Digital Illustration: Communicate with Color, Pattern and Texture

Introduction to Digital Illustration Techniques

Digital illustration has transformed the artistic landscape, offering creators unprecedented tools to express their vision. This comprehensive course is designed to help you breathe life into your digital illustrations through masterful application of fundamental design elements: color, pattern, and texture. Whether you’re a beginner taking your first steps into digital art or an experienced illustrator looking to enhance your technical capabilities, this class provides the structured guidance you need to create wall-worthy artwork that communicates effectively.

This class will teach you how to breathe life back into your own digital illustrations through the use of a few basic design elements.

Student, Jesper Bertelsen’s project.

Whether you are new to digital illustration, or you are experienced but would like to enhance your ability to incorporate color, pattern and texture into your art, this is the class for you. From concept to completion, you will come away from this class with a beautiful, hang-it-on-your-wall-worthy, piece of art.

What Is Digital Illustration: Communicate with Color & Pattern and Texture?

“Digital Illustration: Communicate with Color, Pattern and Texture” is an online class offered by Skillshare, taught by Brad Woodard. This course is designed to help both beginners and experienced illustrators enhance their skills in using color, pattern, and texture to bring their digital illustrations to life. The course focuses on key aspects such as concept development, understanding color theory, and mastering layout and composition. Through practical exercises, students learn to interpret abstract concepts like “quiet” or “loud” into vivid digital artworks, applying these design elements effectively to create compelling and expressive illustrations.

Who Is Brad Woodard?

“I am a graphic designer and illustrator raised in the Great Northwest, now living in Boise, Idaho with my wife and two little kids. After graduating with a BFA in graphic design, I started my career as an information designer and illustrator at Column Five Media. The digital illustration courses I took in college paid off, as I found that more and more clients were requesting illustration work in their designs. Merging both skills together I have been able attract all types of work, including my work in advertising at Arnold Worldwide.”

What You’ll Lear

• Concept Development. You’ll create a digital illustration with your interpretation of the word “quiet” or “loud”.
• Understanding Color. You’ll learn color theory and essential design principles.
• Layout and Composition. You’ll organize an image from start to completion.

“Here’s where I’m currently at with this quiet, mid-century living room.” –Dominic Flask, Student and Skillshare Instructor

What You’ll Make

For this class you will be creating a digital illustration that will be your visual interpretation of an adjective. You will get the choice of one of two adjectives:”quiet” or “loud“. You will accomplish this through the use of pattern, texture, and color. Your illustration can be as abstract or literal as you choose. The class will start with you determining how you would like to visualize the word. Based on your ideas and brainstorming, you will then select your strongest directions. This is a great time for you to get feedback from your peers to see if you are communicating the way you would like.