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How to become a freelance illustrator?

How to get started as someone who draws for a living (call yourself whatever you like!)

Now before we get started, let’s keep the Doodleodrama blog tradition alive and throw out some disclaimers.

I didn’t follow any of this advice because…I didn’t ever think I’d draw for a living. I liked drawing so I used to draw every single day (even when I had a day job) and no matter how good or bad (most of it was shitty) I still put up that work online. I didn’t have to worry about who was looking at it and whether or not it would get me clients and money. It was a hobby and that turned into a career.

But here are some pointers that I believe will help someone get started as a freelancer. (Again, my advice is - Don’t take my advice)

Build a portfolio  You need to have a body of work to show to prospective clients and future followers/fans. So work, work, work. If you’re really passionate about pursuing whatever it is that you want to pursue, you have to put in the time and effort- EVERYDAY to get better at your craft, to polish your skills, learn, explore, and achieve! (write this in quotes on a serene landscape picture and it’ll become a legit quote). 

Reach out to people : (I didn’t do this). But I’ve heard it helps also what’s there to lose. Let the world know that you’re now open for business. Start with family and friends. then move to colleagues and other friends (who aren’t really friends, like everyone on your Facebook list), announce to the universe. AND THEN reach out to the important people A.K.A potential clients. Write to magazines you’d like to work with, write to art directors and agencies, and cafes you love. Tell them you’re open for business and send them your portfolio (which you would have if you had followed step1).

Create Work : ok! so it’s not that easy. Agreed. Chances of people actually replying and giving you work are quite dim (hey! appreciate the honesty!). So create work for yourself. This will help with pointer 1. Make mock-ups or work on your own projects (self-initiated projects). Always wanted to illustrate a children’s book but no such opportunity has come knocking on your door? worry not! write your own book and illustrate it too. (kinda like that cake proverb). Even better, if you think you can’t write a book for some reason, grab that other friend of yours who is a writer and is looking for an opening too. He/she writes and you illustrate. VOILA! thank you very much, do leave your first borns at my doorstep! (KIDDING -_-) Keep up with the times! - Have some social media presence. You don’t have to be everywhere but be somewhere. And be consistent! Update your social media profile(s) regularly. Let people know what’s happening, what you’re working on, behind the scenes. Everything! And use this social media to discover and explore more artists and art styles. Get out of your bubble. There are SO many illustrators on this planet (and more in the making as you’re reading this) and SO many various forms of art styles and SO much content, go explore!

Socialise & Network: (I am trying to get better at this). Attend those hipster-y events and some real ones too. Meet other artists, attend conventions, meet-ups, fairs, etc. Look, listen, absorb, process, create, and share. (Please put this in quotes too and write it on a black and white photo of mine). Let that passion show & glow! - If you’re signing up for this then do it with all your heart and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Hustle. (like everyone on the internet is saying these days). Keep your day job if you need to for whatever reasons be it money or if you’re not sure of taking the plunge yet. Maybe you don’t want to freelance full-time (then why the f are you reading this blogpost?). I did 4 full-time day jobs before I finally quit to become a full-time freelancer. Come back, no matter how tired and drained out and pissed off and make art!

Chase quality not quantity - I know we are obsessed with numbers now. Hail social media! and there are easy ways to get those numbers. Hello sponsored posts! You pay these media giants and they’ll get you the “likes” or “followers”. If you have that kinda money lying around and if that’s the goal, go for it. But always remember why you started. Be consistent and be honest. Respect your work and time. (and your parents because that makes Karan Johar happy!)

Success or money wont come overnight or within a week of you struggling and hustling. So make sure to keep your ego in check to help with success and save up or continue working to help with money. Also, remember everyone’s story and journey is and will be different from yours. Start somewhere and work your way!

Here’s a big virtual hug and lots of good vibes. May the force be with you. Ja simran jee le api zindagi! 

[doodleodramablog-blog]

Sir Leo : Story of my flooferson.

Heads up! This blog is about my dog. Yes, the entire blog is about him. So if you came here looking for some life advice then this might not be for you. Or wait! His face might just inspire you and if you stare at his fluffy bum long enough, profound wisdom shall come to you.

