Eliyah Mai Creates

I have an early blog post for you this month to say Happy Valentine’s Day with a little something attached at the end for all my subscribers!

In my last post I talked about how to get started on an illustration. If you haven’t read that one yet, you might want to do so before continuing to read this post.😉

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Let’s have fun bringing our idea to life by starting to put together some key themes and elements. My favorite way to do this is through making a moodboard. 

A moodboard is an arrangement of images and materials meant to inspire you to create something with similar themes, textures and colors. 

Here is an example of one of my moodboards:

You can find pictures for a mood board on:

-Canva

-Pinterest

-And you can take pictures yourself too!

Using your moodboard, you will create a color palette that sets the mood of your illustration. 

The colors that you choose are going to heavily affect the feeling of your illustration.

Look at these color pallets side by side. They are the same pallet but one was made dramatically brighter than the first one. 

Notice the different feeling that each pallet gives off? That’s because if you have a lighter color pallet your scene will feel more happy and sweet.

If you have a darker color pallet your scene will feel more dramatic and intense.

You will be surprised how fun it can be gathering your images, themes, textures, and colors as you put together a moodboard for your illustration. 

Once your moodboard is all set, you should have the inspiration needed to give your illustration direction. This direction will help you take your first step in solidifying what your scene will look like. This step is called a thumbnail. 

A thumbnail is a quick and rough sketch. It gives you a very basic idea of layout and positioning for your illustration. This helps you create a more detailed sketch later on in the illustration process. A thumbnail sketch should take no more than 5 minutes. 

Below is a thumbnail I sketched using inspiration from my moodboard.

This is a fun portion of the illustration process, so enjoy it and get creative! And as always, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. 

On a separate note- I have attached some printable Valentines for you to share and enjoy! May you take this day as an opportunity to remember that you are perfectly loved by your Father in heaven! Happy Valentine’s Day! You can download the valentines by clicking below!👇🏻

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful valentines day with people you love!

~Eliyah💕