Freelance illustration and design tips, advice and more…

After so many years in the creative industry, it’s time to give back - 20 practical tips and opinions from 25+ years of successful full-time freelance illustration and design. [ Success and survival in the freelance trenches - lessons and experiences applicable to multiple creative disciplines ]

1. Find your "niche" and market the devil out of it. An illustrator today making ANY kind of a respectable [ ?? ] living... [ surviving?... making the rent... paying the light bill perhaps? ] is working within a niche; as you well know, pure commissioned illustration is a vacant shell of what it used to be...

... within the broad category of "illustration" - viable, commercial subcategories/niches that come to mind might include:

- architectural illustration
- children's book illustration
- event/exhibit 3d illustration [ my specialty ]
- fashion illustration
- informational/instructional/assembly illustration
- medical/scientific illustration
- product illustration
- technical illustration [ and the many sub niches within that ]

... perhaps editorial... but within the broad "editorial", niches may include specific/narrow industry trade pubs, whereby your imagery is geared to a small, key audience and subject matter...

... etc., etc... maybe you can think of more - you get my drift.

Summary: any illustration sub category that cannot be covered by stock!!!

... more ...