101 Projects for Artists and Illustrators

Don’t know what to do with your extra time? There are plenty of odd jobs and tasks that an illustrator can do in between assignments. If you’re looking for some inspiration, here’s a long list of projects, ideas, and necessary chores to help make your free time more productive.

Tell a Story
 Many images are used to help a narrative, and as an illustrator it is important to keep developing this skill in your off-time.

1. Make a book cover for your favorite classic novel.
2. Create a series of illustrations that show the passage of time.
3. Illustrate a song.
4. Make a narrative advertisement for a soft drink.
5. Illustrate your favorite childhood memory.
6. Make a children’s book spread for a fairy tale.
7. Illustrate the four seasons.
8. Why did the chicken cross the road?
9. Make a series of black and white “chapter” drawings for a novel.
10. Retell a short story in graphic form.
11. Create a theater poster for a Shakespearean play.
12. Create a series of illustrations that shows a person aging.
13. Make an instructional poster for a favorite recipe.
14. Illustrate a day in the life of a cat, dog, fish, or monkey.
15. Make a picture book dummy.
16. Illustrate the seven days of the Creation.
17. Interesting stories to consider: The Odyssey, the Bible, Aesop’s Fables, Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare, nursery rhymes
18. Make a magazine cover for a current news story.
19. Illustrate a famous historical event from: 20 years ago, 100 years ago, 1000 years ago, Prehistoric times
20. Illustrate family life in the future, at least 100 years from now.

Academic Exercises
Time to get back into the classroom! Refresh your skills every now and then so you don’t lose sight of the basics.

1. Make an illustration influenced by your favorite illustrator.
2. Paint a landscape with only three colors.
3. Create a painting in a medium you’ve never used before.
4. Study and draw figures from each source: Bridgman, Vanderpoel, Hogarth, and the masters
5. Make an abstract painting.
6. Paint a self-portrait.
7. Create a full painting in 30 minutes.
8. Draw a figure in: 1 hour, half hour, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds.
9. Fill a page of your sketchbook.
10. Create two versions of the same painting — one with warm colors, one with cool colors.
11. Sketch in a public place.
12. Paint a traditional still life.
13. Paint the same still life in your illustrative style.
14. Read a book.
15. Watch a movie.
16. Read other artists’ thoughts.
17. Watch how other artists work.
18. Take a class, if there are any available in your area.
19. Research a particular era, artist, or style and create a few paintings influenced by it.
20. Take a trip to a zoo or aquarium to sketch animals from life.

Practical Projects
Don’t let the promotion and organization of your business get pushed aside.

1. Create a series of spots to use on your website.
2. Make an illustration for a postcard.
3. Design a new logo for yourself.
4. If it’s near the holidays, create a Christmas card to send out.
5. Create a Thank You card to send to clients.
6. Draw a self-portrait in your illustrative style to use on your promotional materials.
7. Create a business card.
8. Make a small sampler, such as a booklet, that contains your artwork that you can use to give to prospective clients.
9. Create a piece of artwork to enter into a competition.
10. Take a moment to archive your traditional paintings through scanning, digital photography, or slides.
11. Backup your digital files to a disk, hard drive, or server.
12. Create sample sheets of your artwork that art directors can file easily.
13. Update your website with new artwork.
14. Work on creating samples for styles, markets, and subject matter that you are lacking in.
15. Create stationery for your business.
16. Make computer desktops or e-cards to distribute on your website.
17. If you are a children’s illustrator, create some coloring pages for your younger fans.
18. Create a fresh, new illustration to be used in a sourcebook or other advertisement.
19. Clean your work area.
20. Catch up with your paperwork.

Creative Exercises
One of the hardest tasks that illustrators have is to stay fresh and original. Use your free time to keep the creative juices flowing.

1. Design a character for a book/movie/tv show.
2. Draw a caricature of your favorite movie star.
3. Illustrate a fortune from a fortune cookie.
4. Create an illustration that integrates your name.
5. Make an album cover for your favorite band.
6. Create a modern movie poster for your favorite classic movie.
7. Create a classic movie poster for your favorite modern movie.
8. Design a creature that is a combination of at least two different animals.
9. Design a car from 100 years in the future.
10. Paint a landscape painting of an imagined land.
11. Draw a treehouse. Include as much detail as you can.
12. Draw 50 thumbnail sketches of the same object.
13. Make an illustration for each month of the year.
14. Design a deck of cards.
15. Make up your own fairy tale land and characters.
16. Research and draw characters/objects/settings from: the Mob, the Middle Ages, the Samurai, a Pirate ship.
17. Draw a monster a day for a month.
18. Illustrate a song from the Sixties.
19. Create illustrations of current events and topics such as global warming, airport security, new technology, or education.
20. Illustrate a stereotype.

