#yolo beeotches

[gleafer]

Hello gleafer, I greatly admire your style of art and your expressions in your drawings! I hope you don't mind me asking, as a full time illustrator, what does your work entail? Do you work for a company or freelance, or is your income through patreon? Is there any advice you can offer for someone looking to become an illustrator?

I am in my 3rd year of Diploma of Fine Arts, working to become a highschool art teacher, but I also love to make illustrative work and would like to pursue that as a side job.

Thank you for any advice you can dish out! Keep up the amazing work 💞

I don’t mind at all!

I’m a freelance commercial storyboard artist. Went to college with the idea of illustrating comics and had a fabulous teacher direct me into the commercial industry because the money was great and I had a knack for it.

I’ve been doing that for 25 years and so far, still going strong!

I just jumped on Patreon a couple months ago and I’m very grateful for how well it’s been doing and how much joy it’s been bringing to me and my pigeons (patrons)!

There’s only so much joy one can get slinging commercial frames and I felt very much that my art was single serve and disposable for no one to enjoy but the clients in last minute meetings. Now, with the GO fandom being wonderful and creative, I’m really enjoying illustrating again!

My advice is find a nice stable niche where you can get a steady income and satisfaction while simultaneously trying your hand at different freelance opportunities to see what brings you joy be it for extra income or purely for fun!

I’ve done caricatures at Great America, freelanced with D&D illustrating characters for their rpg books,taught some classes and have a few children’s books under my belt.

Try it all! As my art teacher used to say Variety is the spice of life and the love of an artist!

Is that corny? I’m a little corny.