Thank you for stopping by, illustrators! 😊 What is a illustration gig you've had in the past (commission, contract, etc!), and what is a gig you would love to get in the future? Comment below and let me know!
All of my commissions came from UpWork. I was commissioned to draw a very, very simple 7-page baby book for a client for $90. Then there was that time I was lowballed into drawing a 30-page children's book for $60 (this was during the pandemic, I lost my job, and the only thing on my mind was how I was going to pay back my student loans). Luckily enough I never completed the thing, because my client suddenly talked about publishing the book, even though at the beginning she told me it was intended only for her kids. Then shortly after I was offered a $900 for a 40 page children's book, which is probably my best one yet. Since then, I haven't had a job. I'd like to get a future gig doing a professional children's book for wide distribution and hopefully receive a reasonable percentage in royalties in profits.
@@gomadcartoons5834 You might want to look outside of Upwork. Self-published authors often have terrible budgets and all of the offers you mentioned are very lowballed... For reference, an average price for 32-page book is $8000 - $12000. Publishing companies are the way to go, they have more money than the authors and a lot more respect for your artwork! But they won't be on Upwork, you have to contact them yourself.
I loved my first gig a million years ago. It was the illustrations for a Hebrew learning textbook! The project didn't make it to publication, because they ultimately decided there were too many books like it already, but I still got paid a few thousand dollars for the work I'd already done. That was a huge deal for me, as I was A. still in high school and B. suddenly had a paid gig to add to a resume!
Yes! I’m on my way to doing that as well! Finding clients instead of waiting for them to find me 🙈🤣🤦🏽♀️ I’m just needing to set up my portfolio for my niche 🙏🏽
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I was paid a flat rate to design one book cover, Illustrated for a company in New York that paid me a 20% commission for artwork sold for reproduction rights, and freelanced for local businesses and private concerns. I already had a career in the cooperate world but now that I am retired, I want to utilize my skills at a professional level. I just need help ascertaining the knowledge I need. I find your videos very informative . I am genuinely looking forward to putting them in action! I'm not sure what kind of gigs I'm looking for yet but i enjoy cartooning, caricature, and fine illustration work reflecting universal life Thank you!
Honestly, it's really eye-opening, when you start self-employment. I assumed it would be as easy as saying _"commissions open"_ or send out one or two emails. These are some really good tips. I'm not sure how the "newsletter" one works, though. Also, I always have a habit of personalising my emails too much. 50 cold emails in one sitting is an incredibly quick rate.
Personalizing is good when you first reach out! You have to ask them first and they have to accept to join your mailing list. After that, it's ok to send follow ups that are more generic, more of an update. Remember that art directors are very busy and most go straight to the art and don't read our lovely emails much anyway! It's better to go straight to the point and keep the niceties to a minimum.
I am making medical illustrations for my professors books ... I am also a physical therapist.. but due to respect I can't argue about the payment 😅 so I am being paid randomly .. I just want clients out of my known circle
It's not disrespectful to ask a fair value for your hard work :) Aren't these "clients" being disrespectful by not compensating you fairly and asking too much? They are basically using you, which is not very respectful at all...
Great stuff Ness. I started checking out the Children's Writers and Illustrators yearbook section about publishing houses and taking one by one the ones I think go with my style, then creating some pieces of portfolio that adjust to what they usually publish. I'm not done yet since it's a big task, about 90 pages, but it's a good technique I think. Also, some work has popped up so kinda busy right now. My dream job is a project that allows me to have royalties! I've been doing self published work so royalties is a no go
That sounds like a huge task indeed, but you're doing so great! You go Jose! I hope you get a great royalties project soon :) Most projects from publishers are an advance on royalty type deal, so I'm sure now that you're contacting publishing houses it's only a matter of time!
This was really useful! Not only did it make me feel better about my social media efforts, but it clearly and simply articulated actionable steps. I think you're going to make a splash in the future!! Really great info!! My only illustration contract thus far was for a CD cover for a local band. It was challenging--I think there was an element of the blind leading the blind... Not sure about my ideal gig. In having to articulate it, I think I realize I'm not prepared to answer it. And I'm gonna work on that. LOL!
