
Free Illustrated Guide to Learn How to Use a Sketchbook to Tell Stories
Dive into the world of illustrated storytelling and find out how to use a sketchbook to bring your ideas to life
Grab a pencil and a piece of paper and let your imagination soar, no matter what your level.

Dive into the world of illustrated storytelling and find out how to use a sketchbook to bring your ideas to life

The Dutch illustrator, specialized in creating children's books, answers questions about herself using... illustration Sarah Van Dongen (@sarahvandongenillustrations) is a Dutch illustrator based in Amsterdam who has always loved stories, and after studying literature did a masters in children’s book illustrations in Cambridge, UK. Since then, she has applied these skills and her passion for storytelling by creating children’s books and editorial pieces for magazines and clients such as Villa Augustus, Adobe, and Possible. In this Draw Yourself, Sarah draws various scenes from her life to help us get to know her better. She reveals what picture books she remembers seeing as a child and how they inspired her, why she loved to draw in 3D when she was growing up, and why she’d love for her teachers to see her now.

Learn to depict different emotions and expressions in your character designs and make your comics unique A few years back, when thinking about comics, you would inevitably imagine superhero stories. With the advent of social media, the variety of themes and styles of this genre has become remarkable. The possibilities are endless when mixing illustration techniques and imagination. The same thing happens with the characters. There are so many out there, so how do you ensure yours will captivate the readers? Expressing their emotions is key for creating a closer bond and an interesting image. For this reason, the expressions sheet shared by illustrator and cartoonist Rocío Diestra (@rociodiestra) will be an excellent reference to help you draw how your characters feel at any given time.

Explore your creativity and access your inner world with these five mindful journaling tips, with Kate Sutton

Learn the essential kit needed for a watercolor painting of the popular Japanese art Geoff Pascual ( @geoff_pascual ) is an artist who specializes in illustrating manga characters in watercolor. Although he had planned a career in business, when he realized he was making it through selling artwork online, he decided to dedicate himself completely to his art. To create his work, Geoff uses specific materials that help him capture the images he visualizes in his mind on paper.

Discover three quick and easy drawing exercises to help unlock your creativity, with Laura McKendry It’s easy to get stuck in a creative rut from time-to-time. When that happens, it’s a good idea to do a few playful drawing exercises to help free your mind and get your creative juices flowing. Laura McKendry (@laura_mckendry) is a drawing and illustration teacher as well as an artist whose work you can find on tableware, fabrics, and fine art prints. Her nature-inspired illustrations have attracted major clients such as Laura Ashley and John Lewis. Laura approaches drawing and illustration with a sense of fun and curiosity, using materials like bubble wrap, blackberries, and teabags alongside her go-to watercolors, inks, and colored pencils. In this tutorial, Laura gives you three great exercises to help you loosen up and overcome creative roadblock.

Practice botanical watercolor illustration and loosen your strokes using these naturalist drawing templates There’s only one way to know if you are mastering the technique of naturalist illustration: going from theory to action. If you specialize in watercolor, the process begins with a pencil sketch to loosen your hand and get over the fear of the blank page. Then you bring your drawing to life by creating a color palette, playing with shading and volumes, adding textures and highlighting specific areas. Artist and illustrator Cristina Cilloniz ( @cristina_cilloniz ), specializes in watercolor and shares eight naturalist illustration templates with you. Simply choose your favourite and start practicing in pencil, before adding brush strokes. There are insect templates and other botanical themes for nature lovers like you.

Discover how to draw and paint using this centuries-old technique with five Domestika experts India ink, also called Chinese ink, has been an essential material used in calligraphy and art in China, Japan, and Korea for centuries. According to experts, the oldest remains to be discovered are oracle bones used in divination rituals. Thousands of years ago, diviners would paint questions onto animal bones before tossing them into a fire, interpreting the patterns of the cracks, and writing a prognostication. Even back then, India ink consisted of more or less the same mixture that it is today: water and soot.

Learn all about the wonderful art of illustrated life journals and find some top tips for creating one of your own Life can be hectic. We rush from one place to another with barely a moment’s pause to stop and appreciate the present moment. But our increasingly stressful routines mean we are finally starting to wake up to the need to prioritize mental and emotional wellbeing as a way to combat the fast pace of modern-day living. Life journals and diaries do just that. They are a wonderfully therapeutic way to document your daily thoughts and feelings, and ground yourself in the present moment. Traditionally, this has been done through the medium of writing, but lately a new trend has emerged: illustrated journals.

We reveal the history behind an artform practiced for over 5,000 years

Discover this drawing and painting technique and why so many artists love oil pastels Oil pastels fall halfway between being a tool for drawing and painting. They are a practical, enjoyable, and very exciting tool that is often recommended for beginners but also used by professionals. In this post, you will discover how to get the most of this tool and learn about its unique qualities for creating paintings and illustrations. You will also learn the fascinating story behind its creation.

Discover the basic tools and utensils you’ll need to start practicing the art of traditional Japanese writing If you had to explain what shodō calligraphy is, you could start by saying that it is a form of artistic writing. Calligrapher Rie Takeda (@rietakeda) describes it as the art of Japanese calligraphy, one of the country's oldest and deep-rooted traditions, which emerged in the 5th century.

