TED Talks

Self promotion is one of the most challenging marketing tools as a freelance technical illustrator.  First, you need to have a great idea, then illustrate it well and find time to stop procrastinating and get it done!

I find that inspiration for new illustration ideas can be found through so many different resources.  One of my favorite ways to gain inspiration for working on promotional pieces is through TED.com.

TED Talks

TED Talks

TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) brings experts in these three areas together in a yearly conference to spread their ideas and innovations.  The conference allows innovative speakers a limited amount of time to passionately discuss their area of expertise.

The website TED.com has great videos that are an inspiration to the work that I do.  From a technological standpoint, certain speakers make me question many things and how they work in the world today.   I always find inspiration to illustrate new technologies, or new ways to look at design.  I enjoy listening to the speakers as I work on my illustrations.

Categories on TED.com include technology, entertainment, design, business science, culture, arts and global issues.  Some speakers are humorous, some serious.  But all of them have an inspirational message if you are open to it!

What are some websites that you use to find inspiration to motivate you?

The Coolest Things Already Exist – Concept Art Inspiration

Concept art is  a very closely related profession to technical illustration. Concept artists are responsible for designing vehicles, props and environments mainly for the entertainment industry, including film, television and video games. These designs require a high degree of precision, and an amazing grasp of three-dimensionality since their designs will be manufactured either to scale, fullsize or in 3D. The designs often reference actual vehicles, objects or environments to imbue a sense of near-reality. In fact, a rule of thumb is 70% reality, 30% fantasy.

Soviet Ground-Effects Tank

Soviet Ground-Effects Tank

Sometimes, though, that formula can be 100% reality.

Pictured is a Soviet-built cold war era “ground effects” tank. These things were like proto-hovercraft. They would be pushed along by jet turbines and use airfoils to force a pocket of air underneath the craft. This would allow the vehicle to hover above water (and potentially land), move with very little friction — and as an added bonus, be undetectable by radar.

Soviet Ground-Effects Tank

Soviet Ground-Effects Tank

Where do you find inspiration for your concept designs? Let us know in the comments.

Source (via Boing Boing)