clubcreative

[clubcreative]

Career Path for Illustration

You’ve realized your dream of a career geared towards art and that’s awesome! But deciding on one specific job is no easy feat, especially not when there are so many options out there in the illustrative industry. 

Like I mentioned in my previous posts, you could be a video game illustrator, or a comic book creator! 

Those are only two options. While I was researching the different career options I became slightly overwhelmed. Perhaps you’ve felt the same? 

Lucky for us, there is one possible career that doesn’t have to be specific. The career I’d like to explore with you is that of a Freelance Illustrator!

What Does It Mean to be Freelance?

you are your own boss! You basically take your art, and choose what you want to do with it. 

Want to make clothing like OMOCAT? (check out her shop!) Then you can! Want to apply as a background artist for Netflix? You could do that too! 

Being a freelance illustrator sounds like a dream, but it’s not for the undisciplined artist. 

It would be nice to only have to worry about creating new pieces, but in reality you also have to worry about the business aspect of working.

Yes, that means taxes, seeking out clients, keeping up contacts, and more. 

If being a freelance illustrator has caught your attention, here’s some ways to get there.

Before the Job Hunt: Schooling

art source

Your first step is to decide if you are going to go to art school or University. Art school may seem like the better option but actually, some universities ARE the best art schools! For example, there’s University of California, Southern California and UCLA.

Once you decide your school, it’s important to have the proper education if you even want to be considered for a hiring. Here are some things to help guide you.

Consideration 1: Choice of Majors!

Art Studio (Under a Fine Arts Degree)

Graphic Design 

Cinema and Digital Technology 

Fashion

Animation

Currently, I have declared as an art studio major! For me my classes are centered around art techniques for traditional art, such as Beginning painting, Advance Drawing: Black and White, and Beginning printmaking. 

In general, classes for these majors will be hands on and more intimate. Typically a size of 25 students, each with their own space to create their own projects assigned by the teacher. 

Programs will also focus on multiple techniques and styles of art in the beginning classes, but as your classes become more advanced the skills and subject matter will get more specific!

Consideration 2: Internships 

Internships are an excellent way to get experience before applying for an actual job! Some art schools, like CalArts, offer internships with Disney! Using the Disney example, interns shadow under professionals in the field, and through their mentors contribute to the art, storytelling, and characters of a project in a business-like setting, along with other interns and professionals.

Consideration 3: Advanced Degree 

Degrees for a career in illustration look like this: 

Required: High School Diploma

Required for more advanced jobs: Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree

A Master’s Degree typically takes 1-2 years. Here’s a list of some excellent grad schools! 

If you want jobs at prestiges places like Disney, Netflix, or Cartoon Network, then getting a Master’s Degree sounds like a good game plan! 

Freelance jobs that are more focused on self-promotion and creating your own books, comics, and merchandise like the career of illustrator RossDraws, then advanced schooling is less of a concern.

Starting the Actual Job Hunt! Navigating the Industry

art source

At the Beginning Level

When you first enter the field, you’ll need to start out in an entry-level positions. 

Typically, whether it be for advertising or books, you can start out working for individual/ smaller companies, and as you get more experience you can then move onto bigger studios and jobs. 

During your beginning years you will need: 

a highschool degree

1-2 years of experience prior (can be in the form of internships)

important skills like: time management, collaborative ability, 

understanding of art fundamentals

Application Process

Step 1: Look for job listings on sites like Indeed.com, LinkedIn, or ZipRecruiter

Step 2: After choosing a job to apply to, look at the requirements and make sure you fit them!

Step 3: Send in your portfolio to be reviewed. 

In the art world, your art portfolio is the most important thing you have. It’s your special weapon, a collection of your artwork that you show to potential employers to say “this is who I am and this is what I can do” 

The biggest driving force in getting hired is your portfolio!

Additional Information: Special Certifications to Consider

Here are some art programs that you should be proficient in:

-Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

-Adobe Creative Cloud 

-Blunder

-FL Studio 11 

These are only a few. There are a lot more that could be useful to master! Here’s a list.