Thank you so much Corey, I'm really happy you found the video helpful! Congrats on this CD cover contract - if it was challenging, that means you learned and grew from it :) Best of luck in figuring out what you wish to do with your talents and on the path ahead
Great info, and very relevant to my situation, as I've come to realize that social media exposure has its limitations. I've done several commissions for people who discovered my work through social media, but I've found that most ordinary people have a very limited budget for personalized illustrations, which at the end of the day doesn't cover what I need to make a living, unfortunately. I'll send this video to my aspiring illustrator friend so he can learn from your wisdom as well!
Thanks for watching Finnikas, and for sharing with your friend! I'm glad you found it useful 😊 Yes personal commissions tend to have a hard cap on the budget! Targeting publishers and big companies makes it easier to make a living :)
Thank you! This was great! Helpful and cuts right to the biz essentials because as you point out time is money! Yes, I just finished my third book illustration gig. All have been with authors who I met by chance locally or who have seen my whimsical paintings in local galleries or cafes or my my wacky postcards for the funky little tourist town and businesses where I until recently lived. A rock drummer with a highly successful metal band fell in love with one of my paintings, which is an illustration basically in acrylics and bought it for $1400. I'm really proud of the last book especially along with some of my own coming to fruition and feel like it's time to spread out and take things to the next level or three, confident that with a little luck, timing and right focus on the biz side I can reach and delight many more people. Thanks again! I feel like I have an ally and virtual friend. I had to click through a not so useful digital desert to find you!
after hearing you talk about agents now i wanna be one instead of an illustrator. lol there's sth about drawing for others that i find terribly off putting, even tho i enjoy drawing very much.
The wonderful thing about illustration is that you actually don't have to draw for others, there are so many options :) In surface design for instance, you can create illustrations and patterns of whatever you like, and THEN find buyers for it. Nowadays it's also easier than ever to create your own products with your art, such as t-shirts, phone cases, art prints, etc and sell them online. So we don't need a company to pay us for our art anymore, we sell directly to the customers ourselves if we want. My last paid custom project was last Spring, finished in June, and I have not accepted any custom work for other people since. I've been living entirely from my personal projects: my Etsy shop, my sticker membership, as well my surface illustrations.
I am an artist struggling with getting work and earning. Thankfully I got hired by a publishing company as a fewwlancer for children's book illustrations. Although my income isn't consistent so I was hoping I can find other means to earn money without sacrificing my other job. If anyone has a suggestion, I appreciate it :)
Freelance illustration is great to do with another job because you can take as little or as much work as you want, and can do it remotely in your down time. The fact you got a book deal with a publisher means that your art is already professional level and adapted to the picture book market. Just keep sending queries to publishers that you want to work with! It takes time to build a network of clients, it certainly doesn't happen overnight but remember that if you can do it one time, you can do it 100 times. Good luck! If you'd like more info about how to query, you might like my Art Business Bootcamp: www.artbusinesswithness.com/level2
Again nice video Ness. My first book illustration was for a private projekt for 3 friends, writing their story about their adventures with the 4th friend, who passed away. It was greatly paid and I could illustrate my first book.
That sounds like a wonderful and very meaningful book project, and I'm sure the result was much cherished by your clients 💗 Congrats on your great work!
I love what you say about social media, because it is really important when you start out to get things rolling fairly quickly. It just tends to encourage us as illustrators when someone hires us for a project. Let's face it, it's amazing, right? Those first couple jobs, wow, someone likes my work??? If you have to wait for your social media presence to build it can take a long time. Love your advice Ness, very good content.
@@richardbornemann806 Thank you! I'm having a lot of fun with it, and that always shines through :) I'm not having much fun with Instagram and it shows haha...
@@ArtBusinesswithNess I checked out what you're doing on IG but searched with no luck, lmk what page name is. Btw I like the new thumbnails you are doing they have pizazz (is that a word?)
@@richardbornemann806 Definitely is a word! My main account is @ness.draws and I also started a new one recently for surface design, @vanessa.stoilova :) Trying to grow that last one at the moment, but getting the ball rolling is tough at the beginning!
I actually don't do illustration. I make graphic art designs for people and have been taking commissions here and there. My main source of income actually comes from the clients I get who commission me for custom fursuits. I really love drawing tho too and want to make money doing that as well as fursuits.
