Ep 11: Getting paid as a comic book illustrator with Tatiana Gill
Revealed secrets of making money as a comic book artist through commissions, client work, and self publishing. Watch Dina and Tatiana Gill comic book queen for the past 20 years, swap stories on making money from all the best gigs.
Revealed secrets of making money as a comic book artist through commissions, client work, and self-publishing. Watch Dina and Tatiana Gill comic book queen for the past 20 years, swap stories on how to make money from all the best gigs.
What is the best way to make money as a comic book illustrator?
Obviously clients. The most effective action I can take in my immediate life in getting the ball rolling is to attend networking events.
Despite the rough start, I am kind of in the midst of this snowball effect. All the contacts I’ve made over the years are leading to new opportunities and I am just gaining momentum.
Usually, you’ll catch me at local comic events, meetups, Seattle’s female cartoonist scene is budding, not to mention getting involved in group shows and female comic book anthologies.
What is a comic book anthology?
It’s a comic book made up of, generally, twenty various artists each having their comics featured on a five-page spread.
I’d definitely look into anthology submissions as a way to get your work out there, connect with other artists and, in general, the overall action of putting together a submission is good practice in seeing how you can best present your work and pitch.
How do you get involved in comic book anthologies and where do you find these opportunities?
I’d definitely hit up local meetups and keep an eye out on the artists you’re following in terms of what they are putting out there on social media. You just need to keep your finger on the pulse in regards to submission calls and opportunities in general. Kickstarter is a good search engine to find out about anthologies looking to take on artists too.
Maybe start pinpointing more artists in your desired niche to better your chances if you’re serious about getting involved.
10 Likes, 1 Comments - Tatiana Gill (@tatsgill) on Instagram: "Ready for #shortrunseattle !! #bodypositive #plussize"
Are anthologies merely for exposure, or do you get a percentage of the profits?
Some of them will pay but, primarily, it’s just an avenue for exposure. The one’s I’ve contributed to were mainly fundraisers for causes, but you can totally get paid with monthly or biannual publications that are not not-for-profit based. Just be aware that this is a medium used by a lot of artists looking to make their break and build their portfolio so it may not be a sustainable source of income.
Aside from networking, what other ways help you attract the right clients?
Pitching and content creation targeted towards my ideal client type. Cold calling/emailing is definitely something you’re going to have to become comfortable with in terms of pitching concepts and potential collaborations.
And as for your personal brand, make sure you’re creating the kind of content you’d want to be working on for a client. Just because you may not be earning an income or being paid for a specific job, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be any less choosy about who you work with and what you create. Though it may not seem like it, these elementary steps are forming the foundation to what your brand is all about.
Specifically, I publish my own books. It may not be for everyone who’s just starting out in terms of budget and how quick you’re able to scale, but I print on demand with an upfront investment of $50-100 for 20-50 comic books. It’s a tangible product that elevates my brand in the eyes of potential clients, customers and contacts in general, and will see my return on investment (ROI).
In that way, I also “dress to impress”, and it goes to show that you can really use this digital age as a way to mold your brand’s online, as well as offline, presence.
Do trade shows and exhibits make you money?
I’ve done a few trade shows this year, and what I will say is, is to make sure you can cater towards all types of customers budget-wise. It’s easiest to break down your merch into three levels. The smaller, more affordable, souvenir-esque products that’ll stay below $10. Then you’ve got your mid and high-end products where you’ll most likely see a return on investment from fans who are familiar with your brand.
I’d also just scope out who this trade show/convention is really for. There are so many niches, fandoms and just an overall insane amount of communities within the comic book and illustration industry. You might just want to do a little market research to be sure you’re showing up with the products that’ll align with the event’s demographic.
Is this going to be an event where people are going to be going buck-tooth wild on the hardcover, full-color, artbooks, or is it a little more fluffy in terms of Puchin pins all around.
You don’t want to be a Sailor Moon in amongst abstract Risograph prints kicking yourself for a potential loss in time and resources. But then again, that could also be cool!?
It just comes down to working smart and knowing where you want to belong.
What's better? Going out on your own creating your own content and products, or, scoring client and commercial work?
Long-term, which one do you think will see a higher turnover in income?
Clients and commercial work, for me, is definitely the money maker. I feel like the revenue streams that are in place for my personal work are smaller side projects where I can really put forth my journey in body positivity, diversification and, yes, being a feminist.
These aren’t always subjects that sit well with people, and in that sense, I am still trying to establish them. It’s hard to find your place where these things will ultimately align and resonate with the community you’re trying to build. It does take a considerable amount of time and investment, so to find that balance in making money with commercial and client work, but expressing myself in the things that are dear to me, can be tricky.
As for how I score client/commercial work, it really comes down to networking and word of mouth.
Have you ever strayed from comic book illustration?
There were periods of time where I didn’t create anything at all. When I had a normal 9-5 graphic design job, I’d only dedicate some weekends to creating. I was a big party girl and, even when I attended some conventions here and there, I’d ultimately get drunk and offend a lot of people.
I’ll admit that, for most of my life, I’ve not had my head in the game.
Only in the last ten years did I make that step in realizing, as well as admitting to myself, that this is my dream and it’s worth allowing myself to be vulnerable for. It’s hard to present oneself to the world in such a way, but we need to go out there and ask for it!
What would you say makes a seasoned comic book artist?
Like myself, there are so many people who perhaps stopped doing what they loved, or, for whatever reasons, had to take time off work. And I think it’s comforting to know that you can always get back into the groove of things with time and dedication.
I am especially seeing young people left and right, killing it. It used to be that if you didn’t have at least a decade under your belt, then perhaps you weren’t the most experienced in the biz. These days, people are scoring clients within just a year of having started.
And I think that really speaks to what you’re capable of when you’re passionate about something and you follow through with dedication and drive.
Story time! Could you give us an example of a nightmare client gone wrong and what you learned from that experience?
I don’t necessarily have such a story, but I have realized that clients aren’t always going to be happy with the final product, even ten revisions down the line. So here I am a hundred hours into this project when I only charged for five.
I came to learn that, of course, their end vision isn’t always going to be the final product you present them with. In turn, that taught me to further specify my terms up front in the contract. For this much money you have, say, two rounds of revisions, and anything surpassing that will be charged extra.
Do you find that clients, and people in general, expect comics to be cheaper than other illustrations?
Totally! For so long people considered comics as “lowbrow”, as in, a kid could pull this off.
And really, if we’re looking at it logically, a four-panel comic is four illustrations in a row.
I can’t tell you the number of times people have reached out wanting a quote on my work and, after having provided them with said quote, I never heard back.
The back and forth on these emails can be very time to consume, especially when you’re not seeing any sort of return on time investment. Perhaps setting up a standard questionnaire or video call to weed out the people who aren’t willing to pay you what your worth is a good go-about method to counter this.
Case studies are also a solid means of giving potential clients insight to the behind-the-scenes of their seemingly straightforward product. And we’re talking the sketches, the mockups, the rejections and the resources used. Let them see the nitty gritty!
What do you think is the biggest mistake you’ve made career-wise so far?
Letting any negative feedback I received define my sense of worth.
An immediate example of this would be back when I was in college and saw that spike of interest in my work. That gave me the initial confidence boost to go ahead and send out some of my work hoping to reel in further opportunities, but nothing came to fruition. During that same time, fellow cartoonists I’d be hanging out with would offer advice on what I could better improve on in my own work, and I just took it all to heart.
