Where is everyone?

I agree. Working for free never works out. The one you offer free work to will always demand more. Or am I the only one who has run into this problem?

Nope.

I have that problem too...

Joe wrote:

crankshaft wrote:

@Joe A bit off topic but how do you become a freelancer? I'm stuck in a harsh day job irrelevant to art and I'm thinking of going into freelance.

My line is in editorial illustration so I can only speak about that really. If you are thinking about fantasy/scifi then I haven't a clue other than that the few fantasy illustrators I know mostly have agents.

Spend a lot of time building up a good portfolio - maybe two or three years (this is AFTER you have reached a good level of ability) - and then send out examples to people who you think might be interested.That's basically the starting point. Wait for replies. Request interviews if possible as face to face really does help (unless you're stupid and evil). Look at magazines to see if you can do what others are doing. Look at obscure "trade" magazines to see if they are using illustrations. My early successes were with Nursing Times magazine.

If you are lucky then offers of work will trickle in. You will either have to continue working in the day job (not good for the concentration/time) until you have a steady flow of work - or - you will have to live off savings, which is terrifying. You will have to frequently work through the night for the first ten years. Whatever you do, make sure your first efforts are impressive.

Enter competitions, they will help you cope with deadlines and pressure.
Submit entries to illustration annuals. They are actually quite good for catching the eye of art directors.
Oh, and probably most important of all at this stage, get a good portfolio site online. Do not rely on something like Deviant Art (super amateurish); it MUST be an easily navigatable site displaying your work and yours alone.
Do not work for free (unless it's a charity), you will always get nothing from it.

I could go on...

Wow thank you for the detailed response. As of now I'm simply grinding the drawing fundamentals by reading books like Andrew Loomis, practicing anatomy, watching tutorials, networking etc. My biggest problem as of now is the lack of time due to the overtime of my day job. I can only spend about 10 hours a week drawing. Lol. It'll probably take me a hundred years to get better.

crankshaft wrote:

Wow thank you for the detailed response. As of now I'm simply grinding the drawing fundamentals by reading books like Andrew Loomis, practicing anatomy, watching tutorials, networking etc. My biggest problem as of now is the lack of time due to the overtime of my day job. I can only spend about 10 hours a week drawing. Lol. It'll probably take me a hundred years to get better.

That's pretty much what I'm doing too Crank although I have a hard time getting Anatomy to stick in my mind, I blame my age . We'll get there eventually if we stick at it.

For me, it's similar to what others have said. Works been extremely busy, not allotting for much computer time during the day. Other then the occasional peak here and there. ... And evenings, I've been dealing with some personal issues, and/or just being plain wiped out (little lazy maybe?)

Biggest issue at the moment is that I've been having issues with my eyes. Blurred & double vision, not being able to focus. I've actually had to occasionally use my computer glasses just to watch television. And now even when I have the glasses on, stuff on the computer or drafting sketches, I have to strain to focus and sometimes can't? - So I'm hoping to get checked out here real soon. (Seems to help when I limit TV & computer time too.)

That is scary, Dave. I really hope it's nothing bad! Maybe it's just a matter of a new eye prescription. I recently went both far-sighted and near-sighted and it was causing a whole lot of problems for me. I hope you figure it out! Definitely keep us posted!