James, this is hands down one of the most practical, applicable and informative pieces of content I have seen on this subject and I am super grateful for the huge amount of value and advice you are sharing on this channel! Thank you so much 🙌
I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude. After watching these videos, many of my questions were clarified. Your work is incredibly valuable, and I truly appreciate it.
This is gold, absolute gold. Thank you so much for sharing this information, I have found nowhere else, blogs, articles and job listing websites sharing such useful information. It is much appreciated.
Thank you so much for these practical guides, James. your videos are perfect and exactly what we needed as artists. Also, your videos have a chill vibe and are pleasing to watch :)
Hi James, I just wanna say thank you for this video & its interesting seeing your live process of how you go about taking names of publications, reminds me of the same sort of thing I did back in uni & post-graduation eons ago. After trying for so long to get somewhere for over a year - I decided to quit trying to get into the illustration industry or find clients simply because I wasn't really getting anywhere with it .. I then dipped in & out of doing this same process over again throughout the years whilst working different jobs but again, getting nowhere .. I think one big struggle of mine is the fact that people just aren't interested in my "style" - yet there's many other artists out there who do just about the same thing I do, but they all get work with these random publications that no-one has heard of because they have other agents dealing with it & finding them online. I could be wrong, but 10 years after graduating in Illustration & trying to see where my work fits in took its toll on me that now I just do it as a hobby - but I still wish I could do just one major publication at least once in my lifetime ..
Hey man, seems like you're doing everything right. It's hard to estimate the role of luck in this process. If you want to share some of your work, I'd be happy to take a look. You can email me, or post some work in my Skillshare class where I'm giving feedback on artist's work. Happy to give you my point of view
@@TheIllustratorsGuide Hi James, many thanks for your response ! I agree luck is also a main factor .. I will drop you an email with a link to my portfolio, thanks again.
Hey James - the process you describe does work and the way you break it down with a step-by-step demo showing how you develop the prospect is excellent. Seeing this happen live, so to speak, really helps to demystify the process. There is one thing that I would definitely do differently, actually that I have done differently for years, and that is to only wait a maximum of 2 months before recontact with new work. That really helps build your brand more quickly because an art director will see your work more often. Actually, I use only 6 weeks, and have rarely gotten a complaint about it being too often. I also have used Agency Access to powerful effect. I plan to do a video on how to use them for marketing in an upcoming video, I just haven't gotten to it yet. Great video.
Hi Richard, Thanks for your thoughtful comment. yeah, you know I would agree about 2 months. really the only reason I suggest waiting a little longer is for new artists to make new work. A client might see a small improvement from a new artist in 2 months, but they might see a huge improvement in 6 months. There's definitely no harm in waiting less time as long as the artist has something new to show. If you're not showing anything new, then there's little point. I haven't used Agency Access but I've used a similar thing here in the UK. Mixed results!
@@TheIllustratorsGuideYou make a good point, if you are a new illustrator then you probably need more time to reach out to the client again, to build more and better work. I think I was coming at it from the more established career point, in which I had lots of solid work to show, but still needed more clients. This group, Agency Access, was the group that suggested a 6-8 week interval and I think they tell all the illustrators and photographers that use the service to try and stick to that time frame. Again, if you have solid pieces, exactly right. When I used AA it always paid for itself several times over, so I kept going with it. What is the group in the UK?
Hi James, I've just recently started looking for an agent and thus stumbled across your channel. I find your videos very helpful and pleasant to watch as well. I love the tone and the fact that there isn't any music. It makes them very relaxing, next to them being informative. Thanks for putting these vids out there and I'd love to see more in the future!
Thanks James, this is an absolute gem. I appreciate you sharing practical illustration secrets like these, especially during these difficult economic times.
Awesome video James! I would check out a tool called voila Norbert if you haven’t already. You pop in the first and last name of the art director, and the URL of the studio they work out. And it spits out their work email address. It’s not always accurate but it has worked wonders for me!
