Turning your sketches into true art with detail and a personal touch can be difficult but anything is possible with some inspiration and the right tools! Here are a few ideas to jumpstart your illustrations.
First off, get some help from the fruits of human progress and turn to graphic software to find new design ideas and more. You can use it to touch up the drawing or add digital effects that may breathe a new life into the illustration. Of course, these should be used as bonuses and not crutches, don’t rely on the computer too much.
For more varied illustration techniques, try using new tools such as a digital pen or a drawing tablet. While many artists and designers prefer traditional ways of drawing, there’s no shame in taking advantage of progress and creating your art via alternative means. In fact, the process of mixing traditionalist art with modern ideas is quite popular right now and art has always been about capturing the zeitgeist and reflecting the current sensibilities. After all, museums are loving post-modern art and the general public isn’t too cold on it either.
Don’t be afraid to look for inspiration in someone else’s work. There is a fine line between paying homage and ripping off other people’s ideas but a skilled artist knows how to walk it and extract that bit of fresh thinking from a work of art. Learning from the greats may not be a required skill but it’s certainly essential if you want to join the pantheon. Look back on the masters of design and see if you feel close to the ideas expressed in their work.
If you’re feeling absolutely stumped and can’t imagine the drawing in your traditional style, try following a different path for a bit. Sure, experiments don’t always work and some people are best represented by a particular genre, such as Dali with surrealism and Andy Warhol with pop art, but there’s always a chance that your heart may be set on one style while your creativity may bloom in a different one altogether.
Last but not least, don’t focus too hard on a certain illustration, let your mind wander a bit and try sketching out a few different ideas. Pigeonholing yourself into one particular design can waste your time without bearing any significant results. Trying new things is essential if you want to keep your art and designs fresh so don’t think about failing when you come up with ideas, think about the possibilities that you open up.