It All Started With a Pink iPad
In June 2024, I bought an iPad. Not because I wanted to become an illustrator. I just really liked the color. Pink, obviously. But I don't buy things just to have them, so I started looking for ways to put it to good use. That's how I discovered Procreate.
My first illustration? An avocado, courtesy of a YouTube tutorial. I knew absolutely nothing about drawing. Layers, brushes, clipping masks? No idea. I was ridiculously proud of that avocado, though. Looking back, it was terrible.
I kept going. YouTube tutorials from Art with Flo and Tatyworks became my classroom. Eventually, I subscribed to creators on Patreon, explored new techniques, and spent hours drawing, sometimes every single day.
For a while, I imagined using my illustrations for greeting cards, notebooks, or framed prints. I have an unreasonable number of picture frames at home, so that seemed appropriate.
Then came Nastova. I wanted the website to have personality without flashy animations. Illustration felt like the obvious answer. I started with three illustrations representing my audience, then moved on to the workspace, The 100, and the footer. Different subjects, one consistent visual style.
That pink iPad purchase turned into hundreds of hours of practice and an entire illustrated website. And I still have that terrible avocado video to prove where it all began.