Rhea Tibbey

Since 2016, she has worked on various creative projects as a freelance illustrator, selling her art online and designing characters and environments for books, games, and short films! In 2022, Rhea graduated from Griffith University with a Bachelor of Animation (Art Direction & Production).

She is active on Instagram and TikTok, posting art and speed paints, and has worked for 21 Draw since the start of 2021, writing email newsletters and blog posts. Her goal is to share her love of art with others and continue to grow creatively.

Inspiration

The people around me constantly inspire me, both loved ones and friends, and also random passersby when out and about. Other things that inspire me include my favorite books, movies, and magical places I am lucky enough to visit when traveling. Whenever I experience severe art block, I watch one of my comfort movies (Anastasia, Road to El Dorado, etc.) or sit somewhere in nature, listen to music, and do messy sketches freely for a bit.

Tools

For client work, I mostly use Photoshop and a Huion graphics tablet. In my personal time, I like to sketch on my iPad in Procreate. When it comes to traditional work, I am a big fan of sketching with a mechanical pencil or any pen I can find lying around. My favorite part about traditional sketching is that you can really use anything.

Advice

If you love it, keep doing it! Learning to draw is a journey, not a destination. There is always going to be more room to grow, and, in a way, that is what makes it so exciting! So try not to get caught up in perfectionism—the important thing is to continue doing what you enjoy! The more you draw, the more you will progress (even if it’s not immediately noticeable).