Visualize a Day as an Illustrator at 7 Frames!

     

Hello all, I am Adreeta. I work as a senior illustrator at 7 Frames.

  

My friends get curious about my routine and often ask me why I became an illustrator. Some even wonder if I have any secret ingredients to enhance my prolific creativity.  Let me help them to visualize my day!

I am an early riser and start my day with a cup of coffee at 6.30 am. I get ready to go to the gym and work out till 8.30 am. I get fresh and have an early breakfast. I like to plan my to-do list using my Moleskine journal. I usually refer to the journal at 9.30 am to check for priority tasks.  I also update my completed tasks by crossing the items off my to-do list. I  feel a sense of achievement when I do it!

Technically my workday starts at 10.30 am, but I have the flexibility to start sooner. I ensure that my to-do list is realistic to plan effectively. Most of the items in the list are a part of my routine, and I add additional tasks at the end for better focus.

At 9.30am, I try to explore ideas related to the pending tasks for the previous day. Usually, I get the ideas through various sources like my recent experience illustrating, or reading client debriefs or scripts and revisiting the best practices shared by my team of animators and illustrators.

My workday starts with a team meeting where we discuss the projects for the day and collaborate on the tasks.  We update our work plan at the start of the day and discuss the scripts and ideas.

I always love to multitask on different projects, which is a core trait for an illustrator at work. Again it's time to look at my journal and take a peek at my weekly to-do list. This week I have to move a storyboard to animation, start illustrations for a new script and a social media post.

After the meeting, I like to sketch, visualizing the design project. I like to explore multiple options to complement a particular design using sketching. Sketching is indeed a quicker method to explore multiple visual solutions. It also helps me to understand the client's requirements in a better way. My routine is to do sketching till noon.

After completing sketching, it's time for me to take a coffee break before getting to the following serious task - Storyboarding. A short break can rejuvenate me to take up the next task.

               

I resume work at 12.15 pm and start creating assets for the storyboard. I have to design and create the limbs of a beagle. It did take time, but I am curious to see it run and play in the final video. Then I shared the assets with the project manager for approval. The project manager reviews and shares feedback suggesting if there are any changes. Once the design is good to go, she shares it with the client. After the client’s approval, I will start the layering of the files and continue the storyboarding process.

If the client has approved my previous asset, I start the layering process and continue with that.  I ensure that I eat well and relax while chatting with my friends till 3.00 pm during lunchtime.

I have a video design workshop scheduled from 3.15 pm to 4.15 pm. The workshop is very informative, and it gives me valuable insights on design creation and decoding the scripts in a better way. Workshops are my learning mediums, and I like to do the post-workshop assignments to test my understanding. We get enough time to complete the assignments.

After the workshop, I take a small break and resume the next task. My favorite activity is creating an explainer video. My Creative Director has assigned me a new script. I spend more time reading and understanding the requirements.

After 15 to 20 minutes, I  started visualizing the first two paragraphs of the script. I enjoy thinking up abstract visuals for the narrative. It is always fun to play around with the material and explore motion-based ideas. My creativity rises as the sun sets down.

I finish my visualization ideas at 6.15 pm and send them to my lead for feedback. It is time to work on the social media post creating an appropriate illustration utilizing my skills and experience.

It is satisfying to watch my illustration liked by many people on social media. I need to wrap my day with a 10-minute standup meeting, and update my work for the day. After the meeting, I would update the to-do list with the tasks I need to resume the next day.  A fantastic day to end my work!

The rest of the day is family time, Netflix, and random sketches! So were you able to visualize my day as an illustrator at 7 Frames? For me, it is exciting and enjoyable as always!