-By Lauren Panepinto
Ok guys, I think this post needs very little introduction. I asked for questions, and I got em! Thanks to everyone who thought up really great questions. I'm going to reply to each of them in one of three ways (a few repeats will be combined) - either an answer, a link to one of my previous articles on Muddy Colors, or a short answer plus a promise of turning the topic into a full blog post soon.
Also, I'd like to stress that these are my answers, I don't speak for every Art Director. But we do all gossip a hell of a lot when you guys aren't around...
So let's get started! I'm going to group these together by topic. My answers are in green. Because green is my favorite color. Consider that a bonus answer.
------- EMAIL --------
I’ve heard a few AD’s say they prefer portfolio submissions via email. My last question is what is your preferred method of us sending images in these emails? Do you prefer one image only as a JPG or my entire portfolio of 10 or so images in a PDF? Multiple JPGS, or other method perhaps?
Not every AD prefers email - many still like printed promos, but I do keep my files digitally, and email is the best way to contact me. Only 3-5 jpegs tops. You should tailor them to your target, or just your best work. No pdfs, I'm only keeping the images I like, and filing them to pass on to editors/authors later. Breaking up a pdf is too much work. Bonus: Actually title the jpeg with some version of your name is great so if it loses it's folder, I can still figure out whose it is.
------- WEBSITES --------
I've been hoping for a post on what art directors want to see in an artist's website. I think I've read previously you want to be able to right click on images and no contact forms. I would love to read more pet peeves and common mistakes. It would also be helpful on what you what appeals to you on an about/contact page or even what catches an art directors eye on a home page.
Contact forms are ok, if you're pointing your droves of fans to contact you that way. But you need your actual email on there too, even if it says "for Art Directors Only". And make sure it's one you check often. I want to hear back from you in 24-48hrs max. After that I've probably moved on to someone else.
Your images must be downloadable. I don't care if they're watermarked (actually, a small watermark is preferred so I never forget whose art it is) but if I have to do the work of making screen shots and reformatting and naming and saving, you've probably lost me. I'll think I'm going to remember, but I'm probably not going to make a file on you, and you really really want to make it as easy as possible for me to start a file on you. I know everyone is afraid of people ripping them off, but anyone who wants to is going to screen shot you anyway. The downloadable images don't have to be hi-res, just 72dpi at maybe 800px is fine for printing if I have to. But usually I'm emailing them around to editors/authors. And no, I'm not just sending them to your website. I am curating what I show them, because I am picking things in your portfolio that speak specifically to the job at hand. Editors have no imagination.
My question: What are the most annoying things - or your pet peeves - an AD comes across when looking at portfolios online?
Not being able to find an email address. Not being able to save images. Thumbnails that are cropped piece of an image instead of a small version of the entire work. Music that auto-plays. Comic sans or papyrus. Brightly colored backgrounds around your art (black, white, or gray, please).
------- PORTFOLIOS and STYLE --------
J. Jarvis has said "the function of your portfolio is to instil confidence in the AD" List 5-10 things that compromise your confidence in an artist when looking at a portfolio.
1) Poor presentation (either crappy prints or online work too low-res to actually see). 2) Lack of consistency in skill. 3) Too much work (unless it's all the same quality, get rid of your worst pieces as soon as you do better ones - it makes me think you have a problem judging your own work). 4) Really awkward anatomy. 5) Glitter. (it happens) 6) Boring poses. 7) No contrast (in color, value, etc.) 8) No flow to the portfolio itself. 9) Hard to find contact info. 10) Really unrealistic boobs (personal pet peeve - boobs are not muscles!)
Something I struggle with is with the unification of my work. I enjoy working in many mediums.. and while I keep the mood/subject matter pretty much the same (I like dark, ominous, serious, etc) - I feel like using different mediums make my work feel scatterbrained/not committed. I, personally, feel that everything flows together, theme wise, - but if you look at my portfolio, one piece is in ink, another is acrylic, another may be oil - etc. If I wanted to work for a company like Orbit, would you be put off by that? I'm worried about consistency. I feel like the overall mood is consistent, it's just the mediums that aren't. How do you show unification & consistency if style is constantly evolving?
