Illustrate with Jazz: Storyboarding & Concept Art

Join me as I walk you through my creative process: conceptualising, sketching, and refining a piece of concept art for a storyboard using Procreate.

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/nlZ8NrJtkZA

In Episode 1 of this illustration-focused series in a series exploring my illustration process, I share my techniques, influences, and creative process, hoping to inspire you and help you develop your own creative style.

I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember—ever since I could hold a pen. Illustration has always been my creative language, evolving over the years alongside my curiosity and love for comic art. I’ve always been drawn to the world of comics, especially underground titles and French works like Lanfeust of Troy and the visionary art of Jean Giraud, better known as Moebius. Those stories opened my eyes to how illustration could communicate ideas in bold, unexpected, and deeply imaginative ways.

Like many artists, I’ve struggled at times to define my own style. I’ve absorbed so much from other creators—admiring their technique, their boldness, their voice—and yes, sometimes feeling that familiar pang of creative envy. Any honest artist will tell you: even the best of us fall into that trap. But over time, I’ve learned that style isn’t something you find by chasing it—it’s something that reveals itself through repetition. It’s in the way your hand naturally moves, the shapes and lines you gravitate toward, the imperfections you learn to love.

I enjoy bold, confident lines layered with messy, expressive color, as well as high-contrast visuals tinged with dark humor. For years, I was a perfectionist, obsessed with realism, spending hours trying to get every detail «right.» But eventually, I realized that in trying to perfect every image, I was stifling the very thing that made my work mine. I’m also somewhat impatient by nature, and to be totally honest, that impatience helped shape my creative voice too. It pushed me to embrace spontaneity, to let go of the need for control, and to lean into expression over precision.

If there’s one thing I hope to share with you, it’s this: let go of the perfectionism. Let your instincts lead. Make things even when you’re not sure what they are yet—especially then. Your style will come. Even if no one else knows what you’re drawing, what matters most is that you do.

Radioactive Rita is a story I developed and storyboarded, centered around a female protagonist —Rita—who seduces men and transforms them into slugs. Equal parts absurd and satirical.

In this episode, I focus primarily on the character design process: sketching out Rita and one of her victims, and developing concept art that visually captures their personalities, intentions, and narrative roles. It’s less about polished illustrations and more about exploring how posture, expression, and silhouette can tell a story long before the first word is spoken.