Tag Archives: Random Thoughts

A quick story about one of the most important lessons I learned in school…

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I have a question for you.

What would you do if you woke up blind tomorrow? Does the thought make you sick to your stomach – to realize that you will never be able to see or create art? Or would you be up to the task of spending the rest of your life doing something else?

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Illustrators are often encouraged to develop a style. It will help you create a brand for yourself and show art directors that you can work consistently. Finding the right style is an elusive task, so here are a few ideas to get you started.

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This is how I got my first major illustration job.

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I just got done giving my portfolio website a major overhaul (you can check it out here: www.danijones.com). Whenever I go through a major design change like this, I’m always thinking about what I can do better and how I can improve upon my previous website design. Much of this pondering comes with a lot of visits to other artist’s sites; I look at what works, what doesn’t, and what kinds of things I would like to do on my own site.

So, the question I would like to ask you is:

Which portfolio websites do you like, and why?

Is there an especially outstanding site that you would like to share with your fellow readers? Perhaps you enjoy how the artist has arranged his portfolio. Or maybe the site has a spectacular design. Maybe the site just has unique features that you haven’t seen anywhere else. Whatever the reason, I want to know what’s catching your eye.

My Personal Favorite

I see a lot of great artist sites out there, but I always seem to go back to the website of LeUyen Pham (www.leuyenpham.com). She is a children’s illustrator and has had many picture books published. I normally don’t like flash sites, but I can put aside my bias for this one because of the fun concept and sheer volume of features and high-quality artwork.

If you have any suggestions…

…please leave the link in the comments section. If there is a particular reason you like the site, be sure to point it out. This post will always be open to additions. Perhaps the next time you sit down to redesign your website, you will be able to look here for some inspiration.

I recently got an assignment to illustrate a small educational reader. One of the illustrations contained all of the following objects: a bicycle, a house, a car, and a horse.

I’m sure I let out an audible groan.

The thing is, I hate drawing every single one of those objects. Do I have something against them? No…but the thought of drawing them multiple times in various perspectives gives me a headache (and if you’re not a fan of perspective, a bicycle can be your worst nightmare, believe me!). I enjoy drawing little cuddly animals and cute kids. Most everything else, I can do without.

Every artist will come across this problem, and probably quite frequently. If you are a working illustrator, you can’t just push it aside.

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Earlier this week, I talked about some ways that artists should be using the internet. If you’ve already taken that first step and created your own website for your portfolio, take a moment to consider some of these notes. Your website might be driving me up a wall.

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