Your channel is a true discovery for me! I am listening it the entire evening. I am curious, do you do private portfolio review? I would really like to hear your thoughts.. where can I follow if you decide to start doing portfolio reviews?
Awesome video! Do you have any tips on how to write an Email to a potential client and what to include in it? For example: Is it enough to link your portfolio website or should you include selected works in the email itself? Should It just be a couple of sentences or a full on application?
Thanks! I do, it's kind of scattered around a few videos, but you might find what you're looking for in here: czcams.com/video/SMiUoUXU9Ag/video.html and you should definitely check this one out: czcams.com/video/X7IM1f-VqZk/video.html
Such an informative and easy guide. Thank you :) Do you have any tips on what to write in the email? Like, how do I keep it personal, but still short and not annoying? I tend to spend so much time on drafting emails
I do: Say hello, say what you do, say that you would love to work for [x] company and try to ask a question. "Do you think my work could be a good fit for your brand?" for example. Make your intentions clear. Be specific and ask for what you want = "I would love to illustrate for your Arts & Style magazine". it may or may not happen but it shows you know something about the client.
Hey! Thank you for your video. I just don't not sure what I should write in an email. And do I need to attach examples or just a link to a personal web-site?
Hello you are a great resource for illustration clients. But how do I send my resume to Food Service Director magazine or the other clients? Do I email it to them?
Don't send a resume. Nobody cares about your work history, they only care about how good your illustrations are. Email a couple of images and a link to your portfolio
Hey James. I have a question. I hope you could reply to this. I just try to make a small studio, only me and my partner. Most of the time, I do all works, whilst he wants to do a lot of work- such as illustration, logo, graphic design, and stuff. My skill is specifically in illustration. What is your suggestion to this situation? He insists to put a lot, but I feel like it doesn't attract more clients because from my own experience, not a lot of projects because i put too many things in my portfolio. He is not from design background. Help me to make him understand. Thank you so much for your reply.
I’ve found the contact for an art director of magazines I am interested in working with, but only a LinkedIn profile. Is LinkedIn the wrong place to send a message with images and link to my portfolio, if there is no email listed? If I don’t have an agent, will it seem incredibly out of place to get a message from an illustrator saying “I’d like to work with you”? I hope I’m not repeating my questions too much, I really really appreciate your videos, they are so helpful.
I don't know what the right answer is really. I don't think having an agent or not makes a difference. Linkedin is a place for professional connections, but this art director will likely get a lot of artists messaging there wanting to work with them. It can't hurt I suppose, but I would encourage you to keep searching for this art director's work email address. I don't know enough about LinkedIn to give you a good answer here I'm afraid.
If your work is Fashion Illustration shoul you focus on big fashion magazines or less known ones? Should you send samples of work as PDF or link to all your work? And what should you say in this email? Thanks.
If you're new, you might want to start with the smaller ones, but there's nothing stopping you trying the big ones too. They will be harder to get in to. More competition! See my last Q&A video for the email to the client
James, this is hands down one of the most practical, applicable and informative pieces of content I have seen on this subject and I am super grateful for the huge amount of value and advice you are sharing on this channel! Thank you so much 🙌
You are welcome, glad it's useful.
Wow, so much value delivered in this video compared to many many "tricks" and "tips" for artists, this is actionable content, thanks again
Glad it was helpful!
One of the most helpful videos about freelancing or illustration I know of. This channel of yours is GOLDEN! Thank you.
Glad you think so! I appreciate it
I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude. After watching these videos, many of my questions were clarified. Your work is incredibly valuable, and I truly appreciate it.
This is gold, absolute gold. Thank you so much for sharing this information, I have found nowhere else, blogs, articles and job listing websites sharing such useful information. It is much appreciated.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for these practical guides, James. your videos are perfect and exactly what we needed as artists.
Also, your videos have a chill vibe and are pleasing to watch :)
Hi James, I just wanna say thank you for this video & its interesting seeing your live process of how you go about taking names of publications, reminds me of the same sort of thing I did back in uni & post-graduation eons ago.
