So you’re starting to become an illustrator? Surely, the road will be very hard. In fact, you’ll meet plenty of challenges along the way. However, if you can just keep an open mind and heart, as well as allow creativity to flow, everything will fall into place. Of course, it helps if you have the following beginners’ tips on illustration:

1. Start by imitation. If you want to create techniques or learn how to draw, you can just simply copy from what other people have already finished. Your goal here is to assess how much improvement you need to do in terms of your skills, knowledge, and illustration strategies. By no means you’re allowed to proclaim your sketches to be your own since you’re merely copying from someone else.

2. Avoid using computers. There are a lot of computer programs that you can use to draw. What’s more, you can make your images 3D, which then give your characters and objects more life.

However, if you want to follow the ways of the masters, you must avoid starting your illustration journey with computers. Besides, during the time of Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso, computers were unheard of. Yet their works transcend time and are now worth millions if sold in the market.

You may ask, “What should I use then?” You can always begin with the basic tools: pen or pencil, then paper.

3. Go for actual images. You may be tempted to continue learning how to illustrate through the use of photographs. This means that you would copy certain elements that you’ve seen in a magazine, book, or on the Internet; then you’ll collate them to make a whole new different picture.

This strategy makes things so much easier. However, it doesn’t make you a great illustrator. After all, you’re still doing no. 1, which is copying. You would also not learn how to make your images appear in 3D since you’re highly dependent on the still photos. What you need to do then is to go out there and capture every living and non-living thing that you see. Draw them the way you look or perceive them to be.

4. Don’t try to finish it in one sitting. If you think you cannot complete your drawing at one time, then don’t. You know what normally happens when you’re all burned out: creative juices stop flowing, and you would produce mediocre results.

Unless you’re fighting a deadline, take as much time as you can for every picture that you make. Keep in mind that you’re still trying to learn as much as you can about illustration.

5. Have a teacher. Some would-be illustrators would like to be self-taught. After all, they know that they’re creative enough, and all they need to have is technique. However, if you truly want to improve your craft, you have to be properly guided. You can only do this if there’s a mentor around.

You can enroll yourself in a short course about illustration, or look for someone who can teach you how to draw free of charge.