Discover the art of traditional Japanese writing with artist and professional calligrapher Rie Takeda, in this beginner’s guide

Félicie Haymoz answers and illustrates questions about herself and her creative inner world Félicie Haymoz (@feliciehaymoz) is a character designer and illustrator based in Switzerland who specializes in creating fantastical anthropomorphic characters. She’s applied these talents to movies like Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, where she worked as the lead character designer, as well as to his other animated feature “Isle of Dogs.” In this Draw Yourself, Haymoz answers questions about herself using anthropomorphic illustrations. From what happiness means to her, to the animal that best represents her, to her aspiration to be a witch, Haymoz uses these whimsical illustrations to give us a peek into her imaginative inner world.

The illustrator and graphic novelist shares her daily rituals in Buenos Aires, in this episode of the Domestika Diary series

English illustrator James Chapman tells us about his teenage years and the inspirations that led him into drawing

We look at the features and uses of this popular narrative format made up of pictures and words If you want to tell a story, you can be really experimental using a comic format. You can write humor, social commentary, or fantasy, and even tell secrets. You can fit all sorts of genres and ideas into a comic if you know how to exploit it. To evaluate all these possibilities, it is important to understand what exactly is a comic, and what are the main elements it consists of. Once we know this, we can start to structure and organize our messages on the strips. Illustrator and artist Sol Díaz Castillo (@soldiazcastillo) is an expert and explains some of the essential technical notions.

Discover the power of cute and the secret formula behind Japanese kawaii adorable illustration characters The concept of kawaii was born in Japan during the 60s. In just a couple of decades, this idea of "adorability" has spread to all corners of the world, attracting legions of fans. It is difficult to resist smiling at the perfectly designed features of a kawaii illustration but, what does kawaii exactly mean? We spoke to Azul Piñeiro and Carlos Higuera, two designers and illustrators specialized in kawaii illustration and founders of Estudio Kudasai (@estudiokudasai), to learn more about the origin of this term and above all, what is the formula to create kawaii —or extremely lovable— characters.

We visit the studio of the Brazilian creative duo who are icons in the worlds of graffiti and contemporary art

Learn from scratch the tips of realistic drawing to draw an arm in pencil, with Shane Wolf

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.

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.

Do you want to draw expressive poses for your fashion illustrations? Check out this guide shared by Connie Lim There is an explosion of creativity in the fashion illustration industry and many illustrators take inspiration from fashion runways and editorials to create striking visual expressions through drawing and painting. Fashion illustrator Connie Lim (@_connielim_) combines traditional drawing techniques with a more experimental approach using mixed media to create exciting fashion illustrations. Using an editorial reference as a starting point, Connie follows unique processes to achieve the perfect pose and style of her illustrated fashion figures.

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.

We asked ceramic artist Sandra Apperloo to paint fun faces to apply onto her ceramic creations while blindfolded Sandra Apperloo is a ceramist who has not only found great joy in the craft, but also made it her full-time profession. Her brand, known as The Pottery Parade, is filled with quirky faces and pastel hues, has over 100K followers on Instagram, and has been featured in magazines like This is Colossal, ArtPeople, and more. In this Domestika Challenge, she takes on the task of painting while blindfolded. Will she be able to do it? Find out in this video.

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.

Famous Italian illustrator Marco Mazzoni recalls his childhood and discusses his fears and dreams in this Draw Yourself

Learn how to draw and color a hummingbird with this annotated sketch, packed with tips, from Marco Mazzoni Artist and illustrator Marco Mazzoni (@marcomazzoniart) uses colored pencils to illustrate animals and natural elements with mood and symbolism. The animal kingdom has always been a strong source of inspiration for artists, with surprisingly accurate metaphors of human emotions found in each animal’s characteristics. Marco is fascinated by flora and fauna. His illustration work is filled with depictions of human emotions inspired by nature. Have a go at creating your own colorful hummingbird using his annotated step-by-step drawings to guide you.

Unleash your creativity and imagination with the help of these five drawing experts and start to draw from scratch Drawing is probably the one creative activity we all have in common: ever since we were children, we have used it to express ourselves. However, as the years go by, we tend to neglect this skill. When it comes to drawing, there are some universal rules based on how human beings perceive things and their cultural norms. Whether you choose to respect these rules, break them, or experiment with them, there’s no doubt that they are essential for every illustrator. If you want to rediscover your love for drawing in pencil, these 10 courses will teach you everything you need to know. Artistic Illustration: Draw from Your Imagination, a course by Fito Espinosa Painter, visual artist, and illustrator Fito Espinosa will show you the process he uses to connect with his deepest feelings and thoughts through images full of symbolism and emotion. He shares exercises that will help you explore yourself and learn to develop your ideas into images that express your personal point of view.

An expression sheet is a way to get to know your character and show how they express themselves Designing a new character is not an easy task: you have an idea, you look for reference images, you sketch several versions... When you finally get to a satisfactory point, you have to work out how to convey emotion through their facial expressions and body language. To do so, Caio Martins (@caiorfmartins) recommends creating an expression sheet. This sheet will allow you to understand how your character behaves and looks from different angles in different moods. To create your expression sheet, sketch your character in several different poses. This will help you discover other aspects of your character's personality. Imagine what they look like from behind, sitting, or showing their profile when irritated, surprised, or happy!