So Leo A.K.A Leonardo A.K.A Sir Leo is my 2 year old son who is a golden retriever. He came to us last year, May 8th 2016 (Mother’s day. Also a day after my 27th birthday). My husband & I (actually more me and less him) were looking to adopt a pupper and I happened to see this floof face on a Facebook page (Pawffles) and in that very moment, I knew this kid was coming home.

We did not name him Leo, he was already called Leo when we adopted him. I added confetti to the cake! Of course now he has some dozen different names and only responds to any of them IF and WHEN he feels like.

Growing up, I ALWAYS wanted a dog but could never have one due to various reasons. One of them being, I liked the “idea” of dogs but in real life, I was petrified of them. Sir Leo is my million wishes come true. He’s true love. The one and only bae/boo/baby (you get the point).

Sir Leo loves to smell crotches and play tug of war. Good gave him a heart instead of a brain, so he has two hearts basically. He doesn’t like playing with squeaky toys because every time the toy squeaks, he thinks he’s hurting them. So he’s ever so gentle with them.

He loves stuff toys and his love is the tough love kind therefore not many last. The first thing he does with his stuff toys is carefully and gently pluck out the eyes, nose, and ears. He doesn’t want the little ones to see, smell, or hear this bad-dark world. Its in their best interest, really.

He gets a stuff toy or two to bed every night without fail. Puts them on his bed/cushion, licks them to sleep and then proceeds to sleep on the floor himself. Told you about two hearts (or the lack of brain). He also likes to bring his stuff toys on walks (he expects me to pick up their poop too) but our boy lacks determination and drops them half way through the walk (and I have to pick them all up and bring them back home safely).

He is also a scaredy cat who is petrified of anything that moves or makes a sound. Like flip-flop bottle caps, the acoustic guitar, leaves, kittens, etc. He is also not very fond of other dogs (this is because he is unaware that he is a dog). He lurvvvvvvvvvves Hoomans! He loves every human on this planet, who was on this planet, and who will be part of this planet in the future.

He also keeps himself entertained, sometimes he will sit in the balcony and silently watch over mankind (and judge them!), sometimes he will roll over on his back and watch the ceiling and imagine a sky dropping treats? Or he will show some tough love to his stuff toys till he gets tired.

He has the softest ears, the round-est head, the cutest nose (bop!), and adorable eyes that will melt your heart, rib cage, intestines, and everything in between, above, below, & beyond.

I could probably write a pointless book or books about Sir Leo and print two copies, one for myself and one for him to sniff and tear (because no one else will read it).

Anyhoo, there was no point to this but I feel like I should make this meaningful else my soul will feel very empty. So two points :

Adopt, don’t shop- PLEASE! Adopt. We didn’t go in looking for a particular breed, we happened to spot him on one of the many adoption pages I had joined and decided to bring him home. We were open to all breeds, all colours, all sizes. But if you’re someone who wants a specific breed only (I know people have prejudices and preferences), look around. Join adoption pages, visit your local animal shelters, you’ll be surprised to see how many of these pedigree dogs are left abandoned. The whole debate and judging people who prefer indies over pedigree breeds is legit, because dogs are dogs and indies are AH-MAZING! But at the end of the day, if an abandoned dog gets a home, a warm bed to sleep in, food, and lots of love then that’s one good deed done!

Dogs are a (our) responsibility: please don’t adopt and bring a pupper in your house if you cant take care of him/her. They are not accessories, they are not someone else’s problem, they are not meant to be tied to your gate or left on the streets. Make sure if you bring one in, your stick through, through thick and thin, in sickness and health (yes! I know my vows). Dogs also mean extra expense. Vet visits, medicines, dog food, toys, etc are expensive so you need to take that into account too.

That’s all I have to say in this blog. And yes, those two pointers are valid for cats and other domestic animals/pets too. You can follow Sir Leo and his shenanigans here (click!)

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Do freelancers work for free?

Yes, of course! Why else would they be called “Free”lancers?

After that sad pun which is the general perception, let’s start this blog with a disclaimer because why not? 

If you came here looking for some sort of a rate card; greeting cards Rs. 500, posters Rs. 1,000, wedding invites Rs. 2,000. Etc then I suggest you close this tab immediately.

Pricing is very personal just like bras. There’s no one size fits all. So we are here to discuss the cup size and the strap width, texture, material, push or no push etc... sorry! We were discussing pricing, right?

Before we dive