Editorial Illustration Tutorial: From Drawing to Photoshop

Learn how to transform a written article into a digital illustration with tips on drawing, color use, and texture.

Created by: Christine Nishiyama
Artist + Founder of Might Could Studios

What Will I Learn?

• Understand what editorial illustration is
• Learn about the history of editorial illustration
• Know the different types and specs of editorial illustration
• Get inspired by examples from illustrator trail blazers
• Navigate the process of creating an editorial illustration
• Find your artistic style
• Analyze a written article for illustrating
• Collect visual references
• Follow a design brief
• Overcome the blank page
• Start sketching
• Implement drawing tips and techniques
• Know what to send to an art director
• Incorporate feedback into your revisions
• Finalize your drawing
• Work with line
• Create value and color studies
• Learn color theory and how to work with color digitally
• Harmonize a color palette
• Try out new digital painting techniques in Photoshop
• Paint textures to import into Photoshop
• Hand-draw typography to import into Photoshop
• Finalize your illustration

Requirements

• Paper or sketchbook
• Pencils, pens
• Gouache, acrylic, or watercolor paints (optional)
• Light box (or window)
• Scanner (or camera, if unavailable)
• Adobe Photoshop (free trial available online!)

Target audience

• Illustrators
• Artists
• Designers
• Creatives
• Anyone who likes to draw!