Jake and Lee on Cara: @MrJakeParker, @LeeWhiteIllo
Self-Publishing Pro
Griz Grobus by Simon Roy
Whether it succeeds or fails, each project you launch is a stepping stone towards your next idea. Don’t bank so much on the success of one project that you don’t move on to the next one.
Do common things uncommonly well to set yourself apart.
Don’t force every idea to become a cash cow; leave some art just for yourself. You might still make money off of it, but don’t create it for that cause. Focus on the purity of the craft and let other endeavors (artistic or not) pay the bills.
Time spent perfecting your craft is not time wasted, and neither is time spent earning a living. Find the balance and appreciate both pursuits.
Raj asks, “With social media on the decline, I’ve seen people talking about newsletter cross-promotion. Is that something you have done, and what are your thoughts on if and how it should be done?”
Cross-promoting means recommending other artists’ work in your newsletter and vice versa. While we haven’t participated in this just yet, this upcoming trend seems like a smart move. Consider starting a cross-promoting chain with a handful of your artist friends and incentivize your subscribers to sign up for your friends’ emails.
The perfect marketing strategy is a mix of social media (which is evolving, but not declining), email marketing, and paid ads. Your audience can be found with any of these outlets, but none are a hundred percent effective, so distribute your effort across all these channels to maximize your reach.
Arthur asks, “I recently lost my job as an architect and figured now would be a great time to attempt a freelance illustration career. (My wife earns enough to support us while I get started.) However, I am scared of failing. Is my portfolio good enough to get work?”
Many artists feel paralyzed at the thought of failure because they don’t realize they are not their art. Your worth and identity are not in your illustrations. This is freeing! If your portfolio isn’t attracting any work, you can revamp it, update your skills or style, and try again. In fact, you can do this many times throughout your career. So don’t get so nervous about failure, because it’s merely a comma in your story, not a period.
Arthur has a solid skill set and we’re confident in his ability to get work. We recommend a few updates, and then he’s off to the races. First, work with greater contrast in values. Too many midtones make your illustrations hard to read. Second, add more sequential work to your portfolio. Especially if you want to illustrate children’s books, you need to be able to draw the same characters from multiple angles and in different positions.
Now is the perfect time to give your portfolio a makeover. With all your free time, you could make three new portfolio pieces each month until you have a fresh batch of twenty solid images.
Raphael asks, “I’m a concept artist for a video game company and I’m grateful for my job. However, my enthusiasm has waned over time, affecting my motivation and the quality of my work. Drained by the end of the day, I struggle to work on personal projects that could enhance my portfolio. Should I take a non-art job (I don’t want to self-publish), or is this struggle just par for the course?”
Making art that doesn’t align with your interests and values is draining and doing so long-term heavily impacts the quality of your life. Thankfully, you hold the reigns in your career and there are several options available to you.
We suggest setting a goal to transition out of your job in the next six months. You can decide if you’d rather work a non-art day job and preserve your creative energy for personal projects, or move to a studio that aligns with your interests.
If your primary desire is to have fun making art, we recommend the first option. The moment you must create on assignment, you risk losing the fun, so you’re better off choosing the path of personal work and side projects. Even if you’re up for being a full-time illustrator, create a long-term plan leading toward the work you want to do. Future you will be grateful.
For now, find small ways to add joy to your job. Can you hide Easter eggs in your work? Can you challenge yourself to paint differently or problem-solve in new ways? What can you do to make work more engaging for the time you have left there?
Finally, if you’re too tapped out to create personal work at the end of the day, don’t try. Instead, go to bed early, get up early, and chip away at your own projects for an hour or two before work. This allows you to give your best creative juices to the things that matter most to you before your job can suck you dry. Give it a try and see if it doesn’t make life a little more enjoyable.
Get the guidance you need on the path to becoming a better illustrator.
