Introducing the Illustration Age Podcast. A new kind of listening experience for illustrators of refined taste.
Episode 1 features the lyrical stylings of illustrator Marshall Arisman like you’ve never heard him before, so go listen to it right now here.
We have exciting news for you this week! Our sister site Illustration Age is officially launching something they affectionately call the Illustration Bookstore.
They’re still stocking the shelves, but you can already find hundreds of great titles on Illustration, Art Direction, and monthly Featured picks and special themed collections. Click here to take a look at our growing collection.
You’ll be able to get to the store via the main menu bar on Illustration Age, or you can always come in through the side door at IllustrationBookstore.com. Got a title to recommend? Feel free to email us at illustration island(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject line BOOKSTORE. Thanks in advance!
We’re very excited to announce that since its release a couple of years ago, over 3,000 illustrators have downloaded EFII’s eBook and Audiobook 15 Steps to Freelance Illustration!
Written by our editor Thomas James, this popular resource is a Step-by-Step guide and Workbook written specifically to give you the best chance of getting started on the right foot with your freelance illustration business. Thousands of your fellow artists have already benefitted from this book, and many Illustration professors have made it required reading for their students, because it tells you exactly what you need to do to be a successful professional Illustrator.
If you’re looking for a clear and practical guide to starting or revitalizing your own illustration business, check out more information and rave reviews here or simply select one of the two formats below to get started right away!
Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee
If you’re not completely satisfied that 15 Steps to Freelance Illustration is helping you to start your Illustration business on the right foot, just let me know and I’ll refund your money in full. No questions asked.
Hey Illustrators!
It’s been a long time coming, but the newly redesigned Illustration Friday has been launched!
Rather than try to explain the changes, here’s the official announcement from Penelope Dullaghan on the Illustration Friday blog:
I am so thrilled to finally share with you our freshly updated website, including easier ways to share your art, browse illustrations, and connect with your creative community. With the new site, you can see all the beautiful artwork front and center, pop up a window to take a closer peek, and easily “Like” the pieces that make you smile, and “Share” them with your friends!
A few highlights:
* Thumbnails are now huge (!) and can be automatically generated (!!) for you if you choose. Try it out this week when you post your artwork — Go to the homepage, choose “Submit your illustration” and fill out the form. After you paste in your url and choose your Medium, the auto-generator will start doing its thing and you can choose your thumbnail easily! (Yippee!) You can also choose a thumbnail from your desktop if you choose. Either way is cool!
* It’s easier and fun to Submit a Topic! Think up a good word or short phrase that can be interpreted visually in lots of ways and submit it! If your topic is chosen you’re website link will be on the homepage and on the new weekly topic email.
* Speaking of weekly topic emails… We are using a new service so the newsletters are prettier and easier for you to manage. Sign up for topic and goodies in your inbox!
* We are now accepting sponsorship ads on the site if you’re interested in getting more eyeballs on your artwork / little prints shop / new project. Check out the sponsors on the sidebar. View sponsorship info.
* For even more ideas to get involve with the new Illustration Friday, visit the About page.
I hope you enjoy the new site! Please help spread the word by “Liking” IF on Facebook, tweeting about it, blogging about it or posting your art to the homepage and on the IF Facebook Group page! And link back with a new IF button for your site!
Thank you so much for your support, continued participation and, of course, the awesome artwork you contribute! You guys are what makes Illustration Friday wonderful!
Creatively,
Penelope Dullaghan
This reporter has learned through reliable sources, on deep background, and totally off the record that *wink wink*, a certain Matt Groening will be Lynda Barry’s ”super secret, special guest” for the Friday night Artist as Cartoonist keynote at this year’s ICON7, The Illustration Conference. I can also report that Ms. Barry and Mr. Groening go way back, meeting at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA in the 1970′s. Maybe they’ll talk about that, maybe they won’t. I don’t know. You’ll have to show up and do your own reportage. And please, whatever you do don’t tell anyone on Twitter or Facebook you heard it from me. Tell them you heard it on TMZ or something.