There was also an element of sexism that came into play and I took all these events as immediate negativity. It changed my style, the tools I was using and eventually I let it stop me from submitting my work completely.
Having moved on from this self-deprecating state of mind, I can look back at this period of time and see how I let these external elements twist my passion into something that I came to resent.
We should never let it get this far!
What would your last little tidbit be for those looking to break into the comic book industry?
View anyone and everyone as a potential client or contact and stay professional. You never know who knows who and where your next gig might come from.
And also to not get too caught up in external validation. I get it, we’re products of our environment, but we can still decide whether or not to let those trolls put a damper on our day or to brush it off and carry on.
Stay true to who you are and be your own biggest fan!
TATIANA GILL
Comic Book Illustrator
THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN AND EDITED BY OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS
Ep 10: Getting started as a comic book artist with Tatiana Gill
Sitting down with Tatiana Gill with over twenty years of experience drawing comics for a living. Learn all about how she got started in comic book illustration and how to pitch clients.
Heads up, an impromptu three-part series on comic illustration coming your way! You asked, we delivered. Today we’ll be sitting down with Tatiana Gill, who has over twenty years of experience drawing comics for a living. So sit tight and let’s get schooled together.
What does your typical client look like?
There’s quite a few but my main source of client work are private commissions. This encompasses clients from bloggers wanting content for their brand to the odd family looking for a portrait. I sometimes even get to help state funded non-profits looking for visual material.
To this day, private commissions remain to be one of my favorites as you really get to engage on a personal level with the client. The overall projects tend to be far more customized instead of having to cater towards a larger brand and demographic.
Do you think you can charge more for personalized commissions or commercial work?
You’re definitely working with a bigger budget in commercial work as opposed to a private client who’s ultimately summing up your rate alongside their groceries and phone bill. Dina and Tatiana do discuss, however, the perceived value of commissioned work, and that it can be tricky territory to navigate between private and commercial value.
Commercial may have the bigger budget, but private commission still demand an investment in time and resources on a project that isn’t necessarily going to be featuring you on an already established platform. The bottom line being, private commissions could mean less eyes on you and your work, therefore a raise in your rates might be something to consider.
It really comes down to staying afloat financially and creatively. You don’t want to burn out on the more mass-produced commercial projects, but private clients aren’t always the right avenue to market your work either.
How’d you first get introduced to the whole comic book/illustration scene?
From a young age, I was a comic book junkie. I’d draw them for my own amusement as much as for those around me. So when college came around and adulting was looming on the horizon, that’s when I decided to get serious on getting my work out there and being published.
Pulling inspiration from my mom, who, at one point self-published a comic as a personal project, and seeing people in college publishing zines were the first real eye openers that this was also an option for me. This led to being published in my college newspaper and gaining recognition among my fellow peers!
Are there any female comic book artists that inspire you?
By way of female autobiographies back in high school, I started to intentionally seek out more female artists within the comic book world other than the highly popular male voices.We’re talking late 90’s so I mainly just had anthologies available to me, whereas today most of my main inspirations are, proudly, women writers and artists.
Just to name drop a few we have Jen Bartel, Gabrielle Bell and Noelle Stevenson. I really feel that, using these ladies as examples, women are really carving out paths for themselves, coming into their own and just shaking things up!
How do you pitch a comic?
Taking my class, “The Business of Comics”, as an example, I had my students write out a pitch. This pitch would ultimately be sent out to a web publisher of comics, but initially, it’s the action of pinpointing one thing to apply for and focus on seeing that through. Don’t get too stuck in your head and overwhelm yourself with what you could or should be doing. That’s just counterproductive and you’ll shut yourself down before you even begin.
Comic-wise, you don’t even necessarily need a finished product to pitch either. As long as you’ve got a concept and a few visual samples to back that up, there’s really nothing stopping you!
Find an opportunity to put yourself out there whether that be applying to competitions, posting on social media or pitching a certain platform and be consistent. You already have a “no”, now keep pushing till you get that “yes”. And once you receive that initial validation on your artwork from someone other than your mum, that’ll really stoke the fire to keep things going.
The ingredients for a good pitch are visual samples, and why it would appeal to whomever you’re addressing in relation to the demographics behind their publication.Don’t be afraid to spice things up a little. After all, it is your work, and if you’re confident in your vision, someone else will eventually see the value in it too.
Are their comic illustration day jobs?
So Marvel and DC obviously come to mind and we definitely want to be the last people to crush anyone’s dreams, but think, “It’s possible but improbable”. That’s not to say there aren’t other jobs equal to that of Marvel’s and DC’s or that one day you’ll end up with them nonetheless. But we’re not going to lie, it’s tough.
Even the smaller companies that could use someone in-house, outsource to other countries with a lower cost of living so they don’t need to pay such high rates. For the most part, it’s not nine to five, it’s twenty-four seven.
How do I make a living as a full-time comic artist?
Honestly, make yourself the brand. Referencing back to some of the previous episodes here on Women of Illustration, create diverse revenue streams, set up a Patreon as a way to be supported by your audience, put yourself out there consistently, and be resourceful. Don’t feel entitled to a such-and-such path and become blind to potential opportunities outside of the box you’ve been putting yourself in.
We’ve got all these platforms at our disposal to connect with people from all over the world, and for the most part, they’re free. So start sharing a little, or a whole lot, of yourself, and do so continuously. There’ll always be an audience for whatever it is you want to do.
Tatiana Gill
Comic Book Artist
THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN AND EDITED BY OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS
Ep 09: Starting out with an art mentorship with Angi Pauly
Is Art school beyond what your budget can afford, and the self-starter culture not for you? In this episode Dina and Illustrator Angi Pauly are looking at internships, apprenticeships, and mentorships for education; hence the term “ships”, because honestly who has the time to say all three!
Is Art school beyond what your budget can afford, and the self-starter culture not for you? In this episode Dina and Illustrator Angi Pauly are looking at internships, apprenticeships, and mentorships for education; hence the term “ships”, because honestly who has the time to say all three!
What’s the difference between all these “ships”!?
You’ve most likely heard of an internship. A short period of time, usually a few weeks or months, committed to gaining on-the-job experience to see whether or not this could be the career path for you. It is not uncommon that these have, quite often, gone unpaid. A famous line to compliment your dwindling bank account balance is, “You’re lucky to be here, do you know how many people would kill for this opportunity!?”. Though there are plenty of internships that are paid, it really just comes down to what industry you’re looking to go into and what you can afford.
An apprenticeship on the other hand, is a little more official in that you’re being formally employed to partake in a training program within a company. Yes, contradictory to those of us who immediately think “medieval” when we hear the word, it’s very much a present-day practice. Generally spanning from one to six years, you’d usually finalize your apprenticeship in attaining a qualification and the skills to match this line of work.
And lastly, we have mentorship. Referencing this article by Corbin J.Pickett,
“Seeking a bond and relationship with an individual whom you respect despite craft or talent, but see value in their wisdom and advice. A mentor is someone you want to learn from personally”.
Usually, you’ll pay for a mentorship experience and receive personalized one-on-one coaching on how to best tackle short and long-term goals in order to get the work you want.
How’d you find your mentorships?
Angi gushes over the two past mentorships she’s had with artist Craig Elliott, who at the time was a production designer at Sony, and Thomas Scholes, a freelance artist specializing in concept art/visual development.
Referencing back to Angi’s own art school experience, it became clear that her school wasn’t providing her with the tools and skills she needed. Turning to the interwebs, she was introduced to a service that paired mentees with three month-long competitive mentorship opportunities, thus, finding Craig and Thomas.
