How to Get Started with Illustration (Part 2)

Getting past creative blocks and finding inspiration

Illustration by Frances To

This article is Part 2 of a series on how you can get started with illustration.

Now that you’ve learned a few tips on how to draw from Part 1, you’re ready to start practicing your illustration skills. But sometimes you can’t start illustrating because you don’t know what to draw. You rack your brain for ideas, but your mind remains a blank canvas. Sound familiar?

Creative blocks happen when we can’t find the inspiration to fuel our creative work. They can happen to anyone — amateurs, professionals, and even illustration enthusiasts like you. While creative blocks may leave you feeling discouraged, there are ways you can overcome this.

In this article, I’ll be sharing some insights on how you, as an aspiring illustrator, can overcome creative blocks and eventually figure out what you’d like to draw.

5. Study works of various artists and designers

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it. They just saw something.

— Steve Jobs