[Hummingbird]

I recently finished studying design at university with an illustration major and I'm finding job-hunting really stressful! The majority of design jobs advertised have been for Graphic Design positions (which I've been applying for anyway) and I'm beginning to regret majoring in Illustration - perhaps I should have majored in Graphic Design?

I don't know where to start. The other day I was in the newsagency, flipping through some design mags, trying get the names of some art directors to send some of my stuff to in hopes of getting something published, but most of them are based in the UK - I'm in Australia.

I went for an interview a little while ago for an illustration job with a company that creates art for poker machines, but got turned down. I only just missed out, apparently.

I don't even know how to score some freelance gigs!

So does anyone have any illustration job-hunting tips and advice to offer for someone just starting out?

Do I even cut it as an illustrator?

[Dekard]

Pretty much anything in Art will be more of a competition then anything else, I'm currently in IT and wanted to switch over to graphic design, but I feel bad because it's a downgrade in pay for most things compared to what I make in IT, but I'd rather do something with my art, you got a nice website and a nice portfolio going. Good luck to you finding a job.
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.::astrochimp.net::.

[Exclamation]

These are my own thoughts... take them as you wish.

The plus: you most definitely have talent. You have some solid styles and good execution.

The minus: your style isn't that marketable.

Today's art market is fiercely competitive because of 3 things: 1) companies have lost sight of true talent as anyone with a year of Photoshop experience is now doing the work, 2) there are just way too many people with a year of Photoshop experience, and 3) the industry is still feeling the bite from 9/11 and corporate scandals like Enron and Worldcom.

Pretty much anything art/design/promotional/marketing related took a hit after 9/11. One of my video editing teachers in college told her class that she lost half her business after 9/11.

With 9/11 companies started pulling money from "unnecessary" things like advertising and promotion to either provide more or better security or to make sure they didn't end up like Enron. This all trickles down to the smaller studios and design firms who'd often get outsourced projects from the big companies.

Just the past couple of years have I seen things get better... but not by much. One thing that sucks is the companies are expecting us to produce the same or better work for the same desperate prices we provided during the low times.

If you don't have any already, I suggest expanding your portfolio with various art styles, which worked for me. Pigeon-holing yourself with your 1 or 2 non-commercial styles will make it harder to find a job. When I showed my current employer that I could not only do realistic drawings but also marker comps, digital paintings and 3D renderings (all different types of illustration), plus I could quickly learn to mimic other styles, he quickly offered me a position.

If you want to quickly find a job that will sustain you, you have to think: Commercial. Marketing. Advertising. What sells. What styles are in Maxim or Vogue. What is Sony using for their user manuals. Fine arts just doesn't cut it nowadays. Fine arts is the kind of stuff you'll be famous for AFTER you're dead
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Freelance Illustration & Design | A Portrait of Envy

[Hummingbird]

Thanks Dekard and Exclamation.

Exclamation, that's some good advice! I think you're definitely right about me needing to show some diversity in my skills - I was told recently that my style is very strong and personal, which is good but also very limiting. The most successful commercial artists can work with a range of different styles. So I think I'll be working on my portfolio some more now.

And I'll be brushing up on what illustrative styles are hot right now.

Thanks again.

[tom99uk2003]

Hi

I had a look at your site and I think your illustrations have a good distinct style.

The site is letting you down as it is very pooly designed.

You have to sell, sell, sell and sell yourself. Nobody else will do it for you.

Bring your site to life, make it interesting, tell the viwers about you and about your art etc. You can do better, now do it! Motivate yourself, you didn't do all that work just for fun.

I tried to reply on the site and got an error message??? look at the coding?

To get work you have to be seen as better than the rest or at least show potential. It's dog eat dog in the big bad world.

You have the tallent now go out and sell it.


good luck


Tom

[Hummingbird]

Thanks Tom!

I've been meaning to make my site look a bit more exciting for a while now. I'll have to work on that and offer more information.

That's strange you got an error message when you tried to send comments. I checked it and it's still working - two people successfully sent me messages today.

Thanks again!

[Gort]

Hey great artwork and design even! Whatchu worried fer?

I respectfully have to disagree with Tom about your site; I don't think your site is poorly designed; on the contrary, I think it's a very good, straightforward impression of your abilities and work. The best part about is it that your work is immediately available to the user by showing your thumbnails portfolio right way. Smart move. Right way there it is - no work and no fuss; you'd be surprised at just how important that is to those looking to hire. Art directors do not have a lot of time to deal with over animated and designed sites. I know this because I've been on the hiring side, so let the whizbangedry do it's thing through your portfolio. Keep the front end simple and basic; my advice is not to change anything with your site, but you perhaps do need to change your manner of job searching. As an illustrator you have to understand that you're a business person; you have a service to offer, so in order to effectively get the business you're looking for means you have to market your skills. Failure to understand this concept is a common mistake folks fresh out of school make:

"I worked hard through school; I have a degree and a good portfolio; why isn't the phone ringing? No one will hire me!"

Whether you like it or not, you have to market your services; you are now a business person, so you have to put some processes in place to make things happen; you have to market yourself. Marketing takes time, money and most importantly, perserverence. While you have a website that I feel is a great start, you have to create promo/media packs that say who you are and what you do. Like your website keep these simple and straightforward but reflect your ability as an illustrator. The media pack should be a collection of your best work with contact information (name, address, web address, email, etc. etc. etc.) on every sample page (these things will get spread out and likely into different hands). You'll need business cards -those go in your mailer too. Your media pack can be a CD with samples or just plain ol' rips of your work, bt it has to stand out. Art and creative directors get tons of this stuff on a daily basis, so your mailer should stand out. I've had some come to me that were hand made and very cool; you don't forget them, and I even have a couple from years gone by that I keep - they were awesome and still are. Eventually you want to reach a point where you have a such a strong relationship with an agency that you don't have to market anymore; word of mouth will take hold.

