Thumbnails/Rough Sketching

• I will always start my projects with quick initial sketches. I feel it is a good way to get initial ideas out on the page quick, then look back and start to develop the ideas from the starting point.

 

Research and Referencing

• I mostly use Pinterest for inspiration, whether it is from illustrations, a colour palette, images of scenery or people.
• If I need to find a specific pose/face to draw a person and you can’t/are too shy to ask someone to pose for you, Pinterest has a good source of imagery, I have seen a lot of dynamic poses for particular characters, but I mostly use it for reference images of people, you can check out my board by clicking here.

 

Including myself in my work

• Enjoying what I do – if I am not enjoying the work I create, if I don’t feel enthusiastic about it, I do try to change elements so that I do like it, but if I have lost hope in a piece then I do not believe it is a good representation of myself.
• If I do not feel at least 80% positive about a piece, with college work excluded, I do not show the work anywhere else. It may not necessarily be bad, but if I have no confidence to sell it then I believe I will constantly overthink the design and it will get worse and worse in my mind as I pick it apart more and more.
• I would have said 100% but I don’t feel anyone is ever 100% confident about their work, there is always something they see that they think they could have improved on or changed, that no one else may be able to see.

 

Thinking outside of the box

• Being able to work with a brief and/or client, giving them alternative options for the designs, possibly one that is more direct to the brief, one that is more biased to my own likes, and one that would be in between the two.
• I always try to think outside of the box so that I am creating unique concepts, that can still link back to the brief, that would separate me from other illustrators/designers.

 

Problem-solving

• Knowing my own weaknesses and figuring out ways to work around them, when I don’t have time to improve them on the spot.
• Taking the time to learn from my weaknesses to create better work in future, potentially having fewer problems to solve.

 

Challenging myself

• Whether it is with new techniques, mediums or programs I have not used before, or specific imagery that I am not used to drawing a lot, for instance, backgrounds or character work.

 

Final Checks

High standards

• During college times, I feel I do hold my work to a higher standard than when I am working on personal projects at home, however, this is something that I am looking to change, so that I hold up all of my work to that high standard.
• In the past I have had an ‘it’ll do’ mindset towards my personal work, especially when it has taken so long to create. Instead of taking a break and coming back to it later as to work on it further, I usually just say “its fine”, but I’m determined for this to end this year. When I am feeling the “it’ll do” moments now, I am going to take a break from the specific piece and just come back to it later; this will hopefully give me a fresh mindset and more energy when I come back to the piece.

 

Is the piece a good representation of myself?

• Relating back to a previous point, if I am not confident behind a piece I don’t want it to be a representation of myself. Following the high standards point, if I have an “it’ll do” mindset to a piece then I should not be posting it as I know I can make improvements once I’ve taken a break and come back to it with fresh eyes. If I send out a ‘meh’ piece just for the sake of it, then ‘meh’ will be the response in return.

 

Does it communicate a specific message and does it communicate it effectively?

• If I create a piece with a purpose to communicate a specific message then I have to be sure that it can be read and that the point will not be overlooked.