How to create your first Illustration(for NO illustrators)

| ESPAÑOL |
Para la versión en español ve a este link 
| ENGLISH |
What do you need?

• Paper letter size and smaller

• Cardboard and paper or this size

• A pencil

• Color, crayons, color pencils, markers, whatever that your favorite medium is.

It's super easy!! Don't be scared, believe me I was very scared too but it isn't that difficult. All these years thinking that I couldn't draw and now look at me I'm here being an illustrator.1. Pick a subject, you can go from a cat and then a cat on a roof or like my teacher at that time gave us the topic "fears".2. What are you scared of? mice, flying, darkness? Start a brainstorm!

3. Then the most important part and the one that nobody talks about: REFERENCES! After you pick your topic look for images on Pinterest or other websites where you enjoy collecting images (instagram would work too) all of them related to your topic. Maybe now you're wondering "How do I pick the good one?" This is were intuition plays the role because you just have to pick whatever you love! that's the only rule :)

4. When you have a bunch of images start sketching on a simple paper. I use small paper to sketch because is easier to draw and erase and re-do and erase, you get me :)

5. When you have your favorite sketch, flip the paper and start coloring with your paper all aver the surface, trying to cover the sketch on the other side of the paper. When you finish put the side that is colored on the cardboard being careful of not to stain the white surface and then re-mark the sketch that you made, like if you were using carbon paper (btw you can use carbon paper too).

6. The last step is putting color on your drawing, you can use crayons, watercolor, markers, color pencils, whatever that you want and copy the colors that you have on your images or you could pick your own colors, just let yourself be guided by your intuition.

7. And voilá! now you have finish you're first project :)

All this I learned it in the SVA (School of Visual Arts in New York City) in a class called: Introduction to Illustration.

I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions don't hesitate in telling me.

Love,

Paola