The first port of call is always my beloved sketchbook, to create a few colourful doodles before i start a fully fledged artwork. Because of this process head is much clearer about what I’m going to do next in Photoshop.

I often try to start to develop my artwork ideas before I open a 2D or 3D programme. If it’s a good idea it will be easy to draw in rough form on paper first. Interestingly I often find bad ideas harder to draw and are slower to depict. I find myself redrawing the same idea repeatedly, trying in vain to ‘make it better’.

When I look back at all my sketched ideas. The bad ideas don’t seem to have been drawn with the same flow and clarity. This gives me a clue as to where to make the next bit of progress. Then taking the sketched idea into Photoshop or Blender, things start off a lot better for me this way.
It gets interesting when a commission comes along that isn’t the greatest subject matter such as, an illustration about mortgage fraud or the slow decline the airline industry. That’s when the hard work starts.

Here are a few shots from my sketchbooks over the years.

Get Sketching!