Honestly, yes, it would be a red flag. I'm not saying it's not insurmountable, but before I can hire someone I need to know that they can reproduce what I see in their portfolio on demand, adjusted to my commission. So I will need to see that consistency in the medium I want to hire you for, no matter what it is. Ultimately you're giving yourself 5x more work until I consider you "hireable". It might make you an amazing artist in the long run, but you have to willingly accept it's going to take you longer to get work. I say master one thing, then expand, master that, then expand again.
Is it obvious when an artist is hiding behind a "style" to cover any gaps in their knowledge of fundamentals. Have you ever been tricked before (in either way)? Take a name like Raymond Swanland. I love his work and it is obvious that even with the angular comps/brushstrokes and intense contrast he knows what he is doing. But lets imagine a time when he was a young duckling working on that style that is uniquely his. Would you pass over something like that saying he doesn't understand lighting, or he is cleverly hiding a lack of knowledge of anatomy by blowing out details. Can you think of any cases where you hired someone you suspected might be hiding gaps in their knowledge with a "style", because the style worked for what the project called for?
A) You're not fooling anyone. We're professionals. B) I hire what I see. If someone's portfolio is all one style that is really flat and graphic I'm going to hire them when I need something flat and graphic. I'm not going to sit there wondering if they can do gradations. If you don't have horses in your portfolio, I'm not hiring you to do a horse. In the case of an artist who's well-established and I've worked with them before, I might pitch them a job outside of their comfort zone, but it'll be a conversation first.
When talking shop with some colleagues, I heard of more than an instance in which an illustrator feels 'constrained', since s/he starts getting more and more assignments within a rather narrow range (only objects, for instance, or just old guys, or just goblinoid monsters). I realize, of course, than an AD assigns what is needed to the artists that, according to the AD's judgment, are best suited for it. The fact remains that if one's range of pieces starts narrowing it isn't that good a thing and, given that time is limited, painting enough personal pieces to counterbalance an heavily slanted portfolio isn't easy. Do you have any suggestion to make easier for an illustrator not to get pigeonholed into too tight a range of subjects?
As I said above, I hire what's in your portfolio. If your portfolio is all gorgeous elf-ladies, then I am not hiring you to do a horror piece. If you want to do a horror piece, you have to put it in your portfolio. Time IS limited, I completely sympathize, but if you want to do something different, you have to find the time. I've been there in my own career. It pays off. But honestly, this is the illustrator's version of a first world problem. Turn down a few elf-lady commissions if you have to and do some horror pieces.
------- MONEY and PRICING --------
For your publishing house, when you contact a new artist for doing an assignment in the first time, do you tell him/her about your budget for the project OR you ask him/her how much it will be charged?
I pitch the job, with deadlines, and ask the artist what their rate is first. If it's way high, I say, well, we only have X budget, what do you think. If it's way low, I tend to bring it up to our budget (shh don't tell my editors.)
What is a rough estimation for the charging of a book jacket illustration for one of the larger publishing houses.
It depends on the book first - each book has it's own separate budget that it has to earn past before it makes money. This involves all the cost of a book, not just art - printing, effects, author advance, etc. Obviously a book we expect to be a best-seller pulls a lot more budget than a debut author. Different genres sell differently. After that, then it's about medium, artist experience, and time. If I need something on a rush schedule I will bump up the budget if I can. Rough estimates are 1-2k for design, 1-2k for photos, 1.5-3.5k for digital illustrations, 3.5-5 for traditional medium. But there's a ton of wiggle room in there.
Do you pay on a half now, half on completion. Or is it payment on invoice 30 days from the finished product?