A gig I would like in the future would be to do a book with a well respected and loved comedian, humor writer, or funny, kind of out there children's book author.
Just a warning to people trying the cold email method, check your country's laws as some have anti-spam laws that prohibit email promotions without prior consent. If caught your ISP could shut you down. That's how it is here in Canada so it's generally recommended to send physical promotions to client via mail, and offer an email list that clients can opt into for future promotions.
Not entirely true, I'm in Canada too and automated promotions like newsletters have to be opted in. Manual promotions like cold emails and postcards, as long as they're not sent in a blast to many people at once, are perfectly legal! Many publishers and companies in Canada also welcome artist submissions and even have guidelines on their websites :)
I haven't ever had any clients, i know I am a professional person but I have no proof of that for potential clients. How do I still get a job and get someone to "trust" me?
A strong portfolio where you present yourself professionally makes all the difference when we don't have prior experience! Make your portfolio as strong and polished as if you've been doing this for years!
I had a contract with Cricket Magazine. I also did an illustration for local vanity presses. I would like to start getting work with the big 6 publishers creating covers or picture books.
@@ArtBusinesswithNess that is such a kind response, thank you! I’m literally researching submission guidelines for children’s book publishers right now as I’m taking a break from my day job.
@@byronrhodes1659 Smart! I took the liberty of checking your website :) You have some really nice work, and lots of skill! Your characters are very nice, but I would suggest adding more finished book pages (single page, double pages) and show more visual storytelling :) The art directors need to be able to picture your art in a children's book, so that's what you need to show them!
Thank you for all this advice! I have been struggling to find work as an illustrator. Mostly because my marketing skills of horrendous but my work is excellent. I will definitely apply what you said and subscribe to this channel! Cheers
It's really nice to hear you so confident about your art! Us artists can often doubt ourselves - but heck yeah your art rocks!! And marketing, you can learn :) You got this!!
You should have a link to your portfolio on your RU-vid channel. Even if you don't post videos, someone (like me) could read a comment and go to your channel.
I appreciate you so much for making this video! I'm already on the path for the "client prospecting" thing, but I have been through a lot of mental breakdowns and It helps me put my head back on the place! :)
Awesome e advice, my favourite was the newsletter idea. I recently illustrated a children’s book for a client a few months ago, it was my first freelance job as illustrator, since then the job hunt hasn’t really improved for me, been feeling like I’m limbo.....
Congrats on your first gig, that's amazing! Freelancing can be slow at first, and even after years in business there can be the occasional dry period. I've just come off from 3 months getting zero contracts myself, and now it's coming in again suddenly. Don't get discouraged, it'll pick up again! :)
@@skullknight4579 I use my down time to query publishers, make new pieces for my portfolio, new personal projects for my social media (those attract clients!) and work on my other streams of revenue. If you don't yet have other streams of revenue (like an art shop, commissions, Patreon, etc) then down time is a great time to set one up!
Great vid! I'm finishing a pretty big children book project that should get published later this year, also worked with few smaller clients on chapter and picture books. My IG following is small but that doesn't stop me from getting work.
Yeah that's a whole long topic to get into for sure and can get really techy! I'm currently developing an online course and will a whole module on there about how to set up a mailing list, but it won't be ready until next year at least :/
@@ArtBusinesswithNess i'll be doing my own research while I wait! I'm currently watching your freelance illustrator masterclass actually - thank you for sharing about all these tips❤️
Thank you soso much for this video. I have been really stuck and confused on where to go next with trying to figure out how to further my illustration career!
Allo Ness ! Merci pour tes vidéos ! J'ai trouvé ta chaîne youtube grâce au poste que tu a fais sur le groupe des illustrateurs du Québec et je pense que ça va en aider plus d'un ! Personnellement je ne suis aucunement professionnelle dans ce milieu, je fais des études en sciences pures mais j'aimerais potentiellement pouvoir faire de l'illustration scientifique un jour. Espérons que tes conseils m'aideront ! Bon courage pour ta chaîne ;)
Bonjour Léna, merci pour ton commentaire c'est si gentil 💗 L'illustration scientifique c'est une super belle idée! Il y a beaucoup de besoin dans ce marché et très peu d'illustrateurs qualifiés pour le faire! Et beaucoups d'illustrateurs ne sont pas intéressés car c'est... plus scientifique LOL! Mais si pour toi c'est ta passion, tu serais très en demande et tu pourrais avoir une très belle carrière dans ce marché!
