Becoming an illustrator on your own can be challenging and fun. Illustrators, as the intersection of creativity and art, need to have a unique perspective, a rich imagination, and solid drawing skills. In this article, we'll take a look at how to teach yourself to become an illustrator and provide you with some practical advice and resources.
Learn illustration to become a professional illustrator.
1. Clear goals and positioning.
Before you start teaching yourself how to illustrate, you must first clarify your goals and positioning. Do you want to become a children's illustrator, manga artist, game illustrator, or illustrator in another field? Having clear goals will help you better plan your learning path and choose the right materials and resources.
Second, the learning of basic skills.
1.Sketching Basics: Sketching is a basic skill for illustrators, and by practicing line, composition, and light and shade, you can improve your observation and expressiveness. You can start with simple geometry and gradually transition to complex objects and scenes.
2.Use of color: Color is an important element of illustration, and mastering the combination and use of color can make your work more vivid and interesting. You can learn some color theories, such as color wheels, color contrast, etc., and improve your color perception ability through practice.
3.Painting tools: Understand and be familiar with various drawing tools such as pencils, charcoal, markers, watercolors, digital painting tools, etc. Each tool has its own unique characteristics and application scenarios, try different tools to find the best way for you.
3. Improvement of advanced skills.
1.Creative Ideas: Illustrators need to have good creative ideation skills and be able to create creative and unique perspectives. You can be inspired by reading excellent works, participating in creative competitions, and communicating with peers.
2.Stylistic: Finding your own drawing style is the key to becoming an illustrator. You can find your own style by imitating, experimenting, and constantly innovating. At the same time, it is also necessary to pay attention to fashion trends and market trends to make your works more competitive.
3.Project management: As an illustrator, you may need to work with clients, editors, and other creators on a variety of illustration projects. Therefore, it is very necessary to learn project management and time management. You can learn some project management skills, such as making a project plan, setting priorities, communicating effectively with team members, etc.
4. Practice and application.
1.Practice & Reflection: Constant practice is the key to improving your drawing skills. Set a daily or weekly practice plan, practice consistently and reflect on your work. Find out where you fall short and look for ways to improve.
2.Participate in competitions and exhibitions: Participating in illustration competitions and exhibitions is an important way to showcase your talent and gain recognition. Pay attention to various illustration competitions and exhibitions, and actively participate in and submit works.
3.Business cooperation: When your illustration skills reach a certain level, you can try to cooperate with publishers, advertising agencies, game companies, etc. This can not only exercise your project management skills, but also bring you certain financial benefits.
5. Resources and learning pathways.
1.*Tutorials: There are a large number of illustration tutorial resources on the Internet, which can provide you with systematic learning from basic to advanced. There are many high-quality illustration courses on platforms such as Zhanku, NetEase Cloud Classroom, and Bilibili.
2.Physical books: It is also a good idea to buy some physical books related to illustrations. These books usually contain a wealth of case studies and practical exercises that can help you better master your illustration skills.
3.Social Stream: Join an illustration-related community or forum to exchange learning experiences with other illustration enthusiasts. This will not only broaden your horizons but also make like-minded friends.
In conclusion, self-teaching to become an illustrator requires a lot of effort and time. But as long as you have a firm belief and continuous enthusiasm, through continuous learning and practice, you will definitely be able to realize your dream of illustration. Hopefully, this article will provide you with some helpful revelations and assistance.
Illustration training institution recommendation:
Painter Scholar
The popular CG online course platform in China (most of which is free) swept the entire CG circle when the APP was first released in 2015 and became a must-have app for self-learning white prostitution parties.
Goo
CG recruitment and CG live classes are both strong enterprises, and the cost performance is extremely high, and there is also a scholarship system, and the top students can also get tuition rebates after school.
Zhima teaching
The industry awareness is relatively high, and a large number of professional first-class tutorials have been accumulated over the years. The interaction between new and old students on the platform is very strong, and the students' homework and teachers' cases are publicly displayed, and there is the kind of strength that is not hidden.