If you're not a visual creative yourself, and you find yourself in need of some design or illustration services for your project, there are two options: pay for them, or try to ask a friend to help you out for free (or cheap). If you opt for the second route, here is a short guide to help you approach your friend in a way that will not endanger your relationship and create resentment on either side. Read more...
What I'm about to write is probably very obvious to everyone, but since I've allowed myself to forget this time and time again, I decided to write about it anyway. As a reminder to myself. As a reminder to you. Read more...
I'm a huge fan of sketchbooks, so I'm very passionate about this subject. I hope that in this post I will give you enough reasons to finally start using them, and of course even if you don't consider yourself a visual creative, sketchbooks are a lot of fun! In the end I'll also share some tips how to get the best from your sketchbook practice, and I'll show you a video of my sketchbook flip. Read more...
I'm a bit of an expert on the subject because all my work experience was based on my hobbies. I never trained to become a creative professional, it just happened that I was offered opportunities to make a living with my hobbies because people saw what I was doing for fun and offered me money to do it! Isn't it amazing when that happens? Well, I've learned that it isn't just sunshine and roses, and it doesn't work for all people and all kinds of hobbies. Read this post to learn the potential pitfalls of turning your hobby into your full time job. Read more...
Stuck with ideas on what to draw or paint? Wondering where do I get my ideas? Here's a post in which I describe how I got inspired to do one of my latest works. Of course, every work has a unique story and I don't go down the same route twice so it's hard to compile a 'recipe' - but I hope you'll find these tips helpful anyway! Read more...
If you're just launching your new business or creative venture, you're probably on a tight budget. Designers (myself included) insist that you should not be skimping on the quality of your presentation, but I understand that it's difficult to invest upfront in something that you aren't even sure will take off. So let's skip the preaching how you should absolutely let a professional do your branding and visual identity (it kind of goes without saying). I'll give you some tips how to handle it if you absolutely can't afford it right now, or at least not all of it. Read more...
I periodically delete things from my gallery. I don't have a set time-frame, but let's say that once in 2 years I go over my entire gallery and remove everything I deem not 'good enough' for my current standards.In this post I explain the reasons why I do it. Read more...
In this post I've shared the things I've learned over the past year of battling with procrastination, and it might just give you some ideas how you can tweak your own process. Read more...
Most creatives I know are very, very busy. We always have more ideas than time to execute them. But in the rare event that you — a designer, an illustrator, an artist, a photographer or a craftsman — find yourself out of work and without any ideas what to do about it, here are some suggestions. Some of these are also great content marketing ideas for creatives that I have personally found to work very well. Read more...
The title of post is not “how to paint skin tones”, because I don't think my process is the best possible, and I have quite a bit to learn. But for those of you who are curious how I do it, here is my process along with some palette formulas. Read more...