Utilise Your Creative Brain

Our brain is split into two distinctive half’s; which are the complete opposites of each. The right side of our brain is our most creative side. It is almost childlike in the way it likes to work, its innocent, imaginative, free, curious and playful. Well as the left side of the brain is more conscious on how it works and creates things. It has a more sensible approach and likes to be organised and know exactly what it’s creating. 

  

For example the image below of a child’s drawing is free and innocent; it also has been drawn unconsciously. When children are drawing they are doing it for fun. They aren’t aiming at a particular audience or thinking what the context of the image means. However they like to experiment with different types of media and see what the results are. This is evidence of our right side of the brain being used to full potential.

To create the best RVJ or illustration that you can; you have to have both sides of your brain working together. Your work has to be creative, experimental and imaginative. But you also have to have a concept of what you are creating, what the intention of it is and also ask why you are doing it.

Working By Hand

As a creative designer, it is essential for us to work by hand. This allows us to get our ideas out of our head, and straight onto paper.  It also allows us to utilise the right side of our brain, and be at our most creative and free. People don’t have to see theses sketches so we can be as experimental as we like and develop our ideas even further.

Take for example the illustrator Jeremy Dower. He is very creative with his mark making and you can the right side of his brain in action. These sketches are free and experimental, and show how the designer works. He has experimented with different types of media and shape and form. You can also clearly see his ideas/thoughts on paper through his sketches. There is also a clear connection between his hand, eyes and brain. This is evident in some of the characters being drawn again and being improved. But he has also used the sketches to help him design his final illustrations. He now has a target audience, a clear concept and final type of media chosen.  

This is a great example of how if we get the right connection between our hands, eyes and the right side of our brain; we can be more free and imaginative sketch some of our best ideas. This in turn will allow us to create our best illustrations.