Hello from VA! ...and a question...?
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Hi all - I just got a membership for Christmas and am thrilled to start learning and connecting with you all!
As a graphic designer by trade who has been growing in my illustration abilities for the past 5-7 years, licensing seems like a great way to build a strong secondary income stream that could possibly become a primary income stream as I build up a library of illustrations, patterns, and designs over the next 10-15 years.
Has anyone already gone down this road before? As a homeschooling, freelancing dad of 4 this seems like a really great fit for my/our long-term goals. However... the time investment feels steep!
My current strategy is to take my 15-20 illustration ideas and whittle them down to 10-12 of the best, illustrate them, mock them up, and lastly design a PDF booklet that I can share with companies I approach (or possibly agencies though I’m still weighing the cost/benefit of the cut they take).
It seems like in the illustration world the conventional wisdom is that your look/style should generally be similar or recognizable as your own. Working in too many styles can hurt instead of harm.
Does anyone know if this holds true in the realm of licensing? Or, is it better to create a lot and see what stick/resonates with companies/agencies and slowly narrow your look as you go?
I know I’m new to SVS and am grateful for your thoughts.
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@Ryan Hi Ryan, I don't have answers to your questions, but welcome to the forum and good luck with everything! It's encouraging to see people working on long-term goals.
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@KathrynAdebayo Ah, thank you so much Kathryn! And good luck to you too!
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@Ryan
Hi Ryan and welcome. You'll find lots of support here. I too am thinking about creating art to put on various things to sell. There are ALOT of resourses on you tube where fellow artists can tell you how to do it, what products etc....here you'll learn how to create your best art to support that dream.Good luck and we're all looking forward to seeing what you can do!
