My Illustration Process: From Concept to Stationery!

Artwork can be inspired by many different aspects of life. Last week, I was feeling pretty low.

It’s no surprise to anyone that during this pandemic, many of us find ourselves sad, or even lonely from time to time. I am fighting the feeling of guilt, that I cannot be there as I should be for my parents. I I have been keeping my distance and only seeing them when it is necessary – to drive them to a doctor’s appointment. I know they must be very lonely and talking on the phone to them doesn’t seem like enough.

This made me want to create a greeting card to show people we are all in this together. I wanted to share my process – which may change from illustration to illustration depending on the project – for making one of my new greeting card illustration!

Step 1: Inspiration

As many of you know, I love pigs! I just think they are so cute. So I pictured a little piggy sitting on a stump with a mommy pig by his side. Each were holding ice cream cones, only the little piggy had just lost the ice cream part of the cone…

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Step 2: Sketch the Concept

I started sketching on my iPad the concept I had imagined with two pigs.

I wanted this to be a greeting card: a sad and discouraged pig in the front, with encouraging words enveloping him. Words that we all need to hear at the moment, and words we need to tell ourselves even.

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Step 3: The Metamorphosis

As you see by my screenshots here, there is a metamorphosis. Between the first photo and the last, my ideas and thoughts changed. Sometimes I will have an epiphany as I start refining details and it adds just the right touch. The iPad is a great tool – it allows you to trace from the layers below, experimenting with different brushes along the way until you find the perfect brush that will bring your artwork alive.