10 Things to Know If You Want To Be A Freelance Illustrator

I'm just going to give it to you straight! If you're a student who wants to pursue illustration, or an up and coming career artist, here's a bit of wisdom based on my nearly 10 years of working as an illustrator.

1. Be willing to work under tight deadlines. Not only be willing to do it, but be GOOD at doing it. You might have to work weird hours, but on the plus side, you'll be able to go on vacation more freely than you would with a 'normal' job.

2. Learn how to promote yourself online. I've met many an artist who says they don't have time to maintain a site or don't have time for social networking. Yes, time is short, but an online presence is a MUST in this time in humanity. If you don't know how to use Twitter, find someone who can show you the ropes. If you don't have time to build an online portfolio, pay someone to do it for you.

3. Find a way to get in front of the people who will hire you. Sitting anonymously behind your computer will get the job done but only to an extent. With the exception of one or two jobs, every gig I've ever gotten been by showing up to places where I know I can find work. If pop culture or film/television illustration is your thing, get to conventions like San Diego Comic Con or New York Comic Con. Heck, there's even a Chicago Comic Con. All coasts are covered- no excuses! If you're into children's publishing, become a member of SCBWI and get to their annual conferences! Go where your target audience is. And if you don't have a target audience, definite it now.

4. Show your best work. Not all ten thousand life drawings you did in college. I'm sure they're great, but an art director doesn't need to see everything. Personally, I try to show only what I'm confident in showing and I follow the old rule, "When in doubt, take it out".

5. Learn to be resourceful! Freelance illustration is a competitive field, and sometimes there's just not as much work to go around as we hope. So in the dry spells, pick up some extra work doing other artsy things like web design, or illustrating Twitter backgrounds. Open an Etsy store and sell your prints! It's ok to wear other hats if needed. Eventually, you won't have to!

6. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. There's lots of illustration forums and I've been surprised at how many people think it's ok to speak negatively about their employers. Newsflash: Employers lurk! Be professional.

7. Spend some money on promotional items. I've used Vistaprint.com for a few years for things like postcards and business cards. I'd highly recommend them. You never know when you'll have the opportunity to hand a business card may sneak up on you (and in the most inconvenient times, too!). Get in the habit of whipping out your business card at a moments notice. The more you do it, the more second nature it becomes.

8. Work on your skills! Don't stay trapped in your creative comfort zone. Once you get comfortable with your skills, you stop growing. So challenge yourself by taking new classes, and spend some time reading blogs of other artists that you admire, and learn their skills they offer. I'm dying to start working digitally in the next year or so. In fact, I would almost say I HAVE to in order to keep up with the competition as well as to keep growing creatively.

9. Refresh old skills. If you haven't drawn from life in a while, you can get a little rusty. Get back in front of a model asap! Every artist will tell you it's the best thing you can do for yourself.

10. Learn to draw fast. Don't compromise quality, but do learn to draw quickly. This will help you meet your deadlines and you'll have a higher turnover of work. That's a good thing. How can you do that? See #9 above. One of the best things I did to improve my drawing speed was work as a portrait artist at a Renaissance Faire. Artists who have worked as caricaturists at amusement parks have also credited that experience with teaching them how to work quickly, and under some stressful situations too.

Above all, persevere. It's a wonderful thing to be an artist!

I welcome your thoughts on this. What other skills do you think a freelance illustrator needs to have to succeed? Do you disagree or agree with anything I said and why?