2013.

The new year has started and all signs indicate that it's going to go by even faster than 2012 did. I'm nervous about living up to my own expectations as a budding illustrator, but I'm going to do my best.

Day 1: Vintage Erasers by Lisa Congdon

At one point in Lisa's freelance illustration seminar, she drove home the importance of creating art for its own sake--even when you're bogged down with other clients and projects. She is a prime example of an artist who's not only wildly successful, but extremely prolific. The image above is her first piece of her 2010 "A Collection A Day" project, in which she would either photograph, draw, or paint a real or imaginary collection of items every day. This past year, she also embarked on another 365-style project, taking up typography and hand lettering.

Realistically, I don't think I can accomplish anything on a daily basis that I'd be satisfied with--but I do have a surprise in the works that I'm hoping to debut on Monday. It's a humble little project that I'm hoping to update weekly (it's the next best thing, I suppose), and it's tying together another one of my passions with my love of simple, fun illustration.

I tackled a lot in 2012--I'm actually managing to survive and save some money while I'm at it, I got some paying illustration jobs, and my band released its first album. But I think 2013 holds much more promise for me.

Professional Illustration with Lisa Congdon.

On Wednesday, I got to spend two and a half hours learning from and interacting with the Lisa Congdon, who is a highly successful illustrator I’ve been following for the past year or two. This class opened up a discussion of the key elements of a successful illustration career, and what you can do to launch yourself into motion within the commercial art industry.

This was such an incredible experience. The business of illustration is something I’ve read about in books, but was unfortunately never discussed during my college education. Learning about Lisa’s experience in making illustration her second career (she’s 45!), the serious risk and hardships involved, and gaining some real encouragement was the vital shot of reality and adrenaline I’ve needed.

I’ve had the opportunity to do some commission work lately, but in 2013, I really want to push that up a notch. Lisa also mentioned that using every single day to create something new (even if just a blog entry) is a great way to stay active and relevant, and also increases your opportunity to gain more of a following. I’m going to do as much as I’m capable of, and begin brainstorming everyday/weekly projects. It’s my aim to sign with an agent by summer or fall of next year. Lisa drove home that while cons come with having an agent (they take 30-50%), they will promote work, negotiate fees according to the industry standard (also something I know little to nothing about), and offer other opportunities that aren’t typically attainable for those first starting out, like me.

I’m not going to type up the 10+ pages of notes I took from the class, but I will leave you with some priceless advice that I gained that night.

Fake it until you make it.

Put shitty work behind you (and keep it away from your portfolio/website).

The illustration market is completely saturated. But anyone who works hard/intelligently can make it.

With success comes a lot of crap.

Figure out the work you want to make—the work you do will be the work you end up doing for others.

Keep people guessing. Keep growing your portfolio. Have a clear, consistent style(s).

Laugh.

If any of you are interested in taking a class like this or meeting other people like Lisa, I highly recommend you sign up for a workshop, day pass, or membership at Makeshift Society. Creative people of all disciplines and backgrounds go there to get work done, learn new skills, and network with others. I'm definitely heading back again once I save up for another class.

Those who inspire.

Today's post won't be a long one--I just wanted to share a couple interviews with two of my favorite illustrators.

close-up of Lisa Congdon's work (from Drifter & the Gypsy)

Drifter & the Gypsy did a Career Day-style interview with Lisa Congdon, who I've mentioned a few times on the blog already. One of the reasons why I really adore Lisa in particular because of how down-to-earth and relatable she is. She didn't start her illustration career until she was almost 40, and now she works for clients like Chronicle Books, Urban Outfitters, and Land of Nod. Her style is straight-forward, and it truly speaks for itself. 

I am incredibly excited for Lisa's upcoming seminar/class at Makeshift Society, which is a relatively new space for creatives of all types to learn, work, and coexist. They host other workshops and classes that focus on lesser-known topics, such as the principles of starting your own business, creating effective design, and using social media to spread awareness about your work. In this class, Lisa will be going over the fundamentals of the professional illustration world, which is something I've been trying to break into since graduating from college a couple years ago. Unfortunately, living in San Francisco hasn't allowed me to pursue this full-time--but the right things never come easy (or quickly). And I think Lisa demonstrates that.