Final Thoughts on Life as a Freelance Artist

In a field as competitive as the art industry, being a Freelance Illustrator can be difficult and intimidating, but the ability to shape your career however you want it to be, well, that’s a hard offer to ignore. 

If you’re still on the fence, here is the salary of a typical Freelance Illustrator: 

In general, freelance artists make about $48,000 a year and professionals can make up to an average of $80,000. 

Hopefully, after our time exploring the ins-and-outs of Freelance Illustrators together, you are more motivated to make your dreams of being an artist a reality! 

Freelance illustration is only one path out of many. Good luck to the both of us on our terrifying, yet thrilling art journey. 

[clubcreative]

Current Topics

An introduction to the hot debates right now in the art community!

Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Art’s Friend or Foe? 

When most people think of social media outlets like twitter or Instagram, the apps are often associated with celebrities and selfies. If you are interested in art, however, the platforms become home to many talented artists showcasing their skills and styles. 

So what’s the big deal?

It would seem natural, that with the extensive use of media like Instagram and Twitter that artists would join in on the app's exposure and audience. And this is great right? More audience, more views on your art, and the perks of lot’s of followers! 

Unfortunately, art’s relationship with social media is much more complicated than that. 

Art accessibility itself is a major debate within the art community, and it spawns separate debates about art skill and algorithm. 

Clubcreative will help you explore the discussion around these topics together!

*cropped screenshot from my Instagram explore page. Users from top left to bottom right: godsdogg, miuran_ran, bakeddeer, itsmieille, clitorats, sodaparilla, missupacey, rt0no,.

The main debate: Art Accessibility

If you’re on Instagram for art then perhaps you can relate to the struggle of looking at one style and saying “oh I want to have a style with thick lineart” only to see another artist’s profile and telling yourself “Wait. Now, I want a style that has no lineart!” (In case you aren’t familiar with lineart, here’s an example I drew recently!) 

Being able to see so many different art styles for inspiration is great, but it’s also important to think about how that is possible. 

The amount of artists and art on the internet is staggering, Instagram being one of the most influential sites in the art world. 

Discussions around the growing amount of art accounts, and therefore art pieces, and how art is viewed differs widely between artists themselves and people who are not artists, but still use social media like Instagram to consume it.

Instagram and the Artist

In general, most artists have a positive outlook about sharing platforms because artists: 

Promote their own art

Gain popularity which increases credibility 

Can get job contacts

Personally, I think the easier access to art nowadays is a good thing! Before the last two years, art had been a hobby of mine, but after discovering the art community on Instagram, I found inspiration to better my own art, foster my passion, and promote my own art. 

My journey is a shared experience, and now with so many artists utilizing  Instagram in the same way, the site is considered one of the most successful ways to showcase your portfolio as an artist. With nearly 1 billion users on the site, it’s no surprise that in the art world businesses will check an artist’s Instagram as a way of hiring, or even posting their hirings directly to Instagram. 

Not only that, but sharing sites have allowed artists to interact with their audience, create tutorials, and give advice. 

My favorite thing is meeting and making mutual friends! It means that they follow you and you follow them. Instagram, especially, is a magnificent place to find kindred spirits.

However, in terms of negative arguments towards art accessibility, there is discussion about how it mentally affects the artist. Why?:

 Competition is now fiercer than ever in the art world especially 

 viewing art on Instagram is free 

art can be displayed even by non-artists. 

One of the current main voices in the art community both on YouTube and Instagram, ergojosh (you can check out his channel here), offers the perspective to the discussion of art accessibility that viewing artists works creates the problem of comparison. 

Since artists share the same platform, it becomes easier to compare yourself to an expert in the field, and question why you aren’t as successful or skilled. In my personal belief, I think it’s impossible not to compare yourself to other artists. 

Ergojosh claims it’s a major problem that hinders both growth and motivation.

