Inspiration?

Finding inspiration for me has always been really hard. I always have an image in my head of what I want to create however I always doubt myself in how I translate it onto paper. I know I should always have confidence in my skills, which I do, however the bright white blank page is daunting. But once I get past that I fly. 

Image found on Pinterest.

What do I look for in a reference photo?

For myself, creating my own reference is pretty hard as I don't really know a lot of people, and I don't really want to ask if anyone is interested in having a photography session for me. Plus, for me at least, drawing someone that I know is pretty awkward. So I look on the internet. I do have a specific criteria of what I look for though. The person must always be female, just because there is more you can do with them I think such as the hair and whether they have make up or not. Next is the eyes I need to have both eyes in the photo as the eyes are my favorites to draw. Last but not least is the hair, I like neat hair as it's easier to draw. I have a love hate relationship drawing hair. When its near I think I can capture the likeness pretty well however if its messy, I don't have enough skill or experience to make it look as good as I want it to. This is one of my goals to improve on this year.


This photo caught my eye as it fits my criteria and also because I do like gothic themes. At first I sketched it all out however I wasn't happy with it. I couldn't get the glasses in the exact same position so I got rid of them. In the end I really liked the face as it makes it more open, and I now think the glasses would have closed it off a bit. Next were the earrings and oh how I wish I could have captured the likeness however the reference photo is too blurry when you zoom in, so I got rid of them as well.

In the end this is what I ended up with. This is a simplified version of what I hoped however I do think that it matches with my style and the other works that Ive made in the past. Although I tried to be more adventurous with adding accessories and that I can see now that my skill level isn't quite there yet and its something I need to improve on. Saying that I am really happy with my sketch, and I cannot wait until I add the shading.

All sketches are done on bristol board.

Do you have any advice or questions for me? Please leave me a comment below as I am eager to answer.

Want to see more of my work? Check out my Instagram at cat_illustration .

Many Thanks