: Figure Drawing for Perfectionists
    Teacher Illustration

    5 Free Tutorials: Figure Drawing for Perfectionists

    Learn how to accurately draw the human figure with the help of these experts Figure drawing is the study of the structure, movement , anatomy and proportions of the human body. As an illustrator, it’s one of the disciplines that will give you the most satisfaction, both for its enormous creative possibilities and because you will be able to check your progress while practicing. Check out these 5 free tutorials in which drawing experts share their secrets to drawing faces, hands and bodies with realism like a professional.

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  • Choosing References to Inspire Your Character Design
    Illustration

    Choosing References to Inspire Your Character Design

    Learn these basic tips for choosing and using visual references when drawing characters with Marcio Takara One of the joys of creating a comic book character is that that person can be whatever you want them to be, strong, weak, beautiful, ugly, tiny, or huge, and you can even create a totally new universe for them to live in. Chances are, however, that you’d like to situate them in a world that at least resembles some part of your own reality. Our imaginations are our most powerful tool, but carefully choosing references from which to create can help us design realistic and convincing heroes and villains for our stories. A good reference can also inspire you to take your drawings to new levels and different spaces. Here is a collection of tips from comic book artist Marcio Takara (@marciotakara) that will help you find visual references and provide the basic foundations for your next illustration.

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  • How to Import Fonts to Procreate?
    Illustration

    How to Import Fonts to Procreate?

    Procreate now allows you to add text to your illustrations, drawings, and designs. Learn how to use your favorite fonts Procreate has become, without a doubt, the favorite app of illustrators, cartoonists, designers and creatives around the world. The iPad software allows you to use the screen as a notebook and has a number of extremely useful features for digital artists, but until a few months ago you could not do something as simple as adding text to images. With the arrival of the function to add text comes a big question: how do you add fonts to Procreate? Here, we explain how, step by step.

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  • Free Download: Fantasy Portrait Brushes Pack for Photoshop
    Teacher Illustration

    Free Download: Fantasy Portrait Brushes Pack for Photoshop

    Artist Karmen Loh (Bearbrickjia) shares this collection of brushes for amazing portraits Karmen Loh, better known as Bearbrickjia (@bearbrickjia), is an illustrator from Malaysia whose experience has allowed her to work in the video game industry, participating in productions such as Street Fighter V or Steel Circus, among others. As a freelancer, she has managed to position her fantastic style in her illustration work, and one of the keys to achieving perfection in her work has been the configuration of brushes that help her achieve her style.

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  • Discovering Leonardo Da Vinci's Digital Notebooks
    Illustration

    Discovering Leonardo Da Vinci's Digital Notebooks

    It took us 500 years, but we can now access the notes, thoughts, and drawings of one of the greatest geniuses in history (for free!) Renaissance artist, musician, inventor, anatomist, architect, paleontologist, botanist, scientist, writer, sculptor, philosopher, engineer, and painter, Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519) is considered one of the greatest geniuses of all time and one of the most talented artists in history. Not only for his incredible works such as La Gioconda (1503), The Last Supper (1498), or The Annunciation (1472), but also for the notebooks and books full of diagrams, drawings, personal notes, and observations he made that are now proof of his genius. Leonardo seems to have started annotating his ideas and world views in the mid-1480s. He was a pioneer of the use of paper as a sketching tool and filled pages and pages with ideas, comments, thoughts, and inventions, blending the mind of a designer with that of a scientist. And now, some of these priceless notebooks are freely available on the Internet.

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  • Ayo Vega: Meet the Multifaceted and Multidisciplinary Artist
    Illustration

    Ayo Vega: Meet the Multifaceted and Multidisciplinary Artist

    Be inspired by this Spanish artist’s versatility and learn how he has turned his creativity into a winning strategy Ayo Vega (@ayo_vega) is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in creating and overseeing digital content. His output includes illustration, photography, graphic design, and visual effects for different digital platforms, engaging lots of different audiences with his viral creations. Check out this overview of his work, which shines a light on Ayo’s personal passions and unique online social media presence. He delivers a unique strategy for markets that are hungry for original and quality content.

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  • The Best Procreate Shortcuts
    Illustration

    The Best Procreate Shortcuts

    Speed up your workflow using a keyboard connected to your iPad when drawing in Procreate Procreate is one of the most popular apps for illustrators and designers using iPads. This award-winning creative application allows you to create beautiful sketches and stunning illustrations using Apple Pencil or just your finger. Whether you’ve just discovered the app or are already a skilled user, you'll find these keyboard shortcuts extremely useful. Download a free PDF with the Procreate Shortcuts at the end of this post.

