Illustrator Confessions: What It's REALLY like to Be an Illustrator

6 illustrators share their experiences and give advice about their profession

The best way to learn about any profession is to ask the people who know it best — so we did.

Six illustrators sat down to tell us about what it's like working in illustration today, and to give advice to artists who are just starting out.

From their struggle to get family members to understand their career choice, to explaining why illustration is anything but a dying profession, here's what they had to say.

1. Illustration is everywhere

"There are so many options of what illustration can be," says Marcos Chin (@marcoschinart). From storyboards to snowboards, and from magazines to mugs, illustration appears across countless formats, so keep an open mind when looking for projects.

2. You can be successful without buying expensive supplies

While the quality of your tools is important, when it comes to illustration, it's not everything. "Don't go out and rent an expensive studio. Don't buy the most expensive materials. Don't buy the most expensive computers," advises Mattias Adolfsson (@mattiasadolfsson).

3. People might not understand what you do - and that's ok

Even professional illustrators still deal with confusion from friends and family who don't quite understand their career path. "They might think that you just walk around with brushes and can be like, an artist," says Emma Hanquist (@emmahan).

4. A career in illustration takes a lot of work

"I think it's not easy to get in," says Alex Hillkurtz (@alexhillkurtzart), who works between eight to twelve hours each day. He recommends "learning everything you can about drawing" and networking.

5. Even successful illustrators go through lulls

"Sometimes you have way too much work and other times you just won't have any work for a while," explains Sarah King (@sarahkingart). Try remembering that this cycle of feast and famine is just a normal part of the business, and use your downtime to keep practicing and honing your craft.

6. It's ok not to know everything

If you're passionate about illustration, there's always more to learn and discover. "I love it, but I don't understand what I'm doing," confesses Marco Mazzoni (@marcomazzoniart).

You may also like:
- The Art of Sketching: Transform Your Doodles into Art, a course by Mattias Adolfsson
- Composition and Color for Creative Illustration, a course by Marcos Chin
- Chiaroscuro Creative Portrait with Pencils, a course by Marco Mazzoni