Perfect the Sketch ⭐

How do you make something great on a tight deadline?

Each month, members of the Illo Guild are answering a question together, and this month we’re responding to: How do you make something great on a tight deadline?

My advice— perfect the sketch! It is so tempting to move right into adding color after a rough sketch, especially when you’re working under a tight deadline, but taking time to finalize line work, shapes, and composition means you will save time later. When you start adding color, you will know that your figures, expressions, and composition are done. ✅ You can check that off your list. Now all you need to do is add color.

If the deadline is still creeping up and you already have perfected the sketch, you can get creative with some illustration “short cuts.” For example, use only outlines for background elements, like the houses in this gorgeous cover by Asa Gilland (not that she ran out of time— this style choice, I’m sure, was a very purposeful move that looks confident and cool! So you can try it, too).

A few weeks ago, I was taking the class Illustrating Children’s Books with Make Art That Sells. It was Poses Week (a lot of drawing!), and I was at my brother’s wedding. Needless to say… I did not have much time to work before the deadline. Here’s how I worked to perfect the sketch, and then moved into color. The coloring took half the time of the sketch, and I was able to submit on time!

How do you feel about “perfect the sketch?” Let me know if you give it a try, or what’s your best tip for working under a tight deadline?

See you next Monday for a tip about paper products :)

- Katie