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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK

‘I start the simple way – by putting pen to paper’: how illustrator Till Lauer creates award-winning New Yorker covers

A collage shows Till Lauer sitting on grass, a hand journaling, and doodled clouds and stars
Notes, sketches, ideas: Till Lauer catches them all on his paper tablet. Composite: Ivana Cajina/The Guardian

Creativity feels like magic, but it’s also a craft, a series of steps. Inspiration and luck can help you, but I’ve learned that it’s really about showing up.

As a self-employed illustrator and visual artist my work has appeared in magazines and news outlets including the Guardian, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker and the Economist. Whether I’m creating a potential magazine cover, working on an illustration for a weekly column, or just trying out something for fun, I start in the same, simple way: by putting pen to paper. This is where the reMarkable paper tablet comes in.

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