100 Days Of Vector Illustrations
Reflecting on my first #100DayChallenge
Over the 2020 lockdown period, friends and colleagues around me turned to old hobbies or took up new ones as a form of emotional outlet, some started their online businesses, while others created podcasts. I too wanted to use my time constructively on something that would keep my mind creatively engaged, and improve myself as a person/professional.
Unlike many designers in my network, I do not have a “classically trained” background, so I thought this is an awesome opportunity to start filling in a big skill gap in my design inventory — Graphic Design.
Graphic Design as a discipline has a pretty wide array of specialities, but illustration was the one topic that piqued my interest. Inspired by my friend @madebyrishi work, and Tiantian Xu’s articles, I decided to follow their footsteps and start a 100 Day Challenge of my own.
Here are my reflections on my first 100 Day Challenge:
Setting clear, realistic goals
I set three main goals for myself before starting this challenge:
- Become more proficient in Adobe Illustrator ✏️
- Learn and try different styles and techniques 🎨
- For 100 days, dedicate 1 hour every day to complete this challenge ⏰
Looking back, I’d say I succeeded in Goal 1 & 2. I’ve become much more comfortable with Adobe Illustrator and learnt a variety of techniques and tools via Youtube Tutorials, repetition and a lot of trial and error.
However, I failed Goal 3 miserably. I completely underestimated how much effort goes into creating these illustrations, especially for a novice like myself. Secondly, I could not prioritise time between my day job, personal life vs dedicating time for this challenge every day. This resulted in long hours over weekends playing catch up, and the illustrations became much more like obligations and deliverables. Around 50 days into the challenge, this began to take a toll on my motivation and quality of my work suffered.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint
The challenge was more difficult than I had anticipated. To achieve Goal 2, I looked for illustrations and tried out art styles that did not inspire or interest me. It was informative but this also made the process less enjoyable.
It became apparent to me that certain topics excite me while others feel like a chore. For example, illustrations that are gaming related were fun. I found myself putting more effort into those particular outputs. At the beginning and the end of the challenge, you’ll notice most illustrations were related to video games I enjoyed playing growing up.
It was important for me to stay focus to complete the 100 days, and choosing topics that interested me was a great way to stay inspired over this period.
Stop comparing your work
As a way to hold myself accountable, I decided to upload my work onto Instagram. I also used that account to follow illustrators and designers that created these incredible work and shared their knowledge around their workflow. This kept me motivated, and I understood what good looks like.
On the flip side, I found myself comparing their illustrations to my work. They had their own sense of unique style and worked with such finesse. I became increasingly more critical of my output. I was upset over small details like lacking the understanding for colour, rigid outlines, and I was frustrated at the differences between what I had I visualised and the end-result.
Realistically, I knew I did not possess the skill or time to achieve those standards. Looking back on my goals for this challenge helped me understand that good enough is sometimes enough. It’s going to take much more time and practice to get to where I want to be, and this is part of the journey.
In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed working on this little side project and will most likely repeat this exercise on a different topic in the future. I found a real sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in completing this 100 Day Challenge. Not only did it accelerate my growth in a particular skill/tool, but it allowed me to exercise/practice creativity outside of my day to day work.
So here’s to the next 100!
Check out my Instagram for the full 100-day challenge: @ansonwong.ai 👈🏼