She pinpoints her initial mentorship with Craig as a turning point in her life. Angi credits him for having her back during her graduation project, whereas her in-school mentor did not. And on a like-minded level, they really connected.
Two years down the line, she applied for her second mentorship with Thomas. After her first application was turned down, she reached out to him inquiring as to what his viewpoint was on her application and work. By doing so, Thomas advised she apply again, resulting in his taking her on as his mentee. Even though she didn’t score the mentorship the first time around, Angi still took the time to reach out and ask for feedback. And to this day, Thomas remains someone she can reach out to when in need of help or advice.
For one-on-one coaching that lasted almost as long as a semester in school, Angi put down $600-800. Not bad right!?
If you could go back in time, would you forego art school and opt for mentorship instead?
Aside from pleasing her mom, no surprise, Angi wouldn’t think twice about choosing this form of education. You’re one quick google search away from scoring that next mentorship, finding like minded communities, or downloading, let’s be honest, a whole semester’s worth of free educational material. All you need is the drive.
And if you’re lucky enough to have pinpointed what you want to do from an early age, even better. You basically have immediate access to start honing in on your craft. Think of it as an early acceptance into college or university, but from the comfort of your bed.
Dina’s looking for a mentor, Angi’s looking for a mentee!
Whether you’re looking to get into graphic design or concept art, creatives are pretty vocal in the fact that this industry can be a lonely one, not to mention competitive and more than a little overwhelming for those looking to get their foot in the door.
The path to an established career can be extremely scrapbook-esque in that we do the best that we can. Don’t be afraid of veering off your envisioned path when, perhaps, an alternative opportunity presents itself. Be resourceful and see the upside to whatever it is you may be facing.
It’s important to remember that education isn’t only for those fresh-faced younglings, but that in all stages of our career we should strive to come from a place of curiosity and desire to learn.
Angi’s taken up pottery classes as being surrounded by this contrasting form of creativity gives her insight into how she could approach her own work in a new and refreshing way.
And Dina deals us a dose of honesty in that though she’s entirely capable of handling her own, she wants to be the one being mentored for once, rather than being the mentor. In her own way, she’s looking to connect back to that side of her that creates for the sake of creating, regardless of the medium.
In closing, we’d like to announce that Angi’s in search of a mentee. Hit her up on Instagram to learn more!
Further mentorship platforms mentioned are CGM Master Academy, Anthony Jones, CG Spectrum and Gnomon. Happy learning!!
ANGI PAULY
llustrator
THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN AND EDITED BY OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS
Ep 08: The pros and cons of going to art school with Angi Pauly
Is Art School really worth your while? Dina and Angi are back for round two in breaking down the pros and cons of Art School, and if it’s the only way to kickstart your career as an artist. If you think a traditional send off to college is the only option you’ve got, then give this episode a listen!
Is Art School really worth your while? Dina and Angi are back for round two in breaking down the pros and cons of Art School, and if it’s the only way to kickstart your career as an artist. If you think a traditional send off to college is the only option you’ve got, then give this episode a listen!
216 Likes, 14 Comments - Angi Pauly (@angi.pauly) on Instagram: "Absolutely love how these turned out! Gorgeous pins thanks to @madebycooper . 🌱These magical..."
How was your experience at art school?
Talk about learning more from a school’s library more than it’s own professors!? Angi, attended Universidad Véritas, which at the time was the only school offering animation and concept art in Central America.
Dubbing herself and fellow peers as guinea pigs, since the course was pretty new, Angi opened up about the toxicity of her school’s environment and the general lack of respect the professors showed towards the students.
She also touches on keeping up with the workflow and maintaining grades as well as trying to pay for all of this; we’re talking two part-time jobs. This being said, the entire experience chalked up to an approximate $72,000 in costs. Not cool.
Dina goes on to relay her own experience having been scammed by the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, subsequently deciding to transfer out to Full Sail University in Orlando. In this case, second time was a charm. Arriving the year the University kicked off their Digital Arts and Design program, the school encompassed creative avenues ranging from motion graphics to web design.
Needless to say, this is what we envision when considering art school. A place of guidance, community, and hard work. One that will teach you the value of “pulling oneself up by the bootstraps”.
40 Likes, 3 Comments - Angi Pauly (@angi.pauly) on Instagram: "Class demo for watercolor lessons today!! 🐰🌞🌼"
Do your research, then commit.
So guys, use your resources. Take Google out for a spin. Cold email. Do you have a friend of a friend who’s brother might attend there?
College/university usually means putting down the big bucks and taking out loans. If you think art school is the place for you, make sure you know what you’re paying for, and what best aligns with your goals.
If your goal is to intern or perhaps start your own thing, then maybe that money meant for college would be better spent investing in building a business. Who’s anyone to tell you that you can’t?
Just make sure you’ve covered all your bases, regardless of your path.
Despite not having been the best experience, what are the most valuable lessons you took from having attended art school?
Angi discusses that by juggling her study and part-time jobs, more often than not, she had to settle for done-and-not-perfect. She was dealt some real-world experience which, in turn, contributed to a concrete work ethic and a thick skin.
Having only been with the same classmates from kindergarten through high school, it served as her first independent step out into the world and all that comes with growing up and finding your path.
Granted, it’s not always sunshine and butterflies, but we roll with the punches.
If someone were considering art school, what reasons do you think they should go for?
First off, don’t expect the romanticized college experience. Then again, if that’s what you get, you’re a lucky bugger.
Now, more importantly, if you’re looking to immerse yourself in a like-minded community, then art school is definitely something to consider. However, as we mentioned earlier, really put the time in to research your school of choice before committing. It will serve as a platform that will give you that designated period of time to hone in on your skills and legitimately delve into potential career paths. With a community already in place, you have access to an endless array of clubs, events and general opportunities to network and connect. School can be a real blessing when trying to find your group of people, let’s not discount it.
Lastly, the resources. Whether that be the library, tech or supplies, you’ll be a kid in a candy store. It’s an environment that will ultimately test you, but give you those necessary tools to kickstart your career.
You’re making art school sound pretty solid, why wouldn’t I go?
Cue headache number one. The financial burden is real. You’ll most likely have to take out a loan if you’ll want to experience any of the aforementioned glories.
Also, have you ever given any thought to a school’s curriculum? If they’re dishing out the same assignments to everyone, you’d better double that effort to stand out. Perhaps by being in such a saturated pool where everyone’s getting the same work, it will help you better understand your style, and make it stand apart (as this is, eventually, what you will be hired for).
Yet, many are starting to question the rigorous schedules that students abide by. It can lead to physical and mental deterioration in health, and total burnout before you even join the workforce.
It really comes down to knowing yourself, what you want, and how you want to go about reaching your goals. As Einstein pointed out, you can’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree.
School, or no school?
Bottom line, having a degree doesn’t guarantee a job. That little piece of paper isn’t all it’s cut out to be anymore, and it definitely isn’t worth four years of your time, never mind seven (props to Angi).
Maybe you’re just looking to go full gap-year-galore or join an exchange program. Have your own project you want to get off the ground!?
And if you’re not a self-starter, there are plenty of short-term programs/online classes. Speaking of which, Dina’s upcoming three-month course focusing on social media and online marketing might just be the thing for you.
Having said all this, we do just want to underline that whatever direction you decide to go in, this decision isn’t be-all-end-all. We totally get that at the moment, it’s beyond daunting, but see it as a chance to explore this new season of your life. We can always pick ourselves up by the bootstraps.
