The unromantic life of an illustrator
By: Kritika Tandon
Tags: Artist, Reality, Illustrator, Effective, Art

When I was 12 I used to maintain a journal. Taking my inspiration from the diary of a wimpy kid I used to draw along with the details of my day. It used to be a great pass time. The part which I loved the most was the crude drawings I used to make.

I’m 20 now. The journal is all dusty. I’ve not written in ages. But my love for art has only grown.

It was only later in my life that I realized that my passion could be channeled into something professional.

But really people, it’s only when I look at what there is on Behance and the artwork people create in this day and technology, is when the real existential crisis kicks in.

Then again your work need not be all Picasso to be appreciated.

One might ask how to become an illustrator?

The question is one that can be answered in theory but really demands hard work passion and skills to actualize it as a profession. And the money. . .

. . . not quite like that.

Once an illustrator you rarely have sharp deadlines. Procrastination, albeit, is still out of the picture.

That being said practice should have a direction. There should be a specific skill that you should focus on. For instance, say face anatomy is what you set to improve on. Now, there is no one way to learn. However, one could watch tutorials on Youtube and then practice what one has learned by actually drawing it on paper or digitally (whatever sails your boat). So, it’s quintessential to ink your progress but be conscious of what you’re learning.

You just need to find what suits you best. :)

So,

And. . .

The art blocks are common. This is so mango that one loses their motivation after encountering the same whilst working. The truth is while it’s necessary to take a break one must devote some time during the day to perfecting one’s skill base. Don’t look at me, I didn’t make the rules. Now, this is for all the procrastinators out there, if you believe instead of working every day you can work in massive chunks on the weekends then burn that idea down cause it really never works that way.

Kim Jung Gi the famous artist who draws with his memory in an interview suggested that the best way to get better is to experience. Go outside and experience nature. The world is your canvas. PAINT IT RED. One with cranberry juice.

It’s very important to have experience under your belt.

Now, while gaining knowledge and looking for references one should make sure that you are not gaining that from only one source. If you do that you would just become a washout copy of that individual. So make sure you’ve many sources as your reference. There is a much higher chance of evolving to a level that you desire once you expand your horizon.

My personal influence has been Cassandra Calin, Sarah Andersen, and many others (as you might have figured). I will talk about that in detail in my next blog.

One thing that comes to my head while I’m drawing is that I want perfection. I want that teensy weensy line to go just like that and oop. . . .made a mistake.

*crumbles paper*

*shove it into the bin*

Holdddd on. . .

That’s not the way to go. I know as an artist all of us demand perfection. This curvature could have been more perfect, the hairline should have been more aligned to the face structure, the nose, the eyes, the ear. . . and the list goes on.

What you need to focus on is volume. Not perfection. When you think of Picasso, you would pick some of his work while remembering him. It’s only when you google you realize that as one of the most prolific artists of all times, it is estimated that Picasso, during a 75-year career span, produced an estimated:

13,500 paintings

100,000 graphic prints or engravings

34,000 book illustrations

300 sculptures and ceramics

Those are big numbers and most of us can only pinpoint a few of his work that are the hits, the BIG ones. So can we suggest that the huge amount of work that Picasso did had something to do with his success? YES!

The research suggests that the more work an artist produces, the more likely is he/she going to reach the pinnacle and get the work which could be a massive success. So, volume is very important.

Next is to steal the artwork. Now, when I suggest stealing I’m not insinuating you to steal Mona Lisa. The charges are huge and I really don’t want my blog to be the reason for your execution.

So when I say steal the artwork I’m suggesting get ideas from as many artists as possible. Many people consider stealing artwork as bad and would immediately suggest you to use your imagination. What they fail to realize is that every great artist has a source of reference. And since you’re progressing to become one it’s alright to gather inspiration from multiple artists. Just don’t copy their work (that’s plagiarism). Use it as an additional inspiration.

Here we have Banksy, stealing a quote from Picasso.

So, steal and honor the work of multiple artists in order to create something innovative of your own.

While you’re at it get some feedback for your work.

Also, make sure to get that coffee break.

And you’re good to go.