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...

People I've never met and conversations I've never had...

Another contest entry, selected candidates to be (possibly?) collected into an upcoming book. It's been a couple of weeks since my last post... what else has been going on? Well, I wrote a review of Holly DeWolf's book Breaking into freelance illustration that you can read on the Escape from Illustration Island website here (it's at the bottom of the page, scroll down!)
Now, back to my book! I'm going to begin a series of architectural drawings to sell as cards and prints.

'mail me art' entry

So, here is my entry for the 'mail me art' contest in the u.k. I'm reasonably pleased with it, although I had to put packing tape on the edges to hold it closed. I made my own envelope out of bristol (because I wanted to paint on it and wanted to be sure that it would hold up), and did all of the painting/pasting etc. BEFORE gluing the envelope closed. It wouldn't stay closed, due to the thickness, multiple layers of thick paper and slight warping (BECAUSE of painting)...alas. Next time I'll know better! It looked even better after the guy at the post office put the postage sticker on and postmarked it. Perhaps I'll get to see what it looks like after its travels?!?! I hope...!

oh, and the final version of that OTHER page...

...ta daaaaah! Also to be entered as part of the series. I have not finished the facing page yet; have yet to make final decisions on which birds to put where, and am re-doing one bird right now.... ah, perfectionism, you are a cruel and yet often ultimately very satisfying mistress....

another book page

So, here it is, another page from this book I keep going on about... This time I have done a more thorough job of documenting its progress from start to finish (I did scan the origami birds before I cut them out, but can't seem to locate the scan- humf...). It's all done by hand, of course, including all of the patterns... I have just entered this (as a part of a series, all taken from the book) into the Communication Arts illustration contest. This year, I will participate in more contests- within the next month, not including this one, there are two more that I plan to enter. But wait! There's more! Not only will I enter contests, I plan to diligently post AS NEWS on various forums that I have finished this and that, that I have updated my site, etc. In a former life, I would not have accepted this as suitable for 'news'- but it seems to be the thing to do. Ah well. It's one of those things... it's hard to get over the vague sense that drawing attention to yourself is somehow distasteful, or not nice, or something... but truly, waiting for people to notice you seems not to be terribly productive, either. I've become familiar with several illustrator's names and work solely through their repeated appearance ON said news sections of various forums.... Shameless self-promotion full steam ahead! I've been reading Holly DeWolf's book, too, which emphasizes without any question the necessity of continuous, ongoing, creative self-promotion. I'm going to write a review of her book for Escape From Illustration Island this weekend. I'll post it here, also....