For the (Dutch) Flow Illustratiespecial Amy van Luijk drew some really nice illustrations. This month she will tell us all about her work, inspiration and her life as an illustrator on our blog. When I’m working on a new project or illustration I start by making lots of sketches and taking notes of ideas. I like to work on loose sheets of paper so I don’t have to feel precious about my work. My best work comes from when I’m just sketching and playing and not thinking of the pressure of creating the ‘final’ artwork.
To create my illustrations I often use a cut out technique to create the block colours in my drawings. I cut out many shapes and play around with the arrangement, then glue them down on the page. I end up with pages and pages covered in coloured shapes. Then I go back with tracing paper to add the line and details. I mostly work on individual layers for each colour and scan everything into the computer separately so I can remain flexible and change the colours afterwards. On the computer I collate all the layers together, rearrange the motifs and if it’s a pattern I’m working on I make the repeat. I like to draw quickly to retain the energy in my work.
To pick colours for an illustration I like to see them in real life rather than picking colours on the computer. I lay out all my coloured paper scraps and it usually doesn’t take long to see a nice combination of colours. If no good colour combinations are jumping out at me at I just give the papers a mix and have another look. I have a notebook where I catalogue colour palettes so I don’t forget them.
