Small Investment, Nice Return
How creating 200 illustrations on a weekly basis has made me a better illustrator
I recently posted my 200th illustration on Instagram. As you may know, I started this project of creating 1 piece of illustration per week back in 2018. I first reflected on this journey in 2020 when I reached the 100 milestone. Now, after another 100 pieces, it’s about time for me to look back again and share with you how 4 years of consistent practice, especially in the last two years, has shaped my illustration style, and I hope that this will give you inspiration in whatever goals you want to achieve.
Cracking the Code of Vintage Vibe
A breakthrough I had during the last 100 illustrations is that I finally mastered the creation of vintage color palettes.
I’d always been fascinated by the nostalgic colors in vintage pictures. I like that vibe a lot, but it was hard for me to get a handle on the process of creating it. I’d tried in the past, but the results I got were not to my liking.
Thanks to the weekly practice. It has allowed me to try out different color combinations and styles. Through analysis and experimentation, I finally got to the results that I liked. I learned that the key to generating the vintage vibe is the use of relative colors, and created a course sharing my insights and learnings about on Skillshare. If you’re also into the vintage colors, check that out.
Finding My Own Voice
When there’s enough accumulation of hours spent on honing a skill, amazing things happen. For me, after about 200 weeks, I could feel that my own style started to develop: I’m bolder. My illustrations are more refined.
Now when I look back at my first 100 illustrations, I can see that the lines were more stiff and rigid rather than fluid. The proportions of my figures tended to resemble those in the real world. Over time, the illustration routine has made me more relaxed, which was reflected in my work.
