Art and Ghosts - Haunting Artwork by Louise Robinson

I recently happened to stumble upon the wonderful artwork of UK based artist Louise Robinson. Her work is almost dreamy, like a glimpse of a world you're not supposed to see when you're awake. I hope you'll enjoy her work as much as I do. She also has a wonderful home and I'd love a workspace like hers - light and cozy, full of cute trinkets and soft lights. I've added a picture of it below. And on her website she writes a little about her work and process:

"The majority of my works are created digitally, via the use of a Wacom tablet and Photoshop 7. Prior to 2008, most of my endeavors involved digital collage, the merging of photography with hand drawn illustration. Since then, I have concentrated mostly upon pure, digital painting, which I have more recently begun to combine with watercolour and acrylic painting, pencil sketching and hand drawn text. My most significant influences are drawn from fairytales, mythology, dolls, spectres, dreams and nature."

 

And above is Louise's wonderful workspace.

The Pomodoro Technique

A lot of illustrators and designers work from home, having their offices and small workspaces too close to time consumers like television, food, pets, etc. This is occationally a problem for me, but I've become better at avoiding these distractions. But lately I came across a time saving concept called the Pomodoro Technique. I haven't actually tried it yet but if someone has please add a comment and tell me if it really works. It sounds like a good idea and I'll definitely try it out sometime. And it's completely free to download which is always a good thing. So have a look and this might help you save a lot of time that you can use for more important things.

Here's the basic gist of the technique:

Pikaland - The Illustrated Life

The web is overflowing with blogs and websites about illustration and design, but one that stands out is the colorful and informative Pikaland blog. It features a lot of new and exciting illustrators and designers and dives into their personal methods, workspaces, and portfolios. So if you want the latest updates on living the illustrated life, this blog is definitely worth a read.