Meet the Maker: Andrey Prokopenko
“I would advise you to start with a sketch, form a general composition, and then layer by layer add elements and little things that will fill the illustration.”
The Meet the Maker series is all about getting in touch with designers who squeeze every bit of power from our beloved Mac app. Today we’re chatting to Andrey Prokopenko, a freelance designer and illustrator from Kiev.
How did you get started using Sketch?
I first started working in Sketch in the summer of 2016 and fell in love with the app almost immediately. At first, I used Sketch only in the office at work, and at home I worked in Photoshop. But over time, Sketch has become my main tool — I do all my work in it.
What inspired you to create the work you’re sharing with us?
I was lucky to live in those times (2015) when Dribbble was a platform for an elite community of designers where participants demonstrated high skill and innovation. I was inspired by the work of really incredible designers and illustrators, copied styles and wanted to ultimately create something of my own that would inspire others.
This motivated and forced me to work harder to not fall behind, and also to offer something to this community and the world. That‘s how the series of Inspirational Illustrations was born.
We love Andrey’s attention to detail — the grasses, trees, and especially the chess piece city in the background.
What tools and features in Sketch do you use the most?
Most often, I use the Vector and Pencil tools. And I’m also excited to work with Gradients and Gaussian Blur in Sketch.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to create something similar to your designs?
I would advise you to start with a sketch, form a general composition, and then layer by layer add elements and little things that will fill the illustration. Just in case, save every 3-5 minutes.* Remember, you can always do better! You have to feel when you need to stop — and when to exceed your capabilities.
An example of how one of Andrey’s illustrations evolves, progressively adding more detail, depth and artistic flourishes.
* A note from Sketch: Saving manually at intervals applies to local documents if you haven’t enabled automatic saving to your Mac. Workspace documents are automatically saved as you design. You don’t need to manually save, unless you want to create a new version (^⌘S).