I can do 50% up front, but accounting is slow and if an artist has to have money in hand before they'll work with me I usually can't wait that long. I submit an invoice (and associated paperwork) within 2 weeks of when I receive it from the author. Ideally the payment goes through accounting in 2-3 weeks after that. But things go horribly wrong all the time, and fall into an accounting black hole. I won't know an artist wasn't paid until the artist tells me and I go chasing accounting to see where it stalled. Really frustrating. But I have never not paid an artist.
More on invoicing/payments here: GETTING YOU PAID PT.1: WHAT GOES WRONG
What is the average kill fee, and what do you see as a reasonable amount to pay extra for revisions. Do you expect a certain number of revisions to be provided before you expect to pay?
Kill fee can be 25% if we kill at thumbnails to 50% if we kill further along in the process. It also depends why the piece is killed. I don't like to give a kill fee if it was a change on the publishing end that suddenly decided to go in a different direction - that's not the artist's fault. But if we just couldn't get an artist to achieve what we felt they could achieve, given their portfolio, then we do sometimes have to kill it. (NOTE: some company's do not give kill fees, and this is their right, whether you like it or not. If you do not want to take the risk, do not work for them when you see the contract.)
So talking about revisions...if I am trying to save a piece from getting killed I will say so, and I really hope you keep revising it until it's working. In general, revisions really do depend on the project. I show my editors and authors many stages of the process, so there are no surprises, so I am course-correcting while the artist is working. If an artist just hits me with something close to final, and it's not right, however, then there might be a lot of revisions. I have infinite sympathy for revisions I think my editors are unfairly insisting on, but I have less sympathy for revisions that have to happen because an artist didn't do what was asked for in my brief. That's on you guys.
My biggest bugaboo is about pricing. I never know if I'm charging a price commiserate with my skill level and the difficulty of the project. Then, figure in rights (like the various marketing options—card art used for the packaging, cover art used for banners and such), and I have no idea if I'm being unreasonable or getting taken!
Aside from selling originals, (which is a crazy mix of a gut decision, comparison pricing, and divination from a slaughtered dove's entrails) budget windows are generally set by the company and the industry. Pricing is half the actual work, and half the rights to use it. All I can say is ask around fellow artists. You can also always ask an AD something like "this is a new market for me, what do you usually budget for this kind of work" and at least you'll know their ballpark. Assuming moral ADs...but most are.
My question is about the invoice. After the assignment finished and the client paid full everything, should I send an invoice that indicated everything is done to the client? Besides, should the client sign any kind of document or give me any tax form?
You don't have to send a completion invoice, most people don't expect them. You can always pop the client an email saying you received the payment, thanks, looking forward to working with you again. A large company will have a contract they give to you to sign. If not you should give them your standard contract (don't have a standard contract, I'm working on one now for a post soon). As for tax forms, in the US you should get a 1099 form for each client that paid you more than $600, because you have to report that to the IRS.
My question is about negotiating prices for illustrations. Since I graduated last May, I've had the mindset to work on whatever I can get my hands on. I've dealt with a handful of clients with different resources. Ranging from self published authors to established companies. My business skills are still very young and in the end I'm never satisfied with the price we agree on, and, I often end up working for less if the client can't pay as much. As an art director who has worked with the best, what advice do you have for young artists when it comes to negotiating a price? More directly, how can I ask for more money with out scaring a client away?
Again this really depends on the client. Some companies have set rates that their ADs do not have the freedom to deviate from. At the beginning of a career, it is true that it is kind of expected that you work your way up a ladder from lower-paying jobs up to higher-paying ones. The lower-paying companies are paying you in experience as well as money. That said, you should never feel cheated. If you are "never satisfied" with the price you agree on, then that says to me either you're not asking for enough, or your work isn't as high up on the ladder as you think it might be. Either way, it usually doesn't hurt to ask for more money. You might be turned down, but at least you tried. Just be polite about it.