ANGI PAULY
Illustrator & Concept Artist
THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN AND EDITED BY OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS
Ep 07: Being a self taught artist learning illustration online with Angi Pauly
It’s finally time for us to dive into a question that has been on many of your minds, what is the best way to learn illustration? This episode is the first of a three-part series on the best methods of picking up illustration for free online.
“As an artist, I think knowledge enriches your experience and the content you create. Whether it’s language, history, culture, politics. I feel like I learn equally from everything.”
It’s finally time for us to dive into a question that has been on many of your minds, what is the best way to learn illustration? This episode is the first of a three-part series on the best methods of picking up illustration. Do we all have to go to art school? What about the ships? Apprenticeships, internships, mentorships? But, today we're starting off with learning illustration online with Illustrator Angi Pauly.
What was your introduction to learning illustration?
The first thing that introduced Angi to illustration was fairytale books as a kid. All of the characters and fantasy stories had her drawing and sculpting since childhood. Growing up as a creative she naturally wanted a career in art because it was the most logical choice for her.
Starting in the two last years of high school, she began toying with watercolors that led to her infatuation with drawing. During computer labs at school, she would finish her classwork early so she could Google images to recreate the patterns and ink-hatching she saw in comics.
What is your favorite way to learn illustration?
Angi likes watching video tutorials, but it’s hard for her to focus on one video for too long. Instead, she enjoys finding a video, like Brian Lang’s on hard candy texture, and review the video at 10x speed. After each course she takes, she always tries to find her own way of recreating it because as she says "just to follow someone else's technique is a little stiff."
Skillshare, for example, is a fantastic platform for online learning that allows you to watch unlimited videos for just $15 a month. Or if you are ready to take your freelance business up a notch our very own Dina Rodriguez has a class on Creative Live, Make Things. Make Money. The Business of Lettering and Illustration.
She also seeks out podcasts and audiobooks for art theory to bolster her knowledge. Above all, she's learned the most from various Google Hangout groups. That way she has more opportunities for critique to help her realize if her values are wonky or if she needs a stronger composition. Angi finds that every job takes a different learning method so having a group to turn to makes being a creative way less hectic.
289 Likes, 7 Comments - Angi Pauly (@angi.pauly) on Instagram: "I have started a challenge of creating 4 characters each week for a month. This first one has not..."
Any advice for people learning art for the first time?
Angi’s advice for first timers is practice drawing the things you like, whether it's your favorite food, characters, or phrases. It doesn’t matter if it’s crap. In fact, it’s going to be crap, at least in the beginning. So you might as well just practice and enjoy the process.
Don’t worry about getting more followers and likes. It’s going to destroy you and your passion before you have the chance to get really good at your craft. Make art because you enjoy it, and connect to a positive network of creatives where you get good feedback. Learn and expect nothing from your art. Just make.
Don't try to make something for people to like it and ignore what you really want to make. Don't feel forced to have one particular style. Angi thinks that ‘draw what you like’ is a piece of advice that gets taken for granted.
We see the people that we want to be, and we try to copy them. Don’t try to be them instead be inspired by their productivity. Don’t rob yourself of the most valuable thing you have, your perspective on seeing the world. Without that, how are you supposed to stand out? People think you need skills before you have taste. You can work on both at the same time.
Lastly, never compare yourself to others. You don’t have to be tormented to be an artist. You can be a functional human and make good art.
176 Likes, 3 Comments - Angi Pauly (@angi.pauly) on Instagram: "A little sketch for a project with a friend 🍯🍯🍯 #instaartist #digitalart #illustration #honey..."
For someone who is self-taught, what do you think is the biggest challenge besides money?
Angi thinks staying motivated is the hardest part of being a self-taught artist. Its this lack of focus that encourages new artists to go to art school so they can be near people that inspire them to keep going. For self-taught people, it might be harder to simulate that kind of motivational community. This is why it's so important to be brave enough to create and find your own community to stay accountable.
In the next episode, Angi will be back to discuss another option for learning illustration, do we really need art school anymore?
Some of the resources mentioned:
Open Broadcaster System for recording video chats
Andco invoicing and expense tracking for freelancers
Hardcore History by Dan Carlin
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson
THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN AND EDITED BY OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS
Ep 6: Making money from your art with Samantha Lopez and Kat Hubbs
There are so many other ways to make money from your art aside from client work and a day job. I'm joined by Samantha Lopez and Kat Hubbs to talk about all the diversified revenue streams you could have in order to pay your bills when the paychecks stop.
We welcome Samantha Lopez back for her third and final installment on how to be a more independent woman in the art industry, along with a special new guest, Kat Hubbs.
Just to give you the low-down on what these ladies are all about, Samantha Lopez is an illustrator/graphic designer based out of Los Angeles, and Kat is a hand lettering artist/visual illustrator based out of Washington DC.
Samantha being an in-house designer for Honey, as well as doing freelance gigs on the side, and Kat rocking the freelance lifestyle full time, these ladies make the perfect combo to discuss today’s topic, how to create diverse revenue streams so artists like us can make more money!
Ways to make money that do not include a day job or freelancing
We want to make more money, we want to do it in less time, and we don’t want to rely on a day job or client work to make us feel financially secure.
With a twelve year background as an in-house graphic designer in e-commerce, Kat made the transition to freelance several years back, whereas Samantha currently balances a day job and freelance illustration. Both, however, are open to figuring out ways to increase their income.
We’re going to name the obvious, tangible products. Whether it be a pin or t-shirt, you have the option of going through third-party platforms such as Threadless, Redbubble, Society6, or keeping it close to home and overseeing the operation via your own e-commerce website.
Where most people might instantly gravitate towards selling tangible products (as is very much the norm), we can name a few alternative revenue streams that might be more suited to what you have to offer in terms of industry and time management.
For example, you can create digital products, which can take the form of downloadable zines, ebooks, fonts, graphics or even sticker packs for iMessage.
Once you start selling your own product, terms like “Licensing” and “Royalties” will pop up, and are key factors in helping you get paid. Say you’re looking to sell a font. The “Licensing” is going to decide how the font gets used, and a “Royalty” is the payment you receive from every purchase.
Then again, an educational approach might be more your thing. Skillshare as a video class format, or Patreon as a subscription-based system, are both platforms you might want to invest in. You can always check out our Women of Illustration Patreon to get a feel for the platform!
And last but not least, having a large enough following online can give you the option of sponsorships and monetizing your online platform through content marketing methods. For example, the mission of native advertising is to blend in with the content it is placed within, as well as matching the look and function of the online platform that’s featuring this content.
A form of native advertising is affiliate marketing which we can see in plenty of blogs sponsoring products in their articles. Another common marketing approach is PPC (pay per click advertising), where each click gets you paid.
What would your preferred revenue stream be?
Kat names fabric patterns as her go-to, currently choosing to use third-party platform Spoonflower, where customers have the opportunity to select from a broad range of her fabric designs.
We see that by having outsourced her logistics and supply chain, customers have a wider array of product selection than, say if she were to run the manufacturing infrastructure in-house. She doesn’t need to oversee the sourcing, or the packaging and shipment of the product; not to mention the inevitable storage of inventory.
Third-party platforms may minimize your overall cost and allow for more flexibility to focus on other parts of your business. However, as with everything, you need to balance the pros and cons. A major drawback is that you normally only make 20% commision on each sale.