I agree with ergojosh, that sometimes seeing 15 year olds who have art that is WAY better than yours is almost depressing, and seeing a professional artist's immaculate coloring skills compared to yours can be even more discouraging. What’s important to remember is that Instagram doesn’t show the process or the hours, days, years, that it takes for artists, especially established artists in the industry, to achieve the level of their work. 

Remember that professionals post their art and sketches. They post their studies and process, but they don’t post their bad art (and if they do it gets archived later. I would know because I do that… whoops.) or they don’t post their job rejections, their unfinished or failed projects, or the hard parts of their career as an artist. 

When you feel discouraged, remember that it’s a journey with ups and downs!

Instagram and the Art Consumer

Komunhorangi’s insta. Merchandise is one way audiences engage with art! 

Art accessibility debates centered around non-artists has to do with the question of saturation of art as a form of devaluing it. 

Unfortunately, people can have the misconception that art is easy, and paired with the fact that it doesn't take money or physical energy to walk to a museum to see art on Instagram, this misconception of art is only heightened. 

Because people think art is easy people also think it’s cheap. For example, a typical commission for an artist can cost a bare minimum of 35 dollars for just flat coloring and lineart. 

It’s a common experience among artists to either charge less money and therefore be paid less for more work, or have customers try to get their commissions for free. 

Imagine spending 3 hours on a project and being promised that you’ll be paid, only for your boss to say “lol nope. Anyone can do your job!” That would suck!

Whether it’s out of a genuine disrespect for artists, or because art consumers might not understand how much art and skill goes into an art piece, it’s no surprise that some artists view art accessibility in a bad light. 

Art Accessibility Debate, Round 2 

Melotries on Instagram

AAA: Art Accessibility, Art Skill, and Algorithm

Within the past few weeks (July 2020) the idea of art sharing, viewing, and consuming on social media has sparked a major debate between artists, followers, and aspiring artists alike. The topic has been strongly discussed on twitter and Instagram, and the perspectives are passionately fueled.

To sum it up, the current debate is about whether a large following constitutes artistic skill.

What is algorithm + Why it matters

Because I am most familiar with the art community on Instagram, I will focus on Algorithm in the context of Instagram specifically, but it’s important to note that all social media platforms have algorithm.

Algorithm is Instagram’s way of determining how many people will see your post and how it gets on the  explore page. Here are some of the basics:

If your post doesn’t have a filter on it, it’ll get recommended less.

First hour engagement is crucial!  More engagement (likes, sharing on story, commenting)  within the first hour= a bigger chance it’ll show up on other peoples explore pages

Did you know Instagram has a # ranking system? 

 A # like #digitalart is a more popular tag around 50k posts and a # like #sketchbooktour is less popular with 10k posts, so if you use more popular hashtags your post has a worse shot at being noticed, so in order to bypass the algorithm you have to combine more popular and less popular hashtags

Instagram doesn’t show your post to ALL of your followers. If you receive 10% of followers engagement that’s a good thing!. That means you could have 3,000 followers and if you get 300 likes that means the post is doing good, but <300 means your post is doing poorly. 

There’s ALOT more but it would take a long time to list them all! All you have to understand for this section is that if an artist is able to understand the Algorithm and play to its advantages, they will gain popularity and followers extremely fast, regardless of where their art skills are.

In an art world where higher followed profiles capture the attention of job recruiters, this is a huge deal. 

However, does a high follower count indicate skill and the ability to pursue a professional career? 

Thoughts from the Industry

Many professional artists who have had experience in the entertainment Industry, such as Ameorry Luo, have chimed in saying that it doesn’t, that it takes actual talent and art practice to be successful in the art world. Here is her tweet.

This means that talented artists can have less than 5k followers while less skilled artists can be in the 100k range. Artists with the latter experience may feel that they are able to pursue a professional career, but that is not true. It takes more skill, knowledge of the fundamentals, and connections in the Industry.

[clubcreative]

Intro to Club Creative

Artists and Art Lovers, welcome!

