How to start as an illustrator ~ Frannerd 

Don't apologize for video length! If we wanted short videos Vine would still be a thing.

Me watching this in 2020: omg 10 minutes used to be a long video...I forgot all about that.

Hi Fran! Four years ago I watched this video and it made me realize that it's possible to earn money from art. It made me aspire to become a freelancer and since 2019 I already started my own freelance work . Thanks for your content! It really helped me live the life that I want.

I'm not an illustrator, but the huzbun is and one thing I'd add is: don't be afraid to ask to amend a contract! Also, READ the contract. The whole thing.

I've just broken into the illustration world (just got published for the first time)! Thanks for all the great info

Whole-heartedly agree with the last two points. Charge fairly! Be nice! Reputation is a huge thing in the freelance world, I always try my best to be a nice (and professional!) person to work with - communication is key! If you make the whole experience of hiring an illustrator enjoyable and easy for the client, they're much more likely to do it again, and again. This was another great video!

Your voice is so soothing and comfy. Whenever I have an anxiety attack I would watch your video and I feel slightly calmer immediately. Thank you so much for your useful advices

I came out as an illustrator a few days ago and this is exactly the video that I needed. Thank you! (This coming out was almost as scary as the gay one...) For everyone who thinks it's too late to start: I'm 27 and I didn't get to go to art school even though it was my dream. I only got back into art during the pandemic. You can do this. If you're 10, 18, 35, 47, 58, whatever: don't listen to the elitists, listen to your pull towards art.

This video could not have come at a better time! I have a background in illustration but went to grad school for something else and once I graduated I realized that I truly want to pursue illustration as a profession right now but everything seemed so daunting about "getting started" or "getting out there" but seeing steps and even just seeing other illustrators out there is so so helpful ♡♡♡ thank you!

Before sending emails, etc., you should make sure your work is top - notch. Is your style developed enough yet? The market is saturated with artists, so your work needs to stand out as a professional. :)

I've been a freelance writer/editor for several years and while I know all of what you said is true, it's still energizing to hear it again from someone new and with a fresh perspective. Thanks, Fran!

Great advice, Fran! Perhaps one thing to keep in mind with illustration that what you charge usually depends on the license / how the illustrations will be used rather than an hourly rate. Perhaps hourly rates are more useful for private commissions? The AOI have a great service where as a member you can give them the details of your commission and they can give you an industry standard quote. The "Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing & Ethical Guidelines" is useful, too. Another essential book in my opinion is "The Illustrator's Guide to Law & Business Practice'. Too many illustrators know nothing about copyright when they start out, which is crazy!

"Pet your dog/cat/turtle" :)

Fran, you have been such a role model for me these last four+ years. Thank you for posting these videos and keeping my spirit up and helping me continue to be an artist. As soon as I can I want to support your patreon and Etsy :)

Can you make a video about how to write a book? I love your videos Fran! hi five from Indonesia :3

Don't ever be sorry for lengthy videos. I love learning from your knowledge! It's useful and there is so much value from it. I'm always looking forward to your videos!

I'm so thankful I discovered your channel, Fran! I recently decided to become an illustrator and your videos (especially the advice ones) are very helpful! I don't that many that like what I want to do and you're like a big sister answering my worries and apprehensions regarding this endeavor. Thank you so much! 😚 Love you and your work!

thank you SO MUCH for this, Fran. You are giving me such hope, while bad things and frustrations can happen to me at the time, I feel so grateful to hear your advice and most important, applying it into my life. THANK YOU!!!

Hi Fran! I hope your day is going well! Thank you so much for sharing this. I needed this! Love all that you do!

I have seen many videos of your work and now your mentoring videos - and I am a fan! You just gained another subscriber. Keep 'em coming.

Thank you for taking the time to be so helpful and informative. You're awesome! :)

Thank you so much. I graduated from university last year, and since then have had a change of heart, from interior design to illustration. Set up a small business last October, which is going well just putting in the foundations and trying my best to be consistent but these past couple of weeks have been hard. Creative block, lack of motivation/direction just everything swirling round in my head, this video has helped me so much in just going back to the basics, I'm still in the very early days so need to just take each day as it comes. Your advice is just what I needed to hear. Thanks so much.

Love this so much! I've always wanted to be an illustrator since I was like 6... Things haven't really worked out but your experience sharing is so precious and informative yet not complicated. Keep up with your good work

Thank you Fran for all you do. You are inspiring.

Fran! You are my inspiration! I love you illustrations, your person, your smile, etc.