Even so, an ordered manufacturing infrastructure is just one piece of the puzzle. Doing the market research and knowing your buyer persona (the demographics and interests of your customer) as well as having your content marketing down, will shift the odds in your favor.
For the time being, Kat’s looking to gradually branch out into products on a monthly basis, with the initial release of a new Skillshare series in which she’ll be covering her illustration process in software programs like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Samantha’s ideal ballgame would be to run everything through her own online shop. With her first line of t-shirts being such a sold-out success, she’s looking to concentrate on tangible products and further explore what this could mean for her business.
"Look at all the ways you can make money, and how this aligns with what you have to bring to the table. Now go do it."
While Kat chose a third-party platform, Samantha decided on in-house production.
This type of supply chain, as we mentioned earlier, can come with some baggage, like trying to find storage space for all the inventory.
And we get it. There is total truth in that mental and physical cluster go hand-in-hand. It’s important to separate and create boundaries between work and personal environment, but that doesn’t mean to say we overlook the value in “give-and-take.”
So, first, we think of the type of product, for example, pins aren’t going to take up as much space as t-shirts. Secondly, we learn to better organize our process, thirdly, we buy some storage boxes, and fourthly, we acknowledge that there is a larger apartment on the horizon; one where storage boxes don’t count as dining room tables.
Get your ducks in a row
Like so many of us, we allow for automatic thoughts to get the better of us, and feel instantly overwhelmed by our goals before we even put pen to paper. Goals that, a moment ago, were a source of creativity and motive.
So we’ve figured out the who, what, why, when, and where, now it’s time to turn those “what if’s” into a concrete plan of action. Time management is your best friend, one who will sing praise to your success and buy you pizza.
Cue obstacle one in getting you that pizza, market research, and logistics. Whether it’s just twenty minutes per week or several hours, “we can all make time for our seasons of passion”.
Don’t get stuck in the planning phase, but be strategic in your market research, product development, and eventual release, all the while, being consistent in promoting whatever it may be that you’re making.
A straightforward plan won’t leave you second guessing what to do with your time
Whether it’s just twenty minutes per week or several hours, “we can all make time for our seasons of passion”.
A few tips and tricks to further reinforce this would be to do some sort of beta test. Sharing your prototype on social media can get you feedback in terms of comments and likes, but not any real “add-to-cart” action. Basket abandonment is not something you want showing up in your Google Analytics. You could use a third-party platform like Society6 and Redbubble as an initial launch space, and depending on consumer demand, add it to your own site.
Instagram’s analytics, which you can access by connecting your Facebook business page, or Google Analytics, will give you an in-depth rundown on demographics, what external links are driving referral traffic, and those top posts earning extra likes.
Look at all the ways you can make money, and how this aligns with what you have to bring to the table. Now go do it.
45 Likes, 4 Comments - @kathubbs on Instagram: "August Calendar available on my blog- Link in profile #illustration #illustratorforhire #fox..."
The easiest way to make money?
Having said all this, we all love a snappy solution. So, yes, the easiest product to make would be a digital one. It cuts out manufacturing (whether this is manufacturing on-demand/ or an upfront investment), storage, packaging, and shipping.
Bearing this in mind, being serious in pursuing e-commerce requires a mixture of your own expertise and interests, whether you’re producing something to educate or products of leisure. Discovering these varied diversified revenue streams takes time and attention to detail, and should not be written off as quick-cash.
As Elizabeth Gilbert said, “I have one foot with the fairies, but the other foot is very firmly planted in the real world”.
SAMANTHA LOPEZ
Illustrator & Designer
KAT HUBBS
Illustrator & Lettering Artist
THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY ONE OF OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS
Ep 5: Building up your own creative community with Samantha Lopez
Back this week is Samantha Lopez on why self-sufficiency in the workspace is as much a solo act as it is as having a community to back you up. In this episode, we’re going to get down to the nit and grit of how to find your people while moving up in the art industry.
Back this week is Samantha Lopez on why self-sufficiency in the workspace is as much a solo act as it is as having a community to back you up. In this episode, we’re going to get down to the nit and grit of how to find your people while moving up in the art industry.
Why do I need a creative community?
Many of us recognize the need to connect, hang out, come over for pizza because our brains need to buffer in between all the busy work our lives have.
But as a creative, you also need to take into account that your work is already representing you in the community whether you actively participate in it or not. You’re missing out on possible work opportunities, friendships, and a general sounding-board to bounce ideas off of.
We need community for personal upkeep, but we also need it to keep our work in check and ultimately be inspired by those around us.
206 Likes, 6 Comments - @samxlopez on Instagram: "Worth the hype. 💅🏻"
How Samantha connects with people
Samantha's Instagram is her primary resource for reaching out to fellow artists, specifically on the platform’s “stories” feature. Whether it’s leaving a note of positive reinforcement or general chatting, she creates that opening by saying something funny or by asking a question.
Another option is to switch out using the same old emojis as the go-to comment, and start a discussion under someone’s post, leave feedback, or even if you just want to cheer them on, you never know where it might lead.
She touches on the fact that there are real people behind these accounts and that online friendship can quickly become an IRL friendship if given half the chance. Just keep in mind that when approaching people, no matter the environment should be done with respect. Having your DM’s bombarded is no one’s cup of tea.
Tips on networking for introverts
Networking has left all of us with a bad taste in our mouth at some point. When notoriety and the social comparison comes into play, it's normal to not want to stick around and feel "less successful".
Know what you’re looking to get out of these events and the people you’re looking to meet; just because this time wasn’t on par with your expectations, doesn’t mean it’s your cue to go home with your tail between your legs.
One way Samantha handles this is by going with a friend. Being a creative and showing up by yourself can be challenging when put into social mode, but having a buddy to fall back on could be the perfect wingman/woman in seeing the event through.
Though, she admits that you shouldn’t cling too tightly to this person as it may stop you from doing what you came to do, network!
An extra tip would be to hold yourself accountable and volunteer at an event. Now that you’re running on someone else’s schedule, you’ll have to show up.
Samantha's ideal networking event
Samantha first familiarized herself with the online platform Dribbble, and their community, before attending one of their networking events. If you’re on the fence about pinpointing an event to visit, and don’t have anyone to link arms with, perhaps hone in on what aspects of the creative industry pique your interests and start from there. Or if the scale of an event seems daunting, tone it down and opt for a smaller meetup.
161 Likes, 9 Comments - @samxlopez on Instagram: "My piece for the Eureka! Exhibit that opens tomorrow! ✨🕺🏻Honoring the "Rosie Riveters" that built..."
How to build your own community
A lot of us don’t live in an industry-saturated area, and thus we turn to good-old google to give us the answers. How and where can I rub shoulders with fellow creatives?
We discussed joining potential courses, mastermind groups like the one we have for Women of Illustration on Patreon so we can feel supported and connect with the communities you want to reach.
From the comfort of your bed, there’s an array of Facebook groups, Discord chats and Youtube live streams to dedicate Sunday morning coffee to.
Or perhaps you could turn to your own social media following and pitch the idea of having your meetup? There are resources and pockets of communities all around us; you just need to know what you want.
194 Likes, 8 Comments - @samxlopez on Instagram: "🔥zonzo squad 🔥 📸 @mckenziepotatocrisp"
Collaborating with other artists
Whether you’re an in-house or freelance creative, getting to collab and work with someone in that capacity can be just as therapeutic in rejuvenating your passion projects as it is in perhaps making a new friend?
Samantha’s outlook on collabs is that it’s a whole lot of talk and no action. Maybe this here underlines the perfect step we could all be taking, but might be missing?
