Art by Jake Parker.
Whether you’re a newbie artist or a career illustrator, it’s easy to get frustrated when your art doesn’t match your expectations. Fortunately, you don’t have to stay stuck!
Here’s 5 practical steps you can take today to improve your illustrations and create work that pops.
1. Define Your Purpose
If you don’t know what you’re trying to say, how can you expect anyone to listen to you? Whenever you start a new piece, ask yourself, “What do I want to communicate?” When you’re clear about your purpose, every choice you make, from composition to colors, can reinforce that goal and give your art much-needed oomph.
2. Focus on the Concept
A boy holding a baseball bat, a queen on her throne, a superhero flying through the air: what do these scenes have in common? They lack concepts. These might make lovely stand-alone images, but they don’t tell much of a story. When you’re illustrating, it’s important to create images that further the narrative as much or more than the text. Take the time to brainstorm and experiment with thumbnail sketches until you find a winning concept and composition.
If you struggle to develop great concepts, check out our course Developing Great Visual Stories for pro tips and techniques!
3. Master the Fundamentals
This might seem obvious, but having a solid grasp of drawing basics like light and shadow, perspective, composition, and color theory is essential to creating impactful art. Have you ever heard the phrase, “You’ve got to learn the rules to break them”? Well, it’s true! Even if the style you’re aiming for is abstract or primitive, understanding these principles will allow you to bend the rules in your favor down the road.
If you’re unsure where to start, our Foundations curriculum maps out exactly what you need to know to master the basics. Start from the beginning, or select specific courses to fill in your knowledge gaps.
4. Finish What You Started
SVSLearn founder Jake Parker is famous for his belief that a stack of finished projects is better than a single “perfect” one. Why? Because with every project you complete, you sharpen your skills for the next endeavor. If you linger too long in one phase, you limit your growth. To improve your illustrations, create small projects for yourself and see them through, over and over and over.
For example, want to be a comic artist? Make a zine. Write the story, sketch it out, ink it, and share it with someone. And set a deadline so you can’t spend too much time overthinking it. When you’re done, evaluate what you could improve, and apply those changes to your next zine. Repeating this process several times will make you proficient at turning good ideas into good finished work, a skill you can translate to larger projects.
5. Seek Feedback
This might be the scariest step, but it’s essential if you want to break through the ceilings in your work. Getting outside perspective allows you to see if your art is communicating the way you intend.
The key is to seek feedback from the right people. Unless your mom is an illustrator, she probably isn’t the best person to ask for art advice. Look for mentors who have professional experience, who will be honest about what’s working and what isn’t, and who can give advice that helps you progress toward your goals. Maybe that’s a professor, teacher, or illustrator you admire. At SVSLearn, we offer deep-dive portfolio critiques by industry-leading illustrators tailored to your goals and experience level. Check them out if you’re ready to improve your art in a big way!
If you feel overwhelmed by all you have to learn, pick one or two of these principles and practice them a little every day. You’ll be amazed by how far you can go with consistent effort. Don’t forget to plug into our community where you can ask questions, share what you’re learning, and connect with other like-minded artists along the way.
Great work awaits you; get out there and create it!