How to Navigate Your First Illustration Jobs

Jake Parker

Being a working illustrator means wearing several different hats -- you have to be great at your craft, but you also need to know how to work with clients. How do you negotiate rates? How do you communicate with them and keep them happy? How do you best fight for your vision and your favorite concepts? And what do you do if you don’t get paid? Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry discuss the answers to these questions and more, and offer their best take on a structure that every new illustrator should learn from and adapt when taking their first client jobs.

Click here to listen and to read the shownotes.

burvantill

I absolutely loved this episode! Great content and humor. Learned lots and will definitely listen to it at least 2 more times.

baileyvidler

Thank you guys for recording this episode! It was really interesting and helpful.

I'd like to learn more about finding those early client jobs. The list in the show notes (t-shirts, jewelry, podcasts, fanart commissions, minis design, etc.) is super cool, and I'm curious - what is the best way to find those kinds of clients? Which rocks do I need to look under? How did @Lee-White connect with the dentist who wanted the motorcycle-riding tooth?

Is there any content, either in the SVS classes or in the podcasts or on Youtube where this may have been covered in more depth?

Thanks so much!

carlianne

This was a great episode! Really helpful in general as your first gig is always a scary time. I would love to see what some of the early sketches you guys send in, and especially the presentation that Lee makes looks like.

burvantill

@carlianne Lee had mentioned his organized PDF presentation in a different podcast and I just utilized that idea to turn in some rough sketches for a job, and not only did it make it more organized and easier to send but it also made everything look so professional. AND it made me feel like I had my sh-stuff together.

carlianne

That's so great! I'd love to see it if you're able to share some day.

xin li

I love Lee's presentation method for communicating with clients. I got my first illustration job not too long after taking Lee's book cover class last year. The whole method made me look so professional, and my first editor actually thoguht I had years of working experience (she kept asking me what other books I have done, and I kept avoiding to answser the question until our project was almost done).

I actually sent the editor an image of my past work, which included thumbnails, rough sketch, color study and the final art. In this way, we have the same reference when we use the phrase "rough sketches", "color studies", and "final art". This is not so nessasary to do if you are working with an established publishing house. But if you are working with a self-publishing author, this might be very helpful - most of people have no clue how illustration process looks like, and most of non-artists do not understand the difference between "sketch" and "final art" until they see it side by side.

Lee White

@baileymvidler It was an ad agency that I was working for on the tooth illustration

Lee White

So glad to hear the process I am teaching is helping you guys! : )

xin li

@carlianne I have communicated a bit with Braden that I will do an informal talk on "How I did my first illustration work" (we have not settled with a scheulde yet . I can show how I uses Lee's presentation method.

Rachel Horne

@xin-li that would be really cool.

Rachel Horne

Where can I find @Lee-White s book cover class that @xin-li mentioned? It's not the first time I've heard about this class but couldn't find it in the courses? Thanks.

xin li

@Rachel-Horne It is a interactive class only I believe. I highly recommend it if Lee and Jaime are running it again.

Rachel Horne

@xin-li ah ok, I see, sounds like a good one to do!

AnnaFleet

This post is deleted!

Annaaronson

This was a super informative episode. All of the questions you need to ask before accepting a job were super helpful. I wouldn't have thought of half of those- especially not while sitting in front of a client.

I can't wait for @Will-Terry 's kickstarter! I want all that good info in highlightable format! Thanks again!

Jeremy Ross

Hi @Lee-White, is COVID-19 hurting your new business studio? Are you thinking of going online to sell art with your booth attendees to help with lease costs? Just wondering if the lessor is working with you? Wondering if you have Force Majuere clause in your lease agreement entitling you with relief...

Lee White

@Jeremy-Ross Thanks for asking. Luckily this hit right as I was getting set up. So I was able to get out of the lease and didn't lose even a penny. They are holding the gallery space for me and I'll re-sign the lease once all this is behind us (hopefully sooner rather than later).

NessIllustration

@Lee-White Wow that's really cool, it's best case scenario! They're holding your spot but you don't have to start renting until things are better. I'm so glad for you!

Jeremy Ross

Great news @Lee-White, thanks for checking back in!