Samantha is looking for someone to collab with!
A collaboration could act as the catalyst to gaining you a new best friend, mentor, or job. Having said this, Samantha will be taking inquiries to collaborate! She’s looking for an illustrator mentee, someone local to the Los Angeles area or remote to swap stories, lessons, and drawing tips.
Do you feel called upon? You can drop her a line in her DM's on Instagram if you want to learn from Samantha.
SAMANTHA LOPEZ
Designer & Illustrator
This article was written by one of our amazing volunteers
Ep 4: How to create your own opportunities in illustration with Samantha Lopez
Introducing our next guest in a 3-part series on how women can be more independent in the art industry. We start off by talking about how to find your own opportunities with Illustrator Samantha Lopez.
Samantha Lopez is an Illustrator born and raised in California that now lives in Los Angeles. She just started working full-time as a Designer at Honey while also doing freelance work on the side.
Sam thinks the most important part of getting hired is about creating and sharing your work so people can find you. By focusing more on social media platforms like Instagram and Dribbble, she can organically grow her following to get new freelance opportunities.
Once you are ready to sell your services, you need to find a way to attract the exact type of work you want to be hired for. You need to focus less on what everyone else is doing so you can make original art that gets you noticed. It’s all about how you see the world because if you can market yourself, then brands can start to approach you to do the same for them.
How to find a day job in design
When it comes to a day job the opportunities don't always find you because you need to apply for them. Sam is the exception, where her current employer actually discovered and scooped her up, right out of college. Lucky duck!
For the rest of us, when looking for your own opportunities, you have to think outside of the box by catering your work to that specific position. That means going above and beyond just a standard resume. Don’t just go on Indeed and mass apply for any job you’re kind of qualified for. Take the time to personalize your application for the jobs you really want to be a part of.
Personally, I share my struggles being taken seriously at my various design related day jobs where I had trouble being heard. It was no wonder I was working a side hustle to run my own studio.
Luckily most creative companies have wised up and spent dedicated time to work on their company culture to be more respectful. For example, I love the culture at Buffer, a social media scheduler app that has awesome perks and allows all team members to have a say in meetings no matter their position.
You need to be pickier on the companies you want to work for to make sure the culture is right, the position has room for growth, and it’s somewhere that will actually make you happy. You choosing the right employer is just as important as them finding the right person to hire.
How did Samantha get picked up by Honey?
Honey found Sam on Dribbble, a professional portfolio platform for designers that is invite only. She got pretty obsessed with this platform by posting often and showing the process behind her work. She thinks that Dribbble allowed her to show off her talent and personality making her more desirable to work with because she brought a lot of skills to the table.
It’s smart as an employer only to hire people you think would be an excellent addition to your team, so no internal rivalries start. This is why putting yourself into your work is so important, because although we are all different, we can still find a way to be relatable in our own way, especially when it comes to our art.
Getting your own opportunities as a woman
Being on this podcast was actually the first thing Sam ever applied to be on. She was nervous about putting herself out there because she thought she wasn't good enough or popular enough to be featured. This lack of confidence is probably the reason why we see the same women being featured over and over again because not enough women are putting themselves out there to be seen.
So next time there is a panel, conference, or podcast opportunity, take the time to reach out about it no matter how much experience you have. The worst thing anyone can say to you is no, but it will always be a no if you never take the time to ask.
Sam says she is so excited about Women of Illustration because she's exposed to more female illustrators she never knew existed from our Instagram where I feature a new artist every day.
I complain that some days I have a hard time finding new talent because not enough people are using the #womenofillustration hashtag for me to highlight them. If not enough people apply, I have to go search for them which means people that are already popular get the opportunity instead of someone just starting out.
It would make so many content creators job much easier if more people reached out to be featured. Bloggers need people to write about, and podcasters need people to interview, so why not put yourself out there because you never know what you might get out it.
How Samantha worked with Hootzpah
When Sam got out of school, her professor got her in contact with Hootzpah an established agency in LA where she landed a remote position as a junior designer.
Over time Hootzpah received such an overflow of work inquiries they would kindly pass along that extra work to Sam since her style was so similar to theirs. She got to work on branding projects and design for merch that got her a dream job doing a shirt design for a Portland-based band Joseph.
Aside from Sam’s college professor giving her a push, she went above and beyond to get noticed by creating her own zine that featured various illustrations of her work. It was because she took the time to network with Hootzpah face to face, and presented the exact kind of work she wanted to get hired for, was the beginning of the domino effect of her landing dreams jobs right after graduation.
What’s coming next episode
Next episode we come back with Illustrator Samantha Lopez to talk about how to find your own creative community whether it’s going to a meetup group, connecting with people online, or developing your own thing. It can be lonely working as a designer, that's why it’s more important than ever to have people in your corner to keep you motivated.
SAMANTHA LOPEZ
Follow on Dribbble
Ep 3: How to find your illustration niche with Irene Feleo
In this episode, we come back with Illustrator and Animator Irene Feleo on the topic of how to find your niche as an artist. This is the last episode in our 3-part series on finding your unique style so customers and clients can start to recognize your work.
In this episode, we come back with Illustrator and Animator Irene Feleo on the topic of how to find your niche as an artist. This is the last episode in our 3-part series on finding your unique style so customers and clients can start to recognize your work.
When do you think you were producing work in your style?
Although Irene can’t always see a consistent style in her work, people always tell her that they can recognize her art through the color palette and weird subject matter she uses. She feels flattered that people even remember her in the first place, let alone become well known enough to have a consistent style people can spot.
I mention that lettering artists usually start out looking the same with some innate talent built in, where they practice enough to have their technical skills match the ideas they have in their head.
Irene says “When you first start doing creative work it's going to suck, and you know it sucks because you have taste.” It’s only when you start to create poor work without knowing it’s terrible is when you have a problem because you can’t always teach taste.
How to figure out your illustration niche
There is a big difference between figuring out your niche and style. A style is about the ascetic of your work, and your niche has more to do with the specific services you offer. Irene says that you should figure out what you enjoy doing by trying it for awhile to see if you like enough to do it every day.
For example, Irene loved the thought of doing mural work because it gave her the opportunity to see her work in large outdoor spaces. Just to find out that she actually hates the outdoors and only wants to work in the comfort of a temperature controlled office.
From teaching, I created a set list of questions to help you figure out your niche as an illustrator so people can better understand the value you offer. To help Irene figure out her niche, I asked her this list of questions and got a pretty impressive answer.
What kind of industry would you like to work in?
An industry can be things like entertainment, apparel, automotive, publishing, and advertising to name a few. These are the kind of clients you would ideally like to provide a service for.
Irene decided on entertainment, but I wanted to figure out the exact subsection of the entertainment industry she wanted to be apart of whether it was ads, documentaries, or short stories. Although she works mostly in advertising, she likes the idea of helping people and brands tell stories whether it’s for fiction or is more autobiographical. She uses the project she is working on now called Project Girl, which is a series of personal short stories told by young women.
Anytime you don’t know what rabbit hole to go down for your illustration career, ask yourself what you like and why. Drill down the why’s a few times until your purpose becomes clear. Doing this will not only help you clarify a career path, but it will also keep you in check to make sure that you choose a job you actually enjoy.
What's your medium of choice?
Your medium is the tools you choose to create your illustration work whether they're traditional or more digital. Figuring this out can help you explain your process to future clients and employers so they can understand how you do your best work.
Irene's tools of choice are Photoshop and After Effects where she uses traditional brushes that have more of a textured handmade feel.
