#goodniceontime

[dearartdirector]

Guys, I have this feeling that even if I have awesome work in my portfolio I’m still just one of the hundreds of thousands of artists that are just as good as me or in most cases better. Keep asking myself why should I waste the precious time of ADs like Lauren when they can find millions of awesome images and already known artists on google and in other ways known by them. Is the art market oversaturated with artists? Hope I’m completely in the wrong here. Thank you :)

We decided to break confidentiality for once and have Lauren Panepinto, Creative Director of Orbit Books (we assume that’s who you mean) answer this one directly:

There ARE thousands of artists out there. Hundreds of thousands probably. But let’s break that down a bit:

A Hell of A Lot of Artists Making Art

minus Artists not making SciFi/Fantasy Art

minus Artists making SFF art but too young/cartoony/anime

minus Artists making SFF art but too line-art based and can be mistaken for a graphic novel cover so prose books stay away from using them

minus Artists making SFF art but only do concept art or visdev, not full illustrations

minus Artists making SFF illustrations but only do pieces that look like interiors or spot art or game cards, not cover compositions

minus Artists making SFF illustrations that look like covers but aren’t skilled enough to be hired yet

minus Artists making SFF illustrations that are skilled enough but have a reputation for blowing deadlines or disappearing mid-job

minus Artists making SFF illustrations that are skilled enough & deliver good work but are known to be jerks/unpleasant to work with (either by direct experience or by word of mouth from other ADs)

minus Artists making SFF illustrations that are skilled & professional & deliver & are good people/collaborators but aren’t what we’d consider “Orbit” style (this is complicated, but has to do with a mix of staying ahead of the curve trend-wise, trying to do things differently from other houses, and a tending toward the abstract and painterly feel)

minus Artists making SFF illustrations that are skilled & professional & deliver & are good people/collaborators & are “Orbit” style but are too busy to take any more work when you try to hire them

And let me tell you…after running down that tree, there’s not that many artists left. I am constantly keeping an eye on new talent to see when I feel an artist is ready to work on their first cover with us, and I’m constantly asking other ADs who they’re using, and always looking in Spectrum to jog my memory. 

For every book cover that needs an illustrator I need to go down this tree 3-4 times, because I like to give my editors & publisher options that all can do the job slightly differently, and then we discuss the hell out of those artists in the meeting. We’ll pick a top choice, run it by the author, and if all is approved only then will I let the artist know I want to commission them. Sometimes it takes a few rounds of artist options to get to the right choice for the particular book we’ve got.

So no, there are not too many skilled, reliable, good collaborators doing what I need for an Orbit book cover out there. There is always room for more. 

And this tree works for every different kind of genre and industry. Every AD, gallery curator, etc has this kind of mental tree they run down, specific to their needs.

Cream rises to the top. Be good, nice, and on time, and really study what the genre/industry you want to work in is hiring, and you will find work and keep finding it. Look a the artists who are constantly on SFF Book covers in recent history (Sam Weber, Richard Anderson, Karla Ortiz, Tommy Arnold, Yuko Shimizu, Greg Manchess, Dan Dos Santos) and they have more work than they can handle because they are good, nice, and on time. They also know book covers and why they work, and they don’t just do what they are told, they are equal collaborators in the process, adding their own ideas into the mix. There are NEVER ENOUGH of these kinds of artists working at any given time. Keep honing your skills. Make sure you understand Art Business. And study the industry you want to work in. There is always room for more great artists.

—Lauren Panepinto

[dearartdirector]

How do you cope with feeling like you don't belong in the (fantasy)illustration industry? Do you think an illustrator has to be a certain kind of person to do well in this career? For context - I was the only Native American student in my graduating school, the only one at my in-house studio job, and I've never met another Native illustrator at the many conventions I've attended. I feel like I'm passed up for opportunities in both my studio/freelance career despite being at the level of my peers

Ok, this is a big question…that’s really 2 questions, and I want to address them separately, because they’re both really important: 1) What do you do when you were sure you wanted something, get some or all of the way there, and then don’t think you want it/can make it/are going to be comfortable there? And then 2) How do you know if you’re getting passed over for opportunities because of prejudice or because of your work?

1) First off, take a moment to congratulate yourself. You were one of the many thousands of kids that graduated art school with a goal — and one of the few who made it. I’m sure at some point in your life working at a studio in one of the fantasy art fields was a giant dream of yours. But it’s a lot of people’s dream and not a lot of people make it. I’m being serious, here! You are a full-time working artist! That’s a major accomplishment that most of the folks that read this blog are desperately trying to achieve. Well done. Don’t forget to appreciate how far you’ve come.

So you’re there…but it’s not the dream you thought it would be. Your question implies you’re struggling with issues regarding discrimination, and I’ll get to that next, but in general, getting to the goal doesn’t always look the way we thought it would. Sometimes what we thought of as our goal…is just a bend in the road and you take that turn you think is into the finish line but suddenly you see a whole new road ahead of you. Maybe the fantasy art world is not your ultimate destination. Maybe it’s just the furthest goal you could imagine when you were a less mature artist. Now that you know more, it might be time for new goals. Some illustrators move on to a fine art career. Some move out of studios into full time freelance. Some stay and become Art Directors and Project Leads. Every few years or so you need to assess and make new goals. Course correct. That’s not just an art thing, that’s a life thing. It can be a little depressing to realize that you’re never going to feel “done” or “set” or like you “made it” — but take some comfort in the understanding that it’s exactly that feeling of dissatisfaction that you share with the most successful artists (and people ) in the world. That’s what’s going to keep moving you forward to new heights, rather than settling.

It’s not a comfortable feeling, unfortunately, but you can learn to balance appreciation for where you are with the urge to move on to ever better goals. 

Just make sure you are choosing to move on rather than being forced out. Which brings us to question #2:

2) Sometimes it’s blatantly obvious that we’re being treated unfairly because of our race, sex, age, etc. And that is awful, and happens all the time. If you’re in a blatantly racist or sexist workplace, there might not be anything you can do but leave to further your career. But it doesn’t feel like that’s what you’re asking.  You’re not sure. You feel like you might be passed over for opportunities because of your race, but it doesn’t sound like something concrete you can put your finger on. So what do we do about the weird gray area when we know we’re not getting the same opportunities as others are but we can’t quite quantify it and we don’t know if it is our race, or sex, or something else? Could it be our work? Could it be our personality? Are other people just making better connections? Are other people handing in better work? It’s maddening to not know! I don’t want to out my secret identity by saying my gender or race or age, but I can tell you I’ve been in the same place. I was definitely passed over for opportunities and promotions…but was it my work? Or was it me as a person? And if it was me, was it something I could control, or not?

From the outside of this situation & not knowing anything about you or your work, there’s no way I can tell which it is. There’s been more than a few times I have talked to artists convinced they aren’t getting work because of a whole lot of reasons, but when I look at their portfolio I can tell immediately they’re not judging their own work clearly — they’re not at the level they think they are. To those folks I say, honestly, you have to get better at self-judgement. Until you do, ask your peers and better artists for honest and very specific feedback on everything until you can see exactly what they see.

But there are also a lot of artists I see who’s work is so good that I wonder why they haven’t gotten further in their career yet. Some of it is luck and timing but some of it is absolutely prejudice and/or misogyny. I recommend to those folks to do everything they can to get their ducks (and portfolio) in a row and start networking their way out of whatever studio they’re in and into one that has a better reputation for diversity and fair treatment. The good news is, you’re a working professional. It’s way easier to find a job when you already have one in the field. Try to reach out to peers for connections, keep your eye on job boards, get to professional events, seminars, and conventions, and get the hell out of there as soon as the opportunity comes.

You ask what kind of person you need to be to do well? In any kind of creative work, you need to be Good At What You Do, Easy to Work With, and On Time/Reliable. If you are those three things then you should excel. If you are those three things and you are not excelling, then it’s not you, it’s them. You may need to move, but I promise you not all studios in illustration/fantasy illustration are rotten. As I said above, choosing to revise your dreams is one thing — but you should never get chased away from your dreams. Get your networking in gear and find more welcoming ground, and your career will take off.

—Agent KillFee

[dearartdirector]

Who are your top favourite artists?

Ones that are GOOD, NICE, and ON TIME. Seriously. 2 out of 3 will get you a career. 3 out of 3 and you’ll never have to look for work again.

—All Agents