Time for some practical advice! As well as other designers I am still learning and far from perfect in creating graphics works. I still believe though it will be useful for you to know what I have learned so far. If you a fan of my work or just curious, here is what I usually stick to:

1. I plan my artwork/ design.

Or simply I sketch before I start. Really depends what format are you using, but creating a huge poster sometimes gets you confused. In order to get your elements right do your research.

2. Precedents

Inspiration always helps. What did others create on that topic before you. Plenty of people believe research is looking at pretty pictures on Pinterest. On the contrary, more than that, it helps you to focus your thought and helps you in the best way so you know what you are creating and also explaining to others.

3. Mood board

It’s not a waste of time again to put a mood board together. It definitely has helped me in designing much faster. Also your boss or clients knows what you have in mind.

4. Do a few versions.

Whether it is a sketch up project for interior building or a graphic design job, options are always a plus. Just making a second opinion allows you to ask yourself what I can do better?

5. Always ask questions

For one design to be beautiful it is not enough. Ask what is it’s role and pick up the right assets when you stick to what functions it does! So so important!

6. Be bold

Sometimes breaking the rules makes your work stand out. The best thing about the creative industry is you can allow your work to speak for itself. So experiment with different techniques and follow your own path.

• The overall topic of “trusting you” is a tricky one.

What happens when you don’t know what to do & are confused about your direction! It happened to me and has happened to everyone at some point. However, if you don’t trust yourself this then affects your creative work. The belief “ I will figure it out,no matter what” is so powerful and it changes your mood, inspiration and day activities.

Artists and designers don’t always happen to have a smooth journey, it is so normal and totally okay. Have a look at the story of Walt Disney for example! The periods of ups and downs shows us what real struggle is and are a huge blessing, if you continue no matter what. Having a positive attitude has saved me from so many situations time after time and I don’t doubt it!

If things are not turning the way you want or you have lost your vision to where you want to be next, the best thing is clearing your head, prioritising what is important and making a list of how to better yourself. I truly believe psychology and creativity are so connected to each other! So if I feel down I wouldn’t want to do any creative work either, but I would spend time on learning which builds your confidence up!

Spending time with yourself, building your dreams & doing what is important is what will change your day.

When you master your day you master yourself and start to feel better! Here is what I would do to improve the trust in me & get going:

-I read motivational books

-I listen to podcasts that help you grow : Have a look at the “ School of Greatness”

-I often journal on what I want to achieve & make a list of my goals. Planning your day can get you ages ahead!

-I work on my self image and my health. Feeling great from within gets you glowing on the outside!

-I focus on personal development and that makes me inspired to do more and be more!

Share this with someone who needs to hear it!

@christine_official_design ask me any questions!

With all of the available softwares, it could be pretty confusing when you start out. Do you always need to create the models in the same way? The answer is no until you find a way of working that makes your work stand out.

I started with free hand drawing, which helped me so much for both interior renders and graphic design projects. Then I learned how to combine digital art and finish up my hand sketch in photoshop. That is one option that can make your work different as it is a mix between hand drawing and digital work.

I would say that photoshop has endless opportunities. It has plenty of features, especially useful is to learn to use Filters- then your drawing can turn into any style you want!

I don’t use Illustrator as much, but I prefer it for vector graphics. The point is all softwares can give you a different style and you need to experiment and determine what your style will be. You can focus on using only certain colours/ adding lines as a frame / using the same background in every picture or determine what your “signature” in the drawing will be.

When people see your work, if you keep a constant feature in every work you do, you will start establishing a style. Your work will be associated with this feature, no matter what the topic is. Have a look at another useful thing I do on my social media:

- I use framing for some of my artwork, it always has my logo and white frame around. It makes the work tidy & looks better.

So sum up:

-continue to experiment with softwares until you find what is useful.

-try different approach to creating a design ( A few times I even created a painting on wood)

-establish a constant feature within your work( colour, particular pencil, background, framing)

-try out “Filters” on Photoshop.

- when you work with 3D software, export the 2d perspective render and give it a go in Photoshop.

Keep up with my recent work on IG @christine_official_design