Illustration Gym: Find Your Style

The first thing you’ll do is getting to know Santiago, where he comes from, how he delved into illustrating in a self-taught way, his professional collaborations, and some of his main influences.

You'll analyze the work of some line artists to understand their styles, because if words are the basic unit of language, in drawing the line is the essence. Next, you'll review the different drawing tools you can work with and the different line thicknesses they offer, among other details.

In the next unit you'll concentrate on the illustrated portrait, you'll see everything you need to take into account to be more precise and begin familiarizing yourself with the composition. Then, based on the portraits made, you'll draw others by altering something on the face: eyes, eyebrows, or face angles. You'll choose one of these alterations and repeat it in new portraits. This will help you better understand your drawing based on redrawing and reconfiguring it.

Next, you'll work with animals as an exercise to locate peculiar shapes outside your usual environment. You'll learn how to define a limited color palette, and you'll analyze the perfect simplicity of the Picasso Bull. Then, you'll draw a group of animals starting from the same shape, as a common denominator.

Lastly, you'll apply everything learned in a final exercise, by combining each of the exercises and techniques learned. In addition, Santiago will teach you how to catalog all your exercises in a portfolio or file, which you can always return to and find endless resources.