How do you make an illustration?

Illoguild question #9

I follow the same process (sometimes loosely) with every illustration that I do.

Why is it important to me?

• It helps me to keep a consistent style.

• It allows me to go from concept to completed work faster.

• It keeps me moving when I am stuck.

• It helps me to fulfil the requirements of the brief.

• It helps me to align my illustrations with my goals.

I’m going to go through an example of an illustration I recently did for an author (can’t wait to provide more details on this project soon!)

I encourage you to find what works for you… here’s what works for me:

My Process

1. Make a list of requirements.

   • For this brief I had to draw:

     • a seeing eye dog leading a person.

     • People’s faces should not be visible.

     • The dog should be a young golden retriever.

2. Brainstorm ideas

   • I came up with a concept

     • a seeing eye dog crossing the road, with other (mainly Australian) animals.

3. Sketch a composition (and get it approved).

   • I came up with a composition

     • I tried out some compositions and landed on one with the dog in the front to emphasise that he is leading the blind. I received some feedback from illoguild at this stage.

4. Sketch

   • I did a lot of sketching of the animals - I drew poses of them walking, their faces, showing them interacting and generally had a good time learning about how they look and their anatomy.

   • I normally do lots of sketching before deciding on a composition, but I reversed it for this illustration as I wanted the subject matter and poses that I was sketching to be relevant for the final illustration.

     

     

     Sketches of animals

5. Line drawing

   • I formalised the line drawing. I do this as I like to keep outlines in my finished illustration.

6. Colour

   • I put down flat colours so that I could decide on a cohesive colour scheme and made sure that the right elements were emphasised.

   • I continued with shading and adding details.

     • I started with the background and then moved onto various animals and then onto the leading character (the seeing eye-dog)

     • I would normally colour the main character first so that it pops and I don’t add as much detail to the secondary characters, but I was really excited about drawing the little ducklings in this one, so I started with them. I also made some changes along the way - for example the dogs t-shirt went from turquoise to blue and white stripes so that it was more eye catching.

     • I added finishing touches such as lighting and additional details.

       

7. Deliver the final image

   

8. Reflect

   • I ask “what do I like about the illustration and the process?” and “what could I do differently next time?”

Through each step

• I check that the illustration meets the requirements

• I get feedback along the way (from the client and critique group).

I ensure that the illustration aligns with my over-arching goals.

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NEWS

• I’m in Bologna this week!!! I can’t believe that its finally here after such a long wait.

• I will be at the Creators’ Table at the Australian Collective Stand on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon Hall 25 Stand A87. If you are there come and say hi!

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Thank you for reading this post! If you think it could be useful to a friend- Why not share it?

If you are looking for more on the topic, you can refer to an earlier one of my posts “Tackling an Illustration brief - how to go from start to finish”

Tackling an illustration brief

Why did I write about my process?

• Each month the Illoguild asks a question related to illustration and members from the illoguild share their perspectives. I always learn so much from this group and love that we get to share our experiences with eachother and our readers.

  • You can look at the illoguild substack to see previous questions.

What is illoguild?

We are a group of international illustrators who critique each others work, share our experiences and support each others’ growth. Although we are from all walks of life, we are mostly self taught and have transitioned into illustration from another career.

Check out the illoguild newsletter or instagram.

Whats my newsletter about?

• Sharing useful knowledge and experience that I have picked up from my illustration journey as well as connecting with other creatives.

• It comes out every second Monday

  • 1st Monday of the month- I answer a question about illustration from the illoguild.

  • 3rd Monday of the month - I cover a topic relating to the world of being an illustrator.