Freelance Illustration Advice

I’ve done a little freelance artwork in my day, though I’ve rarely tried to use it as a full-time employment opportunity. It takes a special kind of person to relish helping other people, and getting involved in their projects, as well as educating them about how Designers work, and what might work best.

I’ll confess: I’m not the kind of guy that loves the process. When I take on a freelance job, it’s all that I can think about. I drop everything else until I’ve got the job done. It’s usually pretty good for the client, but maybe not so good for me. Everything else takes a back seat, and that doesn’t always work so well.

Regardless, I am sometimes asked by new graphic designers for “Freelance Advice”. Many of these folks have never worked for anyone else as a designer/illustrator; that would be my #1 piece of advice: work for someone else to learn the ropes.

Here’s what I know:

1. Work hard, doing the best work possible. Keep getting better. You need to get to a point where your illustration/design is a unique thing that cannot be found elsewhere.

2. Do lots of art, and put it online on a regular basis. Daily, if you’re really serious. I do a comic 5 days a week, as well as other artwork weekly. This has helped generate a lot of interest compared to posting something once per week. Get critiques on the Drawing Board from seasoned artists and pros.

3. Work beyond the confines of your hometown, or even the US. The web makes the world smaller. Don’t just concentrate on your locality, but don’t ignore it either.

4. Use Twitter as well as what you’re doing with Flickr and Facebook. Also post on your own blog/site, and maybe even DeviantArt, though I personally don’t do much there. Illustration Friday can help get other illustrators to know your work, though it may not lead to a lot of work.

5. Have something to sell. Prints, cards, whatever. This can help too. Perhaps putting some of your work on Zazzle or Cafepress can help draw an audience. I’ve had some luck with that.

6. Find other artists in Tucson, and make friends with them. Use TINY ARMY if you’re in Arizona, and post a profile there. See if this helps you meet some other locals. These people can help you find work.

7. Get involved with local comic conventions, to show your work. You HAVE to fight obscurity. This is our greatest battle.

8. Acquaint yourself with as many people as you can, and show them what you do. Freelance is based on contacts. You’ve got to build your network so that people know that they could hire you.

9. Do great work for your clients. Deliver on time (or before), and charge a fair price. (But don’t lowball everything either.)

10. Don’t do spec work. Spec (or work for free or exposure) is killing our industry. This “exposure” rarely is worth anything at all, and most likely not worth your time.

9. Don’t quit.

10. Repeat.

These are just the basics, but probably a decent start. Again, I’d suggest trying to find someone who could hire you, as you can learn an awful lot on the job. However, finding a pure illustration gig will not be easy. I started out in a t-shirt shop where I could get paid to learn how to draw, use the computer, separate the color plates, etc. It wasn’t pure illustration, but it was a technique to “work my way up.”

It could work for you too.

- Daniel