Uplevelling my illustrations thanks to illness — Before & After

It’s January and I have a three year old. So naturally we spent the last week on the couch with the worst cold my little guy has had… ever.

As he watched an entire season of Mecha Builders, and demanded all day cuddles, I gobbled up Illustration courses on Skillshare and YouTube.

I particularly loved Marco Bucci’s courses for his foundational thinking and philosophies. Instead of most courses which teach you to copy, he emphasizes how to think, experiment and try.

I decided to put my learnings to the test by updating my least favourite portfolio piece.

Let’s look at the before and after.

BEFORE

The fireside Dino party I completed in June 2025.

AFTER

My latest illustration.

I’m so proud of how much I improved this piece in a short time, and can’t wait to take these learnings into my Wizard Lizard book dummy and spreads this month.