AI does not draw for you, and many clients do not want it in the delivered image. It helps around the drawing: understanding a brief, doing research, structuring a rights license, keeping track of feedback, showing an image in context.
AI helps illustrators with tasks such as “Break down a brief before the first sketch,” “Research a subject before you draw,” and “Build a project’s reference board.” Start with a single task, in Claude: allow 10 minutes the first time, and always review the result before you use it.
For each task: how it goes today, then with the tool. And the time it takes the first time.
TodayThe brief is three lines long, and you find out on the second round that it called for a different format and a different tone.
With ClaudeThe brief restated in black and white, and the list of questions to ask before you pick up a pencil.
TodayDrawing a trade, a period, or an animal you do not know takes hours of research, and images found at random are often wrong.
With PerplexityA list of serious sources to consult and the details that will make the image accurate.
Adobe Firefly · “Firefly Boards”
TodayThe client says “warm” or “modern,” and everyone pictures a different image behind the word.
With Adobe FireflyA shared board with two or three named directions, where the client chooses before the first sketch.
Also
A quote in two parts, creation and license, where each use of the image is written down and limited.
Claude · A PDF, in the conversation
The contract explained clause by clause, with the passages to discuss and the questions to ask.
Granola · iPhone or computer app
A confirmation message that sets down in writing the revisions requested and what falls outside the quote.
Recraft · “Mockup” type
Your illustration placed on the final object, to show the client or add to your portfolio.
Canva · “Canva AI”
A clean carousel with your real drawings, ready to post.
Claude · On your phone: dictation
A one-page project statement, faithful to what you said, and the list of documents to gather.
What to check
An unannounced project is confidential: remove the name of the client and the title if the contract requires it.
Break down a brief before the first sketchClaudeThe prompt to copy
I am an illustrator. Here is a client’s brief for [type of commission: book cover, poster, editorial illustrations]. Restate in ten lines what is being asked: subject, audience, tone, formats, number of images, media, deadlines. Then list what is missing to quote and get started: dimensions and bleed, required colors, number of revision rounds planned, scope and duration of use, print run, budget. Turn these gaps into short questions to ask the client. Do not suggest any image ideas.
In Nova, “My path” starts from your level: one next step at a time.
The first moves, with free tools.
In your jobStructure a quote with the rights license
In your jobResearch a subject before you draw
In your jobShow an illustration in context
In your jobBreak down a brief before the first sketch
For a team: everyone moves forward in their own job. You see the team’s progress, never one person’s activity.
It restates a vague brief, lists the questions to ask, structures your quote with the rights license, and explains a publishing contract in plain language.
Recommended planFree to start. Pro, $20 per month ($17 per month if billed yearly), if you use it every day.
For research before you draw: it searches the web and gives the link to each source, museum, archive, or digital library.
Recommended planFree to start: 3 “Pro” searches per day, 1 “Research” report per month. Pro, $20 per month (€22 on the French App Store).
During a call with the client, it takes the notes. You keep a written record of the revisions requested, image by image.
Recommended planBasic, $0. Notes older than 30 days are visible only with Business, $14 per user per month.
“Firefly Boards” is a large board where you lay out your sketches, your location photos, and your references, to talk light and color with the client before you draw.
Recommended planFree, €0: credits that renew every day. Then: Firefly Standard, €11.08 per month, incl. tax. First check what your Creative Cloud subscription includes.
It places your illustration on a book, a poster, or a package to show it in context, and converts a line drawing into a vector file with the “Vectorize” button.
Recommended planBasic, $12 per month, or $10 per month billed yearly. The free plan does not allow commercial use.
To lay out a carousel, a release announcement, or a presentation deck with your own drawings, without spending the evening on it.
Recommended planCanva Free, €0: up to 20 AI uses.
Prices taken from the vendors’ official pages, dated on each tool page. These subscriptions are not included in Nova. Brands are named to identify the tools. No affiliation.
Nova recommends 6 to start with: Claude, Perplexity, Granola, Adobe Firefly, Recraft, and Canva. 5 of them can be used for free to get started.
It restates a vague brief, lists the questions to ask, structures your quote with the rights license, and explains a publishing contract in plain language. The plan to choose: Free to start. Pro, $20 per month ($17 per month if billed yearly), if you use it every day.
With “Break down a brief before the first sketch,” in Claude. Allow 10 minutes the first time. The brief restated in black and white, and the list of questions to ask before you pick up a pencil.
No. Nova is software, not an accredited training provider: it issues no diploma or certification. It costs €19 per month for one person, and €129 per month for a team of up to ten people.