How I Started Digital Product Illustration

Sep 2, 2018

Four years ago, I wouldn’t have thought that I’ll be a designer. I can’t draw — and I have bad handwriting (trust me, it’s bad). So I thought that I don’t have the basic skills or the talent to pursue that, which is maybe a bad thing to think, kind of limiting myself, you know.

. . .

Accepting my flaws being a UI Designer at the time

Being the UI Designer as I am today, I have this one weakness (of many others, of course). I fear it — it even haunts me in my sleep.

That one weakness is ILLUSTRATION.

Yeaa.. probably I’m just being too dramatic about it. Many designers do have different opinions about this. Some said that as a UI designer, you need to be able to create illustration as it can create emotional connection to the user. While the other said that you don’t have to, because UI designer is all about the information architecture, how you make something usable for the user.

Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, “Make it look good!” That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. — Steve Jobs

I kind of agree with each opinion and I totally get that, I think it’s all about the context. But for years, I don’t know how and why, this weakness makes me feel incomplete as a designer.

. . .

Facing my weakness

Recently, I had the time and opportunity to learn the basic of it, I joined a workshop for few weeks to learn Digital Illustration. My motivation at the time is of course not to become extremely good at it, but I just want to face my fear and figure out my limit is. I want to break free from the shackle that makes me think I can’t do anything about it.

This is what I made for some of the exercises
And this is what I made for final task. Inspired from one of Dann Petty's post

. . .

Personally, I’m quite proud with the result. I wouldn’t have imagined to create something decent like that. The responses I got from others are very encouraging as well, so there must be something I’m doing right, right??

I know that I still have so much to learn and I know that I can still do better. It’s a good start for me nonetheless, and I’m looking forward to explore another.

P.S. Thank you for Kenneth Mahakim and Ekky Pramana who made this workshop happened with Vektoria.id.

Four years ago, I wouldn’t have thought that I’ll be a designer. I can’t draw — and I have bad handwriting (trust me, it’s bad). So I thought that I don’t have the basic skills or the talent to pursue that, which is maybe a bad thing to think, kind of limiting myself, you know.

. . .

Accepting my flaws being a UI Designer at the time

Being the UI Designer as I am today, I have this one weakness (of many others, of course). I fear it — it even haunts me in my sleep.

That one weakness is ILLUSTRATION.

Yeaa.. probably I’m just being too dramatic about it. Many designers do have different opinions about this. Some said that as a UI designer, you need to be able to create illustration as it can create emotional connection to the user. While the other said that you don’t have to, because UI designer is all about the information architecture, how you make something usable for the user.

Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, “Make it look good!” That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. — Steve Jobs

I kind of agree with each opinion and I totally get that, I think it’s all about the context. But for years, I don’t know how and why, this weakness makes me feel incomplete as a designer.

. . .

Facing my weakness

Recently, I had the time and opportunity to learn the basic of it, I joined a workshop for few weeks to learn Digital Illustration. My motivation at the time is of course not to become extremely good at it, but I just want to face my fear and figure out my limit is. I want to break free from the shackle that makes me think I can’t do anything about it.

This is what I made for some of the exercises
And this is what I made for final task. Inspired from one of Dann Petty's post

. . .

Personally, I’m quite proud with the result. I wouldn’t have imagined to create something decent like that. The responses I got from others are very encouraging as well, so there must be something I’m doing right, right??

I know that I still have so much to learn and I know that I can still do better. It’s a good start for me nonetheless, and I’m looking forward to explore another.

P.S. Thank you for Kenneth Mahakim and Ekky Pramana who made this workshop happened with Vektoria.id.

Four years ago, I wouldn’t have thought that I’ll be a designer. I can’t draw — and I have bad handwriting (trust me, it’s bad). So I thought that I don’t have the basic skills or the talent to pursue that, which is maybe a bad thing to think, kind of limiting myself, you know.

. . .

Accepting my flaws being a UI Designer at the time

Being the UI Designer as I am today, I have this one weakness (of many others, of course). I fear it — it even haunts me in my sleep.

That one weakness is ILLUSTRATION.

Yeaa.. probably I’m just being too dramatic about it. Many designers do have different opinions about this. Some said that as a UI designer, you need to be able to create illustration as it can create emotional connection to the user. While the other said that you don’t have to, because UI designer is all about the information architecture, how you make something usable for the user.

Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, “Make it look good!” That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. — Steve Jobs

I kind of agree with each opinion and I totally get that, I think it’s all about the context. But for years, I don’t know how and why, this weakness makes me feel incomplete as a designer.

. . .

Facing my weakness

Recently, I had the time and opportunity to learn the basic of it, I joined a workshop for few weeks to learn Digital Illustration. My motivation at the time is of course not to become extremely good at it, but I just want to face my fear and figure out my limit is. I want to break free from the shackle that makes me think I can’t do anything about it.

This is what I made for some of the exercises
And this is what I made for final task. Inspired from one of Dann Petty's post

. . .

Personally, I’m quite proud with the result. I wouldn’t have imagined to create something decent like that. The responses I got from others are very encouraging as well, so there must be something I’m doing right, right??

I know that I still have so much to learn and I know that I can still do better. It’s a good start for me nonetheless, and I’m looking forward to explore another.

P.S. Thank you for Kenneth Mahakim and Ekky Pramana who made this workshop happened with Vektoria.id.

Thank you for reading. Have a lovely day :)
Thank you for reading.
Have a lovely day :)
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