After trying for so long to get somewhere for over a year - I decided to quit trying to get into the illustration industry or find clients simply because I wasn't really getting anywhere with it .. I then dipped in & out of doing this same process over again throughout the years whilst working different jobs but again, getting nowhere .. I think one big struggle of mine is the fact that people just aren't interested in my "style" - yet there's many other artists out there who do just about the same thing I do, but they all get work with these random publications that no-one has heard of because they have other agents dealing with it & finding them online.
I could be wrong, but 10 years after graduating in Illustration & trying to see where my work fits in took its toll on me that now I just do it as a hobby - but I still wish I could do just one major publication at least once in my lifetime ..
Hey man, seems like you're doing everything right. It's hard to estimate the role of luck in this process. If you want to share some of your work, I'd be happy to take a look. You can email me, or post some work in my Skillshare class where I'm giving feedback on artist's work. Happy to give you my point of view
@@TheIllustratorsGuide Hi James, many thanks for your response ! I agree luck is also a main factor .. I will drop you an email with a link to my portfolio, thanks again.
Hey James - the process you describe does work and the way you break it down with a step-by-step demo showing how you develop the prospect is excellent. Seeing this happen live, so to speak, really helps to demystify the process. There is one thing that I would definitely do differently, actually that I have done differently for years, and that is to only wait a maximum of 2 months before recontact with new work. That really helps build your brand more quickly because an art director will see your work more often. Actually, I use only 6 weeks, and have rarely gotten a complaint about it being too often. I also have used Agency Access to powerful effect. I plan to do a video on how to use them for marketing in an upcoming video, I just haven't gotten to it yet. Great video.
Hi Richard, Thanks for your thoughtful comment. yeah, you know I would agree about 2 months. really the only reason I suggest waiting a little longer is for new artists to make new work. A client might see a small improvement from a new artist in 2 months, but they might see a huge improvement in 6 months. There's definitely no harm in waiting less time as long as the artist has something new to show. If you're not showing anything new, then there's little point. I haven't used Agency Access but I've used a similar thing here in the UK. Mixed results!
@@TheIllustratorsGuideYou make a good point, if you are a new illustrator then you probably need more time to reach out to the client again, to build more and better work. I think I was coming at it from the more established career point, in which I had lots of solid work to show, but still needed more clients. This group, Agency Access, was the group that suggested a 6-8 week interval and I think they tell all the illustrators and photographers that use the service to try and stick to that time frame. Again, if you have solid pieces, exactly right. When I used AA it always paid for itself several times over, so I kept going with it. What is the group in the UK?
Hi James, I've just recently started looking for an agent and thus stumbled across your channel. I find your videos very helpful and pleasant to watch as well. I love the tone and the fact that there isn't any music. It makes them very relaxing, next to them being informative. Thanks for putting these vids out there and I'd love to see more in the future!
I'm really pleased to hear that! I didn't expect them to be relaxing, but i'll take it! :-)
Thanks so much again for the amazing info! It makes it all seem a bit less daunting. Cheers!!
I'm embarking on my illustration career and everything feels intimidating...thanks for pointing me in the right direction, James!
Also exciting I hope?!
Once again thank you for this video James - Such great information :)
Thanks James, this is an absolute gem. I appreciate you sharing practical illustration secrets like these, especially during these difficult economic times.
Thank you so much for all this information ❤️
Glad it was helpful!
Extremely helpful!
Glad to hear!
Awesome video James! I would check out a tool called voila Norbert if you haven’t already.
You pop in the first and last name of the art director, and the URL of the studio they work out. And it spits out their work email address. It’s not always accurate but it has worked wonders for me!
Thanks for the tip. If it works, that's very useful!
thank you 🙂
thank you!
Great video. Thanks 🙏
My pleasure!
Do we have to wait for six months? Music will stop by then. Either way great channel.
thank you so much for these videos
very helpful thank you
Great video!! Thanks!
