Breaking into Freelance Illustration

Oh, that reminds me... I do believe that I mentioned here that I was going to review Holly DeWolf's book, Breaking Into Freelance Illustration for the wonderful site Escape From Illustration Island? I'm sure of it, in fact. Well, I did. A month and a half ago, almost! I plumb forgot to post a link to it here. So, without further ado, a link to it here.

Powerful self promotion!

...is the newly released e-book by Alex Mathers, founder of the most excellent site the Red Lemon Club (and also of the equally great contemporary illustration blog, Ape on the Moon).

I have not yet finished the book, but am mightily impressed with how the individual steps he outlines REALLY and TRULY are step-by-step. I need that. For me, for whom the very word 'networking' produces a sense of horror and fear, such things do not come easily, nor is it in any way obvious what is the most effective way to go about it. It's intimidating! (Surely I am not alone here...!) But Alex Mathers has broken it down into concise, bite-sized pieces that don't seem quite so...overwhelming. So...I am impressed thus far. I have begun implementing his suggestions, starting with.... the facebook. (I won't go into the reasons for which, for years, I have turned my nose up at facebook.... now, at long last, I have seen the light, apparently.) I will be installing 'sign up' boxes for mailing lists on all of my various sites, which will help me in sending out newsletters (which I've been meaning to do for a while!)

But wait... there's more!

I will also be starting a new blog in addition to this one (which I will keep as my 'process diary'/general progress record). The new blog will focus on various aspects of book illustration, old and new. I have a number of ideas for posts already... I am hoping to make an inaugural post this weekend! I will let you know when. It will be here! (don't look NOW, there's nothing!)


This past week was busy; I worked on another page overhaul but haven't gotten very far. Why can't I be triplets? Oh, I would hate that... anyhow. Back with more soon!

yes, I'm re-doing some pages...

Work, work, work on the book project. Working right now on finishing a few pages that I started a while ago; I have also gone back and started new versions of pages that I was not satisfied with. It took me a little while to get the style right, and now some of the pages that I finished earlier are less than satisfactory. To be honest, some of them were never satisfactory- I knew even as I was finishing a couple of them that I would be back sooner or later to do it again. This is the first of these most recent overhauls that I have completed- I am much happier with it. I increased the scale of the girl/window and also made the 'sky' pattern larger. I also put a pattern behind the girl that looks fine even if the pattern doesn't line up in square with the window frames. Many more to come! I have been urged just to move on and start more pages, but I just wasn't happy knowing that these existed in such an unsatisfactory state. I want all of the pages to be good, dammit! No, just good isn't good enough!

I recently received a request for a quote for a series of illustrations for a children's cookbook- which would have been a fun project, I think- but I had to write back asking for further information before I could give a quote (they had given me no indication of size, colour or not, time frame, etc.). They never responded. It might well be for the best; I may have been wrong, but I had a strange feeling about the correspondence. Alas nonetheless!

I'm working on many things- besides the book, I'm also making a new postcard for my next series of mailings and writing emails to potential client after potential client. SOON I will also, finally, begin my 'Montreal' card series! Cookbook or no cookbook, I am always busy...