Check out my Free Illustration Mini Workshop where I share my journey from Amateur to Pro: https://www.thedrawingcodex.com/illus...
You will get some simple advice on how to get more detail and polish in your work. How to think about composition. And my thoughts on how to prepare for professional work.

This is Part 1 (Part 2 will be coming up next)

Being able to create a lot of thumbnails based on a single idea is an important skill. Not only for professional jobs, but also for coming up with ideas that are actually interesting.

To get beyond the initial generic concepts that are often floating on the surface of our mind.

One of the key ideas I often recommend is to set a quantity goal to help take the pressure off each individual idea.

And 20 is a good quantity to start with!

In creating these 20 thumbnails, here are some good frameworks: Let’s think of them in sets of five:

First Five - Generic Ideas: These are your initial thoughts, the most obvious concepts that first come to mind.

Next Five - Creativity Emerges: Here, you'll push past the obvious to explore more unique ideas as you start to run out of the easy options.

Third Set of Five - Exploring Further: At this stage, dive deeper into creativity, brainstorming to uncover ideas you haven't considered before. Think about using writing or other tools to explore things you might not have considered.

-Final Five - Pushing Boundaries: This is where true creativity is tested. Explore the most unconventional or 'art-house' ideas to fill these slots.

Remember, Quantity is a tool for creativity. Setting a goal of creating 20 thumbnails pushes you beyond the initial ideas. This approach can unearth more unique and varied concepts.

When presenting these thumbnails to to others (in professional environments, especially with clients), consider the following categories:

Generic Options: Start with familiar, recognizable designs that align with proven concepts.

Generic Plus 20% Spin: Mix generic concepts with a unique twist, adding about a 20% deviation from the norm.

Crazy, Out-of-the-Box Ideas: Finally, push for innovative and unusual concepts that showcase your full creative potential.



The principals of composition and picture making are time honoured and well understood. But figuring out how to apply them to your work right now is a challenge! Often we need to focus on the types of images we want to create and understand how things like compositional principals will help us specifically!

Happy Drawing!

Tim Mcburnie

Learn Drawing and Illustration from me: www.thedrawingcodex.com

Portfolio: www.timmcburnie.com
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