How do I know if a drawing or illustration is any good? I could critique the character of the line. I could rationalise the colour palette – analogous, harmonious, complementary, and so on. I could critique the composition – is it dynamic? Does it adhere to the rule of thirds? Is the cropping suitable? What does the angle say?
The other way is to simply ask, is there life on the page? Because if life isn’t there, no amount of illustration or image theory will make it any better.
What if illustrations didn’t prescribe a world to the reader, but, instead, suggested one?
Until I’ve put an idea on a page, it’s nothing more than an idea – something that’s difficult to see, hold, and connect with.
If a pencil could talk, what would it say to you? Nothing, I suspect, if you don’t use it.
Are there any set of words that one human can say to another that have a more profound effect than these?
Social media is a siren’s song – of scale, of connection, of ‘monetisation’, of a valuable way to spend time. Might there be a better way?
