Art by Jake Parker
Can I survive as an illustrator? Should I print overseas? Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry cover these questions and more in this episode.
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SHOW LINKS
Jake Parker’s Kickstarter: Ryder's Intergalactic Guide to Robots, Powersuits, and Mechs
Kelsey Rodriguez interview, YouTube channel
Samantha Cotterill interview
Benjamin Schipper interview
Jake Parker on Pinterest and Flickr
The Color of Pixar book
Podcasts:
Scriptnotes
Jordan Harbinger
Draftsmen
This American Life
KEY TAKEAWAYS
If making a living as an artist overwhelms you, remain a hobbyist! Don’t sacrifice your joy in creating for an art career that will only cause you stress.
Considering an agent? Pause! If you develop your negotiating skills, you might not need to!
Self-publishing? When vetting your printing options, consider supporting local businesses if possible; you’ll be helping your neighbors pay their mortgages while ensuring faster turn-around times and more reliably ethical practices than those applied by some overseas companies.
QUESTIONS
Hadas asks, “How would you recommend creating connections with other artists and publishers in the book illustration and comic fields if you live far from the cultural centers of these industries?”
Go where the people are! Attend conferences and local events to make in-person connections, and foster relationships online by adding value, leaving thoughtful comments, and DMing occasionally (just don’t spam!). You can also attract that crowd by filling your social media accounts with high-quality work and personal projects.
Cozirin asks, “Due to the nature of your podcast, would you be upfront if you felt there was no future for illustrators? Even before AI, I took what art educators said with a grain of salt since it’s in their interest for others to believe an art career is possible.”
Full disclosure: making a living as an artist is hard. (Honestly, making a living in any profession in this economy is hard.) Between the increasingly high cost of living and the lowering barriers to artistic education, you face more competition and fewer opportunities. If that overwhelms you, keep art as a side hustle or hobby and just enjoy it.
However, it’s not impossible to make a living with your art (after all, we do!). You’ll have to work hard and possibly detour from your original idea of life as an artist, but it can be done, and we’re here to show you how.
Brian asks, “How do you practice drawing machinery, engines, spaceships, robots, etc.? Do you use reference material?”
Jake, our resident robot- and machinery-drawing specialist, approaches engines and mechanical objects like learning anatomy: first drawing cars, machines, exposed engines, etc. from reference and completing master studies. When creating from imagination, Jake draws on his visual library of machinery (check out his Pinterest and Flickr boards for inspiration) and starts with proportion, shape, and character. He also uses the rule of 70/30: 70% dead space, 30% detailed (or vice versa).
As with anatomy, once you understand how things connect by drawing from references, you can apply that knowledge in creative ways.
Luiza asks, “When you create a children's book, do you stick to the same color palette on every spread?”
Generally, yes! Sticking to one color palette saves time and keeps the book cohesive.
Diana asks, “Even if I’m already getting clients on my own, does it makes sense for me to hire an agent to help me negotiate and get me better work (especially when they’ll take a cut from my earnings)?”
If your only concern is negotiation, consider improving your bartering skills and saving yourself some money. Agents are worth their price when they save you significant amounts of time looking for work, but if you’re already getting clients, you might not need that much assistance.
If you want to be published by a big name like Penguin Random House, you’ll need an agent’s professionalism to land a deal, but if you’re content with self-publishing and working with smaller companies, you can continue representing yourself.
Sarah asks, “Is PrintNinja a good self-publishing option price-wise?”
Yes! If you plan to self-publish many more books in the future, you’ll want to compare your options in China versus stateside. China is slower but cheaper; US-based shops boost your local economy and are more reliably ethical. Do your research and pick the option that makes the most sense for you.
LINKS
Jake Parker: mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44
Will Terry: willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt
Lee White: leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo
Daniel Tu: danieltu.co.
Lily Camille Howell: lilycamille.com
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