#allagents

[dearartdirector]

Hi, what practical steps should I take to be an illustrator for children literature?

Well, that’s way to big a question for this format...but luckily for you, we have an entire course on Art Business, and we’ve discounted it by 90% to help artists for the duration of the quarantine: https://gumroad.com/drawnanddrafted?recommended_by=search#Kbqkw

And you can always download our Art Business Onesheets for free on gumroad as well: https://gumroad.com/drawnanddrafted?recommended_by=search

And last but not least you can join our supportive Art Business Community on Slack (usually $10/month but we’ve waived the fee while the quarantine lasts): https://gumroad.com/drawnanddrafted?recommended_by=search#RpUaf

[dearartdirector]

Dear ADs, thank you for all your helpful advice over the years. Just a note to say that I hope you are all well, and safe at home with a bucket of bourbon and a good book or ten. A social-distant cheer for you all, from an appreciative illustrator.

THANK YOU! We are doing the best we can in this hell-year. We hope you are doing the same. Glad to hear that Dear AD is helping you! Stay safe and sane as possible!

Love,

All Agents

[dearartdirector]

not a question - I just wanted to say I really appreciate that you took the time to read my question and provide such a helpful and complete response, means a lot :) down with spec, up the working class!

[dearartdirector]

Our dedicated team of secret agent Art Directors do their best to answer as many questions as they can here on DearAD, but do you ever wish you could get answers in real time? Well, we happen to have a community on slack full of professional artists who support each other and pool information and workshop answers. You can post new questions or search the archives for relevant threads.

Check out the Art Business Bootcamp Community Membership via our Gumroad page.

[dearartdirector]

Just wanted to say thank you for Over Thinking Day. I have a lot of these doubts and I *know* I overthink things (not just art but everything in life) so every post feels like a gentle call out or a not-so-subtle-but-friendly elbow to the ribs telling me 'Stop overthinking and pick up that damn pencil'. 😁 Thanks for being so cool! I've learned so much from following this blog!!

Yes! We want to be exactly that: a friendly elbow to the ribs. We want you to hear our voices in your head, see our mildly disapproving eyebrow raise, and feel our warm encouraging hugs when you are about to back down from doing something you know is right out of fear. 

Thanks for the note, it means a lot!

—All Agents

[dearartdirector]

OMG I love you guys! Feels like I have my own secret council of genius advisors to lean on when I lose my artistic compass. One day I will meet some of you and absolutely take you out for dinner to say a humble thank you for changing my life. Love ya all!

This is why we do this and we love to hear it’s working. Thank you so much for writing in!

[dearartdirector]

Dear ADs, thank you for OVERTHINKING DAY, which I think should be a new national holiday for freelancers everywhere. We'll overthink things and then drink cocktails in your honor! Please let us know your favorites so we can prepare accordingly. On a serious note, I really do appreciate the advice you give, and that you take time out to do it. It's a totally awesome thing to do. Cheers to you!

Thanks! We’re going to keep going until we go thru the ENTIRE BACKLOG and pick out the overthinking ones! Or, until Agent Negative Space gives up and goes running off into the hills.

The official cocktail of Art Directors is The Last Word, says Lauren Panepinto, Creative Director or Orbit Books. So we’re going to go with that.

—All Agents

[dearartdirector]

Do you think it's a good idea to tag art directors and publications in your Instagram posts?

Good question! I’m glad you thought to ask first <3.

NO. PLEASE DON’T. Don’t tag people, let them find you.  If you want them to see the thing, send them an email with a link or 72 dpi attachment! DO NOT TAG ADS AND/OR PUBLICATIONS IN POSTS.

The only time you should be tagging art directors and publications on art posts of any kind is if the art was commissioned by them and/or you worked directly with the AD. 

If you’ve already done this, don’t panic, just go UNTAG THEM RIGHT NOW, and then go and sin no more. Seriously, don’t tag people who didn’t work on the project with you, it’s a terrible marketing strategy and is high up on a list of pet peeves for…well, almost everyone, AD or not. 

Thank you

-All Agents