Art by Kim Rosenlof
Am I talented, or are they lying to me? What does an art director do? In this episode, Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry answer these questions and discuss how to pull off an outdated style.
ASK A QUESTION
JOIN US ON PATREON
Note: We’ve done our best to provide relevant links to products mentioned in this podcast. SVSLearn and the 3 Point Perspective podcast are supported by qualifying purchases. Thank you for your patronage!
SHOW LINKS
Julia Sarda
Nicole Gastonguay
David Wiesner
Chris Van Allsburg
Shaun Tan
Jon Klassen
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A satisfying illustration balances imagination and reality with style and narrative.
A poor art director tells you how to draw; a good art director presents you with problems and allows you to provide solutions.
Don’t let rejection discourage you; keep improving your art and stay in touch with those you’d like to represent or hire you. Keep doors open as you ready yourself for whatever opportunities arise.
QUESTIONS
Samantha asks, “I have submitted my portfolio to multiple agencies and have been rejected a few times, but the rejections are so confusing! They say that while I’m a talented artist, they are not currently taking on any more artists. Yet they continually feature newly acquired illustrators on their social media. Do I have talent or is this their polite way of rejecting me?”
It’s difficult to tell anyone their work isn’t good enough to represent, and agencies might try to let you down gently by praising your talent. After reviewing Samantha’s work, it’s clear she does have good foundational skills and is so close to being representable. Our challenge to her is to refine her silhouettes and value patterns. (Study Julia Sarda; she’s great at this.) Samantha uses a lot of black, and the high saturation can make pieces flat or hard to read. Jake suggests she remove the bottom ten pieces from her portfolio and replace them with pieces that lean towards color and use black more selectively. As the new work is completed, Samantha can send it to agents as a way to keep in touch and stay on their radar. As they see continued improvement, they’re more likely to want to represent her!
Nadia asks, “I have two art accounts on social media: one with my real name and my best art, and one with a pseudonym and cartoony art. The latter is generating a lot of traction. If someone wanted to hire me based on that account, would I have to share my legal name with them?”
If you want to protect your privacy and remain under a pseudonym, consider creating an LLC. The LLC could have its own name, bank account, EIN, and PO box that would allow you to do most of your business without sharing your legal name. Still, you might not be able to prevent sharing your personal info in every situation. Your best bet is to preserve your privacy on all your public-facing platforms and then trust the people who hire you to keep your personal information private.
Michael asks, “What is an art director’s role, and how do you know a good one from a bad one?"
The role of an art director is to extract your vision of a book out of you and make sure it aligns with the publisher’s vision. Poor art directors attempt to manage your entire process, telling you what to draw and where. They leave little room for you to execute your creative vision. Good art directors focus on how your work relates to the text. They will present you with problems, but leave the solutions to you (e.g. “This page needs to feel scary, and I don’t think it’s as frightening as it could be. What could you do to change that?”).
When working with a less experienced art director or a committee, it’s helpful to note the reasoning behind your artistic choices when you submit your sketches. If they understand the thinking behind your approach, they’re much likelier to accept it without over-revising.
Bonus: If your style is good but outdated, is that a problem?
The key to pulling off an older or more realistic style seems to be drawing new subject matter. If your technique is traditional, you might favor a more fantastical story, and vice versa; if you have an outlandish style, try more conservative subject matter. It’s the balance of relatability and imagination that pull style and narrative together.
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 Camille Howell: lilycamille.com
If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, and let us know your thoughts or if you learned something new!
If you want to be a part of the discussion and have your voice heard, join us at forum.svslearn.com.