“It often feels like working forward and backward at the same time.”
What is your process like, from ideation to final execution?
I work digitally on a Cintiq and a Macbook Pro. For client work, I like to start by researching anything that is related to the brief at hand. I collect a bunch of images, text, and ideas that I try to mix and match into potential directions. This mix and match process requires a lot of doodling, which is my favorite part. Sometimes the first idea that strikes me will be the best, but sometimes there’s always that throw away idea that I’m iffy about that the client really likes. It’s really important to hit a wide range of directions that communicate an idea properly without straying from what is being said.
After the concepts are solidified, I work back-and-forth with the client to show work in progress and get to the final deliverable. When animation is involved, I have to consider how I would build out the animation while creating the illustration. It often feels like working forward and backward at the same time, but I find this comes easier with more experience.
For my personal work, I would say most of the process is just doodling and jotting things down in my notebook or phone to come back to later. I like to come back to these after a while and start piecing them together like a huge pile of LEGO’s.
It’s difficult to sit in creative block as a working artist, but how do you continually find inspiration to push back any fears and doubt within your process?
I think the important thing is to get to your desk everyday to work, the “showing up” part.
When I’m stuck, I’ll find some easy chores to do around my apartment to clear my mind. When I’m really stuck, I just start over. When I’m too worried about the result, I find that it tends to fog up my brain more, so I try to trust my process and go with it.