Take the plunge; enter as many contests as you can under the self promo category. Communication Arts is a great start.

Do free work if you have to. It sucks but it's often necessary to get started. Look around you. See any local publications? Approach as many as you can and offer your services. It's a great start, and you'll learn how to work with others in this regard, and you'll build your portfolio up as well.

Show your work and solicit feedback, but be prepared for negative feedback, as it is inevitable. Attack your weaknesses; they will feed your strengths. Get involved with public forums like this one and try others a bit more relative to your goals and skills, if need be.

Here are a few books I highly recommend:

Artists & Graphic Designers Market 2006

The Creative Business Guide to Running a Graphic Design Business
A must for any creative; while the book foucses on graphic design, the constructs therein are applicable to any creative pro, new or seasoned.

Business and Legal Forms for Graphic Designers
Best money I ever spent; this book has tons of great resources like invoices, deck forms, etc. All the forms come on a CD too.

Don't lose focus of your goals. Sometimes it's hard to get things going, as it may take time, so you'll have to keep your day job doing whatever - don't let that disparage you! It's all part of the process. Stay focused and keep at it. Every step you take, no matter how small, is closer to where you want to go and farther away from where you don't want to be.

Hang tough!

--edit--

Discovered this from a friend this weekend; great resource for critiques:
Drawing Board
_________________
- Tom Carter

"You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf" - Jack Kornfield

[Inspector Lee]

All good advice so far, especially Gort's advice about thinking of youself as a business. I would add that you should really work to make as many contacts as possible, in the industry you would like to work for (advertising, publishing etc.).
My experience has been that more than 90% of my work has come from contacts, not from my website, cold calls, or promotional materials.
So you should attend illustration shows, with your best "meet and greet" face on. Look for clothed or nude figure drawing groups or classes (if you live in or near a large city, I guarantee you'll find some), there will likely be some illustrators attending these. Once you make some contacts, when any of them are having a gathering (party, show opening etc.) be there with your business cards and collect as many names and numbers as you can. When you meet art directors, make a follow up call. Ask them if they would mind looking at your portfolio and just giving you any advice or crititcism (over coffee or lunch-on you, if you can afford it). Just keep in mind, that getting to know other people in your area, who are already in the business, is always going to be your best source for work (and a great by-product is you make a lot of friends).
And one caveat, if you're going to do work for free, do it purely for the work experience. Do not do free or low payed work hoping it will turn into higher payed gigs with the same client (even if that client tells you it will). That has never happened in my experience or the experience of any of my friends or aquaintances.
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Smokey, this is not 'Nam this is bowling. There are rules.

[Inspector Lee]

Sorry, double post..
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Smokey, this is not 'Nam this is bowling. There are rules.

[Gort]

Point well defined on the free work, Inspector and precisely what I meant; learn from the experience of working in a team environment, garnishing and accepting criticisms and working under tight deadlines.

But use common sense and draw the line folks trying to take advantage of you.
_________________
- Tom Carter

"You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf" - Jack Kornfield

[Inspector Lee]

Yeah,
I'm definitely not saying there's anything wrong with working for free or low pay. I've done it myself. As long as you are clear that it's not likely to lead to well paid work.
Clients that are looking for free or low pay work will often hang that "carrot" out there ("if we like your work, there may be larger projects to send your way in the future")
I believe they are even sincere (quite often), when they say it. But the reality is, once you've worked for little or no pay, that client thinks of you and your work in a certain way and they are very unlikely to change their mind. In their mind, you are the guy who works cheap. They will call you when (and only when) they have a project with no budget. So just be aware, and go in knowing that.
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Smokey, this is not 'Nam this is bowling. There are rules.

[Hummingbird]

That's great advice Gort! And thanks Inspector Lee.

Gort, so is it safe to say that making a career out of illustration is going to be a very long and arduous process? I was hoping it would simply be a matter of applying for a full-time job as an illustrator and taking it from there. I guess I better get busy making a promotional pack! One question - where do I get the names and addresses of Art Directors? Like I said, I tried looking for the details of Art Directors in magazines at the newagency, but they were UK based.

It annoys me that this kind of information was never taught to us at university.

Inspector Lee - I am going to look into joining some life figure drawing classes. I live in Sydney, so there should be a few.

[Gort]

There's a whole list of publications and their art / creative directors here:

Artists & Graphic Designers Market 2006

I'd go try find one at a local book store and have a look inside; see if there are any Aussie based publications in there (I don't recall - it's been a long time). As for applying for a job, I can't say it's common; it's actually rare that you go somewhere and apply for a job as an illustrator (I actually lucked out in 1998 and was hired by a telecom company to do editorial illustration for their consumer website(s); it was an awesome job).

"I was hoping it would simply be a matter of applying for a full-time job . . . "

I wish I could say it was that easy; as an editorial illustrator it isn't. You stand a better chance of a steady gig working for a studio doing concept art, production illustration, etc (usually contract but a lot steadier). Most well paid illustrators I know are freelance; they make terrific money but work their butts off. Is it arduous? Well a lot of that depends on yourself; going after what you want can be arduous. Freelance has advantages, but you may find yourself working a lot of hours to meet deadlines.

Consider graphic design; I like your stuff - it has potential. For what it's worth, I have a BFA in illustration, but I've been doing design related work for almost 10 years now.
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- Tom Carter

"You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf" - Jack Kornfield

[Exclamation]