The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox

Finding a Community Online and Crafting a Signature Style with Illustrator, Designer & Artist Alice Coles — The Busy Creator Podcast 76

02.08.2016 - By Prescott Perez-Fox & friendsPlay

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Alice Coles (@HulloAlice) is an illustrator, artist, designer, and video producer based in Colorado. She has honed her skills and created a signature style thanks largely to her own video production schedule. Alice publishes tutorial videos and showcases her experiments on her YouTube channel, HulloAlice.

In this conversation, we discuss Alice's origins as an illustrator, how she found supporters in the YouTube community, what art supplies she relies on, and what sort of desk setup she uses to film her own work as it happens.

See more of Alice's work and get in touch on her website, AliceRColes.com.

 

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Show Notes & Links

Prescott and Alice met at a design conference in Phoenix

Alice describes her work as "an exploration of herself, her memories, and her place and role in the world."

Alice uses storytelling in her art, calling herself an illustrator

Monument Valley

Loish, artist and inspiration of Alice

Kaizen, the Japanese idea of continual self-improvement

Alice admits she doesn't quite have the time/focus for too many commissions

 Sycra on YouTube

 Baylee Jae on YouTube

"YouTube can be toxic at times, I've seen, but the art community is so supportive of each other."

—Alice Coles

Tweet This

Alice started making videos "every couple of months" but found consistency through audience momentum

Alice is primarily a watercolour artist

Faffing, a definiton

Matt Cremona, woodworker/furniture maker on The Busy Creator Podcast

 Matt Cremona on YouTube

Doctor Who

Papasan Chair

"Watercolour is the worst medium to scan."

—Alice Coles

Tweet This

"I tend to barrel through life like a rolling stone."

—Alice Coles

Tweet This

Tsundoku, the Japanese word for "the constant act of buying books, but never reading them"

Reddit

Alice hails from Desborough, Northamptonshire, UK

 Alice Coles on Twitter

 Alice Coles Illustration on Facebook

 Alice Coles on Facebook

 Alice Coles on Instagram

 Alice Coles on YouTube

Tools

Windows Movie Maker

Lightbox

Winsor & Newton India Ink

Dip Nib

White Guash

Gel Pens

Prismacolor pencils

Watercolor colored pencils

Desk from Target with a hutch

Custom lights

Bookcases

Wacom Intuos 5 tablet

Wacom Cintiq monitor/tablet

Adobe Photoshop

Basecamp

Techniques

Start with inspiration — colour combo, landscape, etc.

Use figure references for anatomy

Paint in layers — block in shadows first, then skin tone — keep it thin

Underpaint (paint an entire paper with a single colour to instill a tone or feeling)

Use a hairdryer to dry your layers

Use a hairdryer to cure swimmer's ear

Complete a painting in a single sitting (2–6 hours)

Batch videos, especially when lighting/hair/make-up is required

Watch a speed version of your video first, then record it again in real-time

Increase contrast and colour-depth in Photoshop — with the aim to match real-life colours

Use planners and lists — "bullet journal"

Habits

Keep supplies organized in clear cases — jars, boxes, etc.

Create an inspiring workspace, use personal items and motifs

Aim for a consistent wake-up time (maybe 8 am)

Reply to comments and emails first thing in the morning

Read while you eat, and before you go to bed

Don't be so hard on yourself (regarding time management or inconsistency)

List out your tasks for the next day

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