5 Ways Content Creators Can Face Their Illustration Phobia
Illustrations are more or less the spooky forest in the online content world, they are riddled with many conditions;
“You have to be excellent at drawing”, “It takes a lot of time to be a good illustrator” “You have to be a tech wizard to be an illustrator”
Well, guess what? Albeit, it helps to be a good artist and a techy John/Joe when it comes to illustrations, but it doesn’t mean it’s not your cup of brew.
Many online content creators have used illustrations to make their content more attractive and entertaining. Whether it be creatives for social media or animations for YouTube, they have been around for quite some time and are only growing.
What does it take to be an illustrator?
Before we go on to make illustrations, you need to find out if you have it in you to get to the end of this journey.
- Determination: Don’t LOL, many fail on this one. If you want to work on your skills as an illustrator, you should be determined to carry on even after seeing your work be ridiculed
- Eyes on the world: Many illustrators stay glued to the computer screen, but they take inspiration from the real world. There’s so much around you, which can be broken down into something new or simple, so look out for it.
- Practice: Nope. Can’t go around this one.
Simple Illustrations
Illustrations are just designs or texts made into a visually pleasing format. So if you have an application you like, get on and start experimenting
Start simple: It doesn’t revolve around good drawings and such. There are various illustrations that at their base are just simple line drawings, sometimes even stick figures. Find what you are most comfortable drawing and start from there. A stick figure with clouds of dialogue can work very well depending on your content.
Geometrical shapes: Continuing on the above statement, these can be one of the most basic and helpful starting points. We live in a world of geometrical shapes, that can be broken and renewed, experiment with it. Ariel Wollek’s illustrations in ‘Uncle Max’s Journey’ is a good example of how you can create an entire world with just geometrical shapes.
Words work: Contrary to popular beliefs, word illustration art doesn’t mean any less, in fact, word illustrations have been used to create some of the best and impactful illustrations in various high-end campaigns and online content
Familiarise yourself with the app: Whatever application or tools you are using, were prepared by its creators keeping a certain number of purposes in mind; find all those purposes, and find what works for you at your level. Many illustrators might have used the same app or tools before you, find out what they did and try to copy, but only to learn.
Clear message: Make sure the message you want to put out is the core of your illustration, that doesn’t mean it has to be at the centre. It means you should use different features such as colour, brush strokes, different size or shape to make it catch the eye.
The best thing about illustrations and related apps is that they have space for experiments. Play with the texture, shapes, lines, positions and scale. Find what works best for you. Eliminate what covers your message, and put it out for the world to see.
Grow with the criticisms but don’t forget to celebrate the appreciations.