Whether you are an artist or curious about the world of art, welcome! As an artist, we belong to something incredible; There are so many forms creativity can manifest as- photography, animation, fashion- the possibilities are endless! If you’ve picked up a pen, began to draw, and discovered the magic that comes with bringing your own creation to life, then you’re just like me. Because my passions lie in digital and tradition 2-D art, this blog will focus specifically on art of that nature, like illustrations or comics. 

ClubCreative’s Mission

Maybe your love for art emerged from your love of anime or Disney. You’ve identified your passion but thought to yourself, “Now what?”

I’ve created this blog so that, together, we can explore the answer to that question. An easy place to start is with the discourse community that is artists.

Discourse What???

The word discourse equates to discussion and a community is a group of people that you belong to. Artists are the overarching umbrella, and that divides into subcategories based on the kind of medium the artist prefers. Those are the discourse communities. 

Since I love 2-D/digital art and love to illustrate, I belong to the discourse community of illustrative artists- people who share the same goals as us: wanting to make art for a living, finding love and joy in artistic creation, and wanting to create art for others. 

A photographer would belong to the photography discourse community and an animator would belong to the animation discourse community.

So how does that connect to ClubCreative?

A newfound enthusiasm for art is incredible! What can you do with all that excitement? Well, you could start by investigating if a job in illustration is right for you! 

One way to do that is to explore the different genres of “writing”  that you will create within the discourse community. By doing so, you can determine if the work they create matches with your own interests.

Beyond the idea of being an animator have you considered creating ads for companies, becoming a concept artist, or even a video game illustrator?

Come along with me through this journey of art discovery!

Enjoy! <3

[clubcreative]

Writing in Comic+Illustration

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” I have to admit that’s a pretty cliche starter, but it does help define what writing means in the art community. 

One way to define “writing” is to call it a genre. 

Genre 101

Before I continue, I want to make sure that you understand what I mean by genre. When I talk about genre I am simply referring to various forms something comes in. For music its different sounds like the genre of jazz or pop. In writing, a genre is a book or a shopping list. Hopefully that clears things up!

When I first began researching various writing genres in the art community I was confused because I thought I was looking for actual written texts like a research paper. Yes, there are the conventional forms of written genre within the art community like a blog, but turns out a genre in the art community simply refers to the art we create!

“I thought art didn’t have writing?”

Comics, manga, anime, ads, posters- those are all forms of genre in the art world. If you are still confused then just think about the different forms that you often see art as. 

In our community, the purpose of these different genres vary between the mediums. 

Some are for insiders (people who are artists themselves) some genres cater towards outsiders (people who are not artists, but consume and enjoy art).

As an artist, our main focus is to entertain others with the works of art we create. Because the nature of our job focuses on pleasing others, most genres of art are created to be consumed by outsiders.

To illustrate that let’s compare two different kinds of art projects. 

Genre 1: Comic Book

SnotGirl by Bryan Lee O’Mallley/Leslie Hung

Who is it for?

Comic books come in various styles and not just what people typically think like the Marvel comics.

 A comic book is written in order to entertain an outsider of the art community. That is not to say that artists do not enjoy comics as well, in fact I’ve included one of my favorites as the example!

Sometimes comics are a single page with multiple panels, and they can span multiple pages and volumes. Snot girl, for example, is currently on its 14th issue! 

A comic is a very commonly produced genre. Typically, someone who writes a comic has multiple reasons to do so. Most of the artists have their own story to tell. They have created their own characters, their own world, and have a vision or lesson they want others to see as well. 

What’s so special about it?

What’s great about a comic is that there is no right way to do it. Comic artists are tasked with balancing multiple parts of their project. They have to consider: 

- the organization of the dialogue 

-how they are going to lay out the images/ what geometric shapes the panels will be

-inclusion of sound effects

Don’t forget the art itself! The creator has to make sure they are:

- cohesive

 -complete and dynamic illustrations

 - they do not clash with the already established panel placement

-establish the tone and mood through colors and lighting

When Less = More

Comic books have the daunting task of developing their writing through narration and dialogue. Write too much and the reading becomes heavy and write too little and the author risks confusion. 