Merci pour tes vidéos, je ne savais que tu parlais français. J'ai vu ta vidéo sur les portfolios du coup j'en ai créé deux et j'ai arrêté de tout mélanger merci bcp 😉
I needed to see this. So glad I found your channel! Thanks SO much for making this & for being you. I would give this10 likes if I could. I'll go like your other vids to boost up algorithm lol
@@ArtBusinesswithNess Both are totally different. One is about how fun gardening can be and trying new foods, overcoming being a picky eater. The other is harder to explain but it takes place in a jungle and is action packed and also really sweet!
@@ArtBusinesswithNessThanks! I'm really excited about both! Love your videos. I would love to eventually illustrate a book through a traditional publisher. I'm pretty new and just started doing this 6 months ago.
I actually have a video about using platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, etc. You can watch my thoughts here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Sa95x2ShwR8.html
Great thanks for sharing! I had a freelance illustration gig media cover project recently and this is the type of short term projects or other regular projects in editorial or media I would be generally interested in.
Thank you so much for this video! I'm still in college but I want to start my career as an ilustrador before I gratuated. I already write and ilustrated by myself a children's book to a competition (in a week the finalists will be announced so I'm pretty nervous haha). So I'm planning to use it to build my portafolio. But I don't know if I should do more illustrations to showcase more variety, especially because my book is the only experience I have. What do you recommend?
I would definitely recommend to include more variety! Art directors are surprisingly literal: if they have a manuscript about foxes, they'll try to find an illustrator that has a fox in their portfolio to be SURE they can draw it well. So more variety = more opportunities. Different characters, emotions, poses, locations, etc. I actually have a picture book portfolio course with prompts, and it's on sale this week. If you'd like to learn more, here's the link: www.artbusinesswithness.com/PPPcourse
@@ArtBusinesswithNess Thanks a lot for your answer and advice! And yeah I'm planning to get your course while is in sale! I would love to have a guide and polish my skills
Hi Ness, I think your RU-vid channel is off to a great start. I have some suggestions on what you could possibly do for a new video. I never had an agent before, but I have been considering getting one for months now but I am still working on my portfolio. Can you do a video that elaborates more on the different kinds of agents and agencies to help your viewers determine if they have found the right fit?
Hi dear, thanks for stopping by! :D That's a great idea! There's a lot of mystery about agents, how that whole thing works, what to expect from them, how to get one and how to work with one. I'll make a note, this will make a great video!
@@ArtBusinesswithNess Oh something just came to mind Ness, maybe for this video idea, you could also talk about what important things to mention or add in your email. How to format it. I just sent out a couple of emails today to some notable agencies, describing only my relevant experience, why I like to draw the things I draw for reasons like diversity, providing my website url and newsletter link etc.
Hi Ness! Great content. May I ask how you got potential clients on your newsletter? Was there a button in your cold email or did they sign up through your site? THanks so much!
Hi Donna thanks for stopping by! :) You could do it with a signup form on your site, but personally I've had the best luck with just asking people while emailing (usually at the end of a contract, of if they respond to a submission saying they like my work but don't have anything for me yet). Then I manually enter their name and email address into my platform!
@@ArtBusinesswithNess Thanks for this! Will try it out :) If I could ask one last question, how did you go about making a list of people to email? Even after researching online and offline, I've only got about 10 publishers haha.
@@DonnaMakesArt I started with "children's book publishers that accept submissions" haha.. Then I started compiling a list from companies working with the artists I'm following, books I see at the bookstore, anything that pops up in my Facebook feed, etc. I have a spreadsheet I update every time I find one.
Hi Ness, thanks for the video. I am really interested in the digital download model of sales. Did you mention that you made a video about that already?
You've got some great, practical advice! Subscribed :) I have a hard time putting myself out there on social media so I haven't had a lot of success getting noticed there yet. Could you go over contracts and setting prices in the future? Thanks and please keep it up!
