It is a great time to be an illustrator. It has never been easier to earn passive income. So, what is passive income? Basically, it is income you earn while you are sleeping, eating or doing another job. Other than set up time and money, you don’t have to actively do anything to get it.

This blog is passive income. Yes, I had to put in time setting it up and occasionally writing , but I don’t have to babysit it to earn income. How does it work? Well, it is nefariously loaded with ads (insert evil laughter here). Seriously, I provide the information for free to help other illustrators, but I assume people will occasionally purchase one of the products I recommend, click on some of the links on the site or drop me a couple bucks in the tip jar (thanks). Companies like Google’s Adsense and Amazon’s affiliate or associate marketing program make it pretty easy to set up a site that can earn you revenue.

Aside from blogs, you can create content and sell it as an ebook or self publish your great American novel or children’s book.

If you don’t want to write, there are ways to earn passive income using your bread and butter skills, illustration. The stock and microstock industry don’t appear to be going anywhere. I know some artist’s say stock will destroy the industry, but I think its death is greatly exaggerated. You can earn a sizeable income at sites like iStockphoto, Shutterstock and Dreamstime and they won’t cost you a penny to join. There are a bunch of other microstock sites out there, but these are the ones that I’ve been the most successful with.

You can also create products to earn income. CafePress, Imagekind and Zazzle allow you to upload your artwork to be used on products like t-shirts, art prints and other items. Basically, it sets up a mini store that sells products you design. The upside about these sites is that you don’t have to do any of the shipping or billing. The downside is that you have to promote the heck out of your products to drive customers to your store.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.

Getting a Paypal account is a convenient way to do business. It’s free and will allow you to accept credit cards. It also is a good way to receive advances or good faith deposits for projects. It’s nice to get a partial payment upfront (especially for larger projects) to make sure the client is going to pay you. Paypal makes getting paid a quicker process.

Also, Paypal has easy to implement shopping cart code. So, if you plan on getting some additional income by selling prints, t-shirts or other product, you can use Paypal for that as well.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.

You can pound the pavement and try to get some face time with art directors, but if you don’t live in a big city this may not be an option. I’ve never lived in a big city (plus I don’t really like meeting with clients), so I don’t have much experience in this. If someone has any advice on the approach for this, feel free to drop me an email and I’ll add it in.

There are a few internet sites that allow you to bid on creative jobs. Both Guru and eLance cost money to join, but you can peruse them to see what kind and the number of jobs they offer for free. I’ve been a member of Guru for a few years and it is relatively inexpensive to join and I’ve always made money there. I have also met some great long term clients. Be warned that it gets pretty cutthroat on these sites and some people want projects done for way under your budget.

Having a strong promotional campaign is a good way to get work. Even when you are working you should be searching for new work.You can learn more about promoting yourself here.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.

Since illustration jobs aren’t always the most prevalent things to find, Graphic Design is a viable alternative. Many of the skills you learn about composition & the rules of gestalt (my five dollar word) as an illustrator transfer into the world of graphics. And you can use your new skills of type design to make your illustrations more versatile. Yeah, you don’t get to draw crazy space aliens, but Graphic Design can help pay the bills. I don’t know about you, but I’m more afraid of bills than I am aliens.

Unfortunately, Graphic design requires you to learn the in’s and outs of a few expensive programs. The Adobe Suite and QuarkXpress are the more widely used programs. If you are a student or [cough] “know a student” [cough] you can pick up these programs at Journeyed.com for a sizeable discount. These programs are fairly easy to learn the basics of, but take time to become really comfortable with. If you didn’t learn how to use this software on the mean streets of art school, then you will need to devote some time to learning it. There are many good books with tutorial CDs out there that will help you learn these programs. There are also tutorials on the web. If your not self disciplined, then, you can take a class to learn them. Also, many temp agencies like Aquent will test and train you before adding you to their workforce.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.

There are many different ways to promote yourself. Some will work for you and others won’t. Sorry if that is ambiguous, but it’s true. Everyone’s illustrations have a different appeal. Some people will have to turn over every rock to find the right market for their work. Others can just announce their presence and people will stampede towards them to offer them jobs.

You can enter contests or do pro bono work for companies or charities. This can get your name out there and earn you notoriety. Illustration is sort of like shopping. Most people want to buy the name brand product over the generic, so getting your name out there is important.

Many illustrators send out promotional cards or packages. You can order postcards with your artwork on them at Modern Postcard or VistaPrint for a fairly low price. You’ll need a list of clients to send your hundred or so postcards to. You can buy a list of art directors, get a book like the Artist’s and Graphic Design Market with a list of art directors or go to a book store, online or to a library and look for art director contacts in magazines, book publishing, etc. I don’t know how many promo cards art directors get per day or what they do with them. In my mind, I imagine a giant paper mache dinosaur sculpture made from postcards. I’ve never really had much luck with my mailing campaigns, but I probably don’t send them out as frequently as I should.

Artists also buy ads in illustration annuals. Some of the different ones out there are Play, Black Book and Directory of Illustration. A page in one of these annuals can cost several thousand dollars, so it is sort of a leap of faith that it is going to grow your business. Some people swear by them and others say they didn’t do much for them. If you do get an artist’s rep, they may require their artist’s to advertise in these books.

