Illustration: From Starving Artist to Successful Illustrator

As an illustrator or a graphic artist, you will soon find that the opportunity for contract jobs is much better than some other professions. You may be tempted to take on lots of work because you really need the money or your clients know plenty more people who need help. That's absolutely wonderful but take care not to take on too much.

I often take on less than I feel I can handle. There are a few reasons for this:

1. Projects often take longer than you think they will.
You may get a call from a client for a quick illustration and you may think it will only take you a 3 hours, but often we forget about revision time. Its fairly rare to get it 100% perfect the very first time so if you think it will take you 3 hours, add about half again to compensate for possible revisions.

2. Less stress means better work.
Overbooking your schedule can be devastating to your artwork. When you feel rushed you are not going to put 100% into your work. Overbooking will also lead to a disorganized schedule and you may forget a project or be unable to finish an order. Allow yourself some wiggle room for projects so that you can take your time and your work will always be better for it.

3. Account for research time.
When I start a project I often spend a couple of hours just getting to know my subject. What does light look like on a glassy surface at this angle? What real life objects can I find around the house that might help me understand this shape? Take time to think about textures, colors, shapes, etc before you sit down to get to work. No one really sits right down and creates a masterpiece, but taking the time to consider these factors will be helpful to your work.

4. Rush orders happen.
So you have a nice full schedule of work and you're ready to start knocking the projects out. Then out of nowhere you get a call from a client and they need a special illustration in a very short amount of time. If you don't leave wiggle room in your schedule you will not be able to accommodate this order without pushing off your other clients. If you leave wiggle room in your schedule you will be able to take care of rush jobs without putting out your other orders.

If you keep these things in mind when taking on more work you will be much more successful. Just remember that more work is not always more money if you bite off more than you can chew.
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This pet portrait artist is actually a multi talented art guru, with great digital and traditional media works in realistic and abstract styles. Check out all of her great work by starting at her Squidoo Profile.