------- FINDING WORK and BREAKING IN --------
I'm unemployed and so I can't get to any conventions or anything to meet anyone in the business. I also have no agent (or even think any live anywhere near me). What is the best way to submit artwork to a company trying to get hired?
First of all, agents have nothing to do with where you live, it's about your work. You submit to an agent the same way you submit to a company - a short but informative email saying a small amount about you and your work, what you are looking to do, and 3-5 lo-res jpegs of your best work. The more specific research you can do about your target and tailor into the email, the better. For example, look at a publisher's books before you pitch them. So many artists don't even bother to do any research on what I do before they email me asking for work.
How should I prepare a portfolio to get work from a specify client or art director? Do you think it's better to make a selection of specific illustrations (based in some books) or just send my finished work?
I will never ask an artist to do work on spec (like trial book covers for free), that's not moral to me. I will look at what an artist has in their portfolio and judge by that. But if you really really want to do, say, book covers, then putting book covers in your portfolio is a good idea - whether they're personal projects or not, they still count.
Im a young artist just about to leave a relatively small and young college in the middle of New Hampshire. With a small student population its been easy to get noticed by my teachers and fellow students. However I fear that as soon as a graduate that I won't be able to create enough momentum to get noticed at all. How dose a nobody like me get noticed by art directors like you?
Do amazing work that you are proud of. Show it to the right people. Repeat. Cream rises to the top. If you are putting great work out there, it is my job to find you. Spend a little time putting together a dream list of ADs and clients to email, put things out on social media, but spend more time on the work than promoting it. maybe 75/25?
When an artist sends in work samples and perhaps the work just isn't quite technically proficient enough yet, does that leave a bad impression if you see the artist's name come in on new work again, or do the less skilled works not even leave enough of an impression so that you don't even really remember the artist's work if they improve and submit again?
I remember your work. But I am also super happy to see improvement. I have greater faith in an artist I have seen struggle and grow over time. I've been portfolio reviewing a while. There's some artists I work with all the time now who had completely awful portfolios when I first met them.
What is the most effective way to promote to an Art director? SInce these days getting face time is almost impossible and e-mails get lost in the shuffle, what is your favorite way to receive and is the promotion you most respond to.
(see email questions above)
What's your go to method for finding new freelance talent and why? I'm sure you search many places, what are a couple of your favorites?
Pinterest! Facebook. Recommendations from other ADs. Conventions. Getting accosted at cocktail parties at the Society of Illustrators (you know who you are).
What kind of work is there and how can I find it?
Look around you. Anything in your world that has art on it, it was made by someone. Do some research on the magical internet and find out who made it. Research them. Send them a polite email. Repeat until you find something you really want to do.
So, what does it take to get the Art Director's notice (or fancy) for some larger project (card game, or a book collection, or something like that), compared to other applicants? Do the most reliable artists get the job (the ones who don't break the deadlines)? The best ones? The most experienced ones?
To be in the top 5% of artists working, the ones who never have to look for work, you have to be GOOD, NICE, and ON TIME. See here: ART BY VENN DIAGRAM and Listen here: Neil Gaiman's Speech
We all know that publishing is a fast changing industry, and that there are a myriad number of illustrators competing for a limited number of commissions. Every year there is a new edition of the “illustrators and writers market” book. If I am correct in assuming that most of the larger publishers are in that book, it seems that most only commission a small amount of titles every year, and that it’s a fairly incestuous industry in that the big name illustrators like Weber, Giancola, Martiniere, Dos Santos, Manchess, McGrath, etc, are filling the majority of those commissions. So rather than asking how I’m supposed to compete with the Dos Santos’ and the Manchess’, my question is…are there enough smaller publishing companies out there (who maybe can’t afford the top tier artists) that can sustain the careers of talented but lesser-known artists? And if so, how do I find these publishers?
That is a FANTASTIC question, and one I have been pondering incessantly lately. For now, haunt the internet and bookstores, but I am writing a post on this soon, I promise.
