Summary: Join me for a reflective walk through my watercolor technique, thoughts on artistic growth, and a book recommendation that inspires creative expression.

Transcript

Intro

Hey there, on today’s Walk and Talk I want to talk about steps. We take steps all the time, and steps help us reach our destination. In illustration, we take steps to create an image or come up with an idea, and those steps become our process. In today’s video, I’d like to share a bit of my watercolor process with you. We’ll look at this painting and discuss how we think about our process and discover our visual voice. At the end of the video, I have a book review for you. Let’s have a walk and talk.

Ethan Hawke and Walking the Creative Path

There’s a great Ethan Hawke TED Talk with a quote I like: “There is no path until you walk it.” This quote resonates with me because it highlights the ambiguity of walking a path and the act of creation that comes with it. As artists, we are constantly creating, and as we walk our path, we are building it.

Transfer Drawing

When creating illustrations, having a consistent path helps ensure consistent work. This is why it’s important to slow down and think about our process. We need to consider how we’re making our steps, why we’re making them, and what those steps are. Slowing down helps us reach a consistent outcome and develop our visual voice. The way we make choices during the illustration process is unique to each artist and defines how we create.

Watercolor Washes

Thinking about your artistic choices helps develop your visual voice. Instead of focusing on “style,” which I find vague, focusing on visual voice is more effective. Our work serves as a vessel for our message, and we communicate through it.

Refining our Process

There are many ways to slow down and discover the steps in our process. Start by considering your artistic inspirations. Which artists inspire you? What excites you about their work, and why? Learn to incorporate those elements into your own projects. By slowing down and isolating the steps in your process—whether related to drawing, values, or color—you can hone specific elements. This focused approach prevents feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of illustration and allows you to refine each step.

Book Time

The book I’d like to share today is A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, edited by Maria Popova and Claudia Bedrick. I discovered this book through Maria Popova’s blog, Brain Pickings, which is full of thoughtful insights and inspiration. The book features a collection of letters from notable individuals like Jane Goodall and David Byrne, paired with illustrations by artists such as Peter Brown and Chris Ware. The diversity of perspectives in both the letters and illustrations reflects different creative voices and approaches, reinforcing that there is space for everyone’s unique visual voice.

Outro (Please Like and Subscribe!)

Thank you for watching. If there’s more information you’d like to know or topics you’d like me to expand on, please leave a comment below. I’d love to start a conversation. Like, subscribe, and most importantly, share this video with someone who might find it helpful. Thanks again, and see you next time.