We are now halfway through my top ten ways to land a freelance gig! The tip for today maybe short but is still very useful and could be the defining factor on landing a job. So let’s jump right into tip number 5.
TIP # 5: Special promotions
Remember when I suggested signing up for forums and creating a thread to showcase your work? Something else you can in addition to posting really kick ass art is to mention that you are running a special.
I know I know that may sound kind of silly, possibly even whorish. But remember you are selling yourself and sometimes in order to do so you have to make yourself more attractive to clients.
Now there are pros and cons to posting your actual rates, the pro being that the client will know exactly what to expect, however the con is that people will probably undercut you. Personally I don’t believe in posting you actual rates even if it is a special or promotion that you are running. I don’t advise this because odds are people would undercut. Think of it like you are playing poker; the last thing you want to do is show your hand to everyone at the table. This is an instance where I suggest you be paranoid. Very paranoid. Like the men in black are going to take me away in the night paranoid. Got it?
What you can do when running a promotion is to make your offer definite yet subjective. I have provided a sample below.
“Hello all just wanted to let you know I am running a week long special. All commissions will be half off. Please contact me for details.”
See what I did there? I put a time limit on it so that people will feel a sense of urgency, plus I included a really great deal of half-off and did so without divulging my rates. Also it should be noted that if you say you are having a half-off sale then have a half-off sale. Don’t be a cheesy bastard and charge your same rate. All that will do is most likely make people think you are overcharging to begin with plus over time people will find out and then you will be blacklisted.
Ok that does it for today’s tip. I will try and post another one tomorrow but no promises because it is the weekend and let’s face it. The world isn’t going to save itself.
I left off last time telling you to work for free a few times because it could prove to be valuable to you in the future. So now I’m going to elaborate on that point as well as a couple others in tip number 6 on landing a freelance gig.
Tip #6 Networking
Now I know that artists can be somewhat introverted weirdoes who like to romanticize their inner angst, but whatever. This is the internet bitches. Everyone is 20 feet tall, fearless and a total badass, so you should be also. Remember the internet allows mousy little people to be social hermits. That means you can talk to the world without uttering a single word or leaving your room. It’s perfect for you pasty types who would fry by just looking at a picture of the sun. It also works great for perfect people like myself.
So you see? You have no excuse! Now hop over to the forums that I suggested and create a thread showcasing your work. Don’t forget to mention that you are open for work and be sure to comment on job openings instead of simply emailing them in private. By doing this you are creating yet another way for people to see your work. Plus it shows your eagerness to the forum that you want to work.
Trust me. I’m telling you the truth because I have done it myself and it works. If it doesn’t work then my name isn’t Jason McLellan, who is an artist specializing in concept art, character design and fantasy illustrations.
See what I did there? That is one awesome SEO friendly sentence right there. See what a whore I am? And just think…you can also be a whore just like me. Maybe even bigger.
Until next time this is artist Jason McLellan sharing his tips on landing a gig.
Damn I’m good.
Hello all, sorry I was unable to post tip number 7 yesterday due to personal reasons. The personal reason being I’m lazy, but it’s ok because I’m sexy. I mean like really sexy. For example if a normal person were to sprawl across their sofa and watch television in their underwear you would be repulsed by the vulgar laziness and exposed ugly. But when I do that (as I did yesterday) it arouses people’s mind, body and soul stirring them with erotic fantasies made even more real since I’m doing such a common mundane task. It’s like that Megan Fox video at Esquire, but hotter. Way hotter.
But enough about me let’s talk about you and how I can help you land a job. Shall we?
If you have been following along so far you know the best way to build a site to display your work, where to look for work and how to approach a potential client. Now it’s time to discuss pay rates. Ah yes now I have your interest. Don’t I junior?*.
I know that everyone expects to be paid top dollar for their efforts and I couldn’t agree more with that statement, but that isn’t the way it works. Remember you are a no name. No one cares about you. Hell, I probably wouldn’t even like you myself. So what now?
Simple you have to make people like you. You have to make editors care. You have to have a thick skin, nice personality and no ass because you worked it off. Ok that last line was pretty dumb but you get my point. When you first start out, your job is to make an impression and make people like you. You do this by turning in jobs early, keeping the editor in the loop and most importantly producing high quality work even if the pay sucks. And let me tell you in the beginning it will.
I’m still a nobody but I do get consistent work and I’m working my way up to the big boys, I hope. Sure there are people who start off at Marvel comics when they are 16 but the majority of the stories out there aren’t like that, so stop dreaming and start working.
Anyway back to my point about pay. Again let me let say again that in the beginning your pay will suck. For example my first paid gig online was $10 for a single illustration however, one of my last projects it was $250 an illustration. But I had to build up to it, just as you will.
The best advice I can give you is to swallow your ego and take a cheap job in the beginning. I say this because it will give you a real world work experience and allow you to truly find out if producing quality work under tight deadlines is something that you can do. It will also lend insight into how things work and what to expect because I can talk about it all day long but you really have to do it to truly know. Because odds are that your gig will more than likely involve something you have never drawn before and that alone is enough to freak most artists out. But it’s something you have to do and become good at in order to become a successful artist.
