After a whirlwind summer traveling through Italy, France, Montenegro, and the United States, I am finally back in my tropical winter home in Mexico! We may be heading into Fall in the northern hemisphere, but I want to mix it up with this week's #CreateWithCatCoq challenge inspired by palm trees, warm weather, and lush greenery!

So much of my artwork is influenced by the places I live and visit along my travels. From Bali to Thailand, to Mexico, I am constantly inspired by tropical motifs. 

Tropicals are some of my favorite things to illustrate, and as a bonus, they are huge sellers for art licensing. If you're just getting into surface design, I highly recommend dedicating a section of your portfolio to a tropical theme.

Want a step-by-step guide for creating a tropical illustration? Check out my class, Learn to Paint Botanical Watercolors. In this class, I walk you through creating four different illustrations including a popular tropical motif, a Monstera leaf!

Watercolor not your thing? No problem. I teach this same tropical leaf motif in my Procreate class, Procreate for Beginners. You can enroll in either of these classes for free when you sign up for a two-week free trial with Skillshare.

No matter what medium you choose, I hope you have fun illustrating tropical motifs this week! I can't wait to see your tropical illustrations. I like to feature select pieces that I see on Instagram, so don't forget to share your work using the #CreateWithCatCoq! 

 

I hope your October is off to a fantastic start!