Advice for artist to make living?

[rechronicle]

Just wondering, how to make living as an artist today?

Well you could say I am not in a good situation and need some advice to keep alive..

Now I am studying on college. To apply for a job, I need that certificate thing..

 

[??????]

Damn, and there was me strolling through life without that certificate thing!

 

[nio kasgami]

For having a living of your art you need dedication , determination , courage, obstinacy , patience, High defense, magic defense, Speed, Dexterity, Stamina, resistance, fire resistance , sleep resistance , hunger resistance, Nerve cracking resistance , Ice resistance, Sickness resistance, distraction resistance, Youtube resistance, Netflix resistance, Facebook resistance, Twitter resistance, All the freaking social platform resistance and pretty much a lots of concentration and motivation!

and also Love of your works...you actually not really live from art for having 100000000000000$ pers years most artist draw because they love it and gain money because they want to being able to just draw after.

If you aim with the idea your art is for gaining tons money and not for the pleasure of drawing....better drop it because it's extremelly hard to live from your art. Unless you become a famous author with one millions art sold or work in a company ...you will not get rich and will still need a extra jobs for filling bill.

think money's as a reward of your hours of passing in front of your canvas / sheet / computer just drawings...not  something you automatically need...

 

[rechronicle]

Damn, and there was me strolling through life without that certificate thing!

can you share your story? yeah I`m still stuck with the chase for that certificate lol, well done!

For having a living of your art you need dedication , determination , courage, obstinacy , patience, High defense, magic defense, Speed, Dexterity, Stamina, resistance, fire resistance , sleep resistance , hunger resistance, Nerve cracking resistance , Ice resistance, Sickness resistance, distraction resistance, Youtube resistance, Netflix resistance, Facebook resistance, Twitter resistance, All the freaking social platform resistance and pretty much a lots of concentration and motivation!

and also Love of your works...you actually not really live from art for having 100000000000000$ pers years most artist draw because they love it and gain money because they want to being able to just draw after.

If you aim with the idea your art is for gaining tons money and not for the pleasure of drawing....better drop it because it's extremelly hard to live from your art. Unless you become a famous author with one millions art sold or work in a company ...you will not get rich and will still need a extra jobs for filling bill.

think money's as a reward of your hours of passing in front of your canvas / sheet / computer just drawings...not  something you automatically need...

That is really great advice, Nio. I should just leveling up and increase all my stats and resistance xD

I got the point, aim to create art for ton of money is meaningless. Honestly I love my works, and that`s what push me to keep fighting. Money never come to mind, except in this kind of bad situation.

Alright, thanks Nio, I will try my best and keep my passion in art burning. Wish me luck! 

 

[Archeia]

1. Research your 'competition.' (aka the people who are on same situation as you are.) Check the quality of their works to get a base idea on what kind of works the forums are looking for. The more places you are advertising the better.
2. Build a portfolio, as much as you can. The more polished the examples, the better. Make sure they're not sketchy or whatsoever since nobody can really use those in game development unless they're very well done and can be applied without alpha transparency issues.
3. Estimate how many hours you take per drawing. Then make an estimation per drawing on that price.
4. Post everywhere but make sure not to just jet and run. People are more inclined to commission someone they know that are involved.

I would have more but I'm currently brain dead but this should be a step on the right direction.

 

[??????]

TBH dude, I have no idea what certificate you are talking about, if its art related though, I certainly don't have it

 

[EternalShadow]

TBH dude, I have no idea what certificate you are talking about, if its art related though, I certainly don't have it

A degree or a high school diploma depending what they have in the USA lol

Personally, I'm doing fine without my degree. You can apply to jobs without it, unless it is very specialised eg teaching, lab researching, etc. No issues in the tech or retail fields for example, though.

 

[rechronicle]

1. Research your 'competition.' (aka the people who are on same situation as you are.) Check the quality of their works to get a base idea on what kind of works the forums are looking for. The more places you are advertising the better.
2. Build a portfolio, as much as you can. The more polished the examples, the better. Make sure they're not sketchy or whatsoever since nobody can really use those in game development unless they're very well done and can be applied without alpha transparency issues.
3. Estimate how many hours you take per drawing. Then make an estimation per drawing on that price.
4. Post everywhere but make sure not to just jet and run. People are more inclined to commission someone they know that are involved.

