Transitioning from the structure of a university course to the chaos of real life is daunting and requires skilful decision-making and self-management. The first decision you face is whether to go for a studio job or try to make it as a freelancer.
“It’s important to find a living situation that lets you build a portfolio of work similar to your end-goal career,” says freelance illustrator Stephanie Cost. You will make lots of useful connections in a studio job and some say their skills improved much faster in this setting, but it could hold you back from doing what you want.
“One of the disadvantages of a studio job I found was the necessity to do assignments that weren’t related to my field of interest,” says fantasy illustrator Justyna Gil. “If you have a clear goal, I would recommend a freelance job all the way. Otherwise, getting a studio job first can help you work out the exact career path you want to follow.”
Whichever route you take, building an online presence is key to finding work. “Social media is a fantastic resource for growing a following as well as getting your work in front of art directors and those responsible for making hiring decisions,” says Zara Alfonso, who illustrates Warhammer and Magic: The Gathering. “Post regularly and check out how other artists have set up their social media, and try to emulate that. Twitter and ArtStation have gotten me a lot of work opportunities, and Discord has also become a popular platform for artists to connect on, so finding a Discord group related to the type of work you’d like to do is a great way to connect with peers.”
JUST BE YOU
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av ImagineFX.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av ImagineFX.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Jan Wessbecher
Dominic Carter talks to the visual artist about creating his own comic and why sketchbooks are great for creative experiments
Kyounghwan Kim
The Korean character concept artist speaks to Dominic Carter about staying open to ideas and the value of drawing regularly
Slawek Fedorczuk
Dominic Carter talks to the concept artist about what keeps him motivated and the advantages of using physical sketchbooks.
Raquel M. Varela
Raquel is inspired by magic, fantasy and fairy tales. She loves designing female characters from distant worlds. \"My greatest reference is Loish's art, thanks to her I learned to draw the movement and fluidity I like to convey.\"
Estrela Lourenço
Estrela is a children's book author and illustrator. Her work is influenced by her background in character animation and storyboards for clients such as Cartoon Network, and she channels comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes.
Daria Widermanska
Daria, also known as Anako, has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Inspired by Disney and classic anime, she loves creating new characters and often finds that a single sketch can spark a unique story.
Allen Douglas
Allen has been painting professionally since 1994 for the publishing and gaming industries. Inspired by folklore, he distorts the size, relationships and environments of animals, and calls his paintings 'unusual wildlife'.
Thaddeus Robeck
Thaddeus has been drawing from the moment he could hold a pencil, but it was the 2020 lockdowns that gave him the time to focus on honing his skills.
DRAW FASCINATING SYMBOLIC ARTWORK
Learn how JULIÁN DE LA MOTA creates a composition from his imagination with a focus on crafting figures, volumetric modelling, and light and shadow
First Impressions
The artist talks about his journey into the mythological world
