Art by Analise Black
Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry discuss separating your identity from your art, introducing new work to your following, and the keys to drawing engaging stories.
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SHOW LINKS
Self-Publishing Pro OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT
Children’s Book Pro
Lee’s Podcast
Illustration Department Podcast
KEY TAKEAWAYS
You are not what you do and your worth is not tied to your work.
The key to becoming a unique illustrator is to observe what everyone else is doing and improve upon it. Ask, “What is this missing? What could I add?”
If you know you could improve an illustration, push yourself to do it. While full-on perfectionism isn’t useful, the ability to refine a piece until it lives up to your vision will set you apart from the competition.
QUESTIONS
Agata asks, “I am a tattoo artist, but my dream is to create children’s books. I think my portfolio is almost ready to send to agencies, but now I’m wondering about my social media. I’ve amassed 35k followers, but my profile is tattoo-oriented. Should I share my illustration work with that following?”
Getting published (either through a publisher or self-publishing) doesn’t rely on social media as much as you might think. (If you want to learn more, we talk about social media in depth in our new class, Self-Publishing Pro.) That said, you can begin introducing your followers to your children’s books by sprinkling images from them throughout your account. You may find there isn’t much interest from your current audience in your new work, but you’ll pick up additional fans who will love what you’re sharing.
Robert asks, “What are your key principles for telling a story in your illustrations?”
First, choose to illustrate the highest-drama moment of your story. Every story has a beginning, middle, and end; evaluate which part holds the most intrigue. Study the works of Norman Rockwell and J.C. Leyendecker; these men were masters at spotting the most interesting moment of a story.
In addition, be selective about the stories you choose to illustrate. If a narrative is boring or the author leaves you little room to add to the plot visually, it will be much more difficult to create an engaging illustration. Choose wisely!
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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