------- ART DIRECTING and AN AD'S ROLE --------
When working on a cover for a publication house such as orbit or any of the bigger publishing houses., what sort of time scale are we talking about for getting a commission completed, from initial contact right up to that dreaded deadline?
Ideally 6 weeks. Usually 4 weeks. Occasionally (and stressfully) 2 weeks. But i'm only going to pull a rush on someone I know can take it. I used to say I wouldn't pull a killer rush on someone who I'd never worked with before, but I have done it a few times lately, and have some new favorite @$$-saving artists as a result. You also know who you are <3.
What do you tell an artist who is unwilling to do corrections because doing it is against/outside his/her art style?
I'm only hiring people for the style they do in their portfolio, so I've never encountered this problem. But if something completely out of left field comes out of editorial or the author, I expect the artist to try their best. If they're having trouble, I expect them to talk to me about it. I'll try to help them thru it.
What is the best way to receive contructive critics.
Listen politely, walk away, let the advice sit for a few days, and then either incorporate it, or ignore it. Not all advice is good. But a lot of good advice is hard to take. The key is to never waste your time arguing with advice freely given. All it does is make you seem ungrateful.
Can you explain the process of deciding what illustrator you will use for a project, and (besides quality work) rate the top 3 most important things you look for when considering an artist that you have not worked with before?
It really depends on the projects I get. Matching an artist to a book depends on the genre (fantasy, urban fantasy, sci-fi, etc) and what trends are happening in that genre. Then we either go with the trend, push it, or go against it. Then it's really just my gut feeling and personal taste. I will pick 2-3 artists and pitch the choices to the editors and publisher. We narrow it down, pass the choice past the author, and then we have our artist (and hope they're available).
I choose a new artist by (besides style/skill): 1) Another AD recommending them. 2) Meeting them at a con, or having good email or social media communication with them. 3) seeing how professionally they act online.
In other creative Fields such as Video Game, Art Directors are almost always individuals with years of related Art experience themselves. Art directors in publishing however are more likely to be graphic designers or have no art experience at all it seems. How does not being an artist help and/or hurt an ADs ability to do their job or portions of it effectively?
Ouch. So being a designer doesn't count as an "artist" huh? Them's fighting words! Honestly I don't know a single AD in any field who has no art experience. Maybe they weren't illustrators, but they studied art in some capacity, or had many years of art experience before they took the job.
That said, I don't think being able to illustrate is the key to being a good AD of illustration. An AD is foremost a trained eye, an empath, a diplomat, a translator, a peacemaker, and a psychiatrist. While it's true the more experienced you are at producing creative work the more you can empathize with the difficulties in being creative on command, and the pitfalls your freelancers fall into, it's by no means a prerequisite. For example, I believe my design training makes me a much better AD for book covers than if I had been a trained illustrator. The distance helps me to judge more clearly the successfulness of a cover as a whole, not just be awed by technique.
Does an artist's religous morals as to what they do or don't paint, change they get work? I understand that if there is a uncomfortable situation you, as the artist, suggest solutions rather than quitting the job. However, I'd like to find out what an AD thinks about keeping personal morals and working in the industry.
Honestly, I've never run into this issue - I imagine it comes up more in gaming, with violence issues and scantily-clad-unrealistically-endowed-heroine-syndrome. I would say the instances should be slim enough that you could turn down those jobs that felt wrong to you without it harming your career overall...but just like any other conflict, it's best to be polite and honest with your AD as soon as a red flag comes up, and see if you can work through it. If not, then part ways amicably. Maybe suggest a friend artist. Don't leave the AD in a lurch and there shouldn't be any hard feelings.
How do I work with an Art Director that refuses to view thumbnails/roughs/comps before proceeding to final? I sometimes encounter this situation when submitting work to a group of managers acting as "art director." Usually they don't come from art or graphic design backgrounds.
Well, that's horrible. And wrong. And calling yourself an "art director" sadly doesn't actually make you one. I had an author once who told me he could design his own covers because he was also a Creative Director. Bad sign. Run away?
