Here’s part 2 of my illustration Q&A on DeviantArt! Click on to read more.

Asked by onionring
Q: What percentage of your time do you do illustration, compared to self-promtion marketing and office stuff (billing, taxes, etc.)
Asked by zorrino
Q: Can you describe an average day or week in your life as an illustrator, paying special attention to those duties that aren’t directly related to it (shopping, dog walking, laundry), and the people that eventually collaborates in it?

My day is typically divided between dealing with work-related chores and creating artwork. Work related chores include everything from replying emails, making quotes, doing invoices, calling people, going to the bank to cash checks etc. I try to do those during the day since some of those things require shops to be open (like the bank). Also, while I work till 2 or 3am, my clients tend to only work till 5 or 6pm at most, so I need to catch them before they go home!

The making art time is split between coming up with ideas for projects, doing sketches, making the final artwork and making changes.

With regards to collaborators, depending on what I’m doing, it usually involves clients or my husband. My clients talk to me through email and phonecalls to sort out changes, go through new briefs, discuss money matters etc. My husband helps me out with the more boring daily chores, like washing the dishes and feeding the cats. It would be nice if he also cleaned the house more regularly, but oh well.

When I’m not working, my time is usually spent on day-to-day matters like shopping for groceries, cooking meals, doing the laundry. It’s quite boring, to be honest. I relax by watching my husband play video games, or else I pop in a documentary to watch. I don’t usually watch movies and we don’t get TV. Sometimes I feel inclined to draw or paint, but that is quite rare. When you’ve spent your entire week drawing, the last thing you want to do when you have some time is draw even more.

Asked by maiku-jaguar
Q: (edited from original) Is it possible to be a freelance illustrator while not living in a major city like SF, LA or NYC?

Yes, it is possible to be a freelance illustrator and live in a place that is not a major city. Location does make certain things easier – if, say, you wanted to do freelance work for advertising companies, then it helps to be near to their offices as sometimes timelines are very tight and they will want you to go to the office for a meeting so they can explain the work to you.

You have to find other ways to promote yourself and your work if you can’t be available for an in-person meeting. Postcards or emails help, as does having an online portfolio.

Interestingly though, when I was in Singapore it was pretty hard for me to get clients in North America. Since moving to Toronto, I’ve been fortunate to work with people from all around the continent, from other parts of Canada to folks in California. I suspect simply being in a major North American city does have something to do with it.

Asked by adolfozee
Q: How do you start to promote yourself ?

When I started, I simply got hold of some local magazines and emailed the editors. I was lucky to get a reply after relatively few emails. I remember making some postcards (not sure if I made some for the very first meeting) but afterwards I made sure to leave some kind of promotional material with people if I had a meeting with them.

I also did, and continue to do, promotions online, by showing my work at different places and trying to do interviews and features. My website was one of the first pieces of promotion I made,and it continues to serve me well though the design has changed several times now.

To read the answers for part 1 of the Q&A, click here.

Tags: answers, help, illustration q&A, questions, writings

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