Developing Your Illustration Brand and Career Path

Heather Alexander, Agent, Pippin Properties is insightful, helpful, funny. She spoke about developing a style(s) and touched a bit on social networking. Admitting that she is not an illustrator, she came with quotes from the illustrators who she works with. Here are some ideas about developing your illustrator career.

• Deliver your art on time. Don't be that guy (or gal) who is late.
• You must have a working website. Period.
• Create characters you can feel, connect with. Others will then connect with your characters.
• Work begets work. Draw a lot!
• Be consistent. When first starting out, it’s best to develop one strong style and stick with it, consistently.
• Once more established, you can branch into other strong styles.

Quotes from a few of Heather’s illustrators:

N. Kang says: “Illustration is like handwriting. You do it long enough, it comes naturally.

She has many different styles, they all feel familiar to her. Different styles, common threads.

Jeff Koterba:

“The art should serve the message, always.”

Ultimately, to be a good artist, you must have heart, warmth, empathy. 

Jen Goldfinger “You would be able to recognize if I was the illustrator . . . everything doesn’t change.”

Lisa Mundorff (the 2015 Tomie dePaola Award Winner): 
“I’ll always try to push myself to try more.” The trick for Mundorff was to develop a confidence in her style.

Vin Vogel: 
“Your style should reflect your passion for what you do.”

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Use only what feels organic to you. Don’t force it. Yes, have a presence on social media. But find the ones that work you you, that you can enjoy.
• Making art is your first job. Social media is your second job.