Back when I first started drawing and was contemplating whether I can make a career out of making art, one of the advice a friend gave me was to move somewhere with a really affordable lifestyle. It made me laugh. Then now, I realized how honest and real that advice was wahahaha. It was super hard to start as an illustrator for me. I didn't have connections, and I was a beginner. It took me months before I was finally able to comfortably call myself an artist. It was when I realized that the more I introduce myself as an illustrator then it's more likely to get commissions or sales. It's a type of marketing in itself, so to whoever's reading this comment, don't be shy and just go for it!! There are always willing people out there who will notice you, and they will keep coming back if you keep improving. It's what's happening to me right now hehe. Anyway, this was such a helpful video. I wish I could've seen it before I dived into this wahahaha. But I learned along the way. And did Chikako-san say animation? 👀 I was looking for something that could help me create an animated intro video for my page. Please make a guide for that too!! Hehe 💛
Oh, that’s so sweet! Thank you for sharing your insight ☺️. I totally understand what you mean. When I first started this career, I was also really worried about watching my bank account go down dramatically. It’s true that working on it as a side job is an option until the business picks up, but it can be very draining and time-consuming. I really wished the cost of living were much cheaper so I could invest more into my career instead! 💰 I’m curious-how did you build connections to get projects? It sounds like you have a lot of valuable experiences to share!✨ I’m definitely benefiting from learning about your journey. I’m really thankful that an experienced illustrator like you found me and took the time to give me feedback 🙏.
@@ogawachikako I'm definitely still an amateur. But I'm a business student with lots of hobbies and surrounded by business people too. It was a great place to be as an illustrator. Reading gave me an idea to make book covers and character visuals. I also game so I make fan arts of the characters of the game. And I also love drawing cutesy versions of objects and stuff. All I did was share them or pitch myself to writers, gamers, and small businesses. It was hard looking for clients at first, but as I grew my portfolio and more people commissioned me, I could share more arts and kind clients would also refer me to other people. 💛✨
Hey Chikako, your approach to illustrating both for clients and creating your own products is insightful. It's great how you've highlighted the differences between types of illustrators and shared your personal experiences. Your dedication is truly motivating!
Thank you so much for your feedback and kind words! 🙏 I’m glad you found the video insightful✨ I’m still on this journey myself, but I wanted to share some guidance to help others avoid getting lost when starting out 💪 Good luck to you too^^
omg 14 minutes this is gonna be good! that felt great to watch! is this your first video over 10 minutes in which you didn't need to use any props? - I guess you got really good at collecting and using b roll haha idk how to explain it - it might be the last few videos or just this one, but, it feels like you're an established artist on UA-cam - it feels like even though it's a long shot you're gonna make it things might get easier after telling 100 people you're an illustrator, but, I'm excited to see what happens after you make the last 2/3rds of your first 100 videos! there was a lot of great non illustrator exclusive advice in here like: have inventory, have a website, make it clear what you're selling and where, etc.
Ooooh, you gave me a fuzzy feeling-thank you for the feedback✨ you know what...I talked for nearly 2 hours to make this 14-minute video, hahaha lol. But this time, I didn’t forget to smile, as I remembered last time my face was very tense when talking about business-related things (thanks to you!). The 100th video is still a long way off, but it’s a really good sign for me that I’m enjoying it without struggling to learn. And thank you for watching even though you’re not very interested in an illustration career. You’re so nice, really lol-how could you be so supportive in every video? This convinces me that I have a safe place to continue this journey 😊🙏 Have a good week!!🎵
@@ogawachikako 2 hours of talking? 🤯 it was worth it! I hope I didn't spook you with the 100 videos comment. 😅I had just watched a video of a guy going through a series of 50 books - who had somehow only just now realized that if he is expecting to only make it through 4 by the end of this year... he's gonna be doing it for awhile! Learning about an illustration career might be more of a side project for me; but, it's hard to look away when someone's making so much progress sharing something positive! I want to work on getting more comfortable leaving comments. This seems like a great place for that! I'm also I'm curious about Saskatoon because of potash haha. 😂
Oh, if you have an idea, you should start writing! Do first and adjust later is faster way💪 I would say the important part is deciding which age group you’re targeting. If I were to write a children’s book again, I would do more research. Surprisingly, a lot of my clients don’t do this, and as a result, the story isn’t always very relevant to the audience without proper research. If you just want to publish, that’s fine, but if you want to sell it, I think this advice will be useful. I hope it helps!Good luck🎵
This is a great video for those wanting to build an illustration business - some really great information! I don't really think of myself as an illustrator, but I think it's because the professional illustration I've done has been mainly technical (lots and lots and lots of drawings for the US Patent Office!), but most of the points you brought out are applicable to that sort of business as well. I am interested in maybe writing and illustrating some books and cards and such - watching your channel is a good reminder and good inspiration to get out there and do it! I hope your move goes smoothly - that can often be stressful, even if it's a great idea - you seem to have the right attitude though! All the best!