Thanks for stopping by, I'm glad you found the advice helpful! I have a hard time with social media as well so it's a very good thing to me that there are many other avenues of getting work haha.. Those are some wonderful suggestions, I will make a note to talk about these in the future!
Hi Ness! You said your agent gets you 1/3 of your jobs so it's fair that he gets the 25-30% fee but, he gets the fee from all your jobs, right? Not only those that he found.
So helpful! Great video! Just want to ask what agency or agencies do you recommend? Please 🙏🙏 I am a young freelance illustrator. And I am looking to make this career as my fulltime job. Thank you! 😊
Hi Naszer! :) It really depends what market you want to work in - there's different agencies for different markets. I'm most familiar with the agencies in my own market, children's book illustration, I've heard really good things about the Bright agency, Plum Pudding, Shannon Associates and the CAT agency. And of course, my own agency Astound Us!
Hi Ness, thank you so much for this! I am a traditional illustrator that does classical and whimsical style of artworks. I will check those agencies and hopefully one of them will be fit in my style and market. I am looking forward to see more videos and to learn more from you! May you have more success to come. 😊🙏
@@naszern6754 This is great, classical and whimsical illustrations in traditional media are very prized in children's books! A smaller "boutique" sort of agency like Plum Pudding or CAT agency might be the best fit for you. They usually take on those sort of styles, and since they represent less artists they tend to spend more time and effort on each artist, find them higher paying gigs. Good luck!
Most agents have submission guidelines on their website. I have a video on agents here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fCD_XkfOv0g.html
A newsletter is basically an automated email that you can send to a list of email addresses all at once. You can do that using a mailing list platform such as ConvertKit or MailerLite.
Most agents prefer signing artists that have a little bit of professional experience, but they'll still consider any artist with a great portfolio regardless of experience. So I say just go for it, send your portfolio to a few agents and see what response you get! It's the easiest way to see if you're ready or not. There is nothing to lose :)
@@ArtBusinesswithNess I am currently working on my first big book project and I publish a monthly comic. I guess I will be doing some more work and then approach an agency. Thak you so much for your feedback
You can Google agents and apply for them following the submission guidelines on their websites :) However, be aware that agents usually find us just a part of our clients, not ALL. Also be aware that it's very competitive to get the attention of an agent, and in some cases it's easier to find clients yourself than find an agent to sign you. It's still worth learning how to find clients yourself! There ARE ways.
Thank you for the suggestion of sending out a regular newsletter by email...now that I'm retiring from a non-creative university civil service post, I am resuming the illo workforce after many years not doing so. I am looking at mailchimp and considering a trial/free membership and then switching over to paid as revenues increase. Do you have a preferred method for delivery of your newsletter? (In answer to your question, I had a long track record of securing contracts from clients and most often these were the result of direct contact (mail, in-person, or online market venue).
Hi Roberto! I've tried Mailchimp in the past but found it clunky and hard to use. I recommend either MailerLite or ConverKit instead. Both have free plans that are quite generous and would take a long while to outgrow!
@@ArtBusinesswithNess Thank you! I will check both out...thank you for the free guide which I downloaded this morning. I have developed my own marketing plan (from my first go-round, 1996-2006) but it never hurts to brush up! You have great advice for many current illustrators and newcomers to the field in it.
@@RobertoSabasArtist You have good instincts! The illustration industry works very differently than it did 20 years ago, but your skills and experience will be a great help to you in your second career :) You can do this!
Hello! I'm an artist looking into being a book illustrator. I have been passionate about art ever since I was little because of my love of picture books and book cover design. My mom is also an artist and she has always inspired me to be an artist! Both me and my mom are interested in being book illustrators but have been lost as to how to contact publishing companies to see our work. Thank you SO much for posting this video on how to find illustration work! I've been asking other artists, looking at other youtube channels for advice and it seems that every option to get my art out there is to pay a hefty fee in order to do it. I love that the astound us website is free to sign up for! I am wondering though, with the commission that an illustrator agent takes from sales, do you pay them an hourly rate as well on top of that?
