Meet the Illustrator – Danielle Harlan
1. How do you sign your artwork? With your full name or initials?
I started off signing my artwork with just my initials DRH, but once I started making more art pieces, I began to sign them with my actual signature of my name, Danielle Harlan.
2. Where can we view your latest portfolio of work?
I have an Instagram called @daniellesdesignlab which contains all of my art work that I created during my college experience as a studio art major.
3. What inspires your creativity?
My inspiration comes from numerous things, from my love of God, to love of nature, and from my own dreams.
4. Who inspires you?
Many people inspire me. From my mom who always encouraged me to keep working on my art and always gives me ideas on what to create next, to my dad who has shown me forms of art I had never explored before and gained a love for. Then to my professors at my college Palm Beach Atlantic, who let me go wild with my creations and encouraged me to go bigger with my ideas and have embraced everything I have created.
5. What style of illustration do you prefer?6. Who are the top three illustration accounts you learn from on Instagram?
Watercolor, pastel, and ink illustrations are quite beautiful to me, and some Instagram accounts I get inspired from are @mairimakes for her watercolor work, @vichys_art for his pastel work, and @luke_a_barela for his pen and ink drawings.
7. On YouTube?
Correa Art does amazing landscape paintings and still life’s and gives step by step instructions on how to create each piece.
8. What apps do you use in order of most used to least used?
Most used apps would be Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest.
9. What is your favorite color?
My favorite color is a light sage green.
10. What object or character did you use to draw when you were younger?
I would always draw flowers since I was little and I still do.
11. Do you prefer digital or drawing on canvas/paper?
I have a love for both, I recently started digital drawing and I love the endless possibilities of it, and physical drawing on canvas/paper is still enjoyable as well in a different way.
12. Describe your process from concept to creation?
When I start with an idea of a concept I immediately write it down until I can get to an art studio or a place where I have art supplies where I can start to roughly sketch it out. I start on paper, and if I want to develop the idea further I go to my iPad and use procreate to add in color and texture to see if I can make the piece come to life. Once I am happy with the drawings I go to a canvas and start sketching, then painting.
13. Describe your style?
My style is very playful, I like to play around with mark making and some impressionistic styles, but also I am trying to explore realism a bit more. I love to use soft pastel colors and a few bright ones in there as well, but with every piece I create I want it to be calming to look at and something to bring people joy.
14. What is your favorite animated movie? Or series?
My favorite animated movie is Tangled. I was fascinated by the animation style and the preliminary sketches then turned into animation programs to make each character come to life, along with the scenery in the movie being so beautiful.
15. Have you animated your artwork? What program/app do you use?
I have not animated any of my artwork yet, it is something I am willing to explore soon.
16. What is the most challenging part of illustrating for others?
When illustrating for others it can be hard to find the end point and know when to stop “perfecting” a piece. Being a perfectionist, I always feel like the work is not done and that there’s a million more things I can do to make it better.
17. Do you envision a career as an illustrator, graphic designer, animator?
My dream is to get into graphic design professionally when I graduate college. It has become a great outlet for me to express my creativity and still make a living doing something I love.
18. Have you designed logos?
I have designed logos as assignments for my college classes before, but not for an actual business.
19. What technique do you use to illustrate people?
I like to start with sketching a big stick figure if I am doing bodies to get the idea of proportions correct and then I layer on top of that my actual sketch of a more realistic body and then go from there.
20. What is your favorite feature in procreate?
My favorite feature is where you can make your own brush or stamp. It is super helpful when trying to create a certain shape multiple times and saves a lot of time in the illustration process.
21. Have your illustrations been shown in any books, artwork?
My first opportunity to show my illustrations will be in the book Arangatanga Museum Florida by Trica Cohn.
22. Have you storyboarded any scripts?
Not yet, but it sounds like something fun I could do.
23. How do you feel when you create? draw? Animate?
I feel super calm and happy when I create. I go into a certain “mode” where I am super focused and quite because my thoughts are focused on the right here and now and how each pencil mark, brush stroke, and what can be done next to make my ideas come to life.
24. Do you prefer to create new worlds or draw existing worlds?
I like both, I can do worlds and scenery that exist, or even ones that my mind can come up with that do not exist.
25. Do you prefer to draw people or design new characters?
I like to do both. I can draw real people, or if I have a cool idea about a character I can draw what I think they should look like and make them come to life.
26. What is the most challenging aspect of your designs?
The most challenging aspect is having the patience to wait for paint to dry or a certain step to be completed before the next one. I wish I could just create everything in one sitting, but certain pieces and mediums require a waiting process before being able to move on and keep on creating.
27. What is the environment in which you draw? Outside, inside, in a chair? Desk? With music? Quiet?
I like to draw inside in a quiet setting, or if I am outside, I love to be on the porch at my parents house in Georgia. Listening to the sounds of birds, and running water from the creek in our backyard or sometimes the rain if it storms, is the perfect setting for me to be in when I draw.
28. How do you continue to improve?
I keep drawing, and painting. I do not stop until I get enough practice to accomplish what I want.
29. What advice can you share about not giving up or getting discouraged when creativity is at a standstill?
Take a moment to walk away from your piece and just breathe. If you get frustrated, go do something that makes you happy, and just think through possibilities on what you can create or improve after you have brain fog. When your head is more clear, you can start to create again because of the better mindset you put yourself in when you are relaxed and happy again.
30. How can we follow your work and see your latest projects?
I will show everything on my Instagram @daniellesdesignlab
