My Illustration Story & Timeline

How long does it take to get going as a professional illustrator? Well, in my case, 25 years! The first ‘phase’ starting after graduating and then second ‘phase’ starting after a 8 year hiatus to bring up my two kids.

Honesty is really important to me and having been in the industry for over two decades I have ample experience to draw from. I think people who are starting out in illustration or contemplating it as a career deserve a realistic look at what it's like to build an art business. What I’m presenting is a candid timeframe of my career from my humble life as stay at home mum to the successful illustrator you see today. It’s taken considerable time and resources and I’m certainly not an overnight success story.

Some of you may have taken my Transition into Illustration Skillshare class or have followed me on Instagram for a number of years, so you may know parts of this story. I thought it would be valuable for you to see my journey laid out like the diagram below. This is just a quick overview of my particular journey to demonstrate the main events. I put the birth of my kids at the top, because for me they are always central to the considerations when I make big decisions. 

In retrospect I can draw this central line running down the middle, and the timeline looks incredibly neat and tidy with the major events for five years from 2013 till 2018… but the real experience was anything but linear, or smooth sailing. 

I entered college for a degree in Advertising and Design, but I switched to Illustration in the second year. After I graduated in 1996, I was an in-house artist at several London-based greeting card companies (including Hallmark) which I really enjoyed. I was also making a good income from editorial illustration for lifestyle and health and beauty magazines. The editorial niche was something I fell into by accident because I could draw people, but after a while I really started to resent the idealized forms I was expected to portray.

2006 

I gave up creative work, a year after my son was born. And then in 2010 I had another baby. That was the year Pinterest was launched—remember that, as I’m going to talk about it later. 

2012 

This year I started to upload old freelance art and icons to a Shutterstock image library and those became the seeds of my passive income. You can read more about passive income in this blog post.

2013 

My daughter became eligible for free nursery sessions, which I factored in when making the decision to step back into illustration. That autumn I took my first intensive 5-week online course called Make Art That Sells, which really set the ball rolling.

2014 

I began taking Skillshare classes to improve my skills and techniques. I created projects for hand lettering and improving my Photoshop skills.

This was followed by my first small but functional website. 

My love affair with They Draw and Cook (now called They Draw) and illustrated recipes started that year. Little did I know how unbelievably pivotal these projects would be in my career as I built up a niche illustration portfolio in my quest to become an in demand food illustrator. I used Pinterest to strategically share my art on this platform as I’d heard art directors and commissioning editors searched for illustrators extensively here.

2015 

February I bought my first moleskine sketchbook for watercolor practice. 

March I signed on with an art licensing agent. 

May I had my art at the Surtex trade show in New York. 

August breakdown of my marriage, and divorce proceedings. That was a hard time both personally and professionally.

November I wrote my first invoices under my own name for several editorial and packaging clients.   

Let's pause here, as I want to point out that it took just over two years from taking that initial online course to receiving payments for my illustration services. I’ve been told this is an incredibly fast transition to go from stay at home mum to earning an income from commissioned illustration projects. The combined total for that first year of trading from stock images and food illustration was £14,000—not really enough to live on as a single parent with two small kids.   However, the next three years saw an increase in large illustration projects that brought me up to a more decent income. 

2016 

Food branding projects:

- Marlene’s Market and Deli in Tacoma

- Toronto Market Company pop-up event

Books: 

The Healthy Hedonist Cocktail recipe book

Sugar Detox Me Cookery book

August of 2016 

My very first Skillshare class as a teacher: Create Your Own Fruity Illustrated Recipe, followed by four more classes that year.

2017

More food brand packaging for Tine Foods (Norway & Denmark)

And my jaw hit the floor when a project to work with UNICEF in Myanmar came through.

2018 

May

I exhibited at my first solo art licensing trade show in New York. 

I was up to teaching 19 Skillshare classes, including two that remain among my most popular:

Sketchbook Practice: Grow In Your Art Everyday 

Instagram Success For Artists: 2 Week Challenge To Grow Your Following 

I haven’t included everything from these years, like the endless classes I took, the books I read, the sketchbooks I filled… If I included all that, this post would be three times as long. These are the big highlights. I hope that by sharing some of the specifics of my personal journey, it may help you understand the length of time it took to establish myself as a successful artist and illustrator.

It would be nice if we had infinite time to pursue our dreams, but most of us are working within very real constraints. Mine were navigating a divorce and becoming a single parent, whilst holding down a mortgage.

Building an art business certainly requires a heck of a lot of patience when you’re starting out and you’re coming to terms with the multitude of directions you’re being pulled in. If you are prepared with patience, it gives you room to stay motivated over a long period of time.

