Creative Biz Note #10

Getting a Good Rep

Due to our busy schedule, I haven't posted a Biz Note in quite awhile. Sorry about that! Let's start with the basics...an artist representative is an individual who solicits prospective clients on the behalf of a freelancer. They usually negotiate pricing and help with contracts. They will have relationships with certain clients or a personal list of contacts. It's been estimated that most artist workloads derived from reps are less than 50%. So, don't expect a consistent flow of projects coming in--keep promoting yourself. It may take a rep 2-4 years to get the ball rolling! Some reps may require a contract--some don't--hire a lawyer to look a contract over. Typically, they get paid by the client, then you get paid. Keep in mind that this pushes your payday out even further BUT your guaranteed payment (for the most part). Commission is usually 25-30%. Actually, that number is well worth it when you consider that the project you just received from your rep is an "extra" job with little effort. Also, a rep knows how to price a project (through experience) and will most of the time work with you to come up with a solid estimate.

Sketch Pad 02

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Project: Cat and the Fiddle (Promotional)
Awhile back, we created a sample spread for a childrens book and went with a cat playing the fiddle on a rooftop. These are some of the preliminary sketches created for the project. We dug on the internet for old world city visuals and attire for the cat. I'm slowly practicing on drawing more detailed sketches and multiple views when it comes to our 3D art. These images were my first and only attempts for the actual character concept. I just had the visual in my mind from the beginning and the concept worked for us. The sketches were placed into the background of the 3D software and "traced over". See the final on our website.

More Sports Illustrated Kids Work...

We decided to show the spread from our last project with Sports Illustrated Kids. We had two weeks to do five illustrations and then the images were going to press the next day. I knew it would be tight since we already had a heavy deadline on us for a book project. The client gladly received sketches four days later because of our time constraints and that left us with a week and a half! That's tight for 3D--five illustrations with caricatures and player uniforms--but we did it--and there were minor changes that only took us an hour to complete. Lee's quick fingers and our teamwork got us through this one! Mission was accomplished!! Click to enlarge.

Spec Work is for Stupid Artists--Don't Be Stupid

This video puts "spec work" in perSPECtive!

The definition of the word "professional"--someone who gets paid for their craft or service. The definition of "spec work"--when a potential client asks a person to work for free. A true artist DOES NOT do spec work--even if you are just starting out! It devalues the industry as a whole. I made this mistake only once in my career and learned from it. People do want quality artwork but they have to pay for it. Don't be fooled by their sales pitches or promises. If you're going to do artwork for free, then do a piece that you enjoy doing--that rocks and will get you future work that pays!

For more on this subject listen to Big Illustration Party Time!

Sports Illustrated Kids Illustration

We just finished doing five illustrations for Sports Illustrated Kids magazine and had a complete blast creating all kinds of video game characters! This sample was of John Madden yelling,"Boom!" to Nascar driver, Joey Logano. Created with Mudbox, Modo 301 and Photoshop.

Sketch Pad 01

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Project: Pastry Creme Faces & Logo (Kroger Foods)
I've decided to start showing some of my sketches created for projects. I really dig seeing other artist's sketchbooks--it's a way to see the thought process behind the project. My sketches tend to be somewhat rough as to not waste too much time on specifics and more on giving the client a multitude of concepts. These are some samples for Kroger that I did awhile back. The client wanted a cartoon grandma for a logo mark in their bakery department. In the final, she had a rolling pin in her hand.

Hungry Bear Illustration

Another vector job for Highlights PuzzleMania Magazine. There was a title in the yellow area and copy in the strawberry. I went a couple of rounds on the pencils--discovering that the bear's nose and thick mane are the focal features. The client liked the end result and I had fun doing it! This one took me a long afternoon to complete.