We don’t pay them an hourly rate - they only get paid if they find us work! Do note however that agencies are very competitive to get into and are becoming more so year after year. In fact, I left Astound in May to look for an agency specializing in licensing, and I’ve not been able to get signed yet! Not to say that you shouldn’t try, but it’s actually easier to contact art directors and get work yourself than it is to get into an agency these days
I'm very happy to say that nowadays, your location does not matter! Everything is done over email, with the occasional Zoom for clients that are extra clingy. I've never even had to do a phone call. Although I'm in Canada personally, most of my clients are in the US or UK and they've never seemed to care about the distance.
@@ArtBusinesswithNess Yaaay.I'm going to university for illustration, so watching your videos help me to create a more clearer vision of my future! It's actually a huge relief that it's not necessary to have a huge social media following...A lot of artists are tricked by this, and so was I!Unlit I found Sean's(the art mentor) channel.Through his channel I found yours!What can I say, great minds(professionals) think alike. And, by the way, it's funny that useful videos like yours don't usually get a lot of views.That proves the fact that people tend to be very passive about their art X) I'm glad to have channels like your here on RU-vid for free!
And what's even more sad, is that a lot of art students don't make it as an art career.But I think they might be the ones to blame, as they might not make their research...or maybe that's the professor's fault?In educational institutions they don't usually teach you how to find work and clients.😄
I need some help to confirm this: I'm not a professional nor freelance artist, but a college student who does digital art and post on instagram. Few days ago I received an invitation to do a business with an intermediary who "collects commissions from clients and give them to artists to draw", "mostly charge them no less than $3500". And claimed that after the work done I get 3000 and the intermediary gets 500. Is there really a case like this? Or is it just a scam? If I accept this business, will it be reasonable for me to make a contract or ask them to pay a deposit?
This does sounds scammy. The red flags are: - Not asking how much you charge but instead volunteering the budget info - Not discussing specific of what you would draw before coming up with a price - Intermediary who "collects commissions" (WTF??) If you want to move forward, do so carefully! Insist on a contract and deposit. DO NOT accept checks or money orders, only wire transfer or electronic payments like PayPal, Venmo, etc. Wait several days after the payment is made to make sure it's cleared and is not going to bounce. If they "accidentally send you too much" and ask you to send a portion back, DO NOT send them back any money!
Sure! It's never too early to start learning about art business. You can learn about things like copyrights, pricing, art markets, and you can build your social media presence while you're learning how to draw.
Hi .I got the training of adobe illustrator and i am worried about how to get my freelance work after specialization .i am interested in logo, T Shirt and icons design. please give me guidance that how i get my freelance project .Also give me advice that can i handle these three artworks at a time . I am waiting for your answer
Okay I love this video but I have a question, what can I do, I do both illustrations and graphic design, I started out as a graphic designer so sometimes I get graphic design gigs but mostly illustration, sometimes it’s hard for me on my Instagram so I just left all of my illustrations on my Instagram and post some graphic design once in a while but on my behance, they’re in sections, do you think it’s a good idea or I should just stick with illustrations?
If you really want you can do both, but just keep in mind that these are 2 vastly different industries and type of work, so you shouldn't put them on the same website or social media accounts. Your illustration clients don't care about the graphic design stuff, and vice-versa. This would mean maintaining 2 websites, 2 sets of social media accounts, and 2 different client lists. It's a lot of work! This is time that you could spend to get more work in your favorite market. So if you have a favorite between illustration and graphic design, I would suggest to just keep that one and go for it :) The focus will allow you to gain more success in that market, so you need not feel bad about lost contracts.
is it too late for me to have career in art?im currently 38y.o but i dnt have the portfolio but i can draw.i watch this video because its kinda soul searching for me and kinda desparate.i hope someone can boost me up.tnx
38 years old is not very old at all! Many artists only start after retirement, even. It's never too late to make and sell art as long as you live (and even then, some artists become popular after death)
I honestly dont know how it works... So i draw in a digital art app and then send it to them when its done, in a certain file like png file? I'm afraid of appearing clueless.
There is no universal way. Every single company works differently and has different requirements. The most professional thing you can do is literally just ask them what file format and technical requirements they need 💁
If there is predefined submission process on a website and it only says to send portfolio....should i only send portfolio or should i tag it along with cover letter???
If they don't have any information, that means they don't mind and you can send what you think is right :) Keep it simple, in my experience art directors are extremely busy. A short email explaining what kind of work you'd be good for, your relevant art experience and a link to your portfolio is plenty!