Although social media has been an asset in building my brand awareness over the years. I do feel it sometimes warps our perceptions on many levels. Some folks may underestimate the duration of time it takes to build a commercial portfolio that attracts paying clients. As you can see it took many years for me to see real and tangible results, like attracting a considerable following on Instagram or creating more than twenty-five Skillshare classes.

Becoming an illustrator will most likely take up a massive chunk of your time and energy as you travel from where you are now, to a point when you are comfortably supporting yourself with income from your art. Rather than feeling deflated by the prospect of having to work diligently for several more years, I hope you view my story as inspiration for what's possible with a vision, determination and strong values to guide you.

If you’re interested in making the leap into illustration, or you’d like to know more about my art journey, consider a 1-month free trial to watch all my Skillshare classes including my Transition into Illustration class. Use the button below to sign up (new members only).

What I've Learnt in the Last 7 Years - part 2

This is the second part of my blog detailing my top takeaways from the last 7 years of re-training and then making a career from illustration and surface design.

4 EFFECTIVE MARKETING

Part of my food illustration success is due to the fact that I know where the art directors and authors who hire me find my food work — 9 times out of 10 it’s Pinterest. (I know because I ask with every enquiry.) Pinterest is a powerful search engine that helps designers easily find references for projects and an invaluable creative resource (more so than Instagram) for the large foodie projects I enjoy. Early on I made it my mission to size all my website images to the optimal pin size of 2:3 proportion. It’s great for an engaging approach to self-promotion that I can see one image shared and collected on hundreds of pin boards globally. As a comparison, my latest analytics show that of my social channels 74.9% come via Pinterest compared to 21.1% from IG. Everyone seems focused on Instagram, but Instagram and Facebook work on a feed, so your images get buried quickly. Pins have a lot more staying power, with some of my pins appearing at the top of searches even after 6 years. The same can be said for my sketchbook art, which has been widely spread on Pinterest.

I have a class on using Pinterest for your Creative Business. 

Much of my IG success is due to consistently keeping 20+ sketchbooks (I’ve talked about this in previous blog posts)  I started quite late on IG and had a private account for the first year. Things didn’t take off until I started sharing my moleskines, which encouraged me to get in touch with people and in turn inspire others to explore their creativity. Having a large following on IG is useful for announcing or talking about my online classes (more about that later). So I am able to reach two different groups with two different marketing approaches, which I am still careful to maintain.

5 SHARING WHAT I KNOW

I receive messages daily thanking me for sharing my insights, thoughts, methods and techniques. Sharing leaves you open to feedback and connections, because you’re giving your audience a glimpse of your life and personality. Often the messages I receive are related to inspiring folks to pick up a paintbrush for the first time, or the first time in years. I love sharing what I know and inspiring others to be creative, and that sharing started to become a valuable part of my business when I began teaching on Skillshare in August of 2016. Over the last 4 years I’ve shared watercolour techniques, ways to overcome perfectionism, Pinterest strategies and all sorts of other topics in 20+ classes, which reach an ever-wider audience.

Networking is essential for working artists, and it has been made easier through having an online presence. Even now I go out of my way to keep active within my online community, because through them I learned more about art brands/business practices. We were always willing to share what we knew if others needed help or advice. This in turn builds more trust and camaraderie, almost like a fellowship as we continue with our creative journeys. 

6 SELF CARE

This has been the toughest to implement and one I thought was irrelevant and unnecessary for the longest time. I’m writing this during a general and social media break after 6 months of non-stop work, even during the Covid lockdown. I’m finally able to honour and accept that I am not a ‘super woman’ who can work 10-hour days or beyond midnight. At one point, I had succumbed to pneumonia 3 times in 8 years, the last time being in 2018. That illness was the wake up call that finally cemented the notion that whatever I’d been doing wasn't working out for me and wasn’t in the best interests of my family. I was totally drained, simultaneously stressed and exhausted. Furthermore I was dangerously close to burning out, no longer enjoying my art. 

Contemplating self care was a major shift in mindset and lifestyle for me, so in small increments, my life habits started changing. I began eating a lot more healthily, walking as much as I could, taking naps and drinking more water. Overall working on becoming a better version of myself so I could be a better artist and mother. 

Although I’m physically producing less art, I’m probably more productive on different levels and much happier. Making a definite decision to take better care of myself by making mental and physical health a priority when I did has paid massive dividends. For me, self care means managing my time so that I don’t get overwhelmed, and it lessens my general anxieties. 

Taking time to think over and write down what I have gained and understood as an art business has put into context my experiences as a solo entrepreneur with my own unique challenges. Some of my points may not necessarily apply to you or feel relatable, but I hope just one aspect has you thinking about aiming for a successful art career. 

Top 6 Success Tips for Illustrators & Artists (overview)

I’m often asked on a regular basis what it takes to be a successful illustrator. Many think its super skills with watercolour, practical Photoshop knowledge or perhaps a outrageous amount of social media followers. Whilst these should be taken into consideration I’d like to put forward other points more concerned with mindset and outlook which plays a far more important factor when embarking and sustaining a career as an artist, illustrator or surface designer.

