6 Common Mistakes for New Illustrators

[@ScottMacnivenArt]

I have just been picked up as a freelance illustrator with a small publisher here in the UK, but I would say my biggest problems was actually 18 months ago when I agreed to do illustrations for a self published kids book and agreed to a fee far smaller than anyone rightly should. At the time I thought it would be fairly straightforward to produce an artwork a day in the style that they required. Long story short, six months later I finally finished the fourth iteration of the illustrations and was so beaten down by the minimal payment that it put me off pursing any other clients.

[@TheIllustratorsGuide]

I'm guessing a lot of illustrators can relate to being in that position in the early days!

[@pat4005]

I'm sorry to hear that you experienced working with an abusive client. Did you allow them unlimited modifications? Or accept the work without making a contract? Did you offer them to choose from a few sketches of each page concept? (as you did each page, not all at once of course? ) And most of all, LIMIT REVISIONS? 😱 I was lucky for my first illustration job because I instinctively knew to keep in control of each piece of art (for a group of about 12 pieces (that I think should have been graphics, but they wanted airbrushed illustrations for some crazy reason. The Agency wanted them FAST because they foolishly took on the work to do a presentation for a very large aerospace corp., and over-promised. I heard all the other artists they asked turned them down, and I happened to show up there with my portfolio as a newbie right after leaving school and they happened to be local. But I knew from reading things like the, "The Graphic Artists Guild Handbook", and instructors own stories, etc. (about how much to charge, factoring in things like it being a crazy rush job, etc.) We agreed upon a price and I thought that was that and I dove right in, when I finished and delivered all the pieces, they told me they needed a "few" more and they aparently expected me to do them for FREE! 😂 Well, that didn't happen, and I drew up a new contract for the additional pieces of art that they wanted asap, (which included this time, a rush job fee because they were jerks on several different levels), AND they foolishly tried to take advantage of my good nature. So I'd suggest maybe joining some online illustrator groups, where they share stories and tips on working with clients, and also the book I mentioned above if it still published today.

[@ScottMacnivenArt]

@@pat4005 It was a strange situation. Originally I was offering commissions in my “whimsical style” and she approached me to do a couple, because I was offering them cheap at the time. She did not indicate that it was to illustrate a book. She seemed to like them and proceeded to ask for another 20. At which point I got a little confused. Then she revealed what was going on. I wrote up a contract stating I would do the 20 illustrations as requested, she would approve the designs at the sketch stage (allowing 3 alternatives), then approval at the inks stage (which allowed 1 alteration), the approval of flat colours to make certain the colours where going as planned. In the end after reading the (painfully long) script I pointed out she had 24 pages and she would need a cover illustration too. This bumped the overall count to 25 illustrations, not 20. In retrospect I know it was how I handled things along the way. I should have been more forceful with sticking to the contract I wrote up, but at the time a lot of personal issues were happening too. Long story short, by the end, I got paid £85.61 per month for six months to create a kids book (and criticised because I asked for half payment at the point of concluding colour approvals).

[@АнастасіяЗвяга]

thank you for this great video❤

[@TheIllustratorsGuide]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joan_alturo]

These are really useful tips; however, I have a different perspective on the last point. I’m a professional illustrator with eight years of experience on the field, and I’ve worked with clients like The New York Times, The Washington Post among others. I landed an international agent within my first year after graduating, and it’s been an incredibly valuable asset. Having an agent allowed me to connect with international clients and gain a clear understanding of industry-standard pricing. An agent can also boost your credibility, help you build a strong reputation, and even accelerate your career growth. Additionally, having an agent doesn’t limit you from finding your own commissions. You can still gain hands-on experience with client negotiation and expand your skills in managing projects independently.

[@TheIllustratorsGuide]

I am an agent, so I understand the benefits. Had you already found your own clients in that first year, or were you completely inexperienced when you signed with an agent?

[@joan_alturo]

@@TheIllustratorsGuide In my case, I had already done some smaller freelance projects during my studies, which gave me a bit of experience with clients. However, I didn’t have any major clients before I signed with the agent. The agent really helped me break into the international market and secure higher-profile clients much faster than I could have on my own. So I think it’s possible to benefit from an agent even early in your career if you’re ready to scale up and take on bigger opportunities!

[@samantharankinstinamisan5583]

Fabulous video! Thx tonzz. Subbed to your channel & ordered your book😊

[@TheIllustratorsGuide]

Awesome, thank you!

[@exsurgemechprints2671]

how do we know what are the problems of our potential clients so that we can show our works to them (and so they can hire us)?

[@TheIllustratorsGuide]

What are those clients hiring illustrators for already? To explain an idea? To help tell a story? To make a product look good? To give a customer instructions on how to use a product? There are a lot of reasons a client would hire an illustrator.

[@maksymfilipenko6211]

Hi James! Could you please fix the link to Fig Taylor's book? It leads to the book by Rick Rubin.

[@TheIllustratorsGuide]

Thanks for that! It's done

[@shiraz.janjua]

How much of this is applicable to a related career/skill: animation, i.e. "editorial" style animation, visual essays, explainers, etc.? (Thanks for these tips; I'll be diving into more of your videos soon!)

[@TheIllustratorsGuide]

I would say most of it applies to animation too. Being proactive in seeking out clients is always going to be essential, and learning business skills is important too.