Thank you so much for your kind words as always! I ’m glad to hear that you found the video helpful. Wow, you did technical illustration? That’s incredibly skilled! It’s great to know that the points I discussed can apply to different kinds of illustration work-that’s very encouraging. oooh Writing and illustrating books and cards sounds like an exciting path! One day, I have a plan to create my own tarot cards for fun, hehe… 😎 I appreciate your good wishes for my move-fingers crossed it goes smoothly! I only have 7 days before the flight ✈️. This year will be a big change to me! Have a lovely week, Brian! ✨
this was a really comprehensive list, thank you 😊 maybe one day i will earn money through my art! i heard about vancouver being so expensive, i hope moving isn't too far away, and you can meet your friends still!! it must be hard to have to build new relationships with businesses and figuring out different markets to go to. best of luck, and may it go as smoothly as possible 😊!! hopefully youtube will start paying you soon too! much love from this side of canada 💘
Thank you so much for your thoughtful message and kind wishes as always! 😊 You’re right about Vancouver 😅. I feel sad to be leaving the community I’ve built here, but I’m also excited about the move (I only have 7 days before the flight-so exciting and a bit sad that I needed to let go so many things especially music instruments...). I appreciate your support🙏 Although it’s still a long way off until UA-cam starts paying me, what I value most is having a place to connect with warm people like you. 😊💖hehe
@@ogawachikako oh man, i had to let go almost everything when i moved from europe to canada, it was so tough! i bet you did too, and now -again-! i hope you'll find some instruments for cheap at thrift stores or estate sales over there. by plane? oh it must be quite a ways away. wishing you the best during all of this 🌞🌻 do you have any pets you're bringing? i brought my kitty from the Netherlands, to Germany, to Canada! he's quite the traveled boy!! he did pretty good on the plane, only had a little wet accident when we were landing, poor thing. he's really happy here though, and he's turning 11 years old in a couple weeks 🥰 aw that's so kind of you!!!! this is the reason I've been considering doing youtube as well! i love the art community on here the most out of everywhere. so it's entrely my pleasure 🤗💘 thinking about you next week! take care!!
Oh, thank you so much! I'm happy it was helpful! Your icon leaves a strong impression-very memorable and I could recognize that you followed my Instagram, and I followed you back. Let's inspire each other! 💪
Those are really good and helpful tips for people looking to be an actual illustrator. I just love drawing in general, and I never really thought about doing it professionally or getting things published. But recently I've been getting requests and demands for commission artwork, which prompted me to research on how much I should be compensated instead of doing it for free, which would anger a lot of my other friends in the industry :D I actually did invest in an iPad pro back in 2016 but I never really got into it much after a while. I just wanted to see if I was going to use that a my main platform, in the end, I am back to my sketchbooks. Anyway, I hope your move goes smoothly, and it'd be nice to see video of you moving, like a vlog. I wonder how your house/apartment will look like, and how are you going to setup your new studio. For me at least, it's always a bitter-sweet experience moving from a house to another, much like finishing a chapter of a new book. That's how I see life really... it's a very big book, and all the stages in life are the chapters. Good luck Chi-chan!
Ooooh my goodness, Alex! Is this my challenge to show you the benefits of the iPad Pro? 😎 But I totally get it-I’ve been leaning towards my sketchbook recently as well, rather than sticking with the iPad all day. I’m glad to hear you’re researching fair compensation for your work. Yes, art definitely shouldn’t be free! It’s fantastic that you’re getting more commission requests-there’s clearly a demand! Thank you for your good wishes☺️ I have only 7 days before the flight, and I’m both excited and a bit uneasy. It’s going to be a huge change in my life. I’ll definitely miss my art space; I don’t even have a table or chair in this room, which makes it quite uncomfortable! 😂 Thanks again for your sweet wishes. Have a great week!✨
Thank you for the sweet feedback😊 You need to have multiple revenue streams like a spider web! Word of mouth is one way to get projects, but I don't just wait for them to come to me (but yes I wish projects comes to me first! ). I try to stay open to new clients while actively seeking them by meeting people and finding better agencies. I will make a video about it!