Your channel is a true discovery for me! I am listening it the entire evening. I am curious, do you do private portfolio review? I would really like to hear your thoughts.. where can I follow if you decide to start doing portfolio reviews?
How about I review your work in a video? That way it could also help others
@@TheIllustratorsGuide Sure, you can do it :) here it is: andreairis.com/
THANK YOU
Really great tips =)
Awesome video! Do you have any tips on how to write an Email to a potential client and what to include in it? For example: Is it enough to link your portfolio website or should you include selected works in the email itself? Should It just be a couple of sentences or a full on application?
Thanks! I do, it's kind of scattered around a few videos, but you might find what you're looking for in here: czcams.com/video/SMiUoUXU9Ag/video.html and you should definitely check this one out: czcams.com/video/X7IM1f-VqZk/video.html
Such an informative and easy guide. Thank you :) Do you have any tips on what to write in the email? Like, how do I keep it personal, but still short and not annoying? I tend to spend so much time on drafting emails
I do: Say hello, say what you do, say that you would love to work for [x] company and try to ask a question. "Do you think my work could be a good fit for your brand?" for example. Make your intentions clear. Be specific and ask for what you want = "I would love to illustrate for your Arts & Style magazine". it may or may not happen but it shows you know something about the client.
Great video!
Hey! Thank you for your video. I just don't not sure what I should write in an email. And do I need to attach examples or just a link to a personal web-site?
Hello you are a great resource for illustration clients. But how do I send my resume to Food Service Director magazine or the other clients? Do I email it to them?
Don't send a resume. Nobody cares about your work history, they only care about how good your illustrations are. Email a couple of images and a link to your portfolio
Is this still applicable today? I’m an illustrator and I’m ready to work with someone. I haven’t any clients yet
Yeah, I only posted it at the start of the year.
How did u find these artists ?
Hey James. I have a question. I hope you could reply to this. I just try to make a small studio, only me and my partner. Most of the time, I do all works, whilst he wants to do a lot of work- such as illustration, logo, graphic design, and stuff. My skill is specifically in illustration. What is your suggestion to this situation? He insists to put a lot, but I feel like it doesn't attract more clients because from my own experience, not a lot of projects because i put too many things in my portfolio.
He is not from design background. Help me to make him understand. Thank you so much for your reply.
I don't think it's my place to be involved in this conversation... If you don't want to to work together, you don't have to
I’ve found the contact for an art director of magazines I am interested in working with, but only a LinkedIn profile. Is LinkedIn the wrong place to send a message with images and link to my portfolio, if there is no email listed? If I don’t have an agent, will it seem incredibly out of place to get a message from an illustrator saying “I’d like to work with you”? I hope I’m not repeating my questions too much, I really really appreciate your videos, they are so helpful.
I don't know what the right answer is really. I don't think having an agent or not makes a difference. Linkedin is a place for professional connections, but this art director will likely get a lot of artists messaging there wanting to work with them. It can't hurt I suppose, but I would encourage you to keep searching for this art director's work email address. I don't know enough about LinkedIn to give you a good answer here I'm afraid.
@@TheIllustratorsGuide thank you! I appreciate it anyway!
Hi James, I was wondering if a magazine for example, is not in my own language is it ok to approach to them?
Of course! as long as you can communicate with the art director, it's ok.
@@TheIllustratorsGuide thank you so much for you reply :)
not the ai add in the middle of the video :(
Seriously?! That sucks.
@@TheIllustratorsGuide yes....
Thanks for letting me know. Can you remember the company? i can block the ad
@@TheIllustratorsGuide ooof no, o can try and watch the video again and see if I get It again
i wonder how many illustrators would actually benefit from this
That's the big question. How to find clients?
If your work is Fashion Illustration shoul you focus on big fashion magazines or less known ones? Should you send samples of work as PDF or link to all your work? And what should you say in this email? Thanks.
If you're new, you might want to start with the smaller ones, but there's nothing stopping you trying the big ones too. They will be harder to get in to. More competition! See my last Q&A video for the email to the client