September wip help. All feedback is welcome :)

[peteolczyk]

@Chip-Valecek thanks Chip I really value your opinion. I think I need more experience with complex scenes to manage that first one.

[braden H]

@peteolczyk said in September wip help. All feedback is welcome :

I think I need more experience with complex scenes to manage that first one.

That may or may not be the case (your second piece is pretty awesome) but the shape of the moon in the first one is simply fantastic

[peteolczyk]

@Braden-Hallett cheers Braden, the way you’ve handled your drawing is incredible. I keep going back and looking at it.

[TessaW]

I just saw illustration_best on instagram featured this piece! Congratulations!!!

[peteolczyk]

@TessaW Hi Tessa, thank you but there’s no congratulations due there at all. That was a paid for advert. I put a percentage of what I earn from commissions to one side for advertising.
Let us know us know if you want more info on this, like costs or exposure, who to approach. I’ll also let you know if I get any commissions from it. I’ve had a few enquiries but nothing concrete yet.
I don’t know why but a part of me always feels a bit wrong when I try and promote my drawing as a business. Does anyone else feel like this?

[korilynneillo]

@peteolczyk I've always felt kinda weird doing paid adverts as well. I'm not sure if it sits well with me? But I'm finally getting around to setting aside some cash from sales to maybe put one out. Not sure which feels better, outright paying instagram for an ad or outright paying one of the feature accounts. I feel like work should speak for itself but it's very difficult to get seen, especially on instagram!

[peteolczyk]

@handdrawnviolist that’s interesting, I really don’t know why that should be. Especially for artists, it’s like we’re conditioned to think we should make artwork and business will find us. But almost every other business advertises in one way or another. It’s ok for a plumber or builder to drive around in a bold sign written van. Accountants have adverts on their shopfront.
My wife is a graphic designer, she has no issues at all with advertising, it’s how she makes a living.
Even though I know all this logically, I’m still not completely comfortable with it.

[korilynneillo]

@peteolczyk it's funny how often we as artists fall back on the "well would you ask a plumber to work on your house for "exposure"" when clients are asking for free work, but the comparison to advertising is so foreign!

I think you're right, and will definitely sit on that for a while! At least I know I've got the hard skills in composition, design (I did graphic design for a while before illustration), and storytelling to make a super great ad if I go that route. If I can't be comfortable with the act of advertising itself, at least I can maybe be comfortable knowing I'm putting out a fantastic piece of work!

[peteolczyk]

@handdrawnviolist you make some really good points and thanks for sharing your opinion and views on this slightly taboo subject (for artists at least). I think it needs to be discussed openly.
I’ll definitely let you all know if anything comes from it, and if I think it was actually worth it.
I suppose the other route is to have an agent. Then they are the ones doing all the uncomfortable promotional side for you, which is part of why they take a cut from your commission.

[TessaW]

@peteolczyk Hey, that's still a congratulations as far as I'm concerned! Good on you to advertise and thanks for being generous and offering to let us know how it goes. I was happy to see your piece featured- paid or not!

[peteolczyk]

@TessaW thank you Tessa. Just wondering if it might be worth starting a new thread on this subject

[korilynneillo]

@peteolczyk It might be! I'd definitely love to hear from some other people what their thoughts are/if they've done it/how it's gone.

Thanks for keeping me in the loop about how it goes! I'll be patiently waiting (and building up some funds to maybe do the same myself!)

[MOO]

I'm probably too late to add much. I really like the fist one best. Someone mentioned the kid looking up at a wrong eyeline, the thing I would mention-and it will probably be fixed as you work onit further and add shadow and light is that the back part of the picture confuses me as to wher the machine ends and the nountains begin. I LOVE your concept and I think it is so cute!

[peteolczyk]

@handdrawnviolist no problem at all, I’ll absolutely let you all know. I’m intrigued myself so if I do get any enquiries I’ll ask them how they stumbled on my page.

[peteolczyk]

@Marsha-Kay-Ottum-Owen thanks for your valuable feedback Marsha. It’s a good point about the mountains, partly because they are meant to be houses so I should definitely make them more house like ( a hint of bricks and tiles maybe) and fade them off into the background. I probably won’t finish this one off for now, but I might get some time to work on it mid winter.
Thanks for taking the time to give me your advice, you're not too late at all, there’s still time and valuable critical feedback on the piece for me to learn from it.

[peteolczyk]

Just an update for those interested in advertising on Instagram. My inquiries definitely increased around the time I advertised, although the time line for when they came in between emails and adverts isn’t clear or might not be accurate.
I also updated my profile around this time to make it more clear I was an illustrator taking on commissions.
I haven’t asked yet which feed/ hashtag they found me on as I’ve had quite a few dud enquiries too so I haven’t asked yet.
I think it definitely increased enquiries and got me some more work and a bit more exposure.
It’s too much of a coincidence that follows and queries went up a lot around the time I advertised.
Would I do it again?
Yes I would, I think it worked and it definitely helped.
I’d just finished drawing for someone who paid me an hourly rate for my work. I hadn’t been able to post a thing from this in months, it took up all my free time and I’m not allowed to share the work even now, so my social media activity was really low. I’ve ended up with a couple of commissions, and possible self published children’s book commissions.
In an ideal world though I wouldn’t need to advertise at all, I’d rather have an agent