What skills are necessary to become an illustrator?
Put simply, and in my opinion, to become an illustrator you need a pencil, a piece of paper and a creative curiosity. This is probably a bit more basic of an answer than what you were looking for when this post caught your eye though, eh?
Being an illustrator, like many creative professions, has a lot of components that you’ll need to learn and build on.
This list is not the only skills you’ll need to learn as an illustrator, but these are the things that have made the biggest impact on my own professional journey as an illustrator.
Drawing
You will need an interest in drawing which seems pretty obvious, but trust me, not every illustrator actually likes drawing. It is essential to have at least an interest so that you can understand things like form, shape and perspective.
We’re not talking about realistic drawing here, just a way for you to build your muscle memory and understand how things look.
Composition, Colour and Design?
Illustrators need a good eye for composition to create those interesting and, sometimes, addictive to look at pieces of work.
A good understanding of colour is also required for the role of illustrator whether it is for a hobby or a professional career.
It might come as a surprise to you but you will need to have a good eye for design too.
Here’s an example of an illustration I have made for a product.
Design is used by many illustrators to create pieces of work with various different elements. They may create posters for a live performance, or maybe an illustration for a beer can.
Storytelling and Details
Storytelling is a great skill for an illustrator and artist alike. If you can tell a story and convey emotion through the image you have created, your work will most likely be quite popular. The reasoning for this at its very basic level is that humans love stories!
Attention to detail is quite important in illustration. If it feels off, chances are it is and you may need to come back to your work with fresh eyes.
Build a Visual Library
And finally, my personal favourite, building a visual library. When we draw a subject repeatedly at different angles and in different conditions, this helps to build a visual library that you can access at any time. You may even find yourself being more imaginative and creating things that haven’t existed before.
You might be thinking this all sounds far too overwhelming and that maybe you should let the AI artists take over - or even become one yourself! NO!! The world needs YOUR human creativity and uniqueness so, I’m going to let you in on a not-so-secret secret:
You don’t have to do it all at once, get good at one skill, then add another. Have fun with it.
Turning all this into a profession is the next step but for now, you should focus on creating, drawing, experimenting and having fun with the process of being creative.
Most illustrators give up before they leave the gate because they find the process too hard and may feel a bit hopeless, but the truth is, illustration and art are hard but only if your goal is to be known or make money. It’s the process that makes it feel a whole lot easier and much more fun.
Fun first, money later and it won’t even feel like you're doing a job! Sounds cliché but it’s true.
To Recap
So to recap, these are some of the key skills you’ll need as an illustrator:
Drawing
Composition
Colour
Design
Storytelling
Attention to detail
Visual Library
A great mindset of fun first, money later.
Have a great day and keep creating!
Charmaine x