I want to know any advice on finding clients! I usually find an illustrator I like, go to their website, and look at their client list, then research that company, than find the contact info and...... I hate doing it. だから小川さんはどうやってするのでしょうか？？私は日本に引っ越したばかりのアメリカ人だが。。。そして今、専門学校に行っていますが、役に立つかどうかわからないよね。。。
Hi! おひっこし、おめでとうございます。日本の夏はどうですか？コンビニのアイスクリームが食べたくなっちゃいますよね。専門学校に行っていないのでわかりませんが、全ての経験はどこかでつながる体験があります。 what you are doing right now wouldn't be wasting📚 Are you going to find illustration job in Japan? I only worked with Japanese agency, so I am not sure my advice will be useful here, but I know many try to provide service in Freelance website such as ココナラ. The way I approach it is by creating multiple avenues for clients to find me. Like you mentioned, researching companies and joining big competitions to get clients isn't the most enjoyable part but you gonna need to do if you won't find an agency who takes care of this part for you. For long projects like children's books, I prefer to work through an agent since there's a higher chance of miscommunication. For smaller projects, I handle them myself, and recently, clients have been finding me through word of mouth. However, in my first year, I sent a lot of emails to publishing companies and waited for replies (most of which didn't respond). I will summarize my thought and make video about it. I hope you enjoy experience in Japan!
@@ogawachikako Thanks for the reply! I don't know what I'll do after, I want to stay in Japan but I'm getting more worried about my parents... So who knows. But that's interesting about agents and agencies, I've been reluctant to reach out to them because I definitely don't feel like I'm at that level yet. I guess it's the cold email pitches for me! I got to start doing more per week! Thanks for your video :)
Back when I first started drawing and was contemplating whether I can make a career out of making art, one of the advice a friend gave me was to move somewhere with a really affordable lifestyle. It made me laugh. Then now, I realized how honest and real that advice was wahahaha. It was super hard to start as an illustrator for me. I didn't have connections, and I was a beginner. It took me months before I was finally able to comfortably call myself an artist. It was when I realized that the more I introduce myself as an illustrator then it's more likely to get commissions or sales. It's a type of marketing in itself, so to whoever's reading this comment, don't be shy and just go for it!! There are always willing people out there who will notice you, and they will keep coming back if you keep improving. It's what's happening to me right now hehe.
Anyway, this was such a helpful video. I wish I could've seen it before I dived into this wahahaha. But I learned along the way. And did Chikako-san say animation? 👀 I was looking for something that could help me create an animated intro video for my page. Please make a guide for that too!! Hehe 💛
Oh, that’s so sweet! Thank you for sharing your insight ☺️. I totally understand what you mean.
When I first started this career, I was also really worried about watching my bank account go down dramatically. It’s true that working on it as a side job is an option until the business picks up, but it can be very draining and time-consuming. I really wished the cost of living were much cheaper so I could invest more into my career instead! 💰
I’m curious-how did you build connections to get projects? It sounds like you have a lot of valuable experiences to share!✨
I’m definitely benefiting from learning about your journey. I’m really thankful that an experienced illustrator like you found me and took the time to give me feedback 🙏.
@@ogawachikako I'm definitely still an amateur. But I'm a business student with lots of hobbies and surrounded by business people too. It was a great place to be as an illustrator. Reading gave me an idea to make book covers and character visuals. I also game so I make fan arts of the characters of the game. And I also love drawing cutesy versions of objects and stuff. All I did was share them or pitch myself to writers, gamers, and small businesses. It was hard looking for clients at first, but as I grew my portfolio and more people commissioned me, I could share more arts and kind clients would also refer me to other people. 💛✨
Hey Chikako, your approach to illustrating both for clients and creating your own products is insightful. It's great how you've highlighted the differences between types of illustrators and shared your personal experiences. Your dedication is truly motivating!