An artist’s representative can help introduce you to new or otherwise unreachable clients. The problem with reps is that they are a catch 22. To get some of the bigger better clients you need a representative, but reps only want to take on illustrators that work with the bigger better clients. My experience with courting reps was fairly positive. I sent out emails expressing interest in their services and a link to my portfolio. Most of them sent back a response that they weren’t interested. I had one ask for a portfolio that they could show to potential clients and gauge their interest. It ended up not working out for me, but getting back responses is always positive. The Graphic Artists Guild Handbook has more info on how to choose an agent and typical relationships and responsibilities.

Web promotion is another way to drive potential clients to you. First, you want to register your site with search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN etc. This is free to do and you will come up in people’s searches. Dmoz is another good search engine to get into. It is peer reviewed, so it is a little harder to get into. If you are having trouble getting accepted, try becoming an editor of a category your site fits into. If you do become an editor, try not to eliminate other sites in your category. Even if you think they are terrible, you should respect another editors’ decision of including that site. Other ways to drive traffic to your site is to exchange links with other sites. You can also pay for advertising or buy keywords on the search engines.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.

So you have chosen the way of the masterless samurai. Well, it’s not all wandering around and getting into exciting adventures. Illustration is just as much of a business as it is an art. You’ll spend a lot of time promoting, negotiating and describing your services. Unless you get an artist’s rep, but you’ll have to share your spoils of war with them. As a freelancer, you’ll also have to spend time as a contract lawyer, accountant and bill collector. Have you bought that ancient tome of knowledge I’ve referred to several times in this blog called the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook? You can use that to see sample contracts, invoices and other business documents. Don’t forget to keep track of your business expenses (software, web expenses, art materials, health insurance. office space, etc.). You’ll want those to subtract from your earnings at the end of the year. Uncle Sam is going to want about 20% of your earnings, so the more you can subtract from your gross income the better. Quicken and Turbo Tax can be a freelancer’s best friend.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.

Creative staffing agencies like Aquent and iCreatives specialize in jobs for design and web professionals. Temping at several different companies can give you a broader skill set and a more varied portfolio. They can also help you get in the door to companies that may not hire you by cold calling them. Many temporary positions turn into fulltime positions. I started out of college as a “temp to perm” worker. I got my second from a coworker at that job (Networking!). When I quit that job to pursue freelancing fulltime, I used the temp services to help fill in the slow times.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.

Like your 1950′s stereotypical Dad always used to tell you, “Cut your hair, hippie!” …oops, I mean… “Get a job, hippie!” Getting a job is a great way to learn new things and meet people that can potentially get you a better job or freelance work in the future. And you might even make friends. I don’t care what anyone else says. Networking is still the best way to get work. Freelancing fulltime has the benefits of freedom, but a 9 to 5 job gives you stability. Working a job until you feel ready to branch out on your own is a great place to start your career.

The internet is a blessing and a curse when it comes to finding jobs. You can find lots of open positions places like Monster or your local papers site, but the jobs posted are so inundated with resumes that you don’t always here back. Having a friend that works somewhere can help you get in the door. Creative staffing agencies are also a good way to sneak in the backdoor. Many temp jobs turn into fulltime employment. If it doesn’t go fulltime, then you’ll probably make some contacts for future employment.

One last thing, it’s understandable if you need to make a certain salary to support a family or an extremely hedonistic lifestyle, but entry level creative positions don’t always pay great. Taking a job at a lower salary isn’t a bad idea to build your resume, get experience and make contacts. You don’t have to work there forever, and it is a lot easier to get a new job when you already have one.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.

Pricing is a tricky thing, but a good place to start is the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook. You don’t need to join a cult or learn the Free Mason’s secret handshake to buy this book. Just a credit card. The book contains pricing and lots of invaluable business information. It is a must own. That being said, it is only a guideline. You still have to figure out what works best for you and the market you are working in.

If you buy the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook, it will also discuss selling different rights to your illustrations. Many illustrators like to maintain the rights to their illustration, so they can be sold again or used as stock. Obviously, if the client wants a logo or mascot, then they will want to retain all the rights.

You can also calculate your price by how much you want to make an hour and how long it will take you to finish the project. Remember to factor in not just how long it takes you to make an illustration, but business expenses. If you freelance fulltime, then you’ll need to pay for software, web expenses, art materials, health insurance and about 20% for taxes at the end of the year or quarterly. Getting your price right may be trial and error based on what you want and what the market will bear. People will try to beat you up on price. It’s OK to say no. Sometimes it is just not worth doing a job.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.

You could go around telling people how awesome you are, but usually they want to see it. So a miraculous invention was made. The portfolio!

I don’t know what the magic number of pieces in your portfolio is, but it should be your best work. Don’t judge your portfolio on the best work in it, but the worst. Remember to gear your portfolio towards the type of work you want to get. If you want to do children’s portraits, then there should probably be some children’s portraits in your portfolio. I’ve had people hire me to draw a cow, just because I had a cow illustration in my portfolio. Art directors and clients don’t like surprises. They want to see what they’re getting before they order it.

You should have a portable copy of your portfolio that you can take to interviews and meetings, but it is also essential to have a web page. If you don’t know how to build a web page, then you may want to hire someone. Remember, you are running a business, so make it professional looking.

If you are going to meet with clients frequently, then it is also a good idea to have something to leave behind with clients. No, I’m not talking about a locke of your hair or some skin flakes. I’m talking about a business card or promotional postcard.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.