Image via Complex Original
A career in freelance art and design, as we've said before, is not easy to begin or maintain. We previously had freelance photographers and freelance writers share "how to make it" in their respective fields. In all cases, including today's How to Make It: 10 Rules for Success From Freelance Illustrators, the advice applies to anyone in and out of the arts, whether you work for yourself or for a company. What are you waiting for? Click through to get words of wisdom from some of the best illustrators we know.
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Emily Forgot
Emily Forgot
Illustrator, Graphic Artist
Has Illustrated For: Herman Miller, Adidas, Orange, MTV, Paul Smith, The Creative Review, Selfridges & Co, Harrods, The W hotel, Bang & Olufsen, Swarovski, Polo Film Festival, The BBC, Portabello books, Hodder and Stoughton, Faber & Faber, The Guardian, The Times, and others
Rule: Stay curious.
"I think I'm addicted to the feeling of being inspired, so I'm always on the hunt for inspiration at the beginning of a project. Researching and looking outside of your own discipline for ideas really helps to stop your work from getting stale. After all, they do say that you're only as good as the obscurity of your sources."
Jason Wong
Jason Wong
Partner at Friends of Type
Has Illustrated For: Bath & Body Works, Billionaire Boys Club, BBDO, Chronicle Books, Gap, Heath Ceramics, Martha Stewart Weddings, Maxim, Men's Health Magazine, and others
Rule: Never copy for client work.
"It's easy to look around and be inspired by the things you like and even emulating it for your own personal growth. We all know that art isn't created in a vacuum and certain copying is part of the creative process. This is the way we learn. But when it comes down to client work, the work created should always be original for the assignment no matter what the project is. The creative industry is too small of a community and those who copy always get found out. It's a terrible feeling when you see your own work being copied by someone for a client.... and to know that this person thinks of themself as 'creative' surely needs a kick in the throat."
Chris Lyons
Chris Lyons
Illustrator, Educator (RIT), Point Guard
Has Illustrated For: New York Times, Target, Penguin Group, LA Magazine, Bicycling Magazine, Washington Post, Cramer-Krasselt, Conde Nast, and others
Rule: Draw.
"Just draw. The more you let yourself go and draw unselfconsciously, the more personal and pure your style will be. Your style needs to come from deep inside. No artifice. You can't be thinking about 'your style'—it should be intuitive. If you have to think about your style, you're probably borrowing too much from someone else. That beautiful, original voice of yours comes from your gut. (And never, ever stop doing personal work!)"
Lotta Nieminen
Lotta Nieminen
Illustrator, Graphic Designer, Art Director
Has Illustrated For: Hermès, New York Times, Volkswagen, Marks & Spencer, United Airlines, International Herald Tribune, Monocle, Newsweek, Wired UK, Bloomberg Businessweek, Winkreative, and others
Rule: What you have in your portfolio is what you're going to get commissioned to do.
"One big rule of advice regarding freelancing as an illustrator and presenting your work is a bit of a classic: what you have in your portfolio is what you're going to get commissioned to do. A couple years ago, I did this personal project of a cityscape and posted it on my website. Soon after, my first building-related commission came in and now that's what everybody wants from me. Now I'm trying to steer away from that, and I'm drawing animals and plants. Having a profession on 'both sides' has taught me a lot about that too—working as a designer who commissions and as an illustrator who gets commissioned. When I'm art directing, the only thing I see is what's in someone's portfolio. It rarely crosses my mind that this person would want to do something else than what's presented in his or her portfolio."
Tomer Hanuka
Tomer Hanuka
Illustrator
Has Illustrated For: Universal Pictures, Lucas Films, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, New York Times, Rolling Stone, MTV, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBDo, Nike, GQ, Esquire, Spin, Maxim, Warner Bros, DC comics, Marvel Comics, Men's Health, Buck TV, Scholastic, Random House, Penguin, Microsoft, Playboy, Fantagraphics, The Progressive, Mother Jones, Entertainment Weekly, The American Red Cross, Flaunt, Business Week, Newsweek
Rule: Relax.
"No single client or project will make you or break you. This is a life-long commitment, and if you're really in it, you'll stick with it despite the heartbreaks. If not, it's better to get out early. So take a deep breath and draw."
Website / @tropical_toxic
Franki Chan
Franki Chan
Owner of IHEARTCOMIX
Has Illustrated For: Fantagraphics Comics, Scion, Check Yo Ponytail
Rule: Create your own world.
"I'm a big fan of narrative and branding. I think it's a large part of what makes an artist (of any type) stand out. As a freelance illustrator, it's important to have your own style—the thing that sets you apart from everyone else. The beautiful thing about this, as well, is that it can be ever-changing, and once you are around long enough, you can always reference yourself!"
Tuesday Bassen
Tuesday Bassen
Illustrator
Has Illustrated For: New York Times, Etsy, Fiat, Target, BUST Magazine, Buzzfeed, and American Greetings
Rule: Find a balance between your social and professional life.
"It's important to find a healthy balance between being a hermit sequestered in your home studio and being an erratic social butterfly. As someone who is guilty of either extreme, I find it important to surround myself with other positive, passionate makers to 'recharge' creatively and also, to allow myself 'alone time' to tinker with projects, my process, and reflect on myself both personally and professionally.
The best thing that I've done recently was joining Studiomates, a collaborative workspace in Brooklyn. Friends + Rad Projects = Happy Tuesday."
Website / @tuesdaybassen
Sam Spina
Sam Spina
Illustrator, Cartoonist
Has Illustrated For: Bucketfeet, Colore Italian Restaurant, The Indie Grits Film Festival, Fork and Spoon Records, Tyler Dominic Creative, Colorado Daily, The Nickelodeon Theatre
Rule: Go to a coffee shop.
"What's that? You don't drink coffee? I thought you said you wanted to be a freelance illustrator. It can be so discouraging to sit at home in front of your computer, click through blog after blog of artists that are infinitely better than you, as your blank paper lays there, mocking you. Maybe if you just took a quick video game break...NO! Just go to a coffee shop! Bring your sketchbook and don't come home until you come up with 3 or 4 OK ideas. (Pro-tip: it's a plus if you find a coffee shop that also serves beer...)"
Website / @spinadoodles
Gavin Potenza
Gavin Potenza
Illustrator, Designer
Has Illustrated For: Herman Miller, Google, IBM, Billboard, GE, New York Times, Bloomberg Media, Newsweek, Wired, Fortune, and others
Rule: Do things out of order.
"Go against the grain a little more. Whether on a personal level, or a public one, it's a good idea to be generating more unpredictability. Having a set process and a specific style is great, but it's super important to keep mixing it up and trying to keep things fresh."
Website / @gavinpotenza
Damien Correll
Damien Correll
Art Director, Illustrator
Has Illustrated For: Nike, Ford Foundation, Google, IDEO, Dwell, and others
Rule: Don't get comfortable.
"Fundamentally, consistency is worthwhile advice to follow. I believe in practicing consistency, myself. But I find that there tends to be some confusion with being consistent and repeatedly repeating yourself. Shake shit up. Whenever I get too comfortable, I know I must be taking the easy way out. You can't rely on previous achievements to reveal what you should be doing moving toward. Find a challenge, and if one doesn't emerge, draw one up."