I would have more but I'm currently brain dead but this should be a step on the right direction.

I will try and follow that direction, currently on that road actually. Building portfolio and try to improve, you are right about that sketchy style, will learn certain art style to match with game resource standard.

Thank you Archeia, this is really help!

TBH dude, I have no idea what certificate you are talking about, if its art related though, I certainly don't have it

ah sorry, by certificate I mean something you get after graduate from certain university, lol

You probably won`t have art related because you are programmer right xD

A degree or a high school diploma depending what they have in the USA lol

Personally, I'm doing fine without my degree. You can apply to jobs without it, unless it is very specialised eg teaching, lab researching, etc. No issues in the tech or retail fields for example, though.

True, some jobs that I already searched are art-related like graphic designer studio, thus it need degree. I guess I must find some other place with minimum requirement. Thank you EternalShadow!

 

[EternalShadow]

Why would a graphic designer studio require a degree? Those places depend far more on the strength of a portfolio...

 

[rechronicle]

Why would a graphic designer studio require a degree? Those places depend far more on the strength of a portfolio...

that is.. I don`t understand either.. maybe to get a guaranteed worker, I don`t know.. @__@

I agree that portfolio is the most important for job like designer.

 

[EternalShadow]

A degree doesn't guarantee the person will work or stick around!! I have a funny story about a guy who left one day in... But that's not this situation here xD

Just apply anyway even with no degree, show them a portfolio instead.

 

[Bakuda]

I speak as a musical artist, but I believe it applies here as well. I never finished University, because I realized as a composer the strength of my portfolio was worth way more than a degree or certificate. Now, don't go quitting school because I said that! That was the right call for me, not for all artists. Just know that your portfolio is what's going to get you the jobs.

I'm going to tell you what my friend, possibly the most talented and brilliant musicians I know, told me. He said, "If you want to be a successful musician, get a degree in business. You'll spend 80% of your time working the business and only 20% of your time writing music." So far, he's been right. To get work, you have to advertise and network like crazy. Once you land a job, you have to understand how contracts work. You need to submit invoices when it comes time to getting paid. And you need to understand tax laws and pay them.

If you want to make art your business, you must treat it like a business. You should devote so many hours per day to your business. If you're not drawing during that time, you should be networking and making new friends in different places, making sure your portfolio is seen. Also, really get to know your competition, but as friends not competitors. I've become very good friends with my biggest competition here at RPG Maker. Instead of trying to out-do one another and fight for the same client, we bounce ideas off of each other and help each other grow as composers and musicians.

Last of all, as someone already said, don't expect to make money immediately. The old phrase "don't quit your day job" applied here. But don't give it up either. It took me a while to build up to the point where I was making a decent income from my music. Just keep working at it. Always look for was to grow as an artist and keep looking for new places on the web to share your art.

 

[Blinn]

If you want sound advice for how to make a living as an artist, go to an artist who's actually making some real money from his work and ask *that* person.

I'll put it another way - don't go to a sick doctor to figure out how to get healthy. Most artists are broke, but you don't have to be. You can license your work as stock assets for game developers to use. There are many sites on the web that pay you 50%, 60%, even 70% commission on every piece of art you license.

Sites like these are awesome because you can be earning money, regardless of what you're doing. What you want is multiple sources of passive income, so you don't have to work nearly as hard for your living. You work because you want to, and if you get good at selling your work like Resource Packs sell on RPG Maker Web, it'll be considerably easier to earn a living.

Following these ideas have earned me more money than trying to find work, because in the sound industry, there's 10 people wanting the same job or commission, and none of them get it. It's usually the guy they never mention in the sign-up form.

If you're interested, I can show you places, tools, and people that may help you.

 

[Lunarea]

If you want to make a living as an artist, you need to spend time on the business side of it -- marketing, social media, contracts, research and continuous practice. It's actually going to be a lot more work than having a casual job.

This video goes into some detail about it:




Just be warned that the income is not consistent and that most artists start (and a lot even end) by supplementing their income from art with a more stable "day job".

Lastly, some people have had luck with ******* - but once again, it involved a lot of time spent marketing and promoting their page.

