How we made the art for our latest print issue | Sarah Soryal

Episode Overview

• This episode features a graphic designer explaining the human-led creative process behind their magazine's illustrations to prove they do not use AI art.
• The artist details the collaborative workflow between themselves and the art director, showing the journey from initial article reading to visual research, layout drafting, and final painting.
• It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the creative iteration process, demonstrating how feedback and changing artistic inspirations shape a final printed page.

Key Concepts

• Human Collaboration in Design: Unlike automated AI generation, human design involves active, iterative collaboration between artists and art directors, testing multiple styles (collages, vector work, and digital painting) to find the right fit for the text.
• The Role of Visual References: Artists build on historical and thematic context by gathering existing art—such as vintage book covers and expressionist landscape paintings—to ground their new creations in the article's subject matter.
• Layout Integration: Designing for print requires the art to work harmoniously with typography, often requiring adjustments to how text overlays and interacts with the illustration to create a cohesive reading experience.

Quotes

• At 0:07 - "The first step as always is to read through the article." - explaining how the illustration process must begin with a deep understanding of the written content rather than just visual aesthetics.
• At 0:44 - "It was cool, but it didn't really give the umph of a final piece yet." - illustrating the necessity of critique and the willingness to restart or pivot when a design direction isn't fully successful.
• At 1:19 - "If you would like to read this article and check out some more beautiful human-made art, you should see our third print issue..." - emphasizing the value and appeal of tangible, human-crafted illustration in print media.

Takeaways

• Start any illustration process by thoroughly reading and dissecting the accompanying text to extract core themes and concepts.
• Gather diverse visual references from different eras and mediums, such as vintage book covers or classical paintings, to spark inspiration and guide the artistic direction.
• Do not settle for the first decent draft; be willing to pivot to new artistic styles and formats until the piece truly matches the tone and layout of the content.