Illustration by Analise Black
Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry discuss finding the best products to sell, altering your illustration style, and the pros and cons of author school visits.
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SHOW LINKS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The more school visits you do, the more routine (and less stressful) they become.
It’s no sin to adapt your art style to match your industry’s preferences.
Starting a business can be overwhelming, but getting clear on why you’re doing it and what results you want to see can help you make decisions with greater clarity and confidence.
QUESTIONS
Robert asks, “Do you dislike the way some things are drawn in the illustration and animation worlds, yet draw them that way anyway because it’s commonly accepted (e.g., four fingers on a hand instead of five)?”
There are lots of examples similar to the four-fingered hand, such as dots for eyes or duck bills for baseball caps. These solutions are like visual shorthand, which is why they become so popular.
In certain fields, like animation, you will have to make some style concessions if you want to move up in the industry. That is unless you take the entrepreneurial route and create outside of a studio. You must decide if it’s worth it to you to make those adjustments to advance your career, or if it’s more important to retain one hundred percent authenticity.
Amberlin asks, “I'm a stay-at-home mom and attempting to resurrect my art career. I can only dedicate two hours a night to art so I want to be effective with my time. I don't want to sell my art itself; I want to sell a product. But looking through ideas, it's hard to not become discouraged as the market for artistic goods is so heavily saturated online. I don't have a direction yet so I'm lost in a sea of options. Any suggestions?”
The products you should sell depend on your goals for your business. Do you want a lucrative side gig, a hobby, or a full-time career? When reviewing your product options, take into consideration your goals and the kinds of results those products will generate. Write a business plan and ensure any project or product you adopt helps you achieve your vision.
After you identify the purpose of your business, there are a few other questions you can use to evaluate your options. First, are you creating for your own fulfillment or for others? There’s no right or wrong answer, but if you’re creating for others, you need to find out who your niche market is and what needs you can fill for them.
The sweet spot typically lies at the intersection of what you like to make, what others want to buy, and what you’re good at. We can’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t sell, but we believe that answering these questions will empower you to make wise decisions and help you find the best-suited products for your business.
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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