This lockdown time, doodle like a pro, with Alicia Souza

Are you in love with those adorable illustrations by Alicia Souza? She tells you how you too can create them in the comfort of your own home. Check it out
Alicia Souza
Alicia Souza

There is no single soul on Earth who hasn't drawn before. We have all drawn at some point, at least when we were younger. But not everyone takes to it as they grow older. So, if you love doing it and want to rekindle the passion, check out my five tips to doodle (almost) like a pro:

1. You just need paper and some crayons, colour pencils, sketch pens, an ink pen or even a ball-point pen. A lot of school students doodle on their books with their ball-point pens. That's it! That's all you need. This is undoubtedly the easiest form of self-entertainment.

2. If you want to do something extra, you can always trace a drawing and try out colouring books for adults. A lot of these pages are available free online. Also, there is no one-size-fits-all way. Things are different for everyone. For instance, I am not a big fan of colouring. But a lot of people are. It depends on what you like doing.

3. Many times, I think of text first and then the image because a lot of my drawings are text-based. Sometimes, it doesn't have text, it is completely image-based. But most of the times, the text comes first.


4. Now is a great time to experiment. People have a lot of time on their hands. You can even do things like writing a letter or drawing things on a letter that you can post later.

5. If you want to draw on your computer, you can learn how to use Photoshop. Otherwise, you can try out Procreate on your iPad. There are so many apps. Or look at YouTube. There are drawing classes online, but if you're just starting, I wouldn't recommend it. But again, it depends on you. Some people work better with classes, while others are self-initiated. I think that works the best for me. Giving myself a personal project works the best for me.

Pro tip:
 


For beginners, I wouldn't recommend you to go and buy everything. Get into the momentum of doing before you buy stuff. Use what is available. I am a firm believer of using what you have till you get better, no matter what it is. For instance, if you're learning to play badminton, I'd say, buy the cheapest racquet and shuttlecock and don't buy the shoes, until you start playing it often to make it worth buying. I started off my career using a student ink pen. It's all about just drawing.

Insta-nt solution


If you're a beginner and are looking for doodle sessions online, check out @Keshrt, says Alicia. A virtual storyteller, illustrator and filmmaker, he recently came up with a '100 Days of Sketching' challenge. "He does online classes and I absolutely love them. He's a gem of a guy. If I ever recommend an online class for beginners, it will be his," says Alicia

App start


These are the apps that Alicia recommends


Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Fresco
Procreate

Work from home? That's an everyday thing


No doubt that a lot of you are waiting for the lockdown to get over and to go back to your normal lives. Many have complained about how home workstations put them to sleep and affect their productivity. But this is not at all the case with Alicia. Wonder why? She has always worked from home.



"Quarantine days are exactly the same for me because I work from home. The only change that I see is on the weekends," she says. "Because I spend my weekdays indoors, I go out and socialise on the weekends. That is the only time when I feel the actual lockdown," she says, while admitting that this time hasn't affected her productivity at all.

At the same time, this artist gets how difficult it is for others to stay confined in their houses. "If you've not worked from home before, it will be quite a task. It's a big problem for my husband," she says. "But I was always very home-y. So, it's very easy for me," she adds.

Alicia notes how the subjects that she draws about haven't quite changed, "I usually draw about things happening around me. My lifestyle hasn't changed. I only did a series on how to work from home," she says. "The only difference is, I recently announced that I'm pregnant and I can actually draw about it now," she adds.

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