The Sloping Midnight Line, gouache and ink on paper, 8 x 10 inches

Carson Ellis is one of the first illustrators I started following obsessively. I found her through the work she did for her husband's band, The Decemberists. Her work is rich in content, most of which is inspired by novels, Russian history, and most recently, Norweigian/Scandinavian narratives. 

This week, The Morning News offered an in-depth with Carson about her process during this series of works, as well as her perspective on teaching art and her dismal high school experiences. She is charmingly candid and honest, which is always refreshing in interviews.

Hope you guys enjoy these ladies!

My #1 goal.

Today, one of the illustrators/bloggers I follow happened to post an answer to my most burning questions: how do you turn illustration into a full-time career?

Here & Now, Lisa Congdon, graphite on paper, 2011

Here are some of my favorite tips of the bunch. If you'd like to read the rest, you can see them here. 

Build your portfolio with work that you are proud of and work you’d like to do for potential clients. In the first few years of my illustration career I had very little work. So I spent most of my free time outside my job (I was still working part time when I started as an illustrator) making art that I thought would appeal to potential clients. Soon enough, this work led to jobs. And then jobs led to more jobs. Don’t wait for work to come to you.

Use social media to tell the world about what you do. Start a Facebook fan page, a Twitter account and a personal blog. Post pictures of your work and link to them every single day. Tell people your story. Show your humanity. Build a base of people who like what you do and are likely to share it with others. Many of the first jobs I got were from connections I made through the internet. This is still how I get most of my work today!

Show up + network. Go to design, art and illustration conferences and talks. Get over your shyness and interact with people in the business. Support other artists and illustrators. Make friends. Be a nerd.

Sign with an illustration agent. This is not for everyone, but working with an agency can be a fantastic way to get new work + manage complex contracts. I work with Lilla Rogers Studio. Much of my work comes through them (clients find me through them). They also handle all my contracts (I don’t ever have to deal with money or weird difficult conversations with clients). They promote my work and provide enormous support.

Work your butt off. Being a full time freelancer requires enormous sacrifice. No one is hustling work for you. You need to do that yourself. Sometimes that means giving up parts of your social life in order to prioritize and promote your work. Sometimes that means spending your extra money on a new website instead of clothes or dinners at your favorite restaurants.

Be as original as you are able. Develop your own style or set of styles. Be your own person. Art directors are looking for fresh work that is new and exciting. They want your unique perspective on the world. Show them what that is.

© Lisa Congdon, 2012.

Again, I apologize for the slowdown in posts. The good news is that I am working on a new commission, so I am still creating new things! I will try to post some in-progress shots of that by the end of the weekend--it's a typography-based project and I'm really excited about it. See you then!

xx 

I threw it all away.

This is my newest sketch. It is totally different from anything and everything I've been doing this past year, and it was incredibly refreshing. I'd had this image of one of those public green wire trash cans toppled over with all sorts of gems spilling out of it floating around for a while, and figured it was time to put it to paper before it got lost in the recesses of my ridiculous head.

Most people who've seen my more formal work probably don't know that I absolutely adore typography and working with pen. It's been an area that I've wanted to explore on a deeper level for years, and I've only done so very, very lightly. I'm aiming to take classes in typography, hand lettering, and printmaking at some point this year. I really missed out on that front while I was still in school.

Day 101: "Knit" by Lisa Congdon

I follow the blog of talented Lisa Congdon, who is currently embarking on a year-long project involving daily practice of hand lettering. You can find it here.

I've gathered a great deal of inspiration from this artist, and hope to soon carry her confidence with color as an idea that will permeate my own work.

For some reason, I haven't been doing these little sketches for about a year or two. I think I was too concentrated on filling my portfolio with things that look cohesive, a.k.a. exactly the same. It felt great to get this little idea out and finished within an hour--I hope to make many more of these. And if I'm going to have a real illustration career someday, people will want to see variety, right?