Omg I'm watching this in 2020, at crossroads with my career and this has really helped me. Thanks for sharing super real, practical steps to being an illustrator!

I love this video a lot and although I have heard or read many advices before I still prefer yours. You speak nicely and you explain things with patience so it just made me feel so much better already. There are many people out there who are harsh while giving an advice (intentionally or non intentionally) or judgmental people who have nothing good to add so seeing this was such a relief. "Be nice", that's one of the best advices I have heard and I haven't heard it often so I am so glad that I heard it today. Thank you for this video :)

I can't verbalize on the perfect timing of this video and how much I needed this, so THANK YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN! You are one of my illustration role model, I hope one day I can do what you do. Thank you for always giving me hope that I can one day have a creative career in illustration :)

Muchas gracias por este vídeo Fran. Yo estoy empezando en el mundo de la ilustración y si, es muy difícil. Pero de verdad veo tus vídeos y me animan a seguir adelante. Por eso muchas gracias. Saludoooos 😊

I'm rewatching it and I'm glad I did it.

I love that you put humor into everything, it's so great to be able laugh at every opportunity.

thank you, thank you, thank you Fran! I have a good few years before I'll be looking for a job, but this was SUCH a big help on where to start ❤

Thank you for this. I just stumbled upon this video, and it couldn't have come at a better time in my life. I am currently a college student working on my Associates degree and planning on going to art school to study art. This video really helped me understand that being an artist can be a struggle indeed but you just have me some great tools that have really boosted my confidences and made me realize that being an artist takes just as much work as being anything else in the world if not more, but it is entirely possible to succeed. Thank you again, and I hope to continue to watch your videos and see what else you have to offer for budding artists

Words cannot express my gratitude for this video. I will definitely take heed to your advice (I'm not really charismatic, but I think I can manage the other tips). Thank you again!

Great video! She has such a charismatic personality, loved the honesty.

Fran I love these kind of videos, would definetly love if you did more like these. You are so helpful, thank you.

I really REALLY needed this! You have no idea how important this was for me! ♥️😭♥️

Thanks so much Fran~ I'm havinga bad day so depressing... so I'm glad you updated a video today~ thanks so much! This is so helpful too

Thank you so much for this video! Also for the other videos that fit in this category, they're all very helpful and inspiring!

Thank you for the video! I'm slowly starting to consider illustration and character design as a 'career' and well, it's really scary! Your video is already helping out :) Let's all encourage each other guys!

Thanks you so much for those wise words. Lately I'm struggling a lot with starting as a freelancer. And this kind of video helps me a lot to stay on tracks

Thank you for taking the time to give such fabulous advice.

FRAN, THIS IS SO HELPFUL AND YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL. THANK YOU XO

Its always useful to hear about this topic Fran!!! :) It helps me a lot. You are the one that actually guided me in this path of illustration, so thank you!

Once again, so very helpful! Thanks for sharing Fran!!!

this is the video I didn't know I needed. Thank you Fran

As someone who's graduating and starting to worry about becoming an illustrator, this video was super helpful! Please make more! :D

Thank you for all of the information Fran!

Thank you for the lovely informative video! I'm graduating in a couple of months and this video has been of great help!

Thank you so much for this tips, you helped me A LOT!! Congrats for this awesome channel ❤️❤️

Thanks Fran! 👏🏼This ultimately helped me begin to depend on my illustrations to survive. This was my very first motivation to get courage and just start. 😘

omg sis, your hair bun is so perfect and good!!!!!!!!!

Ver tus videos me ayudan a recordar lo mucho que quiero esto y que no me debo rendir! 💕 love

This video is lovely and so helpful!! Thank you so much. and it being a long video is good because your full opinion comes across more clearly. I think I really want to be an illustrator someday, and this had encouraged me a lot!

Me estoy haciendo superfan de tu canal Fran, te lo curras y nos ayudas muchisimo a los que estamos empezando, un abrazote !

Creo que me estoy volviendo adicto a tus vídeos. Des de que te conocí, estoy descubriendo todo un mundo de ilustradores "youtubers" que estáis compartiendo vuestras experiencias y me están sirviendo de gran ayuda. Pero con este vídeo ya me has ganado el corazón... justo me encuentro en el punto de empezar a crear proyectos personales para ampliar el portfolio. Tendré muy en cuenta tus consejos! ¡Muchas gracias!

