Developing a Plan

A crucial part of beginning any task is having a plan in mind. When struggling to create in digital media, one should consider stepping aside from the technology and developing the concept first, whether that be in the form of sketches or in research (or a combination of both).

Sketchbooks are an ideal tool for starting out your creative workflow. They allow you to fluidly conceptualize your design and make a multitude of variations with little time lost. They also allow you to quickly get your ideas down on paper and then you can later transfer them into illustrator for further editing.

Illustrator allows you to bring in any raster-based image you want to work with. After importing the image into the desired Layer, you can change it into a Template Layer, and it will automatically lock and dim the layer. In the Layers custom settings, you can dim the image to whatever works best for your specific situation. Note the change in the layer icon for the bottom layer that...