Online Communities
These are resources I have found across the internet that will help you grow as an illustrator.

1. Participate in Illustration Friday.
2. Create a Moji.
3. Start a blog.
4. Help other artists who ask for critiques of their work.
5. Join an artists’ forum and participate in discussions.
6. Find and study online tutorials.
7. Look at other artists’ work through portfolio sites and blogs.
8. Subscribe to Drawn!
9. Subscribe to Lines and Colors.
10. Listen to what other artists have to say through podcasts.
11. See what other artists’ like on de.li.cio.us and StumbleUpon.
12. Contribute to the ThreeThumbsUp Gallery.
13. Read EmptyEasel.com.
14. Check out AmateurIllustrator.com.
15. Join a community like the Little Chimp Society or Illustration Mundo.
16. See the point of view of an art director.
17. Stay up to date with your industry: SI, SCBWI, GAG, IPA
18. Find illustration competitions.
19. Online portfolio sites: Portfolios.com, iSpot, Illoz.com, childrensillustrators.com
20. Read book reviews: the Sandbox, Fuse #8

And Last But Not Least…

1. Subscribe to DaniDraws.com for illustration tutorials, videos, and more great articles like this one. ;)

Art Memes

Expressions and Body Language

• 25 Essential Character Expressions - super helpful for different emotions you might not normally draw
• Ultimate Expressions - same thing but bigger if you have like a YEAR
• Reactions - expressions, but with a reason!
• Body Language - body language is just as important as facial expression, so this is a good one to try

Poses

• Annoying Poses - some tricky things
• Action Poses - HIGH KICKS ALL AROUND
• Action Poses II - (for more subdued characters)
• Character Poses - various, everyday things

Development

• Different Ages - it’d probably be better to space out the ages more, but it’s a good start
• Character Variety - figure out what makes them unique
• Wardrobe - drawing clothes is FUN
• updated age meme

Other Stuff

• Character Building - more of a written thing, but interesting if you’re into that kind of stuff
• Character Inspiration

10 things you love

1. My friends and family
2. Writing
3. Drawing
4. Good desserts
5. Good music
6. Good books/movies
7. The feeling of progress
8. The sensation of learning
9. Accomplishment
10. To dance and sing.

10 things you’re ashamed of.

Yikes. Shame? Boo. I feel no shame! I am shameless!!

1. Sometimes I snap at people when I’m in a bad mood, but I always apologize when I catch myself at it.
2. Sometimes when I’m stressed out I procrastinate. I wasn’t always like that, so I’m trying to stamp out the tendency while it’s young.
3. I used to be big-headed. I still can be sometimes, but now I recognize it and I’m working on toning it down. I’ve been told it’s a symptom of being young.
4. When I was little I thought that those phone cards with the minutes on them were actually business cards, so I took a whole bunch of them from the counter at a store and pretended they were my own credit cards. When my dad asked me how I got those cards he looked really upset and it scared me, so I told him I found them on the sidewalk. It wasn’t until much later that I learned what they were.
5. I have a memory of saying the wrong thing in front of a large audience when I was in girl scouts. For the longest time I ranked that moment in the number one slot of the most embarrassing moments in my life. I’m ashamed I was embarrassed of something so lame for so long, haha.
6. I don’t know if I would call it “shame” but I do have some kind of interesting, unidentified reaction to my memory of the first time I ever cheated on a test. (Not that I made a habit of cheating on tests, for the record.) When I was in elementary school we were having a spelling test. The teacher asked us how to spell the word “school” and even though she’d covered up all the posters in her room, the door was open to the adjoining class and I saw a large banner that said “Welcome back to school!” on it. So I copied the spelling. I guess I should feel ashamed of cheating, but instead I feel pride at being resourceful.
7. Oh, something I’m ashamed of now but didn’t understand was in preschool I met a little black boy for the first time in my life. He was the only black kid in class and I’d never seen anyone like him before, and since he was different I didn’t want to play with him. I think I’d feel pretty bad about it now if I didn’t also distinctly remember he smelled funny.
8. Haha, I just remembered a time when a “friend” of mine told me that pine wax was actually honey, and she convinced me to try some of it. I got so sick and I’m ashamed I was such a dumb little child haha!
9. Um…gosh this is hard. Should I be ashamed I can’t think of much I’m ashamed of? Is shame that thing you feel when you haven’t forgiven yourself for something? What is the actual definition of shame? “A painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.” Yeah, there’s plenty of times I’ve been wrong and foolish but I don’t feel pain in response to it. Usually it’s just funny… or if it’s not funny, I just think ‘it is what it is’ and move on to something else.
10. I don’t think I have anything else to add, actually.

