Help is needed on how to proceed

[Nicole Almendrada]

@Enni-Heikura I am in the same situation, after several rejections from agencies (especially one that was just starting on my local zone)... I understand 2 things:

1. The agency has to match with your style and vibes. Bigger agencies may have several styles and thousands of illustrators but that doesn't mean they will get job for you. Little agencies are more selective and careful to have enough job for all. I have heard that bigger agencies may sign with you like a safe card, if the known illustrator of their wallet can't or don't want to do the job, they give that to the starters. And you build trust from lower levels.

2. An agency will not sign with people that doesn't have clients. Probably there are exceptions. But if I can't prove I can bring clients or I can finish a project, they will not going to bet of us.

So, as somebody said: send your portfolio.
Select publishers that match with your style, search for the art directors or submissions guidelines and send, send, send.
Go to conferences, if you can.

Maybe one of 40 emails will say "amazing portfolio " and "we'll keep your contact for further projects".

And keep creating. Cheers!

[Enni Heikura]

@Nicole-Almendrada It’s a shame that you’re in the same situation. It’s true that agencies often say they’re looking for a different style than mine or that my style doesn’t suit them. But you just have to keep applying and developing your own illustration work. I often think that if you’re good enough, you’ll surely get work, and that pushes me forward.

Good luck with your application as well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one day it will be successful!

[Nicole Almendrada]

@Enni-Heikura Exactly! that's my thought to keep going. Until a door opens... and then is going to be easier. But that first door is tough.
The best for you too, cheers

[Enni Heikura]

It would be nice to know if any of you have joined here https://childrensillustrators.com/join/illustrator, and if so, has it been helpful? So, have you gotten any work through it?

[A Former User]

@Enni-Heikura my money is on Will, Lee and Jake in that I’ve enrolled in their self publishing pro course. It looks to be an amazing experience! Nine weeks to enlightenment for building a successful kickstarter campaign. Immediately after enrolling I was given a link to download pdf format guidebook that has over a hundred pages of insights and processes. They weren’t kidding when they said it was jam packed with goodness!

[Enni Heikura]

@Nicole-Almendrada Thank you, good luck to you too!

[Nicole Almendrada]

I bring new information.

Last Friday I had a portfolio review chat (the ones of Owen Davey). So I talked with a children book's and commercial illustrator, part of advocate agency. And I made the question. How do you get it?

And the answer was one thing I was thinking it was a myth: for her, was luck. When she was reached, she had a few works with private clients, no published books, no portfolio and only Instagram not very curated -that is what she said- and an intern on Advocate talked to her through Instagram, offering to be represented. She accepted, and this intern left advocate, but she had started two projects already. and she wrote to the agency, they said: oh, it's fine, we'll continue with you, and there she is. She said to me that is not enough to just keep doing one thing at advocate, we need to broaden our horizons, for example, one year she decided to reach one of the agents inside advocate who works in licencing (greeting cards, and other stuff) with samples of that kind, and she started to do that too.

So, in summary, is keep trying until the right moment and the right person match, and that is it.

[AnthonyWheeler]

Hi Enni! I wanted to offer some support--I know you are already doing this but you really need to keep pushing, keep experimenting and move forward and make your own books...If i was in your position, I would be making dummy books either from scripts you find online or that you write on your own. Every project like that you take on will show things in your work that could use improvement.

Regarding style--I was in a meeting with an editor once that really liked my work but her feedback was that for the project I was working on that I may need to be straightforward with my lineart and a little less whimsical...prioritizing the ability for my audience to "read" my work. My agent later had asked if that frustrated me and I said absolutely not--styles evolve, feedback helps us improve and to hit a wider audience I may need to make sure that I'm making my art as clear as possible.

