When did you first feel like, “This is it. This is the work I want to be known for”?

Truthfully, I’d rather be known for who I am as an artist than for a specific style of work. I’m constantly curious, always exploring and pushing the limits of my knowledge, and I never see myself as a “master” of any one technique or approach. That mindset allows my work to keep evolving.By not locking myself into a single style, I never feel the need to gatekeep knowledge. I want my creative practice to grow alongside my understanding, and I’m passionate about sharing what I learn with others along the way.

Which part of the creative process is your favorite, and why?

That moment when you try something completely off-kilter, fully expecting it not to work, and it does. Or when something almost works and you think, “Okay, but what if I tried this?” and suddenly it clicks. Those are the moments that still make me shout a little or do a quick chair jig.That feeling is the culmination of everything I’ve learned up to that point — understanding how things fit together, trusting the process, and following the curiosity that keeps pushing me forward. It’s what motivates me to keep learning, experimenting, and creating.

Are there any creative rules you swear by, or break just for fun?

1. The moment you think you’ve mastered something is the moment you stop evolving as an artist.2. Stay curious. Try things. You might discover entirely new ways to create. This absolutely includes digital artists “breaking” their apps.3. Show yourself grace, whether you’re new to creating or just having a rough day. “Ugly art” and mistakes are often where the most learning happens.4. Making analog marks can help you grow as an artist, and scanning them in can add incredible texture to digital work.5. You don’t need a degree to call yourself an artist. If you create art, you are an artist.

What’s something Affinity just gets right?

The app itself. Affinity isn’t bogged down with so many bells and whistles that you lose the tools you actually need. Features aren’t added because they’re trendy, they’re added because they’re genuinely useful — like custom studios. Being able to create my own workspaces that match my exact needs for each project makes a huge difference in how I work.

Is there an Affinity trick you always end up sharing?

I love working with texture, but it can be challenging to achieve digitally. One trick I share often is how to add subtle texture (like paper) to lighter colors. Affinity makes this easier by combining the best of both vector and pixel workflows in a single app, giving you more flexibility when building depth into your work.

Tracey Capone

Illustrator

•

Photographer

•

Educator

•

United States

•

Pro Panel

Digital illustrator, designer, photographer, and educator Tracey Capone is based in Chicago. Both a technical problem-solver and a curious creative, she gravitates toward tools that allow her to engage both sides of her brain. Tracey enjoys “breaking apps,” finding unexpected and unconventional ways to use creative software, allowing her work to continuously evolve.In recent years, her focus has been on teaching and sharing her creative practice with a wider audience. Through her YouTube channel, Skillshare classes, and her creative community, The Creator Collage, Tracey helps students and followers explore new approaches to making, learning, and experimenting with digital tools.

Start of section: Creative work

Skip to end of “Creative work” section

Creative work

Lush orchid illustration blending vector and pixel techniques in Affinity→

Illustration

Textured illustration using built-in and custom pixel brushes in Affinity→

Illustration

Playful illustration of a junco perched on a red mushroom with textured shapes→

Illustration

Solitary anemone reaching toward the light→

Photography

Nature photography

Skip to start of “Creative work” section

End of section: Creative work

“The flexibility of Affinity, and the power of the tools within it, feels like being asked, 'If you could design the app of your dreams, what would it look like?' and then seeing it right in front of you.”

Q&A

Truthfully, I’d rather be known for who I am as an artist than for a specific style of work. I’m constantly curious, always exploring and pushing the limits of my knowledge, and I never see myself as a “master” of any one technique or approach. That mindset allows my work to keep evolving.
By not locking myself into a single style, I never feel the need to gatekeep knowledge. I want my creative practice to grow alongside my understanding, and I’m passionate about sharing what I learn with others along the way.
That moment when you try something completely off-kilter, fully expecting it not to work, and it does. Or when something almost works and you think, “Okay, but what if I tried this?” and suddenly it clicks. Those are the moments that still make me shout a little or do a quick chair jig.
That feeling is the culmination of everything I’ve learned up to that point — understanding how things fit together, trusting the process, and following the curiosity that keeps pushing me forward. It’s what motivates me to keep learning, experimenting, and creating.
1. The moment you think you’ve mastered something is the moment you stop evolving as an artist.
2. Stay curious. Try things. You might discover entirely new ways to create. This absolutely includes digital artists “breaking” their apps.
3. Show yourself grace, whether you’re new to creating or just having a rough day. “Ugly art” and mistakes are often where the most learning happens.
4. Making analog marks can help you grow as an artist, and scanning them in can add incredible texture to digital work.
5. You don’t need a degree to call yourself an artist. If you create art, you are an artist.
The app itself. Affinity isn’t bogged down with so many bells and whistles that you lose the tools you actually need. Features aren’t added because they’re trendy, they’re added because they’re genuinely useful — like custom studios⁠(opens in a new tab or window). Being able to create my own workspaces that match my exact needs for each project makes a huge difference in how I work.
I love working with texture, but it can be challenging to achieve digitally. One trick I share often is how to add subtle texture (like paper) to lighter colors. Affinity makes this easier by combining the best of both vector and pixel workflows in a single app, giving you more flexibility when building depth into your work.

Pink anemone flower in soft, moody light against a dark blurred background, photographed by Tracey Capone and edited in Affinity