 

[Kyuukon]

portfolio > degree

I'd focus more on expanding and improving your work over getting a pricey piece of paper.

 

[nio kasgami]

I actually disagree with the degree is less important than portfolio

You sadly know that having a degree provoke a strong impact on getting hired because this show a "proof" you have experience and know what you are doing.

So let's take a example :

I want to enter in Ubisoft in 3D modeling

you have me but a another candidate.

Me I my art have maybe some error but can be corrected with a good "senior" who will learn me the grasp of it....ANYWAY'S I studied the 3D animation and have my degree in it.

Now the other candidate is really good and have awesome 3D modeling but don't have any "degree" in that...

Sadly, it's would be me who will have a strong chance to win. Because they would prefer to took a rookie who had all the information than a autodidact who will maybe not know ALL the knowledge required for being in 3D animation.

That's a sad fact in life...

So YES degree make a strong influence on your chance to get hired or such 

 

[LaFlibuste]

The degree thing: Depends on the job you are trying to land, really. Schooling is a means to an end and a degree brings a certain recognition with it, but it's not the end goal. Schooling will teach you techniques, how to use tools, etc. but in the end, an autodidact without a degree but with an amazing portfolio might get the job over someone with a degree but no portfolio or loosy art, especially if he nails the interview. Also, sometimes seizing the right opportunity at the right moment might do more for you than finishing or rushing to finish a degree.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Ultimately it depends on the field you're trying to enter and what their hiring practices are like. But in a lot of industries, experience and resume (in this case portfolio) will often net you more consideration. Getting an education is highly valuable, but experience needs to accompany that degree no matter what. 

Achieving academically and getting the degree will always get you recognition but students need to also land internships, go to job fairs, network, get involved in their communities, and meet people to get these valuable experiences to boost themselves forward into the job market after their graduations. 

Also, if you have lots of experience and a great portfolio but encounter "bachelor's in" required. Apply anyway. You know? You don't get the jobs you don't apply for! These lists of requirements on job posting aren't always necessarily barriers to entry. 

 

[EternalShadow]

Well, Nio, let's put it this way: I have not used any (well, ok, maybe a smidgen but I could've just googled it) of my degree knowledge so far in the related job I already have.

Most people don't even use what they learn in a degree in a job, unless it is a science or med.

Rejecting someone on the basis of them not having a degree for fear of them not knowing all the things they need to would be outright foolish. How do you think they came up with the portfolio in the first place, anyway?

A company like Ubi would never take a person they have to train up, unless it was some sort of training programme. It would simply be far cheaper and less time consuming for them to take a degree-less, good 3D modeller.

 

[Sharm]

Gotta disagree with you Nio.  Even at school going for a commercial art degree my teachers would tell us over and over again that knowing the tools wasn't very important because it's much, much easier to train a good artist on the right tools than it is to train someone who knows the tools to be a good artist.  A degree can be good, but in this industry it just needs to be any degree to have an effect.  It proves that you have the tenacity to graduate, but that's pretty much it.  The portfolio is what displays your skills.  BTW, I've never once had a job in the art industry even ask if I graduated high school let alone caring about a degree.  Portfolio and work history were the only things they really cared about.  My experience in that is pretty limited though, I've pretty much only done freelancing.  I only did a desk art job once for some advertising firm and I haaaaated it.  Didn't even last the trial period.

My advice (aside from the really good stuff already given) is to find a niche that suits you and sell to it.  There is a huge number of high quality artists out there all looking for work, the best way to compete is to not compete at all.  Find or make a place where artists are more rare but still needed, get skilled at what they're looking for, speak their language, and you'll do much better.  This works especially well if it's an area that holds interest to you.  Of course, finding this niche in the first place has a lot to do with luck, but keep you mind open to the possibilities and you may just find an opportunity in an unexpected place.  In the meantime, never stop learning.  Finding that niche will only help if you're good enough to keep it once other artists notice that there's a place for them.  You should strive to be the expert at your little area.  Don't be afraid to learn things outside of your expertise though.  Every style of art has things to teach you about other styles, learning more about any art will help you grow.  Eventually even the perfect spot will disappear due to changing interests or economy or technology or even your own body wearing out on you.  Be prepared to move on to new things.