I love finding out how people make their work. Sometimes people ask me what my work own process is so I have done a quick series of photos to show how I make my illustrations. I’ve used my latest illustration for Prospect magazine as an example. What’s it like to be a moth?
First I start with a pencil sketch to roughly map out how I want the illustration to look. I then send it to the art director to get their approval.
Next I use tracing paper and pen and ink to get a solid black line. I find this way means I don’t lose any of the sketchy vibes from the initial drawing. I used to go over it in ink and then rubout the pencil but this way works better for keeping certain details.
I then scan the drawing in and use Photoshop to play around with the colour and texture to get the final composition looking good. A space is left for the title text. I wanted to use bright clashy colours for this one as I thought it would be more eye catching than the traditional earthy colours.
The final illustration in the layout.