Where I Find Inspiration for My Illustrations
The Places, People & Moments That Inspire My Artwork
Coming up with new ideas for what to illustrate is always at the forefront of my mind whenever I finish an artwork. I find inspiration is a funny thing that arrives in ebbs and flows. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with ideas and end up making myself a list of ideas to work through, while other times I can go through long periods wondering what to paint next. In this blog post, I want to share my personal experience of where my inspiration comes from.
If you’re reading this I can guess that you’ve seen my work, either on my socials or my homepage. You can probably tell my work is rooted in everyday subjects that I embellish in vibrant, warm colours. This is because I find most of my inspiration in my surroundings, and from there I imagine these subjects in colours that are pleasing to me and add some fun to the piece. However, there’s more to my method than just walking around and finding beautiful architecture and natural elements to re-image. I actually keep a small collection of magazine clippings, postcards and colour combinations that catch my eye on my art desk. They don't always become illustrations, but they often spark an idea.
Another tool I often find helpful is Pinterest. When I first started painting, Pinterest was a big source of inspiration for me. Although Pinterest is a fantastic platform for finding other artists and looking at beautiful art, I stepped away from using it as a place to find creative ideas. This is because I want to make sure any ideas I come up with are original and not a copy (even if accidental). Saying this, I still use Pinterest for looking at colour combinations and swatches (see above), I have a board that I use to try new colour compositions, which has been incredibly helpful when it comes to colour planning my artwork.
Sometimes I don’t even need to go and look for external references for inspiration. One of my favourite ways to come up with ideas for art prints is looking through my camera roll. This has replaced Pinterest and Instagram for me because all the pictures were taken by me, so no risk of plagiarizing another hard-working artist! An example of this is my Happy New Year print which is actually a picture of my old kitchen after a NYE party.
Another part of my creative process that I find really valuable is talking through my ideas with friends and family. I'm lucky to have some wonderfully creative people around me, and my mum, who is incredibly at drawing and painting, is especially good at helping me develop my ideas and see them from a different perspective.
As a final note, I find one of the most valuable techniques for keeping my creative ideas flowing is simply allowing my brain time to relax. By this, I mean giving myself space to enjoy and experience the world around me without the pressure of constantly searching for the next artistic idea. It’s why reading a book or watching a film can often become the source of inspiration — because in those moments, I’m not trying to force a new idea to appear; I’m simply enjoying the experience and allowing my mind to wander.
Stress can be one of the biggest barriers to creativity, and feeling uninspired can often add to that pressure. Giving yourself time away from creating, allowing yourself to rest, explore and enjoy life, is just as valuable as the time spent making art.
After all, art comes from life, so don’t forget to put down the pencil, step away from the page, and go out and experience it.