In case you didn’t know, IllustrationFriday.com has a weekly topic to illustrate for fun. This week’s topic was Multiple. I’m not sure if this is multiple or multiply, but whatever it is, those bunnies are enjoying it.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2008 Cory Thoman.

I wanted to review some of the different services I use. This review is for Dreamstime, a microstock agency.

A microstock agency is basically a stock art site that lets artists post their artwork on the site and sell royalty free licenses. Artists retain all the rights to their work and collect a percentage of the royalties when their artwork sells on the site. There aren’t any membership fees for artists to join.

Dreamstime is my definitive number three. I don’t make as much money on it as I do on Shutterstock and iStockphoto, but it also considerably out earns StockXpert, Fotolia and Big Stock Photo.

Dreamstime is fairly easy to use. You can FTP the jpegs, but have to manually add vector files. The uploading process is a little buggy in Safari, so I usually use Firefox. One feature Dreamstime has that the other sites don’t have is showing keywords searched on downloaded files. It is nice to see those more obscure terms you keyworded in pay off.

Overall, you may not earn as much at Dreamstime, but it is definitely worth the time to contribute to.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2008 Cory Thoman.

Since I’ve got a sizable stock art portfolio, I thought I would try selling some of it on one of the on-demand print stores. I chose Zazzle because it was free to open up a larger store or gallery. Here’s my gallery:

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

I’ll try to post on my experiences with Zazzle as I get a little more familiar with it.

I wanted to review some of the different services I use. This review is for Shutterstock, a microstock agency.

A microstock agency is basically a stock art site that lets artists post their artwork on the site and sell royalty free licenses. Artists retain all the rights to their work and collect a percentage of the royalties when their artwork sells on the site. There aren’t any membership fees for artists to join.

Shutterstock works a little differently from other microstock sites. It is only subscription based which means that subscribers pay a monthly fee and can download a set amount in the month. This is different from other sites that let the buyers purchase files as they need them. The royalties are lower in a subscription service, but the downloads are a lot higher. This model seems to work because Shutterstock is often my monthly top earner.

My favorite thing about Shutterstock is the upload process. They offer FTP upload for vector files. It is quick and easy to upload and keyword your files. I usually upload all my files there first. iStockphoto may be the stock king, but Shutterstock definitely has the best upload process.

So if you’re not morally opposed to selling stock, then I would recommend checking out Shutterstock.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2008 Cory Thoman.

In case you didn’t know, IllustrationFriday.com has a weekly topic to illustrate for fun. This week’s topic was Theory. This is my theory of where sweet delicious peanut butter comes from. Mmmm… peanut butter!

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2008 Cory Thoman.

I thought it would be a good idea to review some of the different services I use. This review is for iStockphoto, a microstock agency.

A microstock agency is basically a stock art site that lets artists post their artwork on the site and sell royalty free licenses. Artists retain all the rights to their work and collect a percentage of the royalties when their artwork sells on the site. There aren’t any membership fees, but there is an application review. It is basically to make sure your work meets their standards.

There are many microstock agencies out there, but iStockphoto is considered to be the king. What makes it the king? Money is one factor. Many artists earn the most from istockphoto. Another reason is community. iStock has the best forum community of all the microstock sites I’ve been on. Artists help each other out with technical questions, critiques and more. The customer service is also very attentive which is always a positive.

Overall, If you want to test the waters in microstock, iStockphoto is the place to start.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2008 Cory Thoman.

I’m always perusing the internet for career advice and tips from other illustrators. It’s rare that you find something on the internet that has a lot of useful information. So, I was surprised when I found this great article written by illustrator, Nate Williams. He basically outlines the basics behind starting out as an illustrator. The article goes from developing your style and skill to managing clients and jobs. Check it out HERE.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2008 Cory Thoman.

In case you didn’t know, IllustrationFriday.com has a weekly topic to illustrate for fun. This week’s topic was Choose.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2008 Cory Thoman.

Without word bubbles and thought clouds, we’d never see those great Sunday comic punchlines. Here is a quick Adobe Illustrator tutorial for creating a cartoon word bubble. You can find more of my tutorials here. Start by opening a new file. Select the Ellipse Tool from the Tool Bar and draw an oval.

Next, use the pen tool to draw a small pointed shape on top of the oval.

Select both shapes and use the Add to Shape Area from the Pathfinder Palette. Click Expand after you’ve clicked the Add to Shape Area. If your Pathfinder Palette isn’t open, go to Window > Pathfinder.

Your two shapes should now be one. Select the new shape and go to Object > Path > Offset Path.

A dialogue box will appear. I set my offset to -2 pt, but feel free to play around with the settings.

A new shape is created that is -2 points smaller than the original. Fill this with white and you’re done.

This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2008 Cory Thoman.

I’ve always loved to tinker around with new techniques and media. A great book full of media techniques is The Illustrators Bible by Rob Howard. I’ve had this book on my shelf for about ten years and I still think it is chalked full of useful information. Besides media techniques, there is a section on transferring your drawings that is invaluable. So if you’re sick of your computer, turn it off and get some fun illustration ideas from this book. Have fun!