What if I told you my rubbish drawings are my prizes possessions. They show my progress, my determination and they show me what I’ve learn along the way. A record of growth and change, a letter for 18-year-old Jen when she had no confidence.
There’s a secret sauce to getting better at illustration, and it’s not flawless work—it’s the messy, awkward, and downright crappy sketches that hold the most value. Here’s why embracing imperfection might just be your ticket to leveling up your style (and landing clients!).
If you have ever had a class with me you will know I take a messy is best approach. My work starts out with a very quick rough base and I refine as I go because I realised chasing perfection was slowing me down and a big hit to my confidence. I always encourage my students to leave the judgment at the door and just give it a go. Because a crap sketch is better than no sketch at all.
There’s a theory that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill. But here’s the twist—those 10,000 hours aren’t spent making one perfect drawing. They’re spent making thousands of bad ones.
If every drawing is an experiment—a chance to mess up, test ideas, and evolve—you’ll learn exponentially more than if you spend days refining a single piece. Great illustrators are built through volume, not perfection. Confidence comes through practice.
A perfectly rendered drawing looks great—but if you’re always aiming for polish, you’re missing out on the magic of growth. When you focus solely on making things look “right,” you stop taking risks, trying new techniques, or pushing your creativity.
I got to where I am now by experimenting relentlessly, failing often, and drawing thousands of sketches that never saw the light of day.
Illustration isn’t just about getting good—it’s about enjoying the process. The best artists are the ones who keep that sense of playfulness, even after years in the industry. When you embrace the learning mindset, every sketch becomes a discovery. Instead of stressing over flaws, you start asking:
Can I create something in under five minutes?
What’s the weirdest, most unconventional approach I can take?
Is there a medium that celebrates me?
These little challenges fuel creativity, make practice fun, and—most importantly—keep you improving without burning out.
I realised that if I wanted to sand out I needed to be different. The best way to be different was to lean into “me” It’s not about copying others or making the “most polished” work—it was about finding my own voice.
When you let yourself create fearlessly (even if the results are messy), you naturally start gravitating toward a specific style, techniques, and themes that feel right. This organic style development is what attracted clients— because they want originality, personality, and work that feels alive, not just technically impressive.
Next time you pick up a pencil, don’t stress about making something perfect. Instead, focus on making something—anything! Whether it’s wild, wobbly, or downright ridiculous, it all adds up to your growth.
Your worst drawings are secretly your best teachers. So forget perfection, embrace the idea it may end up in the bin, sketch fearlessly, experiment wildly, and let the learning take center stage.