With that said--I love the mix of styles you display--there is a lot of energy yet softness to your work. I will admit tho at times, I can get lost with the linework and have trouble seeing what a character is or what their expression is. Kids can see a lot but thinking about the audience--is your work VERY readable to a younger kiddo? I worry at times that there is too much visually happening and the lines or dots are very thin or light and hard for me to read. Keep in mind, I gravitate to line work heavy illustrators so that may be a very unfair assessment and may not be helpful to you. If the linework is very thin and whispy, having it on a white background may be hard to read or having a very soft airbrush where the value is VERY light doesnt help the audience see what is what. Which artists do you ACTIVELY look up to? What about their work makes you want to create like they do? Where does your art live up to their examples and where does it fall short? I'm really curious.

Please understand my tone or tastes in work doesnt take away from your skill...you are incredibly skilled.

Keep at it...

Anthony

[Enni Heikura]

@Nicole-Almendrada Wow! She must have been really talented by the time she got signed. Surely, there are stories like that too—some people get an opportunity out of the blue, while others have to work harder for it. You never know, and that's why it's a great example that it's always worth trying and putting your work out there. Sometimes success can come unexpectedly

[Enni Heikura]

@AnthonyWheeler Hi Anthony, I'm really grateful for your feedback! Even small comments help guide me in the right direction.

Maybe that's sometimes the challenge—to make the elements stand out clearly in the image. I like to do a lot of lines and shading with lines and dots, maybe even too much sometimes? Somehow it's hard to keep a drawing simple when I want to add so much finishing detail. I’ve also been trying to thicken the lines on the main elements so they stand out more clearly. I know I tend to draw quite small, and my drawings would show up better on a larger canvas, for example, instead of Instagram’s feed, which is quite small.

Actually, in terms of coloring, it's only in the last few months that I've started paying more attention to the tool I use. When I started drawing three years ago, I just grabbed a watercolor brush from Sketchbook that seemed suitable, and I didn't even know what an airbrush was, but clearly, it at least looks like one. I've now switched to a brush that leaves more defined edges, like traditional watercolor.

I admit that simplifying is a real challenge, and I tend to draw as many lines as I can. Maybe I need to try to approach my drawings from the perspective of clarity if that’s one of my biggest challenges? I’ve also been trying to simplify a bit in terms of coloring, using, for example, a simple color palette.

I admire many illustrators, but at the moment I’m probably following Peter H. Reynolds the most. I love his characters and the feeling that comes through in his illustrations. I would also like my own illustrations to convey emotion and sensitivity—not too much of a digital feel, at least. I like it when you can see in the drawing and lines that they come from a human hand, and I think that’s exactly what brings emotion to them. When I compare my work to Reynolds', his lines and coloring are definitely clearer.

Maybe it's a good idea to illustrate for a script. I did my first illustration for a board book this summer, but it didn’t have a continuous story; instead, it had rhymes, and each picture told its own story (I learn a lot from that too). I would love to illustrate a complete story. I might be a bit uncertain about my ability to create my own book; maybe I could start with a ready-made script.

This turned out to be a long message, but if you managed to read it to the end, thank you again, Anthony. This is exactly what I need—direct feedback and advice.

[ruth]

Hi Enni. I just wanted to say how much I love your portfolio. I think your style and your characters are full of personality and really interesting. They reminded me a little bit of Birgitta Sif's illustrations in her picture book Oliver. I don't have enough experience to offer any advice of my own sadly, but there is an old podcast by SVS on Building a Strong Porfolio here: https://www.svslearn.com/3pointperspectiveblog/2019/5/22/building-a-strong-portfolio. They mention sequential art and supply a list of things to include (called Portfolio Perfection) if you read beyond the transcript to the bottom of the page. I hope this helps and good luck! I hope you get a positive response soon! I'd love to see your art in a book

[Enni Heikura]

@ruth Hi Ruth and thank you so much for your kind comments! I love Birgitta Sif's illustrations, so I’m flattered by the comparison to her! That sequential art tip is great, and I’ve also listened to that podcast episode several times—maybe I’ll listen to it again now.