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  • Illustration Tutorial: How to Illustrate a Character with Ink
    Teacher Illustration

    Illustration Tutorial: How to Illustrate a Character with Ink

    Learn with Alejandra Acosta how to take a character from a story and illustrate them with ink There are almost as many ways to illustrate as there are illustrators, but some illustration techniques have survived the passage of centuries thanks to their effectiveness, character, and results. Combining several of these techniques, such as ink printing, will allow us to obtain more original and unique illustrations. In the following video tutorial, the illustrator Alejandra Acosta (@alejandraacosta) teaches us how to create illustrated characters through the process of ink printing. A very organic and simple technique that can give us surprising results. Discover it below:

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  • Challenge: Designing an Album Cover in 15 Minutes
    Illustration

    Challenge: Designing an Album Cover in 15 Minutes

    Designer and Illustrator Steve Simpson takes on the Domestika Challenge Steve Simpson (@stevesimpson) has worked with major clients such as Disney Pixar, Adobe, and The Wall Street Journal, and has won over 50 awards from organizations like the Association of Illustrators. His distinctive and whimsical style has been applied to everything from children's toys, postage stamps, whiskey bottles, and hand-lettered packaging. In this Domestika Challenge, the illustrator only has 15 minutes to design a custom album cover commemorating Queen’s 50th anniversary. Can he quickly come up with an original take on such a classic cover? Find out in the video below:

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  • What is Sumi-e?
    Illustration

    What is Sumi-e?

    Illustator Flor Kaneshiro tells us about Sumi-e painting, a Japanese illustration technique of Chinese origin Sumi-e is a Japanese word formed by the terms "sumi" (ink) and "e" (painting). It is a centuries-old drawing technique that came to Japan with Buddhist monks from China, and has since been combined with other techniques and original interpretations In the video below, the Japanese illustrator Flor Kaneshiro (@florkaneshiro) talks about sumi-e, its characteristics and most common uses.

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  • Architectural Illustration Tutorial: How to Add Shadows in Photoshop
    Teacher Illustration

    Architectural Illustration Tutorial: How to Add Shadows in Photoshop

    Learn how to add shadows to an architectural illustration, and why they’re so important, with Carlo Stanga There are a million tiny details that set different cities apart, but one important one that we often forget about is their light. The warmth of Mediterranean sunlight, or the cool evening of a colder climate helps to create an atmosphere that makes each location unique. Even the same city can look radically different depending on the season or time of day. The importance of adding shadows to your architectural illustration goes beyond making your image look three-dimensional, says award-winning Italian illustrator Carlo Stanga (@carlo_stanga). By playing with light, we can better define the elements, materials, and shapes that compose a scene, adding personality and context. In this tutorial, Carlo demonstrates how we can use Adobe Photoshop to create shadows in an architectural illustration that are both realistic and whimsical, illustrating not just a place but also an atmosphere.

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  • Materials: Watercolor Painting
    Illustration

    Materials: Watercolor Painting

    For watercolor beginners who want to know what supplies to start with, storyboard and watercolor artist Alex Hillkurtz shares the materials that he uses every day The everyday toolkit of an artist is a very personal thing. Built through experimentation and trial and error, knowing what materials they use each day can help us learn more about their technique and give us ideas about how to experiment with or advance our own. For over 20 years Alex Hillkurtz (@alexhillkurtzart) has worked as a storyboard artist and illustrator for feature films, television, and commercials. His urban sketches and watercolor paintings have been exhibited internationally. In the video and guide below, he shares the materials he reaches for everyday, and explains how he uses each in his work. Whether you’re putting together a watercolor supply kit for the first time, or simply curious about what materials you can add to your practice, here are a few ideas.

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  • Junk Journal July: A Creativity Challenge
    Illustration

    Junk Journal July: A Creativity Challenge

    Journaler Meg Journals invites you to participate in this creativity activity Without a doubt, sketchbooks are one of the most useful and rewarding tools any creative can have. Being alone with your pages lets you pour your ideas, experiences, plans for future projects, and many things more. Meg Journals is an illustrator based in the UK whose love for journals goes way beyond the paper. We talked to her about her passion and Junk Journal July, a creative challenge you can participate throughout July.

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  • Meet Illustrator Ulises Mendicutty
    Illustration

    Meet Illustrator Ulises Mendicutty

    The Mexican illustrator with a passion for pink, street culture, skulls and perreo Ulises Mendicutty is an illustrator, art director, and visual artist from Mexico who has been living in Barcelona for over a decade. Passionate about pink, street culture, unique anecdotes, traditions, cinema, the future, skulls and perreo (among many other things), Ulises loves to participate in diverse projects that push him out of his creative comfort zone and experiment with different formats: “I love to draw and see my strokes in magazines or blogs, but I am also a fan of seeing them on a wall or transformed into a ceramic object”. While he studied communication and philosophy at undergrad, art had always been his passion. A postgrad in illustration confirmed that he was destined to draw. He has been commissioned by the Spanish national newspaper El Pais, Slanted Magazine, Vips, and Penguin Random House and his work has been exhibited in Italy, Scotland, Spain, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Here we share a selection of Ulises’ work, from portraits to murals. 365 Fuegos Ulises teamed up with author Bebi Fernandez to create this weekly 2020 calendar. Throughout its pink pages, you’ll find flaming illustrations by Ulises and sassy quotes written by Fernandez. The 2020 calendar was published by Motena under Penguin Random House.

