lols knowing other illustrators who are much more advanced than you really helps (wink wink lol) I have met a few friends who are very pro-illustrator and they are always quick to tell me when i’m about to mess up and what i should probably bne doing. They’ve already walked the path i am on, and so they have much wisdome, and are usually willing to let me in on few of their tricks They have a lot of great colleges and stuff with emphesis’ on illustration tho, too.

i think i am a illustrator (almost) or yet i would like to become one .. but i just havent targetted anyone yet, i find all of the illustrator directory type sites require that you pay to be listed …..

does anyone have any tips for getting that first job ?

What’s it take? Honestly? A lot of luck is often what it takes. Often it’s not what ya know but who you know. Catching an AD at a crucial moment when they need someone for a job is luck.
Some illustrators go to school while some don’t…it really is your work that needs to stand out. You have to be artist, marketing director, accountant and janitor all in one package. I think that often Illustrators are farther trained than fine artists…we need to know the process of printing to exact details as our work is reproduced, and also are trained in graphic applications like Photoshop.
Study is what it takes. Knowing what market you want to be in is what it takes, and knowing whom to target with self promotions is what it takes. Being able to work under heavy deadlines and realizing during those you will have no life is also what it takes. It takes intensity, tenacity and some damn good drawings and concepts.
Buy as many books as you can on Illustration and read them over and over. Try to take the plunge and advertise in one of the big directories to get your name and samples out there. It really is a business and you MUST be business savy, because when you are not, you will lose that business. You have to be dedicated inw hat you want and what yoy believe in. Strive to be the next Peter Helck or Winslow Homer, but strive regardless to be your very best.
Take rejections is what it takes cause there will be hundreds along the way. As Ed Roth once told me “Kid, you have to work your ass off in this bizz if ya wanna make it! It is a dog eat dog world! Now get drawing!” Those are words to live by……and very solid advice.
Start small but think HUGE. Start at a local level…in your town then expand. Don’t try to gun for Scholastic right off the band, gun for your local newspaper first. See how it all works out, the process of illustrating assignments. Get used to it and then you are comfortable.
Join email list where like minded people think alike…I have found them personally invaluable. As a matter of fact, I think i have learned as much on them as I did in college. Keep up to date with changes, especially now. Things are moving VERY fast these days. Was only 6 years ago that Rubylith and Amberlith were used, these are now basically extinct.
Research reasearch and reasearch. Learn as much as you can…about drawing, about coloring about style, about shading and about printing and papers and about ILLUSTRATION!

John De Bord
http://www.johndebord.vze.com

~~All Things Art and Photography~~[/url]

All Photos taken with a Minolta s414 unless specified

About a month ago I spoke at my old high school for career day. I had put together a handout containing observations I have made dealing with what I observed and had experienced in my own quest to become a fulltime illustrator. I broke them down and listed them in three fundamental categories. In actuality, they apply to just about any career choice, which only goes to show how, in the grand view, it’s not that much different than any other career endeavor. Out of the three categories, I’d say you need to be very good at least two, though I’ve meant a few who were fair at two, but excelled at one.

I can’t stress enough that you work has to be more than “good”, it has to be of a professional quality. At a recent convention I was moderating a panel, about being an art editor, on which was the art director from Tor Books. She stated that one factor she looked for were artists who had a firm grip on his/her style and was consistent with that style. In other words, she wanted an illustrator who wasn’t still searching for “a look”, and that there would be no surprises when the assigned piece was completed.

When meeting a potential client, dress like a professional and not an art poser. While other artist understand the “need to be me”, clients are looking for someone who exudes a professional demeanor. When paying out hundreds or thousands of dollars for art work, or just for the publishing rights, the client wants to be assured that they are not hiring a flake who can’t meet a deadline.

No matter what the assignment, met the deadline. If there’s any reputation you don’t want to obtain is that of someone who isn’t able to met a deadline. It a sure career killer. Always be honest if you can’t meet the deadline when asked about taking on an assignment. Once you establish a name and have success, you could from time to time ask for an extension, but when establishing a career, you can’t fudge the time your given.

There are no secrets. The only thing close to one would be contacts, and you make them as you build your career, no doubt the only shortcut established artists have, is their reputation and their Rolodex.

Here the handout:

Three Elements for Success

A) Networking:

1. Make connections with people who work in the field of your interest.

2. Locate and attend industry conferences, conventions and/or trade shows.

3. Find what it is you can do or offers others to help them do their job.

4. Look into guilds or clubs who membership is made-up of the peers in the industry of interest.

B) Marketing:

1. Investigate the various means of self-promotion that are available in your field of interest.

2. Read the industry’s most important and/or popular trade publications.

3. Dress for success.

4. Locate the various outlets which list job openings and employment agencies.

C) Skills:

1. Learn the tools of the trade.

2. Strive for excellence.

3. Be knowledgeable of the profession’s history.

4. Always work on improving one’s craft.

BTW, in any creative endevour, talent outs. If your abilities far exceed that of others, you’ll succeed. Extrodinary talent cannot be ignored. Paint like Bouguereau, draw like Di Vinci, sing like Sinatra, act like Olivier, direct like Spielburg and success is nearly assured.

By “looking professional,” Do you mean you have to wear a monkey suit?

BTW, I wanna be an illustrator too!

Now this is good stuff! I just wanted to come back and say that it’s threads like these that help those in need. I agree with the majority of responses that were posted here, and I have to say without a doubt that if you follow these advices that have been given, then you are on the right track!

To add to some of what was said: Know your talent. Don’t be shy, be confident! Don’t brag, just state the facts. Your work should do the ‘bragging’ for you. I live in a rural community, but that doesn’t stop me from being as professional as I can with the clients that I encounter. It is a daily struggle to do your job well, and to keep those clients happy!

And as pointed out earlier by others, be on time! Make each client feel as though they are the only ones that you are working for, and prove it by keeping your deadlines!

As far as books to read to help you out, there are countless books out there, just do the research, and get use to doing that, because you will do research more now than ever!

Well, keep those posts comming in! This is getting very interesting to read!

Terry

“Starting Your Career as a Freelance Illustrator or Graphic Designer” by Michael Fleishman is extremely detailed. I saw it at the library. What do you guys think of this book?

By the way, I wasn’t impressed with the cover illustration at all. If I thought that was representative of my competition, I would laugh.