Illustration by Design: A Guide to Elevating your Drawing Skills

A good illustration is an amazing thing.

It can illuminate an idea, simplify a complexity and give us the feels all at once. But what makes a good illustration work? Design thinking!

In this class, you'll learn to define your creative goals, develop your symbolism and evoke stronger feelings in your drawings using a few simple principles from the world of design.

Here are the topics we'll be covering:

• Design Thinking
• The Power of Connecting Illustration and Design
• The Origins of the Modern Illustrator
• Gathering Great References
• Making Strong Compositions
• Using Symbolism to Create Stronger Visuals

All you'll need for this class is a pencil and paper but I'm working in Clip Studio Paint for visual clarity.

• Introduction
• What is Design Thinking?
• Connecting Illustration and Design
• Art Nouveau: The Style of the People
• The Spirit of the Movement
• A Utopia for Illustrators
• Roles for Illustrators
• Class Project: Planning a Composition
• Class Project: Lines, Shapes, Space
• Class Project: Making a Mood Board
• Class Project: Symbolic Forms
• Class Project: Sketching an Idea
• Class Project: Tone Map
• Class Project: Line Art & Contrast (pt. 1)
• Class Project: Line Art & Contrast (pt. 2)
• Class Project: Color & Negative Space
• Wrap Up