Ready for a journey into Sue’s magical world? We asked her a few questions about her art and she takes us through a step-by-step tutorial on how she approaches her illustrations. Get inspired.
Where do you see your recognition value?
At the moment, it‘s my small, cute figures that speak a little bit out of everyday life, but sometimes also bustle in surreal worlds. I‘m not exactly sure how I would describe my art, as I always perceive it as constantly
evolving. From an outside perspective, one may recognize my style, but for me, it‘s a process of growth and discovery. I feel compelled to try new things that have a powerful effect on me, but it‘s only with time that the changes will be noticeable from the outside.
Where do you see your recognition value?
At the moment, it‘s my small, cute figures that speak a little bit out of everyday life, but sometimes also bustle in surreal worlds. I‘m not exactly sure how I would describe my art, as I always perceive it as constantly
evolving. From an outside perspective, one may recognize my style, but for me, it‘s a process of growth and discovery. I feel compelled to try new things that have a powerful effect on me, but it‘s only with time that the changes will be noticeable from the outside.
HOW TO – BY SUE
On the way to to the creation of a painting, there is usually a thought, an emotion, a memory or a story behind it. The most important step, even before making the first stroke, is to capture and hold onto this moment mentally. It is less about achieving a perfect technique or avoiding mistakes, but much more about expressing something.
And because every person is unique and sees the world through their own eyes, the result will be just as unique if you let yourself go with it.
However, there are practical steps that help me along the way. I build up a sketch step by step, starting with lightly drawing the basic blocks I have in my head. In the second step, I refine these into smoother, more fluid shapes and adjust anything that doesn‘t match my vision yet. Finally, I sketch details.
Usually, I put together the color palette separately. I test color shades and color combinations so that the image is consistent. If someone prefers to paint a calm, harmonious picture, it is best to limit oneself to a few main colors and use different intensity levels of those colors. There‘s nothing wrong with using more colors either. In art, there is no right or wrong.
And then I start to apply the paint layer by layer. First a little lighter, so that I can still fix mistakes. Then I get darker and darker. I always take into account light and shadow sides. Finally, I add the details with a fine brush and opaque colors.
