Made With Envato: How to Create Magical Procreate Illustrations with Every Tuesday
Teela, the founder of Every Tuesday, shows us how she uses Envato Elements to create illustrations in Procreate.
Every Tuesday is an online education hub designed to help graphic designers and digital artists hone their creative skills. Founded by the designer, content creator, and Procreate Pro, Teela, and her web-developer husband, Spencer, Every Tuesday offers online courses, video tutorials, digital products, and an extensive resource library on everything from graphic design and illustration to hand-lettering.
With a passion for creating free, accessible educational content for all, Teela shares her creative courses and tutorials on YouTube, Instagram, and the Every Tuesday website to empower designers to develop and fast track their creative careers. Now in its seventh year, the Every Tuesday business has grown into a thriving community for learning and creativity – amassing 104K Instagram followers, 346K YouTube Subscribers, and over 200k students globally.
In this interview, Teela talks us through how she created Every Tuesday, her top tools and tips for digital artists and designers, and how she used Envato Elements to create this Magical Moth illustration in Procreate.
What’s your artistic background? How did you get into design and digital art?
After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design in 2008, I worked for several companies before starting my own design education business in 2015. I have always had a passion for illustration, typography, and design, and teaching others new artistic skills has really pushed me to become a better artist. My signature style typically features harmonious colors, florals, and hand-lettered elements, and at this time, I’m exclusively creating content using the Procreate app for iPad.
Tell us about Every Tuesday! What is it, what inspired you to create it, and what’s its purpose?
When I started Every Tuesday, I was working at a design studio in Atlanta. I would often find myself explaining how I did certain things to my coworkers, and at one point, my coworker said, ‘Just make a video so I don’t have to keep asking you how to do this!’
After I shared my first tutorial on YouTube, the feedback was so supportive that I began posting a new video every Tuesday. Two years later, I was teaching online courses, and my husband – who is also a designer and self-taught web developer – and I were both able to quit our jobs to pursue Every Tuesday full time. Now seven years on, we’re also offering digital products, online courses, and hundreds of free tutorials.
We make learning digital art accessible for everyone, and offer creatives all the tools and training they need to find success, no matter their budget. I’m creating the content I wish existed when I was first learning digital art – cool, useful, practical tutorials that make learning fun.
How did you come up with the idea for this Made With Envato piece?
One of the first signs of spring in the south – I live just outside of Atlanta – is moths gathering around front porch lights in the evenings. Since I’m known for my floral and foliage doodles, I wanted to mix the two and create a super textured ‘magical moth’.
What Elements items, programs, and tools did you use to create it?
First I found some super textured Procreate brushes to achieve the gritty textured look – I settled on this set as it gave me lots of variety. Next, I needed a reference photo. This part took the longest because it was so hard to pick a favorite – who knew there were so many different types of beautiful moths out there?! I ended up choosing this burnet moth as its two wing layers and shapely silhouette gave me plenty of opportunity for different doodles. Then, to create the illustration, I used the Procreate app on iPad.
Could you walk us through how you created it step-by-step? What was your creative process from start to finish?
I first did a symmetrical outline trace of my reference photo in Procreate to create a base. Once I had the outline, it was onto color blocking. Using different textured brushes from the brush set, I blocked in the different colors for the different segments of the moth. I kept my symmetry settings on for this, so I was able to get this part done very quickly – this is a great way to speed up your process, as it allows you to complete two sides in the time it takes to do one. When it came to the moth’s body, I turned off the symmetry and put a stripe down the center with a large textured brush to mimic a subtle fur texture. I created a darker, smaller, and more dense texture on the outside edges to give a rounded shape to the moth’s body. Once everything was color-blocked and the body had been detailed, it was on to my favorite part: decorative doodling!
For the top wings, I turned my vertical symmetry back on and doodled a leafy branch with some line accents and dots. For the secondary wings, I drew in simple lines and created depth with a larger, textured brush. I added a second layer of shadow (the first at a lower opacity, the top at a higher opacity) which really made the moth pop out from the screen.
To finish the design, I created a circle template for all of my background doodles and began filling up the background with floral and leaf elements to tie everything together. This was the most time-consuming part of the process. Once the line art and floral doodles were done, I added different-colored dots to mimic light radiating off the moth to create a magical feel.
I really love the mood of the colors of this piece, and the simple doodles which gave it that magical feel. Those gritty textures enabled me to vary the design in many different places and gave me so many creative opportunities. I was very happy with how it came out!
What were the main skills and techniques involved in creating this piece? Do you have any top tips or tricks to share?
This moth is made of simple shapes and doodles – things anyone can do or reinterpret in their own way. I draw floral and foliage doodles every week for fun and am always trying to come up with new ways to use them. My top tip is to play around and have fun! You have big blocks of color in this kind of design, so experiment with contrasting colors, lines, shapes, and doodles.
What’s your favorite thing about Envato Elements for digital artists and designers?
I love browsing the Procreate brushes for inspiration, or direction for where I want to take an idea. Envato Elements provides me with access to so many reference photos, and I like knowing the items are more unique than those I could pull from Google or free sites.
What are your top 3 tips for creating high-quality digital art?
- Become more familiar with your tools so you know how to better execute your ideas.
- Keep creating – don’t settle for the first result, and always push yourself to do better.
- Take constructive criticism on board – don’t take it personally, use it to your advantage.
What are your tips for getting your work out there?
For a long time, I was posting on Instagram every day, but eventually, I switched to once a week for my mental health. I try to make sure my content is always increasing in quality. I make sure to be very interactive with my followers by replying to every comment and engaging with people who tag me in the designs they’ve created from my tutorials. I try to see my followers as people rather than numbers, and I think that creating genuine connections with my audience has definitely contributed to our growth on Instagram and made posting content a rewarding experience for me.
What’s the biggest learning you’ve had from becoming a digital artist?
Digital art is constantly evolving, which is so exciting. There are always new tools to try and new ideas and possibilities to explore, and I’m learning so much more every year – the learning never stops!
What’s your advice for becoming a successful designer or artist?
My advice would be to pursue your passions and interests because that’s what you’ll be hired for. Don’t be afraid to make the art you love creating, you never know what doors it will open for you. Remember, there is space for you! Don’t compare your beginning to other people’s middles. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re just starting out, so go easy on yourself. All great things take time and every single designer out there was a beginner once, too. If it’s what you love, keep at it and create something new every day – or every Tuesday!
We hope you enjoyed this interview with the educational guru, Every Tuesday! While you’re at it, check out our Procreate Guide to learn everything you need to know to become a Procreate pro. Or, for more inspiring interviews, brush up on Creating a Cyberpunk Character in Adobe Photoshop with Encreate, How to Make Anime Art in Photoshop with Farelyph, and How to Create Award-Winning Digital Art with Zacktic.