Thank you so much for your feedback and kind words! 🙏
I’m glad you found the video insightful✨
I’m still on this journey myself, but I wanted to share some guidance to help others avoid getting lost when starting out 💪 Good luck to you too^^
omg 14 minutes this is gonna be good!
that felt great to watch!
is this your first video over 10 minutes in which you didn't need to use any props? - I guess you got really good at collecting and using b roll haha
idk how to explain it - it might be the last few videos or just this one, but, it feels like you're an established artist on UA-cam - it feels like even though it's a long shot you're gonna make it
things might get easier after telling 100 people you're an illustrator, but, I'm excited to see what happens after you make the last 2/3rds of your first 100 videos!
there was a lot of great non illustrator exclusive advice in here like: have inventory, have a website, make it clear what you're selling and where, etc.
Ooooh, you gave me a fuzzy feeling-thank you for the feedback✨
you know what...I talked for nearly 2 hours to make this 14-minute video, hahaha lol. But this time, I didn’t forget to smile, as I remembered last time my face was very tense when talking about business-related things (thanks to you!).
The 100th video is still a long way off, but it’s a really good sign for me that I’m enjoying it without struggling to learn.
And thank you for watching even though you’re not very interested in an illustration career. You’re so nice, really lol-how could you be so supportive in every video? This convinces me that I have a safe place to continue this journey 😊🙏 Have a good week!!🎵
@@ogawachikako 2 hours of talking? 🤯 it was worth it!
I hope I didn't spook you with the 100 videos comment. 😅I had just watched a video of a guy going through a series of 50 books - who had somehow only just now realized that if he is expecting to only make it through 4 by the end of this year... he's gonna be doing it for awhile!
Learning about an illustration career might be more of a side project for me; but, it's hard to look away when someone's making so much progress sharing something positive!
I want to work on getting more comfortable leaving comments. This seems like a great place for that! I'm also I'm curious about Saskatoon because of potash haha. 😂
Thank you for helping me out 😊. Your video are truely inspiring.
I have a question 😊 : If I want to write a children's book, do I need to read many children's books 📚 for inspiration, or should I just start writing?
Oh, if you have an idea, you should start writing! Do first and adjust later is faster way💪
I would say the important part is deciding which age group you’re targeting. If I were to write a children’s book again, I would do more research.
Surprisingly, a lot of my clients don’t do this, and as a result, the story isn’t always very relevant to the audience without proper research.
If you just want to publish, that’s fine, but if you want to sell it, I think this advice will be useful. I hope it helps!Good luck🎵
This is a great video for those wanting to build an illustration business - some really great information! I don't really think of myself as an illustrator, but I think it's because the professional illustration I've done has been mainly technical (lots and lots and lots of drawings for the US Patent Office!), but most of the points you brought out are applicable to that sort of business as well. I am interested in maybe writing and illustrating some books and cards and such - watching your channel is a good reminder and good inspiration to get out there and do it! I hope your move goes smoothly - that can often be stressful, even if it's a great idea - you seem to have the right attitude though! All the best!
Thank you so much for your kind words as always! I
’m glad to hear that you found the video helpful.
Wow, you did technical illustration? That’s incredibly skilled!
It’s great to know that the points I discussed can apply to different kinds of illustration work-that’s very encouraging.
oooh Writing and illustrating books and cards sounds like an exciting path!
One day, I have a plan to create my own tarot cards for fun, hehe… 😎
I appreciate your good wishes for my move-fingers crossed it goes smoothly!
I only have 7 days before the flight ✈️. This year will be a big change to me!
Have a lovely week, Brian! ✨
this was a really comprehensive list, thank you 😊 maybe one day i will earn money through my art!
i heard about vancouver being so expensive, i hope moving isn't too far away, and you can meet your friends still!! it must be hard to have to build new relationships with businesses and figuring out different markets to go to. best of luck, and may it go as smoothly as possible 😊!! hopefully youtube will start paying you soon too! much love from this side of canada 💘
Thank you so much for your thoughtful message and kind wishes as always! 😊
You’re right about Vancouver 😅.
I feel sad to be leaving the community I’ve built here, but I’m also excited about the move (I only have 7 days before the flight-so exciting and a bit sad that I needed to let go so many things especially music instruments...).
