What do illustration agents typically look for when representing new artists?

Something new and exciting! Someone who has a great sensibility for how their work can be applied across the industry. Someone who is engaged. It’s impossible to answer this in terms of artwork as this is always changing but a general good attitude and innovation will always help you stand out. Someone who is looking to develop their practice along with a team. To us, being repped means collaborating and building a rapport to promote an artist.

When is the right time to find an agent?

There’s not really a specific time to find an agent. An agent will usually be looking for artists who are getting regular work already so you’d want to have at least a few commissions under your belt. Artists get in touch for a few reasons: they may be struggling to keep up with enquiries, looking to expand into other areas that are difficult to break into or scale their work up to take on bigger productions.

An agent won't necessarily be able to just magic up some work for you. There needs to be a good foundation of work to build from and somewhere they can help push you in your career development. When you feel like you’re at that point or on your way, that might be a good time to start looking.

Artwork by Genie Espinosa

Artwork by Alva Skog

How can I move from editorial to branding, packaging or advertising?

Consume content (responsibly). Have a look at how illustration is being used at design agencies and advertising agencies and consider these your peers. Elevating yourself to that level will allow you to imagine your work in these spaces and give way to inspiration.

Consider reworking some of your editorial content into longer-form illustration use such as a series or campaigns that could be used for branding. Showing the work wihout the article can change the association of your work with purely editorial briefs.

Mock-ups, mock-ups, mock-ups! It’s always great to see work on packaging, billboards or in situ. This shows your ability to understand the landscape and how you’d like your work to be used, but also does the job of visualising for your potential client, by showing them how your illustrations can be utilised.

Is it good to show multiple styles? If so, should they be on separate portfolio websites?

If you have multiple styles in your arsenal, it’s great to showcase this in a curated manner. Flexibility in style can be a strength if you understand its capabilities. If the styles are complementary, keeping them on the same website to interact with each other can be really interesting. Alternatively, if you are fluent in several styles of illustration, keeping them separate can communicate clearly that you wear multiple hats but understand they don’t answer the same creative solves as one another.

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Sketches are great but you want to curate them so that they add to the process and final work, not take away from your finesse.

Is it a good idea to show sketches on your website?

Work in progress is great, especially at the moment with the pendulum swinging from AI/ tech made to human made. Showing craft and development is key to showing that you’re a real person behind those lovely illustrations! Keep a good edit on what you’re showing however, sketches are great but you want to curate them so that they add to the process and final work, not take away from your finesse.

Is it good to include written explanations of projects in your portfolio?

This can be a great way of showing your understanding of a project and how illustration has bolstered the brand, but keep it to a reasonable length.

Should I show work I don’t really like?

Whatever work you put out is what people will come to you for so it’s best to show the work you’re most proud of and want to be commissioned for. You might think you need to add more work to pad out a portfolio but if it’s not work you like, then I’d keep it out and just focus on quality.

Artwork by Dan Woodger

Artwork by ROOF

Is working in Photoshop instead of Illustrator limiting my opportunities?

We have a lot of artists who work solely in vector and never with PSDs and vice versa. One is not more preferred as there is always a workaround and you should always work in the way that’s best suited to you.

Clients ask for vectors often because it can allow more flexibility, however if you can scale your work in Photoshop then make sure the client is aware this is possible, without sacrificing those all-important textures. Illustrator is a great tool though, so it might be time to have a play around with brushes to see if you can translate your work. Vectorising can be a useful feather in your cap!

 Is non-digital art still relevant in illustration?

Absolutely! It’s what we gravitate towards as humans and it’s always great to see crafted work in real life. It is so nice to have tangible work at the end of a project. It often feels more perennial than a digital file. Murals have felt very popular lately as well, which illustration is perfect for.

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It is so nice to have tangible work at the end of a project. It often feels more perennial than a digital file

Should I reach out to clients directly?

Yes, definitely! Make sure you do it in a genuine way. Do your research into the client and find out who is the best person there to reach out to. What’s some recent work of theirs you like? Why would you be a good fit? Maybe there’s a personal connection to the brand. A bit of personality goes a long way and shows you’ve contacted them because of a genuine desire to work with them and you’re not just reaching out to everyone under the sun.

If you’re struggling to think of clients then look at who is currently doing the work you like or what brands are working with artists you admire. If a brand is already working with lots of illustrators, you know they are already a fan of illustration so that’s probably a good place to start.

How important is social media?

We all spend too much time on Instagram but the reality is it’s a very good platform for connecting with other artists and for people to discover new talent. We recommend having an Instagram and keeping it updated. You don’t have to be on it 24/7 but it’s where we will often look for artists and may be the first port of call for anyone discovering your work. Keep it looking good and relevant and make sure you can find your website from there. It’s also a really good way to see what Art Directors are commissioning and what other artists are working on 

Artwork by Meredith Schomburg

I’m feeling stuck! What should I do?

Personal work can be hard to develop if you’re feeling uninspired. Have a think about where you see gaps in the industry that your work could be perfect for and have a go at illustrating for them. Another option is to look at brands that have never used illustration before. How would you interpret their messaging with your artwork? Finally, try reworking some of your existing work in a new manner as this can spark inspiration too.

Is making a living as an artist still realistic?

Yes! It’s still a really good industry to get into but it is competitive. You have to not only be able to create the work but be your own accountant, social media manager, marketing team etc. Of course, the work is super important but all of these things now play a big role in your success, so you have to be switched on and willing to evolve your practice with the changing tides. But it can be an incredible career. You never know what projects are around the corner and who you will work with next. You are your own boss and you get to show your work to people all around the world.

To add to this, it’s a tough time out there but it is completely viable to earn a living off being an illustrator. Commercial art will always be created meaning commercial artists will always be needed. It’s about sharpening your industry knowledge, leaning into your area of expertise and considering yourself a business. You need to be out there, asking for the work, and looking for support on budgeting if you haven’t crafted that skill yet. Don’t let big brands undervalue you based on what you feel like they should pay you. Be confident in telling them what they need to pay you.

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