What is really expected of an Illustrator?
See here: GOOD, BAD, ON TIME VENN DIAGRAM
How is an Art Director's role supported by others in the organization? In other words, when it comes to making decisions on the direction of creative, is it the case that the AD's word is final? Are there times when the decision is superseded by others, and if so, how is this communicated to the rest of the organization so the AD's role isn't "muddied"?
As I said above, my artist choices and all my art and covers need to be approved by the editor, the publisher, and the author. And we have to not freak out sales or the big accounts who buy the books. It's shockingly hard to get all those people to agree on anything. Sometimes I get my pure vision through, and it's the best feeling. Sometimes things get changed by the input, and they're better for it. That's the best kind of collaboration with the rest of my company. Sometimes it all gets compromised into a book cover equivalent of mud. That's heartbreaking, and frustrating, and generally the days I am a cranky bitch in the office...but you get up and try again on the next cover.
------- CONVENTIONS --------
For someone who can't do all the conventions (international, budget, family obligations, etc), which one would you consider THE convention to do?
lf you plan on selling original art as a large part of your career, then Illuxcon. For everyone else (and the traditionalists too) Spectrum.
My wife and I are planing on attending Spectrum this year. This will be our first con in eight years. Between us we work in about seven different styles including a collaborative style. When we put together our portfolios for reviews at Spectrum, how should we organize our varying styles of work? Should we show each art director all of our best work, even if as a whole they do not look very similar stylistically? Or should we create one portfolio for each style and only show the works to art directors who represent an interest in that portfolio's specific style? Should we try to present ourselves as a team that also does work separately? Or should we present ourselves as individuals who sometimes collaborate?
I think you should each make portfolios that have that person's individual styles plus the collaborative style, and then do portfolio reviews separately. Cover as much ground as you can and compare notes. Without seeing your work it's hard to judge, but in my experience, the more styles you're trying to do simultaneously the harder it is to get hired (although that seems counterintuitive, I know), so I would really only show the styles that you are best at, that you love the most, and that you can show some consistency in. Also, Spectrum is a very friendly place, maybe it's worth posing that question to the ADs you see.
I am self-taught, and beginning to transition from spending most of my time, studying, learning and building my portfolio to actually “selling” it. I got into Spectrum Live with a table in the artist section. At these type of events, what kind of display do you expect to see from a beginning illustrator looking to make the jump into professional work?
Consistency. Students tend to be all over the place. I need to see a cohesive vision to hire you to apply that vision to a project I have. If you're all over the map it's nearly impossible to hire you, because I'm not sure what I'm going to get, and part of my job is minimizing risk.
That said, Spectrum is super friendly and you'll get a ton of feedback no matter what you show. Ask for honest reviews from the ADs and advice from other artists, and you'll go home with a ton of positive work to do.
While a lot of folks are looking for ways to get noticed without going to conventions due to the expense, I feel that might be the easiest, and most fun way to try to get folks to look at my work. I was wondering if you would be willing to make a list of all the major conventions that are frequented by art directors, especially by ones in the gaming industry?
Good idea, and a great idea for an expanded post, because I have to poll some ADs from other industries. For me, the musts are Illuxcon and Spectrum for any SFF artist. There's other cons for comic work and editorial and mainstream publishing, but those are the two best cons I look forward to all year.
I have been preparing to get an exhibit at a convention and was considering SFAL. Am I biting off more than I can chew by jumping in at this level? Are there other conventions that you would recommend I start off with before I try SFAL? Also, as a first-time exhibitor, what should I prepare for my booth? Do I need a booth all to myself, or should I try to share one with a friend?
Spectrum is amazingly welcoming and friendly. It's good for entry level and pros. If you're really concerned that you're not ready, why don't you just go as an attendee? You get all the fun of networking without the stress of having to make up the exhibiting cost in sales.
------- PERSONAL PROJECTS --------
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