I appreciate your support🙏
Although it’s still a long way off until UA-cam starts paying me, what I value most is having a place to connect with warm people like you. 😊💖hehe
@@ogawachikako oh man, i had to let go almost everything when i moved from europe to canada, it was so tough! i bet you did too, and now -again-! i hope you'll find some instruments for cheap at thrift stores or estate sales over there. by plane? oh it must be quite a ways away. wishing you the best during all of this 🌞🌻 do you have any pets you're bringing? i brought my kitty from the Netherlands, to Germany, to Canada! he's quite the traveled boy!! he did pretty good on the plane, only had a little wet accident when we were landing, poor thing. he's really happy here though, and he's turning 11 years old in a couple weeks 🥰
aw that's so kind of you!!!! this is the reason I've been considering doing youtube as well! i love the art community on here the most out of everywhere. so it's entrely my pleasure 🤗💘
thinking about you next week! take care!!
Sugoii! Thank you for sharing your illustrator journey and tips! ❤
Oh, thank you so much! I'm happy it was helpful! Your icon leaves a strong impression-very memorable and I could recognize that you followed my Instagram, and I followed you back. Let's inspire each other! 💪
Those are really good and helpful tips for people looking to be an actual illustrator. I just love drawing in general, and I never really thought about doing it professionally or getting things published. But recently I've been getting requests and demands for commission artwork, which prompted me to research on how much I should be compensated instead of doing it for free, which would anger a lot of my other friends in the industry :D I actually did invest in an iPad pro back in 2016 but I never really got into it much after a while. I just wanted to see if I was going to use that a my main platform, in the end, I am back to my sketchbooks.
Anyway, I hope your move goes smoothly, and it'd be nice to see video of you moving, like a vlog. I wonder how your house/apartment will look like, and how are you going to setup your new studio. For me at least, it's always a bitter-sweet experience moving from a house to another, much like finishing a chapter of a new book. That's how I see life really... it's a very big book, and all the stages in life are the chapters. Good luck Chi-chan!
Ooooh my goodness, Alex! Is this my challenge to show you the benefits of the iPad Pro? 😎 But I totally get it-I’ve been leaning towards my sketchbook recently as well, rather than sticking with the iPad all day.
I’m glad to hear you’re researching fair compensation for your work. Yes, art definitely shouldn’t be free! It’s fantastic that you’re getting more commission requests-there’s clearly a demand!
Thank you for your good wishes☺️
I have only 7 days before the flight, and I’m both excited and a bit uneasy. It’s going to be a huge change in my life. I’ll definitely miss my art space; I don’t even have a table or chair in this room, which makes it quite uncomfortable! 😂 Thanks again for your sweet wishes. Have a great week!✨
great video, in your freelancing do you find that you are seeking out clients more and how do you go about or do they come to you at this point?
Thank you for the sweet feedback😊
You need to have multiple revenue streams like a spider web!
Word of mouth is one way to get projects, but I don't just wait for them to come to me (but yes I wish projects comes to me first! ).
I try to stay open to new clients while actively seeking them by meeting people and finding better agencies. I will make a video about it!
I want to know any advice on finding clients! I usually find an illustrator I like, go to their website, and look at their client list, then research that company, than find the contact info and...... I hate doing it. だから小川さんはどうやってするのでしょうか？？私は日本に引っ越したばかりのアメリカ人だが。。。そして今、専門学校に行っていますが、役に立つかどうかわからないよね。。。
Hi! おひっこし、おめでとうございます。日本の夏はどうですか？コンビニのアイスクリームが食べたくなっちゃいますよね。専門学校に行っていないのでわかりませんが、全ての経験はどこかでつながる体験があります。
what you are doing right now wouldn't be wasting📚
Are you going to find illustration job in Japan?
I only worked with Japanese agency, so I am not sure my advice will be useful here, but I know many try to provide service in Freelance website such as ココナラ.
The way I approach it is by creating multiple avenues for clients to find me.
Like you mentioned, researching companies and joining big competitions to get clients isn't the most enjoyable part but you gonna need to do if you won't find an agency who takes care of this part for you.
For long projects like children's books, I prefer to work through an agent since there's a higher chance of miscommunication.
For smaller projects, I handle them myself, and recently, clients have been finding me through word of mouth.
However, in my first year, I sent a lot of emails to publishing companies and waited for replies (most of which didn't respond).
I will summarize my thought and make video about it. I hope you enjoy experience in Japan!
@@ogawachikako Thanks for the reply! I don't know what I'll do after, I want to stay in Japan but I'm getting more worried about my parents... So who knows. But that's interesting about agents and agencies, I've been reluctant to reach out to them because I definitely don't feel like I'm at that level yet. I guess it's the cold email pitches for me! I got to start doing more per week! Thanks for your video :)