From Sketching to Vector: Carina Exner’s Illustration Journey with Linearity Curve

When you meet Carina Exner, you get the sense that creativity and calm coexist perfectly in her world. She’s a German art and economics student who divides her time between Germany and the sun-washed cafés of Mallorca, a sketchbook always within reach and an iPad never far from her espresso.

Her creative life started to take shape during a school year abroad in New Zealand, where she first explored art and design more deeply. “That’s when I discovered how much I love visual storytelling,” she says. “I liked how you could communicate a feeling with color and shape, without needing words.”

Back then, Carina experimented with different tools — sketching, painting, even dabbling in digital art. But it wasn’t until a few years later, during her university design course in 2023, that she found a tool that clicked: Linearity Curve.

Discovering Vector Art and a New Creative Flow

The assignment that changed things was simple: design a postcard. Carina, living in Mallorca at the time, instantly thought of the island’s beaches, pastel architecture, and the warm, hazy light that filled every morning.

“I went to a few shops and looked at the postcards there,” she recalls. “They were fine, but they didn’t reflect what I saw — the quiet cafés, the colors, the atmosphere.”

So she decided to make her own.

She tried different tools — Procreate was her first stop. “It’s great for drawing,” she says, “but I wanted something more flexible. I wanted to scale my designs, work with clean shapes, and export them for print.”

She tried other vector-based programs, for example Adobe Illustrator, but they didn’t quite work for her.

That’s when she discovered Linearity Curve, an intuitive vector design tool built for iPad. “It was perfect. I like working on the iPad — it’s light, portable, and easy to use when I’m traveling or even on the train.”

Building a Creative Routine with Linearity Curve

Carina’s process today is simple but intentional.

She starts with a photo reference — often a café corner, a cup of coffee, or a sunlit street. “Then I trace it,” she explains. “I build the bulk forms first — the shapes and main composition — and then refine it little by little, poco a poco.”

Sometimes she uses Auto Trace to experiment with colors and layouts, but most of the time, she prefers the Pen Tool. “I like the control it gives me. It’s precise, but also creative. You can build exactly what you imagine.”

Her workflow usually takes her from sketches to digital composition and finally into print — postcards, t-shirts, or small art prints. “Each month I try to finish one or two designs,” she says. “Sometimes I just sketch ideas. Sometimes I take a finished piece into production. It depends on time — which is never enough,” she laughs.

From Postcards to Coffee Collaborations

Carina’s designs quickly started to attract attention. Friends began asking if they could buy her postcards. “That’s when I thought — why not?”

She printed her first postcard collection in 2024, featuring clean, minimalist shapes inspired by Mediterranean life. The colors are soft yet vivid — blues, oranges, and beige tones that evoke sunlit tiles and café terraces.

Soon, local cafés noticed her work. Today, Carina collaborates with a few on the island — her postcards are displayed and sold in these spaces, connecting design, daily life, and her love for coffee culture.

“Cafés are my creative spaces,” she says. “I work there, I meet people there, and now my art lives there too. It’s the perfect mix.”

Growing with Linearity

Over time, Carina’s relationship with Linearity Curve has evolved. She’s been using it for about a year and a half now and has noticed steady improvements.

“The app keeps getting better,” she says. “It’s smoother, faster, and new features make my workflow easier.”

Still, she says that what she values most is the freedom Linearity Curve gives her. “It’s about how the app fits my lifestyle. I can work on the plane, in a café, or at home. It feels natural.”

She also highlights how Linearity’s courses and tutorials helped her at the start. “They really helped me understand vector design. I came from more of a painting background, so layers, artboards, and clipping masks were new to me. But once you get it, it’s super powerful.”

A Minimalist Aesthetic, Inspired by the Mediterranean

Carina’s style is best described as minimalist yet warm — bold, flat compositions with thoughtful use of color and light. She credits much of her influence to French illustrator Malika Favre, known for her elegant minimalism.

Like Favre, Carina embraces simplicity. “I try to reduce things to their essence,” she says. “You don’t need many lines to express a feeling. Sometimes, just a few shapes are enough.”

From Digital to Tangible

For Carina, digital design is just the start. Her ultimate goal is to bring art into everyday life — through postcards, stickers, screen prints, or t-shirts.

Linearity Curve makes that possible. The precision of vector graphics means she can scale her work freely — from a 10 cm postcard to a large art print — without losing quality.

Looking Ahead

As she continues to grow as a designer, Carina plans to dive deeper into Linearity’s advanced tools — mastering features like clipping masks, advanced color workflows, and layer organization.

Her next goals?

Expand her postcard line into fine art prints.

• Launch new café collaborations.
• Experiment with animated graphics and digital media.

“I’m still learning,” she says. “That’s what I love about design — you can always discover something new. And with Linearity, it feels like I have a tool that grows with me.”

Carina’s journey is a beautiful example of how creativity, travel, and technology can intersect. What started as a university project turned into a growing creative practice — one fueled by curiosity, a love of everyday beauty, and the simplicity of Linearity Curve.

Her art now lives in cafés, on postcards, and in the hands of people who connect with her calm, sunlit style.

As she puts it:

“Linearity gave me the precision of vector graphics and the freedom to explore my own style — whether in postcards, stickers, or collaborations with cafés that bring my art into everyday life.”

Try it Out, No Sign-Up Required

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