Unique Consistent Style

I think having a unique consistent style is probably one of the most important keys to having a successful illustration career.

Technical Skills

It's hard to execute a good idea if you don't have the technical skills to do it. Having great technical skills not only allows you to realize your ideas, but also will save you a ton of time in the long run because you will be much more efficient and responsive when clients have feedback.

You can search for tutorial videos on Youtube and Vimeo , but in order to save you time I highly recommend Lynda.com's video tutorial. You pay a monthly subscription fee which gives you access to all the videos you can watch on all the major programs (photoshop, illustrator, aftereffect, and tons more)

Marketing your illustrations

All your marketing efforts should point back to your web site. Your web site is a place where you can centralize information and understand the success of specific marketing tactics via Google Analytics and/or Statscounter. Other platforms come and go and you want to build equity in something you own. YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR MOST VALUABLE LONG-TERM MARKETING TACTIC!

What makes a "GOOD WEB SITE"?

I highly recommend Squarespace for creating and hosting your website - It's easy, search engine optimized, responsive for all devices and has a e-commerce solution. *

Marketing

Once you have a good, user friendly, search engine friendly site. Post card mailers are probably the second most cost effective and effective tactic. Lots of times art directors just need to be reminded you exist. That is why I think higher frequency is better than spending a lot of money on one marketing tactic. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. I would rather spend my money doing 3 postcard mailers a year vs. one big book ad

Cold calls are something you will have to do when starting out. Find magazines, papers, etc that you like or think would be a good fit for you art and contact the art director, ask them if its okay to send them a few examples of your work. I would never send more than 3 pieces .. they will know what your art work is about after seeing 3 pieces.

Attitude

After working as an art director for Microsoft's Xbox .. I can't say how important it is to have a positive attitude. Of course talent is crucial .. but talent isn't the only thing that gets you work. People are people and it's always nicer to work with someone that is positive and solution oriented. I used to hire tons of external agencies to create web sites and other online promotional material. All the agencies were extremely talented but those that could talk about their work in an exciting way, were easy to work with and accepted feedback well were the ones I hired over and over again.

I'm not saying do anything the client wants with a smile on your face. You were hired because you are an expert in your field .. articulate the decisions you made and get them excited about your ideas .. but it's also important to stay positive and flexible.

Informational

You can save yourself a lot of extra work by asking a few questions up front.

First, get the basic information:

Technical Specs - size, bleed, resolution, etc

Important Dates - (Rough Date, Final Date)

If this is the first time working with this person ask them:

Why did you choose me for this project? (I like your concepts, I like your painterly style, your work is cute and works well for teenage girl magazines, your style is rough and dark and works well for this editorial piece on drug abuse, etc)

Which pieces of work do you particularly like and why?(I like the man on the boat cause it's funny, I like all the texture in the piece you did for Converse, etc)

How did you discover my work?

This will give you a better idea of what the client likes about your work, why they chose you for this particular project and what they expect.

Next, get more information about the job, if it's a long editorial .. ask them:

What part of the story do they really want emphasize?

Is there anything they want to stay away from?

Do they have any ideas?(This doesn't necessarily mean to use the idea .. but it will give you a general idea of the path they want to take or what part they think is important/interesting)

Tracking the Work

If you want to make a career out of illustration you will need a good way to keep track of your jobs so you make the deadlines and get paid for your work?

When are roughs due?

When are final sketches due?

Are there any jobs you need to complete?

Are you too busy to take on more work in a specific month?

Who hasn't paid?

There are a number of ways to keep track of this information. I programmed a little MySQL database application for it .. but you can just as easily track it using a spread sheet or some other existing software. I highly recommend http://www.google.com/calendar﻿

