Illustration with Jacob McGraw

Written for Art Fundamentals 1107 | Seattle Pacific University

Learning about working in illustration requires many skills that may no come to mind right away. Of course, one must be good at drawing and painting, but also business. Jacob McGraw explained that being an illustrator also means you are like an independent contractor. People need to keep track of their own finances, pay checks (like having people send you your money), and time schedule. The illustrator needs to be able to research the client who is contacting for work and handle all of the major decisions and pay on their own. There is no supervisor or boss in this position to give instructions. While taking all art classes in college is in many ways necessary, taking a few business classes can also be very beneficial.

This leads to another skill one must acquire: organization. An illustrator needs to be able to set and keep a solid schedule as well as be able to be in communication with people. If you don’t reply, the job will most likely go to someone else. This also ties into the desire to be an illustrator. Just like any profession, if it is a job that seems mundane to the individual, that will show in the work that is produced. For an illustrator, desire is needed to be able to pursue a career in the field and to build clients and accomplish personal and professional goals. Without desire, the career won’t turn out to be very successful.

The first order of business, as McGraw pointed out, is creating a website. This website allows clients to view the work and understand the style of that particular illustrator. The website must have a URL of the illustrator’s name so that it is easy to find and to remember. Clients often times come through people the illustrator knows. These can be people they’ve worked with in the past or even people they’ve gone to school with. If there is a connection made, word of mouth is often passed along.

When a client does contact an illustrator and a job is set up, there is an element of built-in trust when the work is handed over. The client will tell the illustrator what he/she wants and the illustrator will send in sketches. Based on those sketches, the client will decide if they want to pursue one sketch over any of the others or something different all together.

Once the final product is turned in, the client will be able to place that piece of artwork wherever they please for the material they needed it for. As McGraw points out, some clients crop parts of the art out and can even put text over the picture if they are unwilling to pay the illustrator to add text at the start. This aspect of the job is something an illustrator just has to let go and be okay with even though these changes can sometimes be frustrating. When it comes to pricing, McGraw suggests looking at what similar artwork is going for and add 20% more to that. Typically, the first price that comes to mind can be low. An illustrator needs to keep in mind that their skill is worth more than they think because most people can’t draw – that’s why they’ve hired an illustrator. If the client thinks the price is too high, that’s where negotiation comes in.

While I do find illustration to be fascinating and amazing work, this probably will not be my main work. My focuses in art fall in line primarily with photography and videography. When it comes to drawing, while I am beginning, I am not at the level I would need to be at to make a decent living off of it. McGraw also noted in his visit that illustration needs to be the main job and not just a hobby. For me, if I am going to get better, I need to start it off as a hobby and keep working at it. Then, if I have the desire to do more illustration in my work, I will definitely be able to do so.

For now, I will take classes for my minor where I can develop my drawing skills. I have already taken a few and can plan to take more if I wish to. Making outlines for videos and photography books may not take super drawing skills, but it would be nice if I took a couple more classes and put in some more study and dedication into really advancing my skills in that area.

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