How Detailed Should Your Thumbnails Be???
Published 2024-02-08
You will get some simple advice on how to get more detail and polish in your work. How to think about composition. And my thoughts on how to prepare for professional work.
Let's talk thumbnails (and what they might look like for both your personal and professional work!)
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Determining the right level of detail for thumbnails is crucial for translating the vision in your head to a finished image. This process is not just about your personal workflow but also about effectively involving others, such as art directors, clients, and team members, in your creative process. Thumbnails, preliminary roughs, and various stages of artwork development are essential for clear communication, especially when working with those who may not be visually literate.
In my experience, the key to a successful professional practice involves creating detailed thumbnails that closely represent the final image. This approach ensures that everyone involved in the project has a clear understanding of the direction and can provide informed feedback. It's about building trust and maintaining a good working relationship throughout the project lifecycle.
For personal work, the approach can be more flexible. I often use rougher thumbnails as I have a clear vision in my head of the final outcome. However, when working with others, especially in a professional setting, it's important to adjust the level of detail based on the project's needs and the visual literacy of the collaborators.
Effective communication and involving others in the creative process are crucial. By sharing the development stages, from thumbnails to finished pieces, you create a collaborative environment. This involvement not only builds trust but also ensures that everyone is on the same page, reducing the likelihood of major revisions later.
Lastly, the goal is always to balance efficiency with clarity. Whether working on concept art, illustration, or comic books, the level of detail in your thumbnails should provide enough information to advance the project while allowing for creative flexibility. It's about finding the minimum viable product that can move the project forward efficiently.
Remember, when the creative process is collaborative, including others effectively from the start can lead to more successful and fulfilling projects.
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The principals of composition and picture making are time honoured and well understood. But figuring out how to apply them to your work right now is a challenge! Often we need to focus on the types of images we want to create and understand how things like compositional principals will help us specifically!
Happy Drawing!
Tim Mcburnie
Learn Drawing and Illustration from me: www.thedrawingcodex.com
Portfolio: www.timmcburnie.com
www.artstation.com/tim-mcburnie
www.instagram.com/timmcburnie
twitter.com/timmcburnie
All Comments (14)
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Every last bit is worth staying for. Thanks for this great followup on thumbnailing (and teamwork) as a professional.
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2min in “how do you get your ideas from your head onto the page?” I don’t. I cry at my moodboard and close my empty sketchbook. 😂 all jokes aside I don’t go to any other YouTuber anymore. Your long winded videos are so so so insightful for me as a hobbyist.
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Love watching your videos. Great contents and lots to learn about. You're an amazing artist, love the style!
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love your content! you are covering the important questions in art! :D sharing this with my friends & art community
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You're the best Tim, thank you for these <3
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Incredible covers! Thank you for the vid, you're a great inspiration
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I am actually taking as much as i can so i can use it in my work.
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great video, love it. My thoughts on the topic; wouldn’t it be less confusing, if we simply call the cleaned up sketches, Clean preliminary sketches? and call the rough small comps, Thumbnails? I dont see the need to call two different things the same. working with clients I have never felt the need to call sketches thumbnails for example.
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nice and great do more Author Venkat 😎😎
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It would help to actually be taught how to DO thumbnails like this that are designed to be readable by clients while also made quickly. Nobody ever really talks about this stuff and its frustrating because I have no idea how to do it. I've been trying different sketching methods for years but nothing has helped me towards really being able to make clear readable pictures that I haven't already worked on for hours.
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How long should I spend on any given thumbnail? 15 min? Less?
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I wish star atlas core was An actually comic book that you can buy not an online book
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Why do professional artists paint the lineart/sketches in gray like in 14:09? Why do not let it just in lineart? Beginner artist here.
