How to Illustrate
Illustration is a big part of graphic design, and illustrating can be fun! So today I want to inspire you to create some unique and impressive illustrations.
Inspirations
I look in many different places for inspiration and ideas, but one of my go to’s to Pinterest. There is so much content on Pinterest related to illustration, you can find anything and everything. Simply type in a keyword, colour or media related to illustration and you can find all sorts of inspiration. Other places I love to look for inspiration are magazines, there are many different types of magazines and you can find all sorts of ideas and styles to play around with.
Experimenting with Style
Now that you have your idea it’s time to start experimenting. What message do you want to get across in your illustration? Do you want something fun and quirky? Then I would go with bold patterns and colour. Maybe something more calming on the eye? Minimalism and pastels are your friends here. Try a few different styles and see what you prefer, break out of your comfort zone and you might surprise yourself with what you can come up with.
Colour Palette
Colour palette is very important as it can completely change the mood and message of an illustration. This is why I think it is important to play around with colour, colours that work well together are usually a good option so for example red and orange tones. However, I also enjoy contrasting colours, it really depends on the other factors I have listed previously. Pantone colour books are a good way to compare and contrast colour palettes, these can be found online and on digital media such as Adobe Illustrator.
Choice of Media
When it comes to choice of media there are so many options. You could draw something by hand with fine liners and markers, or you could try having a go at some digital illustration. Illustrator is a great digital tool and almost all of my digital illustrations have come from the software. You could take this further and combine the two, draw something by hand and then scan it into illustrator and have a combined piece, this is my personal favourite type of illustration.
Conclusion
Have fun with this! Don’t think too much about it and enjoy and trust the process, and if you feel illustration isn’t for you. Why not contact us here at Blue Whale Media, we have a number of designers that can produce excellent illustrations in just a few clicks.
