In today’s episode we are geeking out about illustration. We are digging into it and talking all about how to get into illustration, what makes it great and how to develop your skill. So without further ado… Let’s get into the show!
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Show Notes for This Episode:
[1:00] This episode pours from our panel of amazing illustrators.
[2:30] Opening up the show with a definition of illustration.
[3:00] Lisa shares what illustration really is.
[4:00] How do you leap from I think I can draw to “I’m an Illustrator!”?
[5:20] Why so many are intrigued about what it’s like to draw all day.
[6:20] What is it like to draw all day for a living? Lisa responds.
[7:30] Even Lisa felt like giving up. If you’re not dedicated you will not make it.
[8:00] Ian asks Lisa how she stayed motived and focused in her early career.
[9:40] Dustin wishes he could be an illustrator.
[10:40] How do you choose which design style to move forward with?
[11:20] Don’t set yourself up before you ever get started.
[12:00] There is a difference between loving a style and wanting to do it.
[13:00] Read books, copy the greats to learn, and practice, practice, practice.
[14:00] The two important phases in the learning process.
[15:00] Dealing with overwhelm.
[16:00] Lisa juggled two jobs while honing her illustration skills.
[17:00] If you work like Picasso are you a poser?
[18:00] Learning the design rules can sometimes hinder you from breaking them.
[19:00] Understand the building blocks needed for your chosen style.
[20:40] Do you have to know all the basics of illustration before you begin?
[21:00] It’s not about being able to draw something perfectly.
[22:00] A few things you can do to speed up your learning process.
[23:20] Breaking down big shapes into smaller shapes really helps.
[24:30] Drawing with shapes tells your brain to shut up.
[25:10] Lisa found she was less overwhelmed using shapes.
[26:00] There are some illustrators who can put pen to paper without shapes.
[27:10] Lisa needs shapes and eases into her illustrations with a framework.
[28:00] Serious pressure is thinking too much about the end result.
[29:00] Defaulting to the comfort zone? Here’s how to stop that.
[30:00] Force yourself out of your comfort zone.
[31:40] Dustin talks Mo Willems, Children’s book author.
[32:00] Don’t miss the forest for the trees.
[33:30] There are some things you will never EVER draw.
[34:00] Skill stacking will make you a stand out great.
[35:00] Skill stack and inject personality.
[36:00] Just in time learning just sticks better.
[37:40] Tom invites closing thoughts.
[38:00] Figure out where you want to be and reverse engineer it.
[39:00] Consistency is gold.
[40:30] Ian says use Pinterest to find what you love.
[41:00] Thats a wrap!
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“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!” – AG_GD
The book about skill stacking which Dustin mentioned is called “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life” by Scott Adams. Great book, highly recommend!
Thanks for sharing this with everyone Jakub. We will make note to check it out :)