The Gorgeous Twitter Visuals of Ash Lamb

Visual by Ash Lamb

As with so many of the visual creators featured here, I found Ash Lamb’s visuals in my Twitter feed. His selection of ideas to visualize are top notch and his visuals pop off the screen unlike anything I’ve seen before. The landing page for his website is also absolutely beautiful. 

Please enjoy this interview where we get to find out more about Lamb’s background, process, and tools. 

Tell us about the creative projects you work on.

This year I've been involved in a few amazing collaborative projects with top creators. I've had a phenomenal time. There's nothing like joining forces with inspiring people to create something valuable. 

Right now I'm laser-focused on my own projects. I want to build a world-class brand and to do so I have to bet on my own ideas. At the moment I'm committed to making and sharing one illustration every day. 

I'll always be open to new projects as long as they're aligned with my mission, which is to help passionate creators take their craft and life to new heights through the power of visual storytelling. 

How long have you been visually creative?

I've been visually creative since I can remember. I've been drawing literally all my life. My parents are creative professionals so I learned the fundamentals from them at a very young age. I'll be forever grateful for their unconditional love and support. 

Please tell us about the process of making your visuals. The tools, the idea process, and how you make them look so unique.

The very first step in my creative process is to sketch my vague idea on a sticky note. I'm all about applying as many constraints as I can so I always use the same small square sticky notes.

Once I'm happy with my loose sketch I take a picture of it and clean up the lines on my iPad Pro.

Last year I switched from Photoshop to Procreate and even though I still use Photoshop on my Mac I couldn't be happier with Procreate. It's a dream come true. It's fast, clean, functional, and the Apple Pencil is unreal. Now I can create professional illustrations anywhere without any unnecessary resistance. No setup is required.

Once I've cleaned up the lines I proceed to render the illustration until it's finished. I focus on using simple geometrical shapes and some basic shading to make the shapes pop out. Pair that with beautiful colors and you've got a beautiful illustration.

Is there one image you are particularly proud of?

It's hard to pick one! I'm generally very proud of my craft. 

I'm currently struggling with detaching myself from my work. Sometimes I get way too obsessed with my illustrations. 

Here are two of my favorite pieces:

Are there any visual creators that inspire and motivate you?

There are so many creators that have inspired me to become a world-class illustrator. I'm so grateful to have discovered them.

• Jack Butcher is one of the best designers I know. He's an absolute master of his craft. I discovered him a year ago by coincidence and he has completely changed my life.

• Janis Ozolins is an absolute genius at communicating relatable and funny ideas and situations in a beautiful visual style.

• Aaron Alto is a phenomenal artist. He has inspired me to simplify my process and style. As he would say, trust the process.

What advice would you give anyone who wants to start (or continue) adding visual creativity to their work?

Experiment and have fun! There's no need to rush. If you put in enough repetitions you'll eventually find your own unique style.

Find constraints! Simplify your creative process and style as much as you can. Do yourself a big favor and streamline your workflow. Less is more. As Connor Fowler said, multiplying your tools won't multiply your result.