Make the drawing and the illustration her job is the aspiration of many enthusiasts. Yet few succeed in turning their hobby into a profession that pays the bills steps for Passion into a Profession. Over time, many give up, convinced they have no talent or helpless in the face of initial difficulties. But talent is not necessarily innate: creativity is indeed an exercise that must be practiced on a daily basis.
To transform his passion, the illustrator must cross several milestones. Today, let’s discover together the roadmap containing practical advice to become an illustrator.
1 – The hardest part is getting started
All creative work requires a solid foundation. It is necessary above all:
- If entered in: to become an expert in his field, you have to practice every day to master anatomy, colors and compositions.
- Taking drawing lessons to learn the basics can be helpful, but it doesn’t have to be. There are also several online solutions, one of which is
- which offers worthy online illustration courses taught by professionals. Recognized.
- Choose between digital illustration and traditional illustration: it doesn’t matter; the key is to experiment with several techniques. You have to know how to “get your hands dirty”, make mistakes and re. A finished illustration is better than a perfect illustration. Set (reasonable) goals for yourself, steps for Passion into a Profession like creating one illustration per week. The How to Be an Illustrator book is a good place to start.
2 – Understanding yourself before making yourself understood
After having forged a solid base of technical knowledge and having studied different artists, it is appropriate to embark on a journey, which can be long and winding, but which is absolutely necessary. The first essential question to ask is: who am I? The answer is far from simple, because we often tend to copy the style of our favorite artists, especially at the beginning.
It is fundamental to find your own path, certainly influenced by what you first studied, but unique enough to personalize your work, to be recognized and to give character to your illustrations.
It’s over time that we discover our strengths, and by creating what we love: illustrations for children? On the subject of science fiction, or by trying out several genres while maintaining a coh style erent?
This will be known and responding the marketing objectives of specific magazines or advertising agencies. The goal is not to be satisfied by looking at his illustrations, but to understand the needs of potential clients (newspapers, magazines, agencies, events) and to produce work that works, that tells a clear and moving story when associated with a text steps for Passion into a Profession.
3 – Shaping your brand
Many children books illustrator are working as freelancers, that is to say, they should look for clients that work, but mainly use their work to communicate. Being good is not enough, you need to have a clear vision of your work to be able to be noticed by potential clients, both online and offline.
The ” personal branding “, this is not just draw up its list of customers and develop its portfolio, two secondary activities, but what the illustrator, he writes, his tastes, his personality. Here are some tips and tools to forge a strong identity:
- Project a sincere self-image: in this way, your followers and potential customers will be able to get a realistic idea of your personality and your œ Branding comes down to creating a reputation.
- By being honest with people, you are putting the odds in your favor.
- Demonstrating coh erence : in the language, in style, in subjects drawn
- Having an identity in concrete visual ects: you need a logo and a recognizable name, as well as business cards.
- Set short, medium and long-term goals: these allow you to concentrate on “Iwant to publish one of my drawings in this magazine in two years.”This desire does not come true, but it may help to achieveitems, such as creating new drawings or contacting a particular art director.To build the requisite momentum forthe future, all experiences are good.What’s more, to be constructive in the publiceye, these aims should be shared (online and offline).
4 – Promote your work offline
- Cr REA her portfolio (and presenter): this fundamental step is to best represent your style and your ideas, and contain your best œ Pixar printing offers print your magazines, books and catalogs. The possibilities are numerous, and there is something for everyone. Printing your portfolio professionally is an essential step.
- Make yourself known in the community: participating in trade fairs and events in your sector and developing your contacts by meeting people can be very useful for the future.
- Don’t hesitate to step out of your office, and don’t be afraid to show yourself for what you are.
- Presenter his work to art directors: make a list of potential clients you want to work, and identify the editors. It is necessary to have a good knowledge of the field of activity of the agency or magazine to which we offer our services in order to know precisely which problems we can help to solve. A classic method, but still very useful, remains the sending of printed cover letters, for example on a small index card or on an illustrated postcard to announce its availability steps for Passion into a Profession.
5 – Promote your work on the Internet
Nowadays, the Internet plays a fundamental role in promotion. The key is to treat every day its pr Essence online to see there his work “bloom.” We recommend that you create an online portfolio of your illustrations, as well as a blog where you can share your background and your experience, and which will allow you to be easily found on Google. It is also important to be present on at least three digital platforms:
- Instagram: very useful and populated by art directors looking for illustrators. On this platform, hashtags (for example, #art, #illustration today, and many others) are used. Since they are used to give visibility to illustrations, they should be used sparingly. We advise you to create a specific account on which you will actively present your works.
Follow his favorite illustrators (find out here a particularly useful illustrator search engine) and posting new content regularly can be a huge help, as can showing admiration to other artists by commenting, without exaggerating, on their work from their professional Instagram account. However, these comments should be constructive, and not just a series of marketing messages.
Do Promoted Social Platforms:
- Facebook, Behance and Dribble: these platforms also allow you to create a profile and present your illustrations. The important thing is to be active and consistent in your publications. Do not hesitate to present your work, but also your creative process. In addition to your drawings and illustrations, add a little context that led to the final result, some sketches or a video of a drawing in progress.
- E-mail: Many art directors prefer to be contacted simply by e-mail. You can therefore establish a list of emails and send them to the art directors, attaching some sample illustrations and links to your social networks. There are also paid solutions offering contact databases, but a simple search with the keyword “Art Director” on LinkedIn can pay off. Obviously, you have to know in detail the target company before contacting its artistic director.
Conclusion
