3 Ways to Get Work as a Freelance Illustrator 

Thank you! Yes! I’m glad you found my advice helpful, definitely contact them in a friendly way like just a thank you for liking your work. Good luck

That's exactly how I feel-----so many of us work really freakin hard but don't get the same results, and we can take it personal. Thank you for understanding

Thank you! It's not an easy path so I wish you the best of luck, you got this!

Thank you! Answering your question on social media is tricky because social media is constantly changing and it’s hard to gauge how much it actually affects getting jobs. As for Upwork,, I’m filming a tutorial next week so expect a video first week of January on that! I recommend to hit the bell next to the subscribe button on my channel so you get notified of when the video is up. Thanks so much for watching, I’m glad I was able to help :)

You got it 👍 I will make one soon, thanks for watching and for your feedback!

That's amazing! Yes, you can contact them directly but the hard part is FINDING them haha. But depending on the industry some are easier to find, like art directions for magazines and publishing are easier since their names are on the actual books and magazines. And yes stay away from Fiverr, give Upwork a try if you're interested

Yes, pretty much!

Indeed!

Thank you!!!

Awesome! I'll consider making one then 🤔

Thank you! Starting out in illustration can be challenging and isolating

Thank you, I really appreciate that

Thank you for watching! Happy painting

Thank you Pedro! I plan to make a sequel to this video next month :)

Thank you! I would do a video on social media but the thing is, Instagram has done changed a lot in a year with including reels to compete with Tik Tok and I’m no longer as active on social media, so I don’t believe I would be a reliable source to guide artists on navigating social media. Tik Tok is big right now but no one is really sure if it’s worth the work for an artist--I guess it depends on what your goal is, popularity with a young audience or jobs? Those are two separate paths with one being an account where you follow art trends for the algorithm and another is more focused on your craft to attract potential clients, rarely do those two converge.

Ugh I'm so glad to hear! I plan to make a sequel next month so stay tuned for more tips on getting illu work :)

Thank you, I'm glad you found it helpful!

Oooh I’ll look it up 🤔 Glad you agree 😂

Thank you so much! ❤️

Thank you so much for your kind words. I totally understand what you mean about the photography business, it’s getting harder and harder. If you enjoy drawing keep at it without thinking about trying to be good, it’s more important to do it often than to seek perfection. I definitely didn’t start being good at it! I started drawing for the sake of enjoyment more than anything. Now it’s actually hard for me to draw for pure enjoyment--I’m constantly worried about it being terrible because I’ve built my own expectations and with freelancing it just adds another layer of pressure. For the tablet, I use a Cinthiq and I love it, it’s 13in which is the perfect size for portability. Anything bigger and I find that it lags the computer sometimes with trying to process a bigger screen. And cintiqs last FOREVER. My friend still has a huge one that is over 10 years old, works perfectly.

@@JGVIllustrations Thank you for responding. I think that's super important: to enjoy the process and not focus on the outcome. When I started drawing last year, I enjoyed every minute of it and didn't care what the final product looked like. Thus, I did something every day. After a while, I would worry about what the finished image would look like more and the process came secondary. This caused me to get anxious about drawing (the perfectionist's brain) and so I stopped and became a procrastinator. I'm going to watch more of your videos for motivation. Thank you and good luck with everything. You are very talented.

@@77dris I feel you! And thank you for watching and sharing :)

Ah thank you!!

You’re welcome! I’ll be making more videos about freelancing and illustration in general in the near future so if there’s anything you’d like me to cover let me know :)

Thank you! I will be filming a continuation of this next week to upload in January. If you’re subscribed to my channel I recommend that you hit the bell button so you can get notified of when I upload more freelance illustration advice, I have quite a few planned for the next couple of months.

@@JGVIllustrations I will be checking for these new uploads. Thank you.

Keep at it and work on your improving your portfolio in the meantime!

@@JGVIllustrations sure😊

Hi Clark! I never suggest doing work for free---you don't get your name out there by doing work for free, you get it by working real jobs. If you ever do free work then the focus should be on improving your portfolio, but you can do that while also making an income. Definitely don't let clients, or even family, haha, take advantage of you!

@@JGVIllustrations Thank you! GOOD point! I heard free art is a good way starting freeelancing. Im trying to email art directors/ magazines ask if they need artwork no replies LOL Any suggestions would be great! Thank you! LOVE the CHANNEL!!

Hmmm I have no idea what Updoc is and a quick google search didn't help

🤣

Very true!!!

Hi Andrea! Depending on your line of work----for illustration specifically I don't think it counts. You have to see it from the perspective of a potential art director, if they can only see your work in a grid on social media, it might put them off from exploring the entire scope of your work/skills/qualifications. You are just not showcasing your work as well as you could unfortunately.