Are There Too Many Illustrators?

This week, I'm answering some FAQs for my course, Getting Paid to Draw. Today, I'm tackling one that I get often.

Are there too many illustrators?

Okay, it sounds weird like that, but let me explain. 

The question is a fair one. With so much amazing work out there, created by so many incredible artists, is it possible to still stand out and get paid assignments? I've asked myself this many times. 

To answer this, let me step back a few years.

My Introduction to Illustration

I can vividly remember the moment I first flipped through an ILLUSTRATION ANNUAL. It was the late 90s at my college library in East Tennessee. I was in a general “Art” program and knew little about Illustration. (disclaimer: I actually knew very little about anything.) I found the book by accident, but its impact was huge.

An illustration annual is a collection of new art from Illustrators bound into a book. Illustrators or their agents would pay (a lot) to have their art shown along with their contact info. The publisher would send the books to Creative Agencies and Art Buyers. These annuals still exist, but back then, they were the primo way for Illustrators to show their work to Art Directors. I’d heard of sending out postcards, but had no idea something like that existed.

It was PACKED with stunning art. Remember, this is pre-Instagram or even blogger, Tumblr…heck, it was before Google. It wasn’t as easy to be bombarded with new work back then, so seeing all of this illustration work in one spot was huge.

And here’s what happened. I had THREE major feelings while pouring over the pages.

1. I was excited.

   The projects included the name of the client who had commissioned the art. Seeing that companies were PAYING artists to draw stuff was so encouraging. Maybe, eventually, someone would want to pay me to make art, too? 
    

2. I was hungry.

   I don’t mean this figuratively. I mean it literally. I wanted something to eat. I was in my late teens, so I was always really hungry back then. My hunger wasn’t related to the book. I’m just trying to paint a picture in your mind.
   
   

3. I was BUMMED OUT.

   Once the initial excitement and newness of seeing the book started to pass, the feeling was replaced by something else. I realized that there were hundreds (thousands?) of artists out there who were older, more talented, and more experienced than I was. How could I possibly compete with them for paying projects? (I still have this feeling often.) 
   
   

Luckily, I didn’t stay bummed out for long. One of the advantages of it being the 90s was that I could just close the book and return it to the library. Out of sight, right? 

After I left the library, you know exactly where I went. To the cafeteria. I ate a sandwich. That made me feel a little better. AND THEN, I went back to my dorm. I started a list of the types of projects I’d seen in that book. I taped the list to my wall and added to it anytime I thought of something that would be fun to do.

I pushed down those bummed-out feelings as much as possible and just made art. Eventually, I could flip through those collections of incredible work, and the excitement would outweigh the dread that comes with comparing yourself to other artists. 

But how do you not get discouraged like that now, when opening your phone means instantly seeing the ceaselessly updating feed of new work from apparent geniuses?! How do they have so much time to work?! How is this illustrator only 22!? How did they get that dream gig illustrating for the New York Times!? Why is it getting so hot in here?! 

Let's go back to our initial question.

Are there too many illustrators?

The answer is YES.

Just kidding! What if that was why I’d written this post? Just to give a big, long-winded word of discouragement. Okay, sorry. It was a joke. 

The answer is NO. There’s plenty of room for more illustrators!

That statement is not some aspirational (and maybe inspirational?) quote. If it were, I wouldn’t have put in the energy to write this out. It’s a REAL thing that I honestly believe and have seen proven as an illustrator. I go into this in more detail in my class, but here are a few examples.

MORE FORMATS THAN EVER.

There are more publishing platforms than ever before. True, SOME printed media hasn’t weathered well, but think about apps, games, and digital media. Plus, production costs have decreased (in general), so more products that need illustration are being produced.

BOOK ILLUSTRATION.

The book industry is doing well. You thought print media was dead? Wrong. Books are thriving. Publishers need artists to illustrate their children’s books, chapter books, books for adults, gift books, graphic novels, and more.

SELF-PUBLISHING IS NOW VIABLE.

It’s easier to publish personal projects now and make a living. You can sell shirts directly from your Instagram or site, create a line of greeting cards and sell them to shops, make comics, or publish a book with Kickstarter. As an Illustration Professor, I would SCOFF at putting stuff out on your own unless it was just for self-promotion or pocket money. 

Not only do I suggest trying it now, but I’ve done it myself. A few years ago, I wanted to make a book that collected my travel sketchbook drawings. I decided to sell it directly, so I launched it with Kickstarter, and it raised enough money that I could make it exactly the way I wanted. (It’s called Slightly Jet Lagged.)

Let’s all try to take a deep breath and relax.

Does that mean that now, when I see awesome artwork from these kid geniuses, I’m only excited and encouraged? Nope. I still feel weird if I scroll through Instagram for more than two minutes. I still compare myself to other artists and stress that I’m not prolific enough. So, I try not to do that very much. Instead, I focus on my sketchbooks and drawings. Oh, and I make lists of future projects I would like to try. A list of goals is more helpful than just looking at other people’s work.

YOUR VOICE IS UNIQUE.

I learned (eventually) that I was the only person with my perspective. Finding my voice took a lot of time and effort, primarily in my sketchbooks but also in experimenting with techniques. The first time I made a Christmas card, I was so worried that there were no NEW ways to draw that topic. I had to remind myself that MY way of drawing any topic, my approach to it, could be different than anyone else's. I put my personality into it and created something that, luckily, an art buyer for Hallmark found interesting, and I was able to sell it.

I created projects to put into my portfolio that weren’t just fun to make but were actively targeted toward the type of work that specific clients were looking for. Creating targeted work like this was just one of the lessons that took a lot of time and effort to figure out, but eventually it’s how I would start getting paid assignments.

So, that’s my encouragement for you. If you’ve ever felt like there are so many great artists out there that you’ll never stand out, there’s room for more illustrators.

Now, let's go make some art.

Ready to turn your portfolio into a magnet for PAID illustration assignments!? Take my class!

Getting Paid to Draw 2023!

If you’re ready to create an illustration portfolio full of art that gets the attention of Art Directors, join Mike in his class Getting Paid to Draw. Class starts soon and it’s only offered once a year!