One last thing I want to touch upon before you run out and get underpaid for a gig. I suggest you read it because this is a secret that will stop you from getting underpaid. That’s right I saved this until the end so that those of you who stayed until the end would avoid being underpaid on your first gig. Ready? Ok here it goes.
Do a free job.
I know crazy right? But I’m serious. Now I know there are a ton of people who go ape shit crazy when I say something like that but whatever. Fuck ‘em. The way I look at it is if you love drawing and you want to take on something you have never done before while creating an awesome piece for your portfolio why not help someone out while you do it? Plus when you are ready for a paid gig the person you helped out can return the favor by putting in a good word for you. See that’s a little thing I like to call networking and believe me when I say networking is how most jobs are obtained, regardless of the business.
Ok that does it for now hope to see you back here tomorrow as we go over tip number 6.
*Should be read with a Sean Connery accent.
Today we will be diving into tip number 8 of my top ten tips for getting a freelance gig in the field of fantasy art. In tip 10, I told you to build yourself a website, which is much easier than you may think. Don’t believe me? Then I suggest you read tip 10. In tip 9, I gave you options and advice on where to look for work. So with that being said the next step is approaching potential clients, which leads us to tip numero ocho (that’s eight in Spanish…wow I’m smart.)
Tip #8 BE PROFESSIONAL
Approaching a potential client should be no different than handling any other job offer. I don’t know why but for some reason people feel that they can simply email, or send a private message using the forum software the person and say “Hey look at this picture. I drawed that. Wanna give me work?” I mean really come on people be professional.
I know the reason you are becoming an artist is because you like to be casual and laid back blah blah blah. Fact is your attentiveness, professionalism, and overall rapport is what is going to set you apart from all the others in the beginning. Let’s face it this list is for those just starting to get your feet wet in the freelance industry. Therefore you are going against a lot of other artists, most of which will already have experience and quite frankly will be better than you.
But if you send a follow up email a couple days after your initial submission and you are well spoken and professional that alone sometimes means more to a client than a guy with talent falling out of his ass who just sends out one email saying “Here’s my work. Let me know if you like it”
Simply put editors want results. Most editors will gladly take an average piece delivered on time over an exceptional piece that is 2 weeks late. I know there are artists out there who get work and are known for being famously slow ahem..Ahhtravischaresthem. But again you are just starting out and don’t have some sort of Rock star status that allows you to show up late and leave early.
I know that a lot of you out there may be thinking “My God this guy is really smart. Like you could be the smartest person ever.” And you would be right for thinking that. But you may also be thinking I wish he would post an example of what a submission offer should look like. Well today is your lucky day buddy boy. Below is an example to get you going.
Hello my name is _______________ and I saw your post on _________________ regarding your upcoming ____________ project. I would love an opportunity to work with you on your project because I love the genre of _____________.
I work in ___________ formats, and have very quick turnaround times. You may view examples of my work at ___________________
Thank you again for this great opportunity and I look forward to hearing back from you.
Now really is that so bad? Oh good lord it is not you cry baby! And trust me just a little professionalism goes a long way. Plus you do want to be a pro right? And you know that pro is an abbreviation for professional. Right? Ok then get to it.
Oh and again if you have any questions just email me and I will see what I can do to help. I would really love to hear back from you guys and find out how the job hunting is going. I will see you guys here tomorrow for tip #7 Stripping for money while retaining your dignity.
Wait…uh…sorry about that. Wrong list
In tip #10 I told you one of if not the most important thing you can do is have a professional looking website! In case you didn’t catch that let me try it again. GET A PROFESSIONAL LOOKING WEBSITE! Again I go over this in great detail in tip #10, so I suggest you read that now if you haven’t already.
Anyway let’s get back to the list with number 9, shall we? Heh I swear everytime I say number nine I have do it in a bad German accent. Damn white album. Oh and 10 cool points go to those of you who got that joke.
Now where was I? Oh yes tip #9.
9. Know where to look for work.
This may sound like a given but I know when I first started I had no idea where to look. Sure you can try various conventions for horror, comics, sci-fi etc. But by far the best avenue a budding freelance illustrator can explore is the Internet.
You can try “The Google” if you want, as you search for sites to submit work etc, but I have much better luck with forums. Simply put a forum (or message board) is an online meeting place for people of similar interests to communicate. Sound boring? Heh, well it’s not as bad as it sounds plus the most important thing to remember is everyone from novices to industry pros to gaming companies and publishing houses can be found on these forums. The networking alone can prove to be invaluable.
Just think, where else can you have your work seen 24/7 by people in the industry? Plus many of these boards have a classified section! I have included links below to some of the boards I frequent most and have had the best results.
You can also try contacting the big name companies directly but I suggest this route in the beginning so that you can hone your skills and get some real world situations under your belt. I can tell you from experience you really end up doing your best work when someone is depending on you and even more so if you are being paid to do it or if they are holding a gun to your head.
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