This much I can tell you, ICON7 will take place in a place called Providence, RI on June 13-16, 2012.
Attention Illustrators!
We’re very excited to announce that our sister site Illustration Age is collaborating with the fine folks over at Behance to offer a very special deal on their ProSite service, which allows you to create and customize a professional portfolio website.
All new subscribers to ProSite can use the promo code IA3FM for 3 FREE months! Click here for more info and a video introduction to this great service.
Special thanks to Will Allen and Alison Thornsberry for this generous offer to our community of illustrators.
The boys and girl of Awesome Horse Studios are wrapping up Season 2 of their free livestream tutorials with a king size critique session.
If you want them to look at your online portfolio, post it here on our Facebook page. They will be looking at both work and site design.
If you want a specific piece critiqued, go to Wipnation.com, upload your work and tag it “awesomehorse” and “horse crit”
The season finale will be Saturday, March 31 from 2pm on.
For full details visit the official ICON site here!
One of the nation’s most successful illustrators, his clients have included The New Yorker, TIME, McDonald’s, Young & Rubicam, American Express, Sony, United Airlines, Nickelodeon, Sports Illustrated For Kids, Ralston Purina, Hallmark Cards, Kenner Toys, US News and World Report, Fortune, The Washington Post, AT&T, Sega, TWA, Dr.Pepper, The Chicago Tribune, Good Humor, Warner Books, Kellogg’s, Cartoon Network, Turner Broadcasting, The Wall Street Journal, AOL/Time Warner, Forbes, Simon and Schuster, The Ren and Stimpy Show, MAD, USA Today, Children’s Television Workshop, Blockbuster Video, The Walt Disney Company, Anheuser-Busch, Doubleday, Klutz Press, Hershey’s, Target Stores, Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Fleishman-Hillard, DMBB, and countless others.
He has authored and/or illustrated over 50 books, including The Donut Chef, Hello Robots, Look A Book, This Is Not A Pumpkin, Pets Go Pop, and others. The New York Times named Staake’s ‘The Red Lemon’ one of the 10 best illustrated books of 2006.
There’s still time to register for the ICON Illustration Conference at the early bird rate here.
This Saturday on Awesome Horse Studios, Aaron will do a live critique, and Cynthia will be doing a creature design from scratch with help from the viewers!
Come join in the live chat, ask questions, and paint along at 2PM EST.
View this episode live, or old episodes anytime on our website.
© Drew Baker
This week on Awesome Horse Studios Aaron Miller will be doing a live demo, and Cynthia will be doing a critique of a sci-fi illustration with a paintover.
We will also have Drew Baker and will be discussing and taking questions on the business of freelance illustration. Drew is a freelance pro, and you might even know his work from Star Wars games and Legend of the Five Rings.
Tune in here on Saturday at 2pm (or now to watch old episodes and crits)
After several months in the making, the Red Lemon Club has announced the launch of their ecourse for freelancers and small businesses!
‘The Freelancer’s Guide to Winning Incredible Clients through Google+ Mastery’
The step-by-step course, split into three ebooks, has already received a great amount of praise and already a number of great testimonials.
You can get your hands on the course at a special launch price of 65%-off, though this ends on Friday evening 10th February, so you should think about getting in there before the price is raised.
Get more info on the course here >>
What happens when four illustrators share a passion for their work and sharing what they know with others? Awesome Horse Studios is Marc Scheff, Cynthia Sheppard, Noah Bradley, and Aaron Miller. They do a weekly Livestream on Saturdays at 2pm EST. Each episode consists of 1-2 critiques of art submitted from the audience, and a demonstration.