1 Self Discipline

Discipline is asserting your willpower to succeed. Taking 100% responsibility for your life/ career/ creativity involves giving up on excuses and reasons why you can’t or haven’t, or blaming outside circumstances. Discipline means having self-control over instant gratification. You can reframe this and take the position that you’ve actually always had the power to produce desired results

2 Goals

Setting out or know what you want to accomplish, experience, and knowing what success looks like for you is essential. Having well defined desires and big visions will help with the belief its possible to live off your art and create a business around it. Holding the belief that you can succeed is a critical first base for success. And ALWAYS dream big, way bigger than you you think you ‘can’

3 Action

Take the initiative and plan a concrete course of action to gain focus. This could include taking control of your learning, improving skills etc will help you stay motivated and to achieve more. You may not know exactly how something is done or have all the right answers to questions, but if you put in the effort and work hard to learn and understand, they are already on the right path. Success comes to those who put in hard and dedicated effort.

4 Attitude

You ( and I ) WILL experience fear but its important to take action anyway. Most people let fear stop themselves from taking steps to achieves their dreams. Its best to acknowledge your fears or bloackblocks and know they can’t be avoided. Try not to waiver from your core goals and objectives even when things are not going the way you hoped or planned. Remain focused and committed to what you are working toward because YOU believe in it and you will be eventually rewarded

5 Perseverance

I think we all understand in theory there will be a lot of setbacks and repetitive actions to hone our skills. However its dealing with these feelings that come with them too. Persistence often means learning something new or pushing through a barrier in order to achieve the main goal. Try to see it as an investment in your knowledge which will assist you in moving forward. The path to success CAN’T EXSIST WITHOUT FAILURES.. The most important thing is to learn from these failures and to continue moving forward. So appreciate that taking small steps will result in small achievements…and small achievements lead to a big success. 

6 Patience

In a world where we can access information and order what we want within a few seconds, patience can be hard to come by ( We want what we want now!) Patience is an absolute requirement for the attainment of any goal because some things simply can’t be rushed or hurried. Appreciating that building a website or devoting time to a social media strategy takes a lot of time and effort, and is different to actually going through the frustration involved. Be committed for the long term and dedicated to follow through with a set of actions despite the various challenges and obstacles. The ability to remain calm when facing difficulties and adversity can not be underestimated.

Success doesn’t come without persistence, patience and practice. Over the next 6 weeks I hope to dymistify and expand on the points I’ve made here by putting forward more practical advice and recommendations which have helped me in my career.

Beer Advocate Magazine....the beginnings of the TDAC effect?

Way back in February I received an email '....I stumbled across your autumn vegetable illustrations online, and they are exactly what I was looking for so I wanted to get in touch...' It was from Beer Advocate magazine and they wanted me to illustrate an editorial about brewing with vegetables. It was a perfect opportunity & I jumped at the chance.

First of all I was so so excited to hear they had found my work via They Draw and Cook. By late autumn of last year it was dawning on me with TDAC huge following on Facebook (over 200,000 likes) and other social media platforms their reach was wide and varied. As long as I kept producing considered illustration, used the best of my abilities, and kept exploring, then TDAC would be a great vehicle for showing my artwork. And it looks like its beginning to pay off...slow and steady as it is with these things.

So here we are...beer and vegetables. The concept for the leading spread was beer bottles growing like vegetables. And spot illustrations of the vegetables mentioned in the article.

Finally I want to end on another positive - I am in the middle of another exciting project where the art director found my illustrations on Pinterest, once again via a They Draw and Cook recipe artwork from last year. A Pinterest inspired blog post coming up soon.

'The Theory of Everything', Cambridge and working pretty darned quickly...

The opening scenes of 'The Theory of Everything' sees a young Stephan Hawking and his friend on their bikes race through the streets of 1960's Cambridge, along 'The Backs' with Kings College in the background and through the back gate of Trinity College ( I think). I enjoyed the film immensely on many levels. The re-occuring motifs of concentric circles and spirals reflect Professor Hawking's fascination with black holes and abstract ( for me) thoughts about Time.

I had not drawn any of Cambridge's iconic buildings for many many years but felt rather moved to do so after watching 'The History of Everything.' My father worked near Market Square & we would often go for the afternoon in the warmer months. I was also fortunate enough to attend a year's Foundation Course in Art in Cambridge over 20 years ago. One morning a week ( in all weather's I might add) we were sent out to the Botanic Gardens, Fitzwilliam Museum or people watching Parkers Piece or any number of places in Cambridge to hone our drawing skills. So I have many fond memories of this wonderful place.

