Finding Inspiration
Have you ever sat staring at a blank page for what feels like hours? Are you stuck in a creative rut? In this blog post I will discuss how to tackle these kind of setbacks and how begin to overcome them.
My first piece of advice is always to go back to basics and consider what it is that inspires you, which can help get the creative juices flowing. It’s one thing to be inspired by flowers and botanical art for example, but how can you take this to the next level to produce your own unique pieces of art?
Truth is there are so many sources of inspiration available to you as an artist or creative, but where to start? Below are some of my personal favourite sources of inspiration: from websites and social media platforms to books and other non-digital sources.
Special Mention - Colour
Colour is a huge source of inspiration for me always, and underpins most of my creative practice. Here are some of my favourite inspiring colour resources:
BOOKS:
Palette Perfect - Aimed at designers, this series of books will help you choose from a large number of colour combinations, as well as the aesthetic and emotive styles they evoke. Colours are organised and identified with RGB, CMYK and HEX codes.
Colour Clash - This book features bold colour palettes that grab attention and make a strong statement. I’ve always said I absolutely love putting colours together that shouldn’t work but they just do - if you feel the same then this book is for you.
Pantone Website - Full of colour resources, trends and articles to get you thinking more widely about colour choices in your work and how colours can blend and complement each other effectively. Also features information about their colour of the year which is really interesting and informative.
I personally have a few of these and they are a great way of seeing inspiring examples of work in the world of illustration (there is something really satisfying about handling a physical book and flicking through it also!)
Looking at the work of your peers is a great place to start and allows you to start to identify trends - something really vital to making your work more marketable and commercially successful.
Check out Palate Perfect for food illustration, Botanical Inspiration - Nature in Art and Illustration and Flora and Fauna for some great botanical branding and packaging examples.
Social Media
This is a go to resource featuring a huge range of images to help you find inspiration. I love creating boards in this platform and referring to them when my creativity dries up! It helps me to explore so many areas of design and I never limit myself to just illustration and surface pattern design. I also have boards for branding, packaging, colour, architecture, interiors and fashion to name a few.
I haven’t utilised this platform enough, only just having started to explore it, but it’s a great resource for again checking out what projects creatives are creating - from editorial to licensing and many personal projects too. You can connect with other creatives and offer feedback.
It’s usually the first thing I look at in the morning and last thing at night (not proud of this!) but it is for me, the best way to connect with other creatives and feel inspired. If you can avoid the comparison trap, then it’s a great way to meet like minded people and check out what work they are doing. I have made some lasting friendships on this app and am constantly inspired at looking at all the amazing work of people I am following. It’s also a great place to go for feedback.
One word about scrolling through social media that I think needs to be said. It can sometimes be tempting to emulate or even copy your favourite artists (especially when having a block), instead it’s important to use it as a starting point to go on to create your own unique art.
Websites:
Other Sources
Museums and Galleries (There is something so satisfying about seeing original works of art or artefacts. Taking a sketchbook and drawing shapes, lines and textures, then using these as a springboard for your own ideas).
Travel (exploring different cultures is always inspiring, especially the architecture and landscape of different countries, the customs and colours of the region).
People Watching (great for sketching characters)
Films (great for costumes and character development)
I hope you have found this blog post useful and that it will help you think more widely as to where inspiration can come from and how this can greatly improve your creative practice and help beat creative block when it strikes.