It’s not always easy to find work as a freelancer, but there are several places on the web that cater to freelance work. Here is a list of places to look:
Hopefully, this will help you in your search for freelance work.
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.
I don’t have an agent or rep. I’ve looked before. Artist’s and Graphic Design Market book has rep listings and you can scour the internet for them. I basically compiled a list and sent out emails. I got a lot of we’re not taking on new talent responses. One asked me to send a portfolio, so they could shop it to clients. I did, but they went in another direction. They did send my book back which was nice.
It’s kind of funny. Most artists look for reps to open new doors for them and most reps are looking for artists that have already walked through those doors. I don’t blame the reps. It’s easier to sell name brands to clients.
My advice would be if you want to freelance, build up your passive income sources. When you feel you have a nice security blanket, take the plunge into freelancing. Look for clients at places like Guru, send out mailers to clients and shop yourself to local design and ad firms. It takes time to build to build up a client list, so have a back up plan for income (temp design work, get a full time job, flipping burgers).
When you succeed on your own, then you’ll know if you want or need an agent. Also, you’ll have a clear idea of what you want them to do for you.
I hope that helps.
This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2008 Cory Thoman.
When I decided to make the leap to freelancing full time, I wasn’t sure if it was going to work. My rough plan was to live off my modest savings, get clients from Guru and sign up at Aquent and iCreatives for temporary design work. So, did my minimal plan work?
Well, three years later and I’m still freelancing. I can’t say it has been easy or extremely lucrative, but I think it has been worth it. I have definitely learned a lot and improved quite a bit along the way.
Guru
Most of the jobs I got from Guru were small one time jobs, but I also picked up some long term clients as well. The Guru system seems to work a lot like ebay. The more work you do, the better your reputation gets. As your reputation grows, more clients will trust you with their projects. I think Guru is definitely worth the small sign up fee. You should make that back with one job.
Aquent & iCreatives
It took me a while to build up a big enough client list to stay busy, so there were weeks where nobody was calling me. The temp agencies are a good backup plan. Many of the jobs for these temp agencies are under 40 hours a week and short term, so it will leave you time to drum up more freelance clients. These companies definitely saved me when the coffers were running dry. I stopped using them mainly because I started getting enough work on my own and didn’t want to work on site anymore.
My advice to anyone that wants to start freelancing is develop a broad range of skills (illustration, design, web, painting, etc.) and get multiple sources of income going. Things like passive income and temp work are good things to investigate before you dive in. Also, Don’t rely on one client or one job. I like to have a few jobs going at once, so you have something to do while you’re waiting for approval or comments.
Hopefully, this helps you one your way to freelancing full time.
This post was written on IllustrationInfo.com. Content copyright 2007 Cory Thoman.
You may have heard the expression, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Well, that is the basic premise behind networking. It’s all about making contacts in your field that could lead to work in the future. But if your antisocial and curmudgeonly like me, the outside world frightens and confuses you. I don’t care what they say. Keeping those whippersnappers off my lawn is a full time job. All joking aside, here a few ways to go out and meet other artists.
Conferences
No matter what your into, there is probably a conference for it. Conferences are a great way to learn new things and meet people in your industry. The only problem is many of them are expensive and outside of town.
MeetUp.com
If you’re looking for something closer to home, then try meetup.com. I recently found a figure drawing group near my house that was a lot of fun. If you’re feeling real ambitious, you could probably start your own group.
MySpace
Apparently, MySpace isn’t just for kids anymore. I read that the average user was 35. That being said, MySpace is a great way to keep up with your friends that are scattered all over the country. I recently contacted a bunch of friends from art school to see what they have been up to since school. One of my friends had been working at the Cartoon Network and ended up getting me a freelance job there. Who would have guessed that being friendly would pay off.
Forums
There are many great forums and other online communities where artist gather to show their work and talk shop. iStockphoto, a microstock site, has a pretty active forum community. They also have regular conference events.
Hopefully, that helps you get out and make some contacts and friends. It’s nice to have other artists to talk with about your work. Best of luck!
This post was written on IllustrationInfo.comContent 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
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
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
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
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.
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