A day in the life of an illustrator: my real routine

This is what a day in the life of an illustrator looks like from my studio. The scent of freshly brewed coffee, no sugar, fills the air as I settle in around 8 or 9 am. Once I have it, I’m ready. But before anything else, I grab my dog and we head to the park for a morning walk. Sunshine, fresh air, and a good audiobook. That’s how a day in the life of an illustrator starts for me: not at the desk, but outside, letting ideas arrive before I sit down to work on them.

Getting organized: tools for a working illustrator’s day

Once the walk is over, it’s all systems go! I rely heavily on Notion (shoutout to their free version!) to keep my schedule organized. It’s my digital command center, holding project templates, notes, and a clear roadmap for the day.

Meanwhile, the bulk of my day is dedicated to illustration projects. Occasionally, design requests pop up, keeping things interesting. I like to sprinkle in short breaks throughout the day to maintain a fresh perspective. A quick stretch, a lunch break, and later on, another tiny cup of coffee while getting back to work. Maybe sometimes a chat with some fellow illustrator inbetween does wonders for keeping the creative juices flowing.

How I approach a new project

When starting something new, I almost always begin with a mood board. I collect images from Pinterest, books, my own camera, anything that captures the visual territory I’m trying to reach. Then I compile everything in Photoshop, organized by layers, and start sketching over it to pull out a color palette.

From there, depending on the project, I work in 2D or move into a clay render in 3D. I illuminate and texture that render with high quality materials, then often paint over the final version to add detail and push the piece further. If you’re looking for materials to work with, I have a free collection of 3D materials and textures on the site. And if the mood board process interests you, there’s a full walkthrough on how to build one in three steps.

The second half of the day

Around 6 or 7 pm I try to wrap up client work and leave room for personal projects. That might mean working on an illustration of my own, doing some freehand painting, or just switching off with a sci-fi film or some music.

Video games are also a consistent source of visual input for me. I spend more time on Steam browsing promotional art, key art, and concept work than actually playing. The level of craft that goes into game visuals, the world-building, the character design, the way studios use color and lighting to build atmosphere, is genuinely worth studying. It’s a different corner of the illustration industry, and keeping an eye on it stops my own references from narrowing.

What a day in the life of an illustrator is really about

Music, paintings, books, films, games: each feeds the work differently. The structure of the day matters, but so does leaving space for the things that aren’t work and still end up shaping it.

That’s what a day in the life of an illustrator really comes down to for me. Not the hours at the desk, but staying curious enough that when you sit down to make something, you have something real to draw from.