Imagine condensing an entire essay into dialogue between characters with limited narration. Writing in comics is an art in-and-of itself.  

While the writer of a comic and also be the artist, this isn’t a set rule. Sometimes the author and the illustrator are two separate people or teams!

SnotGirl as a comic book case study:

Volume 1, SnotGirl 

Analyzing structure

The left page is split into three rectangles and the right page is broken down into multiple squares beside a near full body illustration of the main character, Lottie. 

Lottie lives her life as an Instagram model and fashion influencer. The left page introduces us to the real Lottie, a side of her that is disgusting and unkept, snot drizzling out of her nose constantly. The right page shows her in public maintaining an idealized and aesthetic persona. 

if you break a page into three sections that means more art needs to go into a single panel. In the middle rectangle her whole body is shown and the bottom panel is largely zoomed into her face. It’s nearly claustrophobic, showing Lottie’s overwhelming insecurities and having the reader up-close to a side of Lottie she wishes to ignore.

On the left page, the dialogue reads as frantic, narcissistic, Lottie is trying to convince herself that she doesn’t feel ugly and that she’s more superior than others. 

On the right the multiple squares include more dialogue, space around Lottie, and more zoomed-out compositions (For example, you can see Lottie all the way down to her chest at least four times).

The squares reflect Lottie’s insecurities but they are the problems of her perfect persona: boy troubles, getting coffee, and Instagram profiles. There’s more writing on this page to reflect her more superficial ravings. 

Analyzing illustration

Art wise, on the left the colors are grey, dark green or blue, and more cool-toned. In color theory cool tones portray sadder, more serious moods. 

The right page which is vibrant and warm-toned, which is supposed to be energetic. If I were to ask you, you might be more attracted to the right side and its happier atmosphere. 

These two pages illustrate how color, composition, and organization differ widely to emphasize how the artist wants the reader to feel and understand about the story. 

Sounds complicated doesn’t it? The genre of comic books may be common, but it takes a lot of working, planning, and dedication.

Genre #2: Video Game Illustration

Illustration in game

illustration in full

Art by ZAVIR

Aren’t games 3D though?

I know that when most people think about video games the models and backgrounds are in 3-D. Think of Red Dead Redemption 2. While most mainstream games are produced that way, there are still many games who use illustrations like PC click-and-point games, mobile games, and other games use illustration for character sprites. The example I’ve included is from my favorite mobile rhythm game, Cytus II. 

For those who don’t play Cytus II, the game revolves around different in-universe musicians who have different songs which the player taps the beat to. For each playable song there is an illustration. (Here’s a link to the hardest song in the game! “Floor is Lava”)

What’s the point of the art?

Most video game illustrators work in backgrounds or character sprites. The illustrations can be single items as well, clarifying items that a character may have picked up in game. 

However, to stay relevant to my example I will mainly focus on the aspects of this particular video game illustration.

Cytus II as a case study:

The illustrations in Cytus 2 are meant to: 

create further diversity between the different songs

provide the song with a visual outside of the beatmap

By providing the song Extinguisher by Lixound with artwork, it’s not only visually pleasing but adds memorability to the song. People who are fans of the game can now draw fanart of the song. 

Differences from comics

there is very little text. 

The story or context has to be told by the artist in composition, character pose, and other artistic choices like lighting or colors. 

Particularly in Cytus 2, the story the artist tries to tell is set by the sound and “vibe” of the song. 

“Extinguisher”, an EDM song, has fast beats and dubstep like qualities as well as a robotic vocal track. It’s chaotic and fast, which could explain why the artist interpreted explosions and a figure that looks like an anarchist. 

Why Different Genres Exist: Comics vs Video Game Art

Imagine if a comic was told through dialogue-less illustrations and imagine if video games had backgrounds and illustrations that were formatted like comics. 

Visual chaos would ensue. Clashing dialogue, images, colors, and a lack of clarity for what the viewer should be focusing on. 

Thank goodness for the different genres of illustration, huh?