Beyond Beauty: How to Show Depth and Meaning in Your Illustrations

When I first started illustrating, all I wanted to create were perfect lines and pretty faces. But over time, I realized that while my work looked good, it very often lacked a deeper connection. I wanted my illustrations to say something—to have a voice beyond beauty.  But in a world flooded with images designed to please the eye, how can an artist break through and create illustrations that truly mean something? Art that actually connects with the observer? The answer, I believe, lies in going beyond the surface beauty—using techniques and approaches to creating that transform your work from merely decorative to deeply provoking. 

Following points are not in order of importance, but I found my art started changing once I started approaching my creating with them in mind.

Look beyond the obvious shapes and especially obvious colors

                  I am almost ashamed how late in life I came to this. One day, not so long ago, I was drawing with my niece and she didn’t have a color she needed. I told her, you know it doesn’t have to be the same like in real life. You can draw things how you want them! You can draw a purple roof. Or a pink tree. Lips can be green. Then a huge boom of a revelation unraveled in my own head. I don’t have to draw it the same! Why am I doing it!?! One of my favorite artists Egon Schiele very much doesn’t stick to the natural colors or angles. Why do I insist on it!?!

This liberated me immensely. It instantly made my work more personal and gave it more character. Please if you take with you anything useful off of the Internet today, let it be this.

Go beyond (being) pleasing

                  This is another limitation I had for my work and I see it everywhere. It feels like these days everything is created to please, to seduce, to gently caress. To never offend us, to never trigger us, to make us slightly chuckle or nod in agreement. Only things that outrage us are click-baits and that is not the same as being challenging or as being inspiring. Something that is designed to outrage you is just a gimmick, a cheap trick. There is no depth or true vulnerability behind it.

Doing this will keep our lives superficial and unexplored. This is why we have a responsibility to create work that is bigger than just being pleasing. We need to create stories that confuse and excite, paint faces that do not cater to our sexual preferences, draw characters that make us feel deeply every emotion known to wo(men). 

Do this in any way you can think of. Draw fat men and women, paint the skin in “unnatural” colours, deform shapes, juxtapose timelines, and don’t be constrained by logic or reason. 

Ask yourself, “What story am I trying to tell with this piece?”

                  Continuing on the previous point. Even if you are drawing a non descript model wearing a non descript dress, try asking yourself;

Who is this person I want to draw? What do I want to say by drawing this?

How will the world be different when this exists? What story am I trying to tell with this piece?

Off course, I am very well aware that 80% of everything we create is for practice. Practicing anatomy, practicing technique, practicing composition, trying out ideas, testing out concepts… Not all of this can or will tell a story.  But I strongly believe there are many opportunities during our everyday practice where we can still incorporate this attitude. Ideally we create pieces with intention and purpose, even if they are just “practice”. This means that most of our work has potential to mean more and this attitude makes all the difference.

Focus on emotion

This is maybe a crucial change you can make if you want to go beyond beauty. If you focus on emotional state of your character or atmosphere of the scene, it’s very hard to stay only on surface level. Even if you start depicting only certain emotional states, in time you will feel the need to dive deeper. You will want to explore different states of being and express more about the world. World is much more than nostalgia, joy, melancholy and charm. There are many states that are very hard to be expressed and stay beautiful. Anger when true is rarely cute. Grief is deep and dark. Despair is anything but pretty. True heartbreak is bleak!

So go deep, exaggerate to make a bold statement, use rough dynamic strokes and strong contrast. Don’t be afraid of dark (values)!