I’m often asked about the tools I use to create my artwork. So today I want to share my art process (the super-short version, of course!) in 4 easy steps.
Inspo
I start by selecting an image from my inspiration library. This is basically a huge collection of photos that I save on my Instagram and on Pinterest whenever I find something inspiring. What I select completely depends upon my mood as I do not follow design/art trends or try to “make what will sell right now”. There are two different ways I choose my inspiration.
1. Start with a color palette: Sometimes a color palette catches my eye. When this happens, I start with that palette and as I go along, I paint a piece that will compliment these colors to present them is an appealing composition.
2. Start with a pose: This can be a human or anything else living, including plants. This is when I start with a composition that features this element and I choose colors and other elements of the piece as I go along.
Adobe Creative Cloud
I like to work on two different kinds of artworks. The first is the graphic kind which I create in Photoshop on my desktop. This type of artwork includes photographic & other collages, abstracts etc. The second type is illustrations/paintings. For these, I use Adobe Fresco.I have a Creative Cloud subscription and it’s one of the best investments I’ve made for my art business. I tried everything from Procreate to Draw but my favorite is Fresco – because of its awesome brushes, ease of use, unlimited layers, simple settings and quick export options.
I start by importing the inspiration/reference image in Adobe Fresco on my iPad Pro (the 2nd best invesment I made for my art business!). Now I either draw, in case I’m doing a abstract sketch or I go right ahead and use the paint brushes if I’m doing a painting/illustration. I take anywhere from a few hours to sometimes a week to finish a single piece.
Export
Once I’m happy with my artwork, I either export it to my Dropbox or to my Creative Cloud storage – both of which I can easily access from my desktop at work.
Finishing Touches
My desktop is where I prep all my artwork for licensing and for printing. I use Photoshop to clean up the art or add patterns, change colors, add minor elements etc. and then the artwork’s ready to be printed!