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  • Free Download: Brush Bundle for Procreate
    Illustration

    Free Download: Brush Bundle for Procreate

    Designer Nubikini is temporarily sharing a free download that you can use to create unique letters for social media Layering letters on top of a unique photograph can transport us to unexpected places. The work of Nubikini (@nubikini) does exactly this. She channels emotion through letters and creates visuals that are both mesmerizing and fun. Nubia Navarro–a graphic designer living in Bogotá (Colombia)–has a passion for typography, letters, and photography. Since discovering her fascination with letters after attending a lecture on experimental typography, she’s been experimenting with them non-stop. Nubikini has worked with such international brands as Adidas, Coca Cola, and UNICEF. Always enthusiastic to share her knowledge and love of letters, today Nubikini is offering up her favorite Procreate brushes to the Domestika community. Try them out and be transported to wherever your imagination takes you.

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  • The Narrative Visuals of Siames Escalante
    Illustration

    The Narrative Visuals of Siames Escalante

    Discover the graphic world of the Mexican illustrator and designer Siamés Escalante (@siamesescalante) is from Merida, Mexico. Her illustration style is characterized by innocence and melancholy, with each piece telling a fantastical tale. Siamés recalls developing a love for illustration when she was a child; she was introverted and spent a lot of her time entertaining herself with coloring books and children’s books.

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  • Toon Me Challenge with Procreate
    Illustration

    Toon Me Challenge with Procreate

    Marcos Chin, an illustrator specializing in digital techniques, uses drawing software Procreate as he faces the Toon Me Challenge In recent months, the creative community has taken part in a new social media challenge that’s been dubbed “Toon Me.” It consists of an artist using a photo of their own face, and then illustrating over part of it to create an image that reflects their creative style and blends photography with drawing. Marcos Chin (@marcoschinart) is an illustrator whose work has appeared in books, magazines, album covers, advertisements, and fashion catalogs, and his clients include Google, Starbucks, and The New Yorker. Because the Toon Me challenge fuses imagination and humor, and Chin is an expert in both, when we challenged him to ‘toon himself he couldn’t resist. Check out the results below.

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  • Photoshop Tutorial: How to Scan or Import Your Character Sketch
    Teacher Illustration

    Photoshop Tutorial: How to Scan or Import Your Character Sketch

    Learn different ways you can digitally import your sketch with Joel Santana It probably sounds obvious, but it bears repeating: how you handle the first steps of any creative project will make a huge difference, not just in the outcome but also in terms of how easy or difficult your process is. From preparing your canvas (either digital or physical) to putting together a mood board that will serve as your guide once you begin to paint, these steps are crucial and, thankfully, they don’t have to be complicated. In this tutorial, character designer Joel Santana (@themaddhattr) explains the best ways to import your sketches into Adobe Photoshop so that you can begin working on them.

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  • Domestika Diary: Álex de Marcos
    Illustration

    Domestika Diary: Álex de Marcos

    The illustrator Álex de Marcos opens the doors of his house/studio to tell us how he has lived the last few months What happens when your house becomes your painting studio? That is exactly what has happened to illustrator Álex de Marcos (@alex_de_marcos), who, in analog or digital format, has worked for clients all over the world cultivating his particular style of oil painting. During the last few months, Álex has had to combine work and home, but thanks to his motivating routine and the constant pursuit of his artistic goals, he has managed to keep productivity up. In the following Domestika Diaries, the illustrator opens the doors of his house to tell us about his routine, his career... and introduce us to his pet.

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  • Spark AR Tutorial: Transform Your Illustrations With Augmented Reality (AR)
    Teacher Illustration

    Spark AR Tutorial: Transform Your Illustrations With Augmented Reality (AR)

    Learn to add new dimensions to your illustrations with Naranjalidad using Augmented Reality Would you like your illustrations to jump off the page and take on new dimensions? Spark AR doesn’t only allow you to create filters that warp human faces, it is also a tool that you can use to transform your illustrations using augmented reality. In this tutorial, Beatriz 'Naranjalidad' Ramo (@naranjalidad) explains step by step how to transform your illustrations with Spark AR and leave the two-dimensional world behind. Separate your illustration into different layers and save each one separately onto your computer. Now you can create your own filter!

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  • Free Download: Photoshop Brush Pack
    Illustration

    Free Download: Photoshop Brush Pack

    Felixantos shares over 70 brushes for illustration and concept art Víctor Félix Díaz (@felixantos) is a Peruvian concept artist and illustrator. He specializes in the creation of characters and settings, as well as portraits and caricatures. He has worked in advertising, animation and video game projects. His concept art style consists of turning everyday characters into the protagonists of stories with attractive narratives.

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  • Keep track of your creativity and learn to sketch characters with Caio Martins
    Illustration

    Keep track of your creativity and learn to sketch characters with Caio Martins

    Turn your sketchbook into a paper lab for character design Whoever thinks that ideas are born ready to be shared is dead wrong. Every spark of creativity must be polished again and again, built little by little, and improved until it reaches its final version, especially when it comes to projects involving the conversion from analog to digital. Caio Martins (@caiorfmartins) is a visual artist specializing in character design and storyboarding who has worked for studios like DreamWorks, Netflix, and Disney Jr. Today he is sharing some tips for working with your creativity on a sketchbook using a simple guide:

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