Make yourself marketable
After several years of Freelancing in graphic art and illustration, you learn many styles to stay current. For me, it helps stay fresh as each day can be a different adventure. Plus to support my family, its my job.
Just as I enjoy writing on several topics, to me being able to provide many styles has brought in work in many venues. Its something to consider if you have a highly active mind and love to learn. It also helps when trying to earn solely on art and work well with clients.
While I love rich buttery oils, I also enjoy vector art and cute Kawaii characters! There is no reason if you like traditional watercolor or mediums, why you cannot use the same design elements to make logos, t-shirt designs, or educational book illustrations.
Its a modern day conflict. As a student I was told to develop one style, and do enough art to develop a style. Also, keep a day job until you get picked up by an agent or publisher.
But that is not how you HAVE to do it. Especially in this time where in just 5 years things have changed so dramactically, colleges do not offer current methods of art to make a living. While my college had state of the art nursing "life simulator" dolls that cost about $40,000 each- they only offered studio art and a few 2D classes. The tutition was the same for a nurse or art degree. Who would go into a job?
I spent the last 5 years scouring the internet for what we are seeing more of now- RELEVANT art courses and education so you can be a competitive player in getting yourself marketable.
The best Children's Book courses on the market are:
Children's Books:
Mark Mitchell's
Will Terry's & jake Parker's:
SVS classes: Illustrating Children's Books
Fantasy and Digital Arts:
Children's Book writing:
Exciting news is coming on a 6 part webinar series with Mark Mitchell and Myself to show HOW to use these classes to make a living and what goes into a creation like a Children's book- the passion and love. Stay Tuned!
Dyann Joyce
