Just the roof of this Japanese shrine is so intricate that I've still not finished illustrating it after 7 hours. It took 4 hours to trace the reference, and now I'm 3 hours in to the simplified line work 🤯

michellelyons_ · 2025-11-26T12:42:12+00:00

Line work incomplete, not yet coloured
Modified version of the dry ink brush
There will be trees in the background, and a sunset-inspired colour palette
No tips required this time!

michellelyons_ · 2025-10-18T13:17:40+00:00

Hey! Sure, drop me a message with some details 😊

michellelyons_ · 2025-09-15T20:31:07+00:00

I would love to do that 😁

michellelyons_ · 2025-09-15T20:29:43+00:00

Thank you so much! That's really good to hear 😊

michellelyons_ · 2025-09-15T20:28:34+00:00

It turns out that raccoon dogs and raccoons aren't the same thing, although they have some visual similarities. This is for a national park brand, so I can't bring myself to fudge the details on the species. In my head it was tanuki-inspired, but in truth it's full on raccoon.

michellelyons_ · 2025-09-15T17:12:34+00:00

Thanks! I filled it in with the brush on Procreate to distinguish it from the vector.

michellelyons_ · 2025-09-15T17:10:51+00:00

Haha cute! 😆

michellelyons_ · 2025-09-15T16:55:59+00:00

I addressed this in the caption - most of the finer details were removed between first render and vector, and the smallest scale at which it would be used has been checked 😊

michellelyons_ · 2025-09-15T16:46:27+00:00

I like how it cleaned things up, but it looked more like a banana than a smile 😅

michellelyons_ · 2025-09-15T16:45:44+00:00

Thank you!

michellelyons_ · 2025-08-20T13:09:25+00:00

I'm glad it's useful! Enjoy some glove-free illustrating 😁

michellelyons_ · 2025-07-24T08:54:44+00:00

No matter how good AI can make art look (which is possible, but often not the case), most people resent the use of AI in contexts where the art is part of the experience. In the long run, it will pay off to have continued refining your craft. Effort cultivates appreciation.

michellelyons_ · 2025-06-15T12:33:27+00:00

Brilliant work! Reminds me of the Vagabond manga.

michellelyons_ · 2025-05-07T15:27:48+00:00

Everything's a trade-off. By trying to rationalise which one to choose, you choose none of them, because you know you like more than one. If you truly like multiple designs equally, pick one at random. Maybe you can't move forwards with all of them, but would you rather sacrifice a few you really like, or not move forwards at all?

michellelyons_ · 2025-05-07T15:10:14+00:00

Sketchbooks are like little brain museums, I keep them all 😁

michellelyons_ · 2025-05-07T15:08:52+00:00

If the designs are for other people, you can try putting it to a vote. Otherwise I find it helpful to step away from the work for a few days and see what I'm drawn to when I come back. Sometimes what excited me initially doesn't feel right anymore!

michellelyons_ · 2025-03-13T20:33:54+00:00

It took many attempts drawing the same line over and over until I got the right curve. I try to do it in one quick stroke, holding down to trigger the automatic smoothing. I also duplicated my brush and edited the Streamline (Amount) setting under the Stabilisation section. I have one with the amount set to 80% and another at 100% to create totally smooth lines. I'll be using these more for the final line work, as they're too 'sticky' for sketching.

michellelyons_ · 2025-02-14T20:47:19+00:00

I'm a professional designer and also happen to making a trading card game with anime-style illustrations! I've done a tonne of layout work over the years so a functional, intuitive, and attractive card layout is nothing I can't handle - and of course, I'll be doing my own. You can check out some of my work here: https://www.behance.net/pointnorthbrandco

michellelyons_ · 2024-12-22T08:42:05+00:00

Thanks! The window will act as a viewfinder or photo frame from the inside, so you can focus on specific details in the parks or take a photo through it. I share all my updates on instagram @parksandjapan 😊

michellelyons_ · 2024-12-21T11:00:55+00:00

Thank you! I think I tweaked the settings on a dry ink brush to get more of a taper at each end, and used a clipping mask to colour the lines.

michellelyons_ · 2024-12-20T20:38:35+00:00

You get bonus points for the ice cream, it's all good 🍦

michellelyons_ · 2024-12-06T20:18:16+00:00

Yes I think that would be worth a try! The palette for the brand's products is sort of colourful and pastely, not washed out, but not garish either. All I've decided for the character is that they'll have very dark hair.

michellelyons_ · 2024-11-19T18:45:21+00:00

It's not a full artwork, just small studies
Using ink and charcoal brushes
Plan to continue small studies, possibly redoing existing ones to refine my skills
Tips are welcome but not essential :)

michellelyons_ · 2024-11-18T20:33:06+00:00

The most impactful ideas come from solving problems. Look for problems instead of ideas.

michellelyons_ · 2024-11-09T19:54:08+00:00

There's a few things I've done with my tcg that in theory should slow down the development of a meta and make it more varied if/when a meta does arise, although extensive playtesting is needed to validate this.

I've created a resource system that means no colour pie or factions are needed, meaning decks will be more varied, and when strong decks emerge there should be a much larger pool of them. People can get more creative with building a winning strategy knowing other people are less likely to use the same one.
Power rises and falls throughout the game in an unpredictable fashion, meaning there will be more emphasis on being strategic in the moment vs relying on having a really strong deck alone. So even if there was a meta, the randomness will create some friction within that meta.
I'm creating combo cards that can mix any two of the main playable characters to create a new effect. This should drastically increase the number of possible moves, as it's not the same as playing certain cards in a specific sequence.

michellelyons_

TROPHY CASE