Thank you Alekhya @byalekun over on Instagram for these questions about my experience being signed to an illustration agency a few years ago.
I’ve gotten quite a few questions about my experience being signed to an illustration agency over the years so I decided to bundle these questions as a Q&A.
I had fun reflecting on these and in general what it means to make a “career” out of illustration nowadays, and I hope some of the things I share here may be helpful.
How did you first get signed, cold submission or did they reach out to you?
This was back in 2021, I was full freelance and sending cold emails like crazy (but always thoughtfully) and mostly getting no replies or rejections. One agency ended up liking me and that’s who I worked with for the next 2.5 years.
What made you decide to leave the agency?
My ex-agency decided to end the contract in 2024 because of economically challenging times, and they found that my work wasn’t marketable enough to ride through that. They stressed, however, that every client that ever hired me through the agency was always very happy with my work.
Looking back, is there anything you wish you’d asked or checked before signing?
This does not apply to any specific agency, but in general you want to consider agency and commission fees. What % do they take?
What other agency fees will come up down the line — things like website fees and the like?
Will the commission fee apply to all clients, even if you acquired them “independently”? A blanket clause that applies even to private commissions might be problematic, but I also understand an agency wanting to prevent companies from attempting to dodge agency fees by contacting the illustrator directly.
Look at their website, newsletter and socials, how actively are they reporting on new projects and promoting their illustrators, and are they going to conventions, etc?
Any red flags in hindsight you’d tell someone to watch for?
I would refer to the previous question for potential “red flags” 🤭 What I regret is that I wasn’t proactive enough with client acquisition and self-promotion on my end. I would put this down to being too busy (I took a part-time job in 2023), and introverted so I didn’t put myself out there enough and I naïvely relied too much on my agency giving me a platform.
How are you able to make a career out of illustration without agency representation now?
Full disclosure: I am not working full-time as an illustrator currently. I have a part-time job. So I wouldn’t fully say that I have a “career” in illustration, though it is a huge part of my life.
As for freelancing: the best way to land new projects, I have found, is through direct and personal contacts. Be visibly out there in the world as an illustrator. Talk about your work when prompted, have your portfolio/website/social media ready to share on request.
Have an elevator pitch ready so people can understand within a few short sentences what you illustrate and for whom. Keep making work that is fun/meaningul/relevant to you, regardless of you being hired or not and share it.
Connect with your local creative community, chances are, someone in that circle will know someone else that will one day need an illustrator. If anything it’s a great way to get to know others going through the same challenges as you are!
I am also part of an illustrators’ union in Germany. Something they have been doing since last year, every few months or so, is setting up online portfolio reviews between publishers and illustrators. I recently got a book illustration commission that way and I couldn’t be happier!
Somewhere in Padua…
If you know anyone working for newspapers and magazines on a personal basis, consider yourself lucky. This can be one way be on an AD’s radar.
Side note: I think we have to rethink what it means to make a “career” in illustration. It’s not just commissions and being in an illustration agencies, although for some people it may look like that. You can be a content creator, teach workshops, write books, sell prints, maybe you still have another job on the side, etc. Everyone has to find their own way.
I haven’t always been a full-time illustrator, but that has never stopped me from making the work and deeply identifying with my art.
Disclaimer: I am only one person and I can only speak for my experiences. If you’re a freelance illustrator, please feel free to share your experiences with agencies, how you get commissions and how (and if) you make a living from illustration. Then we can learn from each other :)