10 favorite bands or artists. (no particular order)

1. Abney Park
2. Beats Antique
3. Mutemath
4. Innerpartysystem
5. Adam Lambert
6. Froufrou
7. Muse
8. Coldplay
9. Cobra Starship
10. Madonna

10 things about your friends.

1. They’re all vastly different from each other.
2. Most of my friends know most of my other friends but I don’t think I have one friend who knows all my friends.
3. They all come from different sides of the tracks and I float between their circles depending on my mood.
4. Most of my friends have a creative side to them, but it’s not always expressed through visual arts. They’re great writers, game designers, musicians, and computer programmers.
5. My core group of friends would probably be considered geeks by most.
6. My friends tend not to date each other, as an unspoken rule.
7. There is very little drama in my group. When there is, it’s intense, but doesn’t last long.
8. I consider all my close friends part of my family and protect/assist them as such.
9. Most of my friends are people you can go a while without seeing but feel like no time has passed when you meet up again.
10. Most of my friends were met in school.

10 of your favorite people. (no particular order)

(Family aside)

1. Beckah (though she’s practically family.)
2. Jim McCampbell (Teacher/hero)
3. Ross
4. Adam
5. Anna
6. All my friends from college (Is that cheating? Oh well.)
7. Phi, my cat (not a person but still I love her.)
8. Monster and Paris (my ferrets, also not people but this is my list and I put whoever I want on it.)
9. Jackie (I said I wasn’t going to list family but he’s my friend too so don’t judge me XD)
10. Quentin Tarantino

10 things about your family.

1. We get along pretty well overall.
2. There’s four in my immediate family: Mom, Dad, Jackie, and me.
3. Both grandparents on both sides are still alive and kickin’.
4. We go on family trips to different places. We used to go to North/South Carolina all the time during spring break.
5. My dad’s a lawyer, my mom’s a pharmacist, both my granddads worked at NASA.
6. My brother’s gonna be a good president some day, just you wait.
7. My parents have a habit of adopting the neighborhood kids.
8. We have a family cat named Nutmeg.
9. My brother is Jack the Third and he plans to have a Jack the Fourth.
10. I’m proud of my family name because I’m proud of my family’s accomplishments.

5 things you need to say

1. Haters gonna hate. Players gonna play. But if you hate or play with me, I’ll just kick you in the nads.
2. Yesterday was Thursday. Today is Friday. Tomorrow is Saturday.
3. The best part about being a girl is everything.
4. I’m not ignoring you, I just don’t turn on my phone. Try email instead.
5. Peace out.

10 of your favorite foods

1. Baklava
2. Lasagna
3. French fries
4. Cheeseburgers
5. Eggs
6. Fruit
7. Mashed potatoes
8. Chicken
9. Angel food cake
10. Cheesecake

5 ways to win your heart

1. Flattery always works.
2. Presents do too.
3. Making me laugh is the best.
4. Lend me your jacket when it’s cold.
5. Any combination of the above and I’m yours.

5 ways to make you cry

1. Reject my love.
2. Reject me socially.
3. Betray my trust.
4. Bait me into a fight.
5. Be nice to me in person and say nasty things when I’m not around.

10 things you do every single day.

1. Brush my teeth.
2. Do something on my computer.
3. Admire my reflection.
4. Check the weather.
5. Consider going back to sleep.
6. Wonder what time it is.
7. Offer a thought to friends who’ve passed away.
8. Eat food of some sort.
9. Ask myself what I feel like doing.
10. Recall my dream from the night before.

List of Horror Movies

An email circulated around Blue Sky collecting horror movies (or movies with horror elements) that we should watch. Since today is Halloween, I figure it’s a good time to share it! I’m going to cross off movies on this list as I’ve seen them. Join in if you like!

