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From digital drawing to a layered paper shadowbox with Procreate, Illustrator and Cricut
A designer’s portfolio project turns hand-drawn contour lines into cut paper layers stacked into a framed shadowbox.
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Illustration
Examples and tools for illustration in graphic design, each linked to its source.
AI
Natalie Brown and Adobe: colour variations on original lettering with Firefly
Adobe’s 2023 profile covers an artist using generative recolouring alongside her hand-lettering and illustration practice.
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StyleDrop: Google research on copying a visual style from a single reference image
A 2023 research demo shows text-to-image output matched to the style of one reference image, from watercolor to 3D renders.
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A frog illustration from paper sketches to vector finishing
A 2022 post shows sketching on paper, building shapes in Procreate and finishing in Illustrator for a cut-print look.
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Recraft: image and vector-oriented generative design tools
Recraft presents itself as a text-to-image model and design platform for photorealism, vector generation, custom styles and mockups.
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Rebecca Mills on geometric illustration with QuickShape and balancing agency briefs
A 2019 Procreate interview with an illustrator who uses quick vector-like shapes and mixes open briefs with agency work.
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Procreate: iPad drawing and painting application
Procreate presents itself as a drawing and illustration app for iPad, sold as a one-time purchase with no subscription.
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Photopea: a browser-based image editor that works locally
Photopea says it edits raster and vector graphics in the browser without uploading files.
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Performance.gov: about 1,500 icons developed from handmade inputs with Midjourney
A design news report says Pentagram trained an illustration style from paint and cut paper, then produced reusable icons for federal agencies.
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Preparing a 100-foot mural: sectioned digital artwork, traced to vector for print
A Toronto mural artist explains splitting a wall into canvases at 300 DPI and having a vector artist trace them for printing.
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Leonardo.Ai: aI image and visual-asset creation tools
Leonardo.Ai presents itself as a generative platform for images and video, with editing and upscaling.
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Krita: free, open-source painting and illustration application
Krita presents itself as free, open-source digital painting software.
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Janice Sung on finding a painterly style and clients through Instagram
A 2018 Procreate interview with a first-year freelance illustrator who tried several styles before one stuck.
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Inkscape: Free, open-source SVG vector editor
Inkscape describes itself as a free, open-source SVG vector editor.
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Ideogram: image generation with emphasis on graphics and text-containing imagery
Ideogram presents its models and apps as image generation and editing with reliable typography in images, plus an API.
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Gregory Darroll’s six-step illustration process, from rough sketch to texture
A 2019 Dribbble walkthrough: block shapes, refine, ink, add details, flat color on separate layers, then texture and highlights.
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GIMP: free, open-source raster editing and compositing
GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program, a free and open-source image editor.
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Frank Chimero on getting unstuck while designing his own lecture poster
A 2018 essay: a designer stuck on a self-portrait poster found the way through by naming the talk and working once through, cleanly.
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Using a ChatGPT table to generate structured image prompts in bulk
A 2023 X thread shows asking ChatGPT for a table of composition variables, then turning each row into an image prompt.
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Blender: free, open-source modeling, rendering and animation suite
Blender presents itself as free and open-source 3D creation software.
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Blender Conference 2024: a hand-made, mixed-media identity built with free tools
Blender Studio’s art director walks through paper doodles, a watercolor mascot, scanned notes and a modeled desk scene.
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The Animal Breakdown: 104 show graphics generated, approved, then finished in After Effects
Runway says a three-person graphics team made a season of textbook-style animal graphics, keeping producer approval before animating.
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Andrew Joyner on illustrating an unfinished Dr. Seuss manuscript
A 2020 Procreate interview: the illustrator copied Seuss’s drawings to learn the style, then was asked to make it his own.
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Affinity is now one free app, with a Canva account and paid AI features
Reported October 2025: Affinity combines vector, photo and layout tools in one free app; Canva AI tools need Canva Premium.
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Adobe Photoshop: layer-based raster editing, compositing and generative editing
Adobe presents it as a photo-editing and graphic design app.
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Adobe MAX 2025: new Photoshop and Illustrator features for designers
According to Adobe, new releases include Photoshop Harmonize and Generative Upscale and Illustrator snapping and gradient tools.
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AI
Adobe Illustrator: vector drawing, typography, illustration and generative features
Adobe presents it as a vector app for logos, icons and illustrations with precision and AI tools.
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Adobe Firefly: adobe's generative image and media creation tools
Adobe presents it as an AI platform for images, video, audio and designs using Adobe and partner models.
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Additive prompting: ordering prompt variables for more consistent interior images
In a 2023 X thread, Nick St. Pierre lays out an ordered prompt structure, camera angle first, for interior and architecture images.
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