TODAY'S FEATURED POST

The Power of Preliminary Studies

Julie Beck

Preliminary studies are crucial to my process. Each artist approaches prep work different but as someone who teaches both technical skills as well as the importance of design and composition, I emphasize the importance of massaging the design before you get into the nitty gritty. Preliminary thumbnails help in a multitude of ways: Planning: Sketches help you organize ideas and create a clear roadmap, saving time and reducing frustration. Problem Solving: They allow you to…

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EVERYDAY ORIGINAL

Baxter, The Porcupine

YESTERDAY’S POST

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10 Illustration Rules I Learned the Hard Way

Dan dos Santos

April 25, 2025 -   Many will say that there are no rules in art. And that's true when it comes to creation. But when it comes to the business of Illustration, I do have a set of hard rules that I never break... mostly because I've learned the hard way not to. I thought I'd share with you some of those rules in the hopes that you can avoid the same suffering.     1. If you paint on board, always leave ample border. I used to leave just a 1/4 inch border around my images. Not only did it look really nice during presentation, but it often meant I could squeeze 2 paintings out of 1 piece of illustration board. Don't do that. Leave yourself several inches of space all around. This is for several reasons. Firstly,…

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