13 Ghosts (1960)
13 Ghosts (2001)
28 Days Later
28 Weeks Later
30 Days of Night
Alice Sweet Alice
Alien
Aliens
An American Werewolf in London
American Zombie
The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Amityville Horror (2005)
Apollo 18
April Fool’s Day
Army of Darkness
The Audition
Battle Royale
The Birds
The Brood
The Changeling (1980)
Cabin Fever
Candyman
Carrie
Carriers
Children of the Corn
Christmas Evil
Cloverfield
The Crazies (1973)
The Crazies (2010)
Creepshow
Cronos
Darkness Falls
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Dead Alive
Dead Snow
Delicatessen
The Descent
Devil’s Backbone
The Devil’s Rejects
District 9
Dog Soldiers
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
Don’t Look Now
Drag Me to Hell
Event Horizon
Evil Dead 2
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
The Exorcist
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Exorcist III
Fido
The Fly
Friday the 13th (1980)
Friday the 13th Part 2
Friday the 13th Part III
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Friday the 13th Part 9: Jason Goes to Hell - The Final Friday
Friday the 13th: Jason X
Friday the 13th: Freddy vs Jason
Friday the 13th (2009)
Fright Night (1985)
Frogs
Gator
Ginger Snaps
Grace
The Grudge
Halloween (1978)
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Halloween H20: 20 Year Later
Halloween: Resurrection
Halloween (2007)
Halloween II (2009)
Hellraiser
Hellraiser II: Hellbound
Hellraiser II: Hell on Earth
Hellraiser: Bloodline
Hocus Pocus
High Tension
The Host
Hostel
House of 1000 Corpses
The House of the Devil
House on Haunted Hill (1999)
The Howling
The Human Centipede
The Human Centipede 2
The Hunger
I Am Legend
I Know What You Did Last Summer
I, Madman
In the Mouth of Madness
Insidious
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
It
Jeepers Creepers
Killer Clowns from Outer Space
Let the Right One In
Let Me In
Mirrors
Misery
The Mist
The Mothman Prophecies
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Nightmare on Elm Street
Nightmare on Elm Street 3
Nine Dead
The Orphanage
The Omen
The Others
Pan’s Labyrinth
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity 2
Pet Sematary
Pet Sematary 2
Poltergeist
Poltergeist II: The Other Side
Poltergeist III
Pontypool
Possession
Psycho
Pumpkinhead
[Rec]
Repo! the Genetic Opera
The Return of the Living Dead
Return of the Living Dead Part II
Return of the Living Dead 3
The Ring
Ringu
Rosemary’s Baby
Scream
Secret Window
Session 9
Shaun of the Dead
The Stuff
The Shining
The Silence of the Lambs
Single White Female
Slither
The Strangers
Super 8
Suspiria
The Swarm
A Tale of Two Sisters
The Thing (1982)
The Thing from Another World
Three
Three…Extremes
Tremors
Trick ‘r Treat
Troll 2
Videodrome
The War of the Worlds (1953)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Wicked Little Things
The Wicker Man (1973)
Wolf Creek
Zombie (Zombi 2)
Zombieland

5 things you’ll never do

1. Be a boy.
2. Actually fly without the aid of a jetpack or some such nonsense.
3. Defect to the enemy.
4. Understand infinity.
5. Actually believe I’ll never do any of the above.

5 things you want to do

1. Go falconing/owling.
2. Direct a movie.
3. Publish a comic book.
4. Make a million dollars.
5. Have a family of my own.

5 things you’re known for

1. Being a deadline-nazi in professional relationships.
2. Being the girl who said “I want to work in movies” and actually doing it.
3. My above-average writing skills.
4. Being a braggart when I actually accomplish something I’m proud of.
5. Passion.

5 things that make you hyper

1. Too much caffeine.
2. Not enough sleep.
3. Morning coffee.
4. When something happens on a show/in a book/in a movie that I completely did not expect and I like it.
5. Children.

5 things you do when you’re bored

1. Organize my iTunes.
2. Pick at my nails or some other such grooming.
3. Tap my fingers or twiddle my thumbs.
4. Complain loudly.
5. Yawn.

5 signs that you’re into someone

*NOTE: These things must occur in combination to be valid.

1. If I give you an unusual amount of casual attention.
2. Poking or other sort of playful physical contact.
3. If I talk about you to my friends a lot.
4. If I laugh at your not-so-funny jokes anyway.
5. If I tell you so.