You can tune in and chat live with the four horsemen on Saturdays, or watch past episodes at: http://www.awesomehorsestudios.com/watch-now
“A year ago, I started a series of posts about drawing utensils I use. The first one revolved around self-contained pens called Creation of a Line – Part 1. For this installment, I will center around the pencil. While the last post got pretty indepth with some of the pens, this one is not as much.”
Check out Scott’s interesting examination of this most universal Illustrator’s tool here.
Last week, the final episode of the Escape from Illustration Island Podcast was released, featuring an in-depth interview with Zina Saunders.
In addition to all the gracious feedback from all of you, dear listeners, the great Steve Heller (who appeared on Episode 25), posted a nice tribute to the end of the show in his Daily Heller column, which lives on Print magazine’s Imprint blog. Thanks Steve, and everyone else, for your continued enthusiasm and support for this truly rewarding project.
Read the EFII Podcast feature on The Daily Heller
For the 81st and final episode of the Escape from Illustration Island Podcast, Thomas James interviews Illustrator Zina Saunders. Together they discuss her experiences working in multiple styles, her passion for working on personal and political projects, and a lot more. Thomas also includes a personal message to acknowledge the ending of the show and thank its many supporters.
Here are links to some of the things mentioned on the show:
Hey Illustrators and Art Directors!
Today marks the official launch of Illo Confidential, a new site run by a collective of award-winning Illustrators who have joined forces to share their latest work with the world. They’ll be posting new illustrations there on a regular basis, so bookmark them to keep up with their latest creations. And while you’re at it, follow them on Facebook and Twitter, and help spread the word!
Go check out the Illo Confidential collective here.
(By Mark Kaufman for EFII)
Long story short. Mark Kaufman is a partner at Vivitiv, an issue oriented design firm based in Seattle. His illustrations have appeared in publications nationwide including The New York Times, The Progressive, The Stranger, and The Oxford American. – drawmark.com
(Illustration by Thomas James)
Looking for ways to revitalize your business this year?
Check out this article that EFII’s Editor Thomas James recently wrote for the Agency Access blog that features 3 Illustrators who have taken matters into their own hands to create their own success.
Also, be sure to check out his critically-acclaimed eBook and Audiobook, 15 Steps to Freelance Illustration for an even more focused approach to building your freelance Illustration business.
(By Mark Kaufman for EFII)
Hey Illustrators!
Our friends and long-time supporters over at Agency Access are improving The Lab.
What’s The Lab you say? The Lab recruits industry experts to answer your questions on marketing … and it’s looking to build a greater voice specifically for illustrators, but they need your help! Please set aside a few minutes and submit your marketing questions to this survey. And to show its appreciation for your participation, one lucky participant will receive 1 FREE hour of consulting!
Complete the survey here: http://svy.mk/t7CI78
(By Mark Kaufman for EFII)
Illustration Age, the ultimate source for what’s happening in Illustration, was just named one of HOW Magazine’s Top 10 Sites for Designers! This marks the EFII Network’s second award in this category, with a previous nod to Escape from Illustration Island.
Thanks very much to HOW Magazine for recognizing our commitment to keeping you up to date with what’s happening in Illustration.
Be sure to take advantage of regular updates from Illustration Age so you don’t miss out:
Come and learn about the money!
The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles presents Baby Step #3 – Money Matters.
This panel discussion will cover the basics of dealing with money and legalities that are an indispensable part of being a successful illustrator. Topics covered will include how to manage your profits, how to operate a small business, dealing with taxes, budgeting, and developing excellent saving and spending habits. Come join SILA and hear our wonderful guest speakers, Maria Piscopo, Larry Olney and Joshua Kemble share their insider tips. The more you know, the richer you can grow!
Location: COMMUNITY ROOM (A5) The Sherman Oaks Galleria, 5301 Ventura Blvd # 360 CA 91403-6613 (located at the South end of the galleria near the Cheesecake Factory)
Cost: members: Free, Students: $5.00,Non-Members: $10.00
To RSVP email the office or call 800-799-6368.
I must try to get to see this!