- Artist Dakota Scarlett, 20, illustrates fan-favorite beauty products.
- Scarlett began drawing makeup at the age of 12, and now works as a freelance illustrator. She has nearly 20,000 followers on Instagram.
- Speaking to INSIDER, Scarlett said she can illustrate a simple concept in a few hours, while drawing a detailed makeup collection can take a few days.
- The artist particularly likes to draw eye-shadow palettes and lip products, and favors brands like Colourpop and Too Faced.
- Visit INSIDER.com for more stories.
In recent years, makeup has become more than just a hobby. Instagram is full of beauty enthusiasts, and the industry as a whole is said to be worth billions of dollars. And now, there’s even artwork inspired by cosmetics.
After falling in love with fashion magazines at a young age, Dakota Scarlett, 20, began to create beauty-themed zines and illustrations from her bedroom. The Florida-based illustrator eventually started to post her work on Instagram, and quickly grew a following of almost 20,000 people.
INSIDER recently spoke with Scarlett about her work. See some of her stunning beauty illustrations below.
Artist Dakota Scarlett began drawing at the age of 12 after being inspired by fashion magazines.
Speaking to INSIDER, the Florida-based artist said she was “obsessed with magazines” while growing up, which led her to express her own creativity.
"When I was around 12 or 13 years old, I felt inspired by print media, and created zines and illustrations of my own in my bedroom," Scarlett told us.
During the early days of her artistry, Scarlett often spent her time "dreaming of working for a magazine."
But, living in a rural area, Scarlett said she didn't have many opportunities to showcase her work.
"I figured I'd show people what I could do, and see if I could bring the opportunities to me," Scarlett said. "From then on, I started posting what I made on Instagram."
Scarlett began posting her artwork on Instagram at the age of 16, and now has close to 20,000 followers.
At first, Scarlett posted her images for only a few followers. But eventually, "people and brands started following along," according to Scarlett.
"I'd create an illustration for a new product and tag the brand," Scarlett said. "Some brands would like the post, and others would leave nice comments."
"But what really helped me grow were big brands like Too Faced, Tarte, Allure, and Seventeen magazine noticing my work and reposting my illustrations for their audience to see," she continued.
It can take Scarlett up to two days to create a beauty illustration.
While drawing a single product can take between one and three hours, drawing a more detailed makeup collection could take "a whole day or two," Scarlett said.
Scarlett's illustration process "has evolved quite a lot over the past four years."
Scarlett's process is entirely digital. She first checks to see "what new makeup products are coming out," and then does research to check an item's shade range, pricing, and to see if there are other products in that collection.
She then creates a layout, and starts working on "the line work and details" before coloring and shading her art. She completes the entire process using Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom tablet, or on an iPad app called Procreate.
So far, Scarlett has illustrated a variety of products from drugstore brands.
She's drawn products from Wet n Wild, Maybelline, and Flower Beauty, among other brands.
She's also created illustrations to depict luxury beauty products.
Marc Jacobs, Drunk Elephant, Chanel, and Charlotte Tilbury are only a few of the high-end brands she has interpreted for her illustrations.
Scarlett has illustrated her own vanity as well.
In the caption of her photo, Scarlett described this group of beauty products as the makeup she keeps next to her at all times when getting ready.
Scarlett named Glossier as one of her favorite brands to illustrate.
She also favors brands like Too Faced and Colourpop because she said "they have adorable packaging" and "amazing" social-media presence.
Among the many products she illustrates, Scarlett favors two types of cosmetics.
Scarlett particularly loves to draw eye-shadow palettes and lip products, and has drawn these items from brands such as YSL, Jeffree Star Cosmetics, Kylie Cosmetics, and Anastasia Beverly Hills.
Scarlett said she "genuinely enjoys" creating her artwork, and feels "very lucky to have carved out this beauty-illustration niche" for herself.
"As a young girl who grew up completely obsessed with makeup, I was always window shopping at Sephora and gawking at glossy magazine pages," Scarlett said.
"The fact that I've now had the opportunity to work with these brands and publications would have blown my little 13-year-old mind," she continued.
Scarlett updates her Instagram page with new illustrations every week.
To see more of Dakota Scarlett's artwork, visit her Instagram page or website.
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