Art by Mag Takac
How can I start small as a professional illustrator, and how do I move up when I’m ready? How can I stay motivated during long, challenging projects? Hear Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry answer these questions and more in this episode!
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SHOW LINKS
Jake Parker’s Kickstarter, Kepler’s Intergalactic Guide to Spaceships, has launched! Check it out HERE.Draftsmen PodcastTherese Larsson Building a Strong PortfolioCritique Arena
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Learning to create within constraints is a vital skill to have as an illustrator. Practice by entering competitions like Critique Arena!
No matter how much experience you have, always work on your weaknesses and strive to improve. It’s a good practice to revamp your portfolio every so often to level up your skills and make sure you’re showing potential clients your best work.
Even if you’re not excited about a client project, you can commit to making it good enough to add to your portfolio. If you give your all, it’s never a waste!
Don’t assume there’s only one way to represent a scene; experiment with different ideas until you find one you’re excited to paint.
QUESTIONS
Valerie asks, “Where can I find low-pressure starter gigs? My style is evening out, and I make it into the sweet 16 for Critique Arena about half of the time I enter it. I've by no means mastered my craft, but I can make a decent illustration now. However, I’ve done zero paid illustration jobs so far, and I don’t feel like I’m ready for publishers, agents, book deals, etc. I want some small-stakes projects to start. How do I find those?”
Check out Valerie’s work at valerielightillustration.com.
There are a few ways to get paying but low-pressure projects. First, control what you can control: your skill! Enter contests like Critique Arena to practice illustrating within constraints. This will gear you up to work under the instruction of an art director later in your career.
Next, make a killer portfolio. Whether you’re going for big projects or basic gigs, you want your art to speak for itself. Work on your weaknesses and continue to practice technique and refine your style.
Finally, look around at the illustrators getting the kinds of jobs you want. Who is hiring them? Reach out to those people and send them your portfolio. Storyboarding and magazine illustration are great places to enter the field on a small scale. Good luck!
Anonymous asks, “I’ve been working for two years with self-published authors and have been making about $2,000 per book. This rate is extremely low, but it’s been just enough to live off of. Now I’m trying to level up to better-paying jobs, but I keep getting rejected. Why? Is my work good enough? Is my style too generic?”
The only way to job security and higher-end clients as an illustrator is to make yourself irreplaceable. This involves high skill and distinct style. Take some time to revamp your portfolio with pieces that match your very best work in quality. It’s challenging to maintain style and quality if you lack enthusiasm for a project, so discover how to solve problems and paint scenes in a way that’s fun for you. Even if certain client work is not your favorite, approach it with the determination to make a portfolio-quality piece.
The more interest and excitement you can muster, the less generic your work will be and the easier it will be to find clients. Dig deep to discover what excites you and why, and look for ways to bring that enthusiasm into every project.
Anonymous asks, “I finally got my first picture book project with a Big 5 publisher! I want to give it my all and make the project feel special but as I am getting into sketches I am already losing my initial excitement. The story calls for active, complex, full-bleed illustrations and it’s pushing me far outside my comfort zone. Any advice on how to maintain passion for a long-term project that is personally challenging?”
Jake’s advice is practical: Start off this project with the piece you’re most excited about. When you’ve finished that, work on the hardest piece. The excitement and inertia from the fun piece will help carry you through the more challenging piece. Alternate between fun and hard pieces until the end of the project, saving a fun piece for last to keep you motivated to continue.
Lee advises questioning your perception of the client’s desire. If you don’t typically create active, complex illustrations, yet the client hired you for the job, maybe that’s not what they’re looking for. Chances are, they hired you to do what you do best! Are there ways you can simplify the scenes to match your style and have more pleasure creating the pieces? Play around and see what you can come up with! When you find a way to create that makes you happy, it’s a lot easier to stay motivated until the end of a project.
LINKS
Jake Parker: mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44
Will Terry: willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt
Lee White: leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo
Daniel Tu: danieltu.co.
Lily Howell: lilycamille.com
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