Thank you so much for the fantastic advice! :)

Thank you so much for this video Fran! It was so helpful and came at such a good time for me. I'm graduating from graphic design school this spring and I really want to continue working with illustration but it's so hard to figure out how to start and what I need to do to succeed. So this kind of advice is priceless! :) (Also, your hair is so glorious in this video I can not even. Beautiful!)

This was so helpful thank you, I always wondered about the whole portfolio process so thanks a lot for clearing that up.

You're such a sweetheart, honestly :) Thanks for the links!

Thank you for the tips!~ I am both an artist and a writer, working on publishing a fourth coloring book :)

Hi guys, I just watched this video, and besides it is amazing, I also wanted to say that I think it is so important to read too. You can search books about an artist you like, a theme you like, a technique, a subject you want to learn more about... The important thing here is to know what other artist do, how they do it, and why they solve the problems in the way they do it. Also, it is important as an illustrator or an artist to know at least the basics of composition, colour, narrative... I already read some art books and I learned a lot! Hope this help you in some way :)

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It was informative :) And don't say sorry, you are doing us a service with this video.

Thank you so much for being so amazing and helpful! Love your channel!

I find your videos so motivational and inspirational! I am a singer/songwriter and actor and your videos are so relevant! Thanks again! :)

You're awesome! In Venezuela is kind of hard to sell your work as a illustrator, so you kindda help a lot giving those recomendations! Thanks a lot-

*Goes to makes cup of tea* *comes back to listen* glad I found this Fran!

Pro advice! Soo glad I bumped into your channel the other day. :) ^^

Thank ya Fran 👌✨ you've given me a better view of the profession.

Thank you so much for this. This was so in-depth and helpful :)

Great advice Fran! I agree putting yourself out there is super important! great video as always :)

Thank you so much for your help! This is exactly the video I needed in this time of my life!

Thank you for posting this and sharing your information. I am looking to be a professional artist/illustrator and am in the research phase. I have followed you on RU-vid since 2019 and you have inspired me to try. Thank you and stay safe

Such such good advice, THANK YOU

You’re my spirit animal, I swear it! You’re awesome!!! Thanks for such about awesome video...so helpful 😁

Loved the video and all the advice. Thanks!

Thank you for this inspiring video. It was really helpful. I am considering starting as an illustrator and your advices are a really great starting point THANKS SO MUCH

Muchas gracias Fran por hablar de este tema y por los consejos ♥!

That was very helpful Fran :) I'm just starting as an illustrator and the struggle is real :D but I Follow you for a while now and I learned a lot from you! Thank you so much! ❤

I have never watched a video this helpful. Wow. Thank you so much! :)

This video is really inspiring to me. Thank you very much!

Fran. No puedo creerlo. Me pasó eso. Ver este video me ha motivado muchísimo ¡¡¡por primera vez publicaron mis dibujos/doodles/fan art en una revista!!!! :') Graciaaaaas ❤

Fran!!!!!thanks for the help!!!!!! you are an inspiration!!!!!!!!!

I am working with videos, not with illustration, but all of that apply so well to my situation! Awesome advice c:

Such a helpful video! Please make more!

Thank you thank you thank you for sharing your ideas about this topic!

great advice - great video! keep going, Fran xxx

You are so inspiring frann 💗💗💗💗

MUCHISIMAS GRACIAS FRAN! estos consejos me ayudarán mucho al salir de enseñanza media y universidad! en serio muchas muchas muchas gracias!

Very interesting and inspiring talk, thank you for sharing it!

love your hair like that!

Such a helpful video! I would love to see more in-depth videos of each of the points you mentioned, specially about writing emails! What should we write? And more tips on building a portafolio :D I love that you are now uploading more frequently

literally thank you for made this video

Ultimamente había estado pensando exactamente en decidirme de una vez por todas en comenzar mi carrera como ilustradora si es realmente lo que quiero hacer por el resto de mi vida. Los pasos que has dado Frannerd son exactamente lo que tenía en mente. Hace algunos video habías dicho que ese video en particular fuera nuestra señal si estábamos esperando alguna pero para mi, este video en particular fue mi señal. ¡Gracias por compartir! ¡Saludos desde México!

I know this video has been up for a while but I'm just watching it and THANK YOU for the "how much you should charge" website

This is great, I’m doing a degree in illustration and you mentioned things I never even thought of:) thank you

This video is very helpful! Thank you so much!

Great video yet again Fran! Thanks for sharing your knowledge :) x

Like gold dust!! That you so much. Love it and SO helpful.

This is super helpful, thanks for sharing 😊