Starting Your Career as an Illustrator

From the first steps of starting out up through succeeding as a professional, Fleishman’s newest guide navigates how illustration ties concept and technique. From advice on education and finding the right state of mind, through opening shop and finding the right venue, Starting Your Career as an Illustrator is a bit of a technical how-to, something of a business book, certainly an inspirational work, definitely a professional overview, even a personal lifestyle guide. It accurately documents the eclectic adventures of illustrators now, as well as relating historical perspectives, motivations, and inspirations to balance that picture and present readers with a true global field experience—all in an accessible, reader-friendly style. Topics include how to:

• Create a portfolio
• Make initial contacts
• Develop a financial plan
• Set up an office
• Acquire supplies and equipment
• Price your own work
• Market on the Web
• Nurture a growing freelance business
• And much more

Through direct and candid conversations with scores of professionals up and down the career ladder, this book offers rich perspectives of illustrators (and their cohorts) at and away from the drawing board. It looks at the strong threads tying professional and academic process, practice, and product, and offers extensive research, a global pool of resources, and a wide panorama of info that promotes problem solving by way of a spectrum of ideas. Over fifty illustrations are included throughout.

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don’t aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Table of Contents

Section I: Starting Out
Chapter 1: So You Want To Be An Illustrator?
Chapter 2: Education
Chapter 3: Opportunities
Chapter 4: Off On The Right Foot
Chapter 5: Finances

Section II: Everything Right In Its Place
Chapter 6: Setting Up Shop
Chapter 7: Managing Your Business

Section III: Taking Charge
Chapter 8: Clients
Chapter 9: Pricing
Chapter 10: The Portfolio
Chapter 11: Marketing, Networking, And Promotion
Chapter 12: Entrepreneurs
Chapter 13: Digital
Chapter 14: On The Web

Section IV: To Market
Chapter 15: Sequential Art
Chapter 16: Magazines, Newspapers, Books
Chapter 17: Paper Products
Chapter 18: Design Studios And Advertising Agencies
Chapter 19: Small Business

Section V: On Your Way
Chapter 20: Teaching
Chapter 21: It Happens
Chapter 22: The Next Chapter