A career in illustration doesn’t just mean drawing nice
pictures and artistic images, you need to be able to promote yourself as an
illustrator, handle your social media accounts, make contacts with art
directors, have a record of your income and expenses, maintain your website,
and make sure you get paid for your work. It is something that you need to
figure out as you move forward in your professional life, especially if you are working as a freelancer providing book illustration services.
Below are some brief points that can kick start your career
as a freelance illustrator.
1.
Choose your
genre of work
Most illustrators tart with their work with editorial
illustrations. It is one of the best choices if you want to build a career as
an art director. On the other hand, you can also
build your portfolio with local magazines. However, before stepping into
editorial services, you need to know it is one of the lowest paid jobs having
the quickest turnaround time.
Conversely, industries needing
illustrations for packaging and
advertising comes with a higher budget for the work. You can also illustrate
stationary, children’s books, and other
products. So do your research before stepping
in the industry.
2.
Get drawing
Once you’ve figured out where you want to work, it is time to
get started with the illustrations. Don’t just get started with drawing with
anything that you like; you need to build
a portfolio so work on drawings that you want to be commissioned for. For
example, if you choose to work for children’s books, don’t expect the art
director to hire you if you don’t have anything similar to your choice of work
in your portfolio.
3.
Create a
portfolio site
If you have enough work to show
off, it time for you to work on your website. Being a professional
illustrator, you need to establish yourself to get the desired work through the digital world. Don’t fret if
you can’t code! You can use any of the online platforms to build a creative
portfolio — not anything flashy, just a work of art which speaks for itself. Be
consistent in your work to make your
style recognizable. Create categories of work and your style that sets you
apart from others.
4.
See
yourself as a business
If you are interested in illustrations, then make it your business
— and mean it business. You need to know that pretty pictures can also make
money, but it requires extensive research and work that can attract. Look for
gaps in the market, connect your work with different industries, and showcase your work. Establish yourself in
the market to attract writers, marketers, publishers, and more to get the desired work.
5.
Benefit
from social media
Social media is one of the best platforms where you
can easily find clients to establish your business. Connect with other creative
people in the industry and get involved in discussions. Make h most out of
visual platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, or
Snapchat. It’s not necessary to post your finished projects; you can also take pictures of the work
process and post it online.
6.
Start
hustling
You need to start
researching magazines, studios, or
publishers that commission work similar
to yours. What’s really important is not
to waste time on places where your work doesn’t fit. Do your research on the internet and visit platforms such as
LinkedIn to find out the leading people in the industry.
7.
Get along
with other creative minds
There is no harm in getting help from other
people who understands the complexities of your work. Join a community or a
group on the internet or organize a meet
up in your city to get along with graphic designers and illustrators. Appreciating
their work and sharing it without a return can lead you some serious recommendations of work.
8.
Get
Organized
One of the most important factors of becoming a successful
freelance illustrator is to be organized
with your work. Keep track of your
things, make a file of ideas, file your payment receipts, and set reminders of everything that you need
to do. There are many organizational
tools that you can use to sort things out. Do a
little research to find out which works best for you.
9.
Don’t quit
your day job
Establishing yourself as an illustrator is a long game. You
are not going to be popular overnight.
Just like any other business, you need to market yourself and work some other job to maintain stability.
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