Illustration – A New Start

Illustration is not new to me, actually.

After I installed the iPhone app Tayasui Sketches last year, I sometimes draw on the app, just drew something whatever I thought of, like a cup of coffee, a character or a heart, I like my drawing style.

Last year, I asked to prepare a map for my company event, I searched a few references from Pinterest and finally used Tayasui Sketches and Adobe Illustrator to finish it, not a perfect one, but I like the results.

I always think about how can I enhance my skills in making this kind of map, I know it is not easy because I have to thicken my skills in illustration. Then I search more about learning illustration on the web and on Pinterest, and one day a sponsored post showed up on Facebook when I was scrolling unintentionally, it is a course called “Colorful City Portraits: Illustrate Your Favorite Place” by Alex Foster on “Domestika“, here is the introduction of the course:

I am in love with his style of drawing buildings, so I couldn’t wait to purchase the course and start. It is a course with videos and exercises, and you have to perform yourself to finish the exercises, though I didn’t start the main part of the course yet, I feel really excited and lucky about finding this online course.

In Domestika, I found also another course talking about the same topic, it is “Illustrated Map Creation: Reflecting a City’s Essence” by Stef Maden:

Both of these courses shocked me that this can be called “City Portrait” or “Illustrated Map”, and shocked me also on the different skills they used to draw the maps, I purchased both of them because I wanted to learn more skills and find a one which suits me, of course, I wanted also to find my own illustration style.

After that, I found a book from the library about an illustrator, and how she changed from working full-time in an office to becoming a full-time illustrator. This book is very inspirational, I want to know more about being an illustrator and I started to draw more using Tayasui Sketches on my iPad.

I know practice drawing needs pens and paints, the best way to, I have them in my drawers but it is not easy to take them out, have a table ready for me to draw, and also time. It’s difficult to do real drawing because once I start, like having a colour mixed, I can’t stop or just leave it overnight, especially watercolour or other kinds of water-based colours, so digital is perfect for me. Here are two drawings I finished this month:

There are so many different kinds of illustration on the web, I would bear in mind – practice makes perfect, looking forward to starting this new illustration journey and good luck to me.

Thank you for stopping by Vin.ta.be!

Enjoy!