The Illustration Process

I just finished a super fun illustration for a client and I thought I might give you all a peek in to the illustrating process.

Step 1 - Sketching

This is the backbone of all my artwork.  The sketch is always the most important.  With the rest of the art process I usually listen to audiobooks or music while I'm working, but when I'm sketching I need absolute silence and all my concentration.  My sketches tend to look something like this.  Lots of lines.  Lots of erase marks.  Sometimes I have to make 4 or 5 sketches before I am satisfied.

Step 2 - Outlining with Ink

This is my favorite part of the illustration process!  I trace the final sketch with a Prismacolor fine line marker.  Unlike the sketching process it does not requite a great deal of thinking and I can do it anywhere.  I can be sitting outside in the shade of a tree watching my son play at the park, or I can watching an NBA basketball game on the TV with my husband.  It's the best!

Step 3: Coloring it in

For this particular illustration I colored the whole thing digitally with Photoshop.  Figuring out the color scheme is always a bit stressful for me.  I often feel overwhelmed by the multitudes of color possibilities so usually I go with a limited palette.  In this case I simply used white and dark blue.

There you have it!  A peek in to my creative process.  If you have any more questions please feel free to comment!  I would love to hear from you.