#howdoadsfindartists

[dearartdirector]

Do art directors, or anyone hiring an illustrator prefer art blogs or an actual artist website with their own url?

Dear Anon,

Blogs are a great self-promotion tool, but they aren’t where I go when I’m deciding who to hire. I need to be able to browse your portfolio in a very short amount of time, not wade through pages of posts about your process, or shots of your cat sleeping in your studio (although personally I enjoy seeing that stuff on social media).

As long as you have an AD-friendly online portfolio somewhere (meaning different categories/styles are clearly separated, the work is focussed towards your industry of choice, you are only sharing your very best work, images are quick to download, mobile-friendly, etc.), that’s all that matters. Having your own URL isn’t a dealbreaker, although it does show you are truly serious about your career. 

Agent Real Talk

[dearartdirector]

Is it better to have one big image or a number of images when designing a promotional postcard? Also, if you work in a number of different styles, is it okay to send an art director multiple postcards? Is it annoying to get mailers from artists a few times a year?

Dear Anon,

Personally, I prefer one memorable image. If it intrigues me enough, I’ll go to your website to see more (I would never hire someone having only seen one image). Make it something you feel really represents your style, and the type of work you want to get hired to do. And make sure there are other examples along the same lines in your portfolio. I’ve been shocked at the number of times I’ve received a postcard with a kickass image, only to visit the artist’s website and see nothing at all similar. That’s confusing, and tells me you don’t know who you are (yet) as an artist.

It’s fine to promote yourself in different styles, but really ask yourself if the same art director is going to be interested in more than one of your styles. They may or they may not. Just be sure you are targeting your self-promotion, rather than casting a wide net.

You HAVE to send a few mailers a year, otherwise you will get lost in the shuffle. It’s not annoying, but rather, expected. Follow them up with a quick email saying “Hello, I want to work with you.” Repeat.

Agent Real Talk

[dearartdirector]

I'm all about sending postcards and emails! But what do y'all think of source books like Directory of Illustration, Workbook, etc? Do any of you personally flip through those things to find illustrators these days?

This is going to vary wildly AD to AD I think. Personally I use my own knowledge/research/other ADs recommendations/my social media obsession to find artists a LOT more frequently than I use annuals, but I do keep some on hand to jog my memory. Pretty much Spectrum, AI-AP, LeBook………but it’s really rare for me to need to go to the books, I admit. I keep an actual physical want-to-work-with list around to remind me of who I’m trying to work into rotation, waiting for the right project. I always look at that first.

—Agent KillFee

OTHER ADs PLEASE WEIGH IN TOO

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I use a pile of them as my monitor stand. 

Agent Real Talk