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adamming

Adam Ming Illustrator

1251Following
804Followers
2183Likes

Children's Illustrator Writes at Substack.com/Adamming

The first page of subsequent sketchbooks created by Adam Ming Illustrator with Official Sound Studio's Let's go
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The first page of subsequent sketchbooks
A quick illustration for the newsletter.

This was the one where I talk about having a project as a default, and showing up.

1. Have a project

Here’s the rule of thumb always have a project.

As a tactic to follow this rule, choose the morning pages or some other general project as a default project. Whenever you find yourself without a project, you can default to your morning pages. Spending time there will birth new projects that you can then choose to move your attention to.

Building a creative practice requires learning.

The most effective learning is called ‘Just-in-time’ learning. This means you don’t have to learn a bunch of skills ‘Just in case’ you might need them. Just the skills you need to complete your current project.
Simply put, without a project, you’re unlikely to learn any practical skills.

2. Show Up

The first thing your project will teach you is that if you show up your project will get done.

The pages will get written, a drawing will emerge, slowly, surely. Showing up means being fully present in your project without a care in the world, just for the duration that you decide to show up for. This ability to ignore the world and focus on your thing is an important one.

And every time you fall short or fail to show up. There is a lesson in there too.

There are things you need to deal with, things that are stopping you from giving yourself some slice of your day for your project.

It could be internal things to work through.

The pages can really help with that.
Write about where you are, where you want to be, and some next steps in the general direction.

It could be physical things.

Lighting, Get better lighting.
Hunger, buy some protein bars.
Noise, find a quiet place.
Time, start with smaller increments, a smaller project. Write a sentence a day, instead of 3 pages.

It feels like showing up to your project is a lonely pursuit with all its
struggles, but it’s not, all of us have similar struggles. I heard from my running coach today the struggle is not failure, it’s succeeding in not giving up.

Maybe you’re starting out, or maybe you’re stuck and need to get going again, here’s how:

1. Have a project
2. Show up

If you liked this you might enjoy my substack, search for me there!
How do you know about your favorite creator, did you meet them in person? Or at an event? Where did you first see their work? Was it online?

The Three things you can share are your:

1. Work - not just the finished work but your workings little snippets, editors tell me all the time how they love seeing little reels of me working, they are watching a thing come alive.

2. Ideas - I think this is a great wish to find your people, people with similar ideas flock together and by interacting both are improved. And people with different ideas challenge each other, so either way putting your ideas out there for scrutiny makes them better.

3. Learning - @aliabdaal calls this the Avatar effect, (Ang not the blue people), the idea that we’re watching a journey of someone level up. The common thinking is I’m going to level up, then win, the end. In reality though you’re always leveling up, share the journey, it’s a way of inviting others into your adventure

This book in this reel is Austin Kleon’s “Show your Work”

Ps, I “show my work” in my Substack, search for me there :)
From sketch to final icon.

#kidlit #illustration
The way to have consistency of characters across spreads is to this have a breakdown of shapes to use as a guide. This is especially important when drawing animals using references.

Remember you’re not drawing the reference, you are using the reference to draw your characters.

#drawing #animals #kidlitart
Writing Thursday’s “Thought Stack”

3 ideas:
1 💡 concept
1 👁️ insight
1 🍎 principle

Using a slot machine method to assemble a newsletter. Each idea is stand alone, but I try to configure them to have strong threads

#writing #creativity #notecard
Making an illustration about ants
Listening and sketching
There are 3 ingredients in my illustration process, 3 steps, the first happens on paper.

You never see this directly in the end, but it’s the most important step, this is where nothing becomes something.

I have two goals at this stage:

1. Captures the shape or the outline
2. Capture energy

Sometimes I lean in with shape, other times energy. This tension between shape and energy, I think creates a liveliness on the page.

#illustration #kidlit #sketch
#sketchbook

What would a picturebook about a zebra be about?
Books and future book :)
We have stories in TikTok now, that’s nice, it makes the place a little more familiar… Hello!
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We have stories in TikTok now, that’s nice, it makes the place a little more familiar… Hello!
Maybe a character for a story… “Once again billy ALMOST raised his hand ALL THE WAY, but before he could reach the top, his nose got itchy… so he dug it.”

#kidlit #sketchbook
Follow for more daily more of this daily sketchbook practice. I’m trying to get to 1000 followers so I can add a link here
I’ve started sketching again. It’s practicing in public

#sketches
A crop of a thing, #kidlit #illistration #booktok
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