What kinds of subject matter are you attracted to?
Your subject matter is what you like to draw. When I asked Irene about her style she initially answered by just telling me about the weird and whimsical themes she loves explores in her work, rather than going into detail on the service she provides.
By digging deeper into this question, Irene realized that she always has a sense of magic in her work where there is still a common theme of surrealism like floating heads, magical eyes, plants, and potions.
What kinds of services do you like to offer?
All too often do artists use very broad terms like animation and illustration to describe what they do, but that’s not very specific. You have to find a way to explain what you do to a person who doesn't have an artistic background so they can just get it.
For Irene, she wants to be a storyteller for animation and illustration. So if we drill down to find the exact service niche, it makes sense for her to do editorial illustration and supporting animations for video production in the entertainment industry.
Why does all this matter
t’s hard enough trying to get people to understand what you do for a living in person, let along on a static website where they can’t instantly get more info from you. These terms you're coming up with help people find you through search engines when they type in the illustration niche there looking for.
How to get more of the work you want
Like most new artists, we take on any client projects that comes along because we need the money whether it’s in our wheelhouse or not. If I could go back in time, I would have skipped college altogether, got a retail day job to pay my bills, and only done freelance projects I wanted to do more of.
You have to be careful of what you put in your portfolio and focus more on quality than quantity. Don’t show any projects that made you compromise your value, or style unless you want to do more of that work. This is why it’s so important to find your niche. Because once you do, you know what kind of passion projects you need to work on to be hired for that exact type of work that you want.
Every single artist is going to evolve with their style and interests over time naturally. As long as you consistency update your website and post on social media, your following will naturally grow with you.
Irene Feleo
Illustrator & Animator
Up Next: How to create your own opportunities as an artist
Next week we come back with a new artist and 3-part series on how to find your independence and success as a female artist so you can make a rewarding living from your work. I talk with Illustrator Samantha Lopez on how she started to get noticed by companies like Valfre and Hoodzpah to get her start in the design industry.
Ep 2: How to find more time to practice illustration with Irene Feleo
In this episode with Illustrator and Animator Irene Feleo, we talk about how to carve out time for your practice. We'll discover how to find that perfect work-life balance in a way that doesn't drive you totally insane.
In this episode with Illustrator and Animator Irene Feleo, we talk about how to carve out time for your practice. We will help answer all your burning questions on how to find that perfect work-life balance in a way that doesn't drive you totally insane.
Practicing on top of a full time creative job
Finding the right balance for Irene can be really difficult since she's usually drained by the time she gets home from an intense day at the design studio Spontaneous she works at. But surprisingly by switching gears to do her own stuff actaully gives her a second wind that just further fuels her inspiration.
After work, Irene normally likes to work on her own stuff for about 3 or 4 hours and considers it a “real bummer” if she can only get about 30 mins of practice time in. So it’s a combination of her own intense motivation and strict schedule that keeps her afloat.
When I worked as a Graphic Designer back in 2012, I found it difficult to focus on my lettering since I wore so many design hats at my day job. I was in charge of everything from web design, to branding, to even print campaigns. It was a lot. But once I switched my role from design to social media, my brain would be on fire when I clocked out because I had so much pent up creative energy left over.
This got me thinking, is it better to have a non-creative day job so you can focus more on your own work? Irene says “Maybe, but it depends on your needs.” Skills like graphic design are more technical, but there is a lot of merit in gaining that experience because you can merge them with your own personal practice.
On the other hand, when Irene worked in retail while at University, she drew the most she ever had because her creative juices were untapped during the day. So there is a good side to both options but there is no shame in getting a day job that isn't creative because it will only benefit your enthusiasm for making.
Scheduling more time to practice without going crazy
You need to figure out a routine that bests works for you while also making time for priorities like work and family. Irene recommends finding a time you can stick to every day where you can slide in some decompression time. To make her work days feel less stressful, she’ll put on a TV show or podcast in the background to do a little bit of drawing. That way her practice time feels more fun without feeling burnt out.
Typically her schedule is to come home, make dinner, and have about 3 hours to do her own thing from 9pm-12am. Although she doesn't always make her practice goal, the next day she’ll get right back at it to stick to her routine.
For me, it’s all about figuring out your priorities to schedule in time that doesn't mess with the rest of your life. Things like health and family come first, and then from there, it’s all about training your body to be creative on a schedule instead of relying solely on inspiration to strike.
Most importantly, you need to create this scheduled practice time with your home life in mind and communicate with your loved ones. You can even find compromises in your relationships where you can be together while still doing your own thing. I use the example of me and my fiance Rick and how we started listening to Audiobooks together so he can play videos games and I can draw while still having a shared experience.
“It's all about taking a step back and looking at what’s achievable with what's on your plate.”
I know splitting up time can be hard when you have people in your life you need to take care of but keep in mind that your family and friends want you to be happy. For most creatives, if we’re not consistently creating new work, our confidence can take a hit, making us not much fun to be around anyways.
In her early days, Irene made the make the mistake of putting everything on the same priority level thinking that she could do it all while being creatively fulfilled. Over time she just ended up putting herself last and would start to get emotional and angry if she couldn't find time to practice.
So after some trial and error, she learned that she needed to use a calendar to better pencil in her time. That way in a week she could make room for a date night with a few friend hangouts sprinkled in all while using her later hours to practice. She says, “It's all about taking a step back and looking at what’s achievable with what's on your plate.”
How accountability can help with practicing more
I often advise letting people in on your goals, so you have the social pressure to finish them. Whether this is making your weekly to-do list public or announcing a drawing challenge on Instagram. But like many of us, we start out with good intentions just to suffer from inspirational fallout.
Irene says that she does better with her follow-through if she is working on real-world projects that have a prompt. In the beginning, she couldn't just draw from her head but instead needed an approaching deadline from a design competition to stay on task.
She recommends if you ever run dry on inspiration check out a prompt online like the 30 Day Drawing Challenge or Inktober. Even if you run out of the steam by day 5, it’s those projects that help you overcome the blank page and begin to fill your feed with share-worthy work.
Be original already and stop copying others
For lettering artists, one of the hardest things to figure out is what words to draw. So many beginners start out creating the same phrases over and over again like “Dance like no one's watching” and “Wanderlust”, which results in everyone's work looking really similar. Although it’s easier to follow the trends, try to get out of that copying phase as soon as possible so you can start to create work that’s more original.
A great idea to get you started drawing more from your head is to figure out what your favorite things are and write them down, so you always have a prompt to draw. That way you can use your own experiences in your art to create more personal work.
I recommend always having a sketchbook or your phone handy to write down ideas. I’ve developed the longest Evernote page you have ever seen with over 10,000 ideas from years of just jotting down project prompts. So anytime I want to draw, I have an ample amount of phrases to choose from, some of which have made me thousands of dollars in product sales and client work.
When Irene started her first illustration series based on her travel to Berlin she ended up getting a huge client job from Coca Cola out of it. So it pays to create more original work because what can start as an experiment can quickly turn into a paying gig.
Keep in mind; you will always have issues trying to find new things to draw for the rest of your creative life. So you might as well get used to drawing things that actually get you excited to get out of bed in the morning. That way you’re working on things you actually enjoy instead of just doing what everyone else is posting.
“The quicker you start to put yourself in your practice the better your work will become and the easier it will be to find your style.”
What's coming next episode
Next episode is the last in the series with Irene on how to find your style as an illustrator. Now that we know how to find our style, now all that's left in figuring out our audience by niching down. Your niche is how people remember you that helps you reach more people so you can start to get hired for your illustration work.
IRENE FELEO
ANIMATOR & ILLUSTRATOR
Ep 1: The best ways to practice your craft with Irene Feleo
Buckle up for this 40 min interview with NY Illustrator and Animator, Irene Feleo as we discuss the best ways to practice your craft as an artist. We answer all your burning questions on how to know your ready to sell your services as an artist through delibrate practice.
Holy Guacamole, it's here! The very first episode of Women of Illustration is ready for your eyeballs, and I’m so excited to share it with the world. Buckle up for this 40 min interview with NY Illustrator and Animator, Irene Feleo as we discuss the best ways to practice your craft as an artist.
Irene is originally from Australia but moved to the states recently to work as an Animator at a production studio in New York called Spontaneous. She loves to use strong and bold hyper color palettes along with fine lines, dotted patterns, and geometric shapes. Working across various mediums from digital, painting and embroidery - Irene loves to let her freak flag fly by taking a more abstract and unexpected approach to her work.
In this episode, we help answer all your burning questions on how to know your ready to sell your services as an artist, how to take the pressure off when drawing, and whether or not copying others is the best place to start.
How Irene started to practice illustration
Irene has been obsessed with art since high school and was often found doing small sketches in class. But the first project that inspired Irene to be an artist was when she did a graphic novel about her fighting fish Mr. Miyagi’s journey to heaven.
When she was younger, she wanted to be a comic book artist and just enjoyed the art of being creative. After years of trial and error, she finally realized she could make a living from this, even though she wasn't quite sure how yet.
Irene recommends before you should even think to sell your work you have to find your groove with tons of practice. You need to find out what you like before you can start to sell it.
I recommend starting to post your work frequently on sites like Instagram and Dribbble and wait for your audience to tell you that you're ready. This could be comments like “rad”, “do you have commissions open?”, and “where can I get a print of this?”
Can you waste your time practicing?
We realized together that there is no such thing as a waste of time when it comes to practice unless you compromise your values to do so. You have to listen to your gut when it comes to what you want to specialize in whether its graphic design, illustration, animation, or any other field in the creative industry.
I once compromised myself to get a graphic design degree because it was easier to make money than illustration. Looking back now, I understand that I may have wasted my time going down a path I didn't even want. This was all because of outside pressure telling me what I should do instead of doing what I really wanted. Irene made the same mistake and went into Digital Media in school instead of fine art because it was what her parents pushed her to study.
I love the advice Irene gave here:
“Every time you make a step towards figuring out what's not working for you that's not a waste of time. But if you keep going down a certain path thinking that you have to do it but don’t enjoy it. That's the biggest waste of time there is.“
By drawing a lot of different things, it helps you figure out what you like to work on the most. Like how Irene figured out that she loves drawing strange characters and combining Photoshop and paint to create unique multi-medium pieces just by playing around. If she had just stuck to working in pencil on looseleaf paper, she may have never even discovered what is now an essential part of her style today.
How long were you practicing before you got paid for it?
It took Irene three years of University and four years of personal practice after she graduated to land a paying gig from her illustration work. Her first-day job was as a motion graphic designer at a studio doing mostly production work and animating logos.
Her first significant opportunity to find herself was when she got the chance to create an animated spot of a green world that was 100% illustrated. This was her first chance to combine her illustration work with motion where she got to create all kinds of fun characters and magical backgrounds that inspired Irene to combine these skills for a living.
Personally, I’ve always found a way to sell my art even when I was a kid. I started in high school by drawing on converse and selling them for $50 bucks a pair. But it wasn't until after I graduated from Full Sail University and landed a competitive paid internship with Disney did I start to get consistent income from my designs.
Although I had a great experience at Disney, I didn't get the chance to use my creative muscles and focused more on production work that made it that much harder to find my place in the industry. Irene could relate when she worked in advertising where she would just repurpose existing assets to animate for a client but rarely got to be apart of the creative process.
Sometimes when you start out with a day job, you have to pay your dues before you can get to the fun stuff. That’s why you have to take extra time to do personal work in your spare time so you can better find your voice. Or else you might just get so caught up in the day to day that you forget why you got into art and design in the first place.
How long would someone need to practice before they could sell their services?
If someone practiced 4 hours a day, every day how long would it take them to be confident enough in their skills to get a day job or get freelance work? Irene thinks if you take the time to figure out your style by making both bad and good work it would only take about six months.
You need all that practice time, because it’s not always the drawing that needs to be the developed, it’s yourself. You need to find out what you have to say and combine it with the skills of illustration.
So if you put in the work, you will only reach your goals faster every day you try. Especially in the age of social media and being able to post new work every day. We can quickly grow a following and get noticed by clients by practicing and posting new illustration work consistently.
I love to use the example of Scott Biersack also known as youbringfire on Instagram that started a 365 project a few years back. He went from a novice lettering artist to doing work with big brands in less than a year just because he made work every day even while going to school full time.
People like Scott give me motivation that we all have to start somewhere. You might do a shitty drawing at first, but the next one will get slightly better. Then after a few months, you might just surprise yourself.
What do you do when you suck at drawing something?
Irene is unusual because when she thinks she sucks at something instead of practicing it, she finds a way around it.
When Irene first got into illustration she was terrible at drawing realistic bodies, so she would find a way to convey a body using abstract shapes, or exciting color patterns. She developed her style based on her weaknesses and avoided them so she wouldn't get disharderend. But in doing so, it allowed her to find a different approach to design that resulted in finding her unique voice.
This might not be the best advice for everyone, but hey it worked for Irene.
Personally, I FUCKING HATE sucking at something. So I do what’s called deliberate practice on that one thing till I knock it out of the park. For example, as a lettering artist drawing the letter S can be a real bitch. So before I move on to work on my next piece, I would fill up a few pages of S’s until I started to get the hang of it.
How do you draw without the pressure?
Irene tries to turn her judgemental brain off by watching something in the background so she can draw without her inner critic messing with her. Since sketchbooks are too intimidating for her, she only draws on loose leaf paper knowing that she doesn't have to post everything she makes.
Since I’m the kind of person that usually overshares and tries to find multiple uses for my drawings, I started drawing on napkins to then throw them away. This might sound like I’m a monster to some, but for me, it’s the only way I can just make for the fun of it without the obligation to post all my work online to make a buck. Sometimes I just want to draw for me knowing that no one will ever see it.
How do you feel about copying others work to practice?
Irene copied the master's when she was in art school and remembered fondly using an old book on berries as inspiration for drawing plants. But she only ever uses art as reference and always finds a way to turn it into her own thing. She would never copy something line by line, and would instead use images as inspiration to then build off of them using her own ideas.
My rule of thumb is you can trace my work or use my work as inspiration, but don't share it claiming it as your own. Although many people start out by copying, remember to just keep it to yourself if it’s too similar to someone else’s hard work. If you begin to share it online, you will most likely get called out on it which could hurt your reputation before your career has even started.
Instead, if you have a hard time creating from your head, try to diversify your inspiration sources and pick out a bunch of small things you like from each to then Frankenstein them together to make your own unique piece.
What’s coming next episode
Draw every day. Don’t do it on the weekends. Do at least 1 hour every day because you can’t get better without practice. Even if you have a day job, or kids, or anything else that takes up your time, find a way to be consistent.
In our next episode with Irene will be talking about how to actually find time to practice without life getting in the way.
IRENE FELEO
Animator & Illustrator