I had been meaning to create a map of this university town for years. And even when I decided to go for it I realised I had to hasten my renderings due to other work deadlines. So instead of transferring elements onto different layers I decide to work much simpler and leave out several stages, working more closely from my sketches - I'll use Kings College as an example...

Initial sketch of King's drawn in brush pen & live traced in Ai

The bottom 'layer' or outline as such has been taken away leaving the 'inner' sections of the sketch. Now exported to PS

Working in different (& fewer) layers with clipping masks I was able to add colour & texture

I felt it still retained the spirit of the sketch ( yes... my Kings College is wonky) and I was able to render the other highlights of my map in this manner and save a huge about of time. It also made me less precious of every detail (aka less anal) I'm pretty proud of my map as it highlights my favourite places and I make a pilgrimage of sorts every year.

Good Food Show - part 2....Olive Branch

Near the end of the day eventually found Olive Branch Foods tucked away in the corner of the main hall. They had been left off the plan and index so it was better late than never when I bumped into their booth. I had worked with them earlier in the year on a series of illustrations for their tapenade packaging. And I was lucky enough to be asked again this time to illustrate sweet biscuits, imported from Greece flavoured with orange, almonds and cinnamon. 

I had a huge smile on my face as I saw the jars lined up at their booth and a steady stream of people milling about tasting their products. When I tweeted about my day I realised they had used the biscuits as their cover photo on Twitter which was a lovely end to a rather fun packed jolly day. 

Why do I draw so much food?

I ADORE food, looking at it, smelling it, tasting it, cooking it. Pretty much ticks all the boxes for me - food is one of my favourite things EVER. There's such a variety of shapes colours and textures that I could never get bored.

Here's the thing - I had many food images in the  1990's ( yes last century!! ) Back in the day when I had to schlep a physical A3 black portfolio around London visiting art editors and senior designers I DID have illustrations of langoustines and pasta, even griddled vegetables with halloumi. I used pen and ink and washes with a bit of wax resist to add texture. Despite being well received I never actually received any editorial commissions - thats the only market I knew back then.

I see right now, in this moment, as a second chance. I'm hoping to use what I've learnt about the different markets in MATS to carve out a niche. Lilla's words are forever ringing in my ear...'find your joy... gotta do what you love (was that Steve Jobs though?) The knowledge of having my work 'out there' makes me feel vulnerable on many levels and I am coming to terms with it. I'm so utterly captivated by the work I'm producing that I am able to find joy in sharing my art which is a good start.

Sneak peak of next Foodie project

We get a local vegetable box delivery every week. Its seasonal so we don't always know what to expect. Sometimes theres a real glut and I'm at a loss what to do with the over abundance of a particular veg. This gave me an idea for a recipe thats a little time consuming bit totally worth it as the kids devour the end result within seconds ...which is a win/win situation since they don't realise they've actually eaten vegetables.

I will reveal all in the coming weeks. The sketches were drawn on the kitchen floor with the kids doing there own versions of carrots and beetroot with my brush pens. And a quick play around in PS just now.

Yangon Map - They Draw & Travel

I had been aching to illustrate a map of Yangon in Myanmar for years. Although when I lived there it was called Rangoon in Burma. It was very much a 'jewel in the crown' of British colonial rule in Asia, and boosted one of the best facilities of any modern city before WW2. I wanted to capture some of the daily life as well as the highlights of this beautiful city.

Submitted to They Draw and Travel

Sadly its Yangon's has declined due to years of neglect and utter misrule from the military backed government. I very much hope for for a return to its former glory days in the near future.

Cocktails - They Draw & Cook

This was an idea I had with one of my MATS mates Harriet Mellor. I create a series of illustrations relating to the country of origin of each cocktail. It was noted in my 'ideas book' along with dozens and dozens of ideas ( some really good some are just odd) I still have a slight nervousness of putting my work out there but then thought back to They Draw and Cook. They have a huge following and are very supportive of illustrators as Nate and Salli are in the industry themselves.

I had recently bought some new PS brushes and was very keep to try them out. I'm getting the hang of using masks and my layers are a lot neater. This was so much fun for me - I did enjoy Pimms rather a lot.

Olive Branch - Chunky olive tapenade packaging

I work with Bright Green Brands now and again who specialise in packaging design, mainly of food products. They had been approached by a small start up company who imported olive based products from small farms in Greece. I had just started using texture in my art and they were very keen to see this new style on the olive jars.

It was a case of illustrating each item separately - olives, rosemary, peppers, feta cheese etc and the designer would put them together in the layout that best suited the product. I have to say it was a very long drawn out process and a steep learning curve.

However I am very pleased with the results and can't wait to actually get my hands on some of these yummy products. Also it will sit very nicely in my portfolio in my quest to gain food & drink editorial illustration commissions in the near future. The photographs of the jars really do them justice too.