The class project is divided into two parts; the Exercises and the Project. The Exercises are simple and fun exercises meant to get you thinking about what really inspires and drives you as an illustrator. From here, we'll use what we learn to springboard into the rest of the Project, where we channel our inspiration and stylistic aspirations into a cohesive set of illustrations.

The Project is a short-term daily creative project, where you will create a series of 26 illustrations, based on a theme of your choice, working in a specific illustration technique. Since style and technique can only be worked out over time with repeated effort, a Daily Project is the perfect way to give a boost to this process!

All steps are covered in the videos, but they are also summarized below:

THE EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Inspiration Case Studies

The first exercise is what I call an Inspiration Case Study. It’s really fun and simple. In this exercise, we dive into some of the work that has inspired us most and make some observations. Following the example in the class, create 2-3 Inspiration Case Studies in the following steps:

Think of one illustration or illustration-related product (such as a book or print) that has had made an important impression on you, one that is perhaps your biggest source of inspiration. Try and find an image of it online, and then 3-5 more by the same artist. They can be from the same series or book, or from different projects altogether, but they should all be stylistically related.
If you are using Procreate, copy and paste them into a new canvas as in my example. Next, write by hand, in this same document, over the images, what you love about these images. What inspires you? Why? Name the specific things that you like. The more specific, the more you start to think about particulars that you can include in your own work.

(You can do these in your sketchbook or other preferred media. I’ve chosen to collect my inspiration images and write over them, but you can also just upload your inspiration images and type in your thoughts directly in your Class Project page.)
Finally, Name the Artist, the Technique or Genre of illustration, and the Context. Who made the work? How would you classify it? Where does the work exist? If you don’t know the answers, look it up! You will learn a lot just by Google searching terms like process, technique, or even interview with the artist’s name. Don’t forget about About or Bio pages for artists who have websites!
Share this to the class Projects page

You should do at least a couple, but you may do as many as you’d like.

Take the time you need to go through this project. You might find you need an hour or more to learn about the artist, technique and context parts, especially if it’s all new to you. GO down the rabbit hole, get lost, enjoy learning about your heroes and your inspiration!

Exercise 2: Creative Self-inventory

The second exercise is optional, but it's a good way to reflect on your work and get in touch with what you like about it, and especially what makes it unique. If you have some experience illustrating, I invite you to gather some of your favourite work and reflect on what you like about it. If you don’t think you have enough work to go by for this exercise, that’s totally fine — just skip ahead to the project! That being said, you might have more to go by than you think.

Gather 3-5 images of your own illustrations, which you consider your favourite or best work. It should be work you like in terms of style, NOT work you think sold well, got the most likes, or pleased your clients. Place these on your canvas.
In the same way as Exercise 02, begin writing out what you like about each piece, using arrows to call out specific instances or details if you want. This is a time not to kick ourselves and be critical but to truly celebrate what we love in our own work!

As in Exercise 1, I did my exercises using Procreate, but you can do these in your sketchbook or other preferred media. I’ve chosen to collect my inspiration images and write over them, but you can also just upload your inspiration images and type in your thoughts directly in your Class Project page.
Consider: what are some of the similarities in the pieces you chose as favourites? What does this say about your unique artistic vision, or what you personally bring to your art that no one else does? What do they have in common that you can or want to bring into more of your work?
Share this to the class Projects page.

If you have a lot of work and are feeling indecisive about what you like most, you can try dividing your work into different style groups and doing separate inventories for each group. Again, take the time you need to go through this project. This could take a few minutes, or a few hours. Gather all your backup drives, sort through your boxes of sketchbooks …let yourself get lost in this step for a while!

THE PROJECT

Objective
Using one of your Inspiration Case Studies (from Exercise 01 above) as your starting point, create 26 thematically and stylistically related illustrations over the course of 26 or more days. Your primary goal for this project should be more about learning and developing, and much less about being perfect. The whole point of a daily project is to grow, so you should expect some fumbling about, especially at first! By the end, though, I believe you will have developed in your style and technique so much more than you ever thought possible!

The Project is broken up into the following three overall stages:

01 The Plan
In The Plan stage, we will choose the particular illustration technique and theme that we want to work out in our daily project, and then write out a list of words, from A to Z, which will serve as prompts for each illustration. Setting up a strong, specific plan will be key to keeping up our effort over the course of the project. The Plan stage should happen on Day 1. When you’re done, share your plan with the class on the project page!

02 The Pilot Set
In The Pilot Set stage, we’ll choose 3-4 of the prompts to illustrate first. The purpose of a Pilot stage is to test out and develop a visual language and technique that we can use for the larger set. I find it’s always a lot more work to get the first few illustrations in a set worked out, but this gives you the chance to work out how you will use things like colour, shape, line, texture, and so on before moving into the rest of the set. It also gives you the chance to work out how you will handle different kinds of illustration problems: the representational and the conceptual. The Pilot Set stage could take as long as 3 days, possibly more if you'd like to take more time. When you’re done, share your pilot set with the class on the project page!

The Pilot Set is where we'll spend most of our time together, as I show you how I build out my own start to the project. Well go through:

Preliminary studies (gathering reference images and drawing from these)
Sketching toward ideas (developing ideas for each of the 26 prompts from our imagination)
Finished artwork (creating full illustrations based on our favourite sketches, using our chosen illustration technique)

03 The Push Through (Finishing the Set)
The Push-through stage is where we finalize the entire set. Of course, we’ll pace ourselves, making one at at time, perhaps each day if possible. You are welcome to do multiple each day if you feel inspired, or to do one a week if that suits you more. The most important thing is to keep at it, to push through to the end. And of course, each time you finish an illustration, be sure to share it with the class, and of course, wherever else you want to share!

DELIVERABLES

Here are some key things you can share on your class Project page:

For Exercise 01:

Share your completed Inspiration Case Studies. If you used Procreate like me, you can upload it as a single image. Alternatively, you can simply upload your inspiration images and type out the written portion directly in the Project.

For Exercise 02:

Share your completed Creative Self-inventory. If you used Procreate like me, you can upload it as a single image. Alternatively, you can simply upload your work images and type out the written portion directly in the Project.

For the Project:

Share your project plan, including your chosen Technique, your Theme, and your A-Z list of words.
(Optional) Share your Rough and Refined Sketches
Share your Pilot Set illustrations. You can also include your thoughts on how the process went. In your experience, how did the first and last pilot illustrations go? Which one was the hardest? Did you find things got easier or clearer as you went along?
Share each new illustration as you go! Let us watch as you grow! Also, if you plan on sharing outside of the Project page (such as on Instagram) please let us know your @account so we can catch you there! Don't forget to use the hash tag #TheStyleClassIllustration

FINAL ILLUSTRATION DETAILS

Suggested minimum: 8 x 8 inches at 300 dpi
Can be square or rectangular, tall or wide, as you are inspired (stick with square if you plan on making this primarily an Instagram thing though)

Again, if you share on Instagram, please tag @mrtomfroese in your post and use the hashtag #TheStyleClassIllustration

DOWNLOADABLE CLASS RESOURCES

You will find on this page some downloadable resources for this class, including:

The Three Factors of Illustration Style (PDF)
Traditional vs. Digital Illustration Techniques Table (PDF)
Style Questions (PDF)

INSPIRATION LINKS

"Artist Type" Illustrators

"Designer Type" Illustrators

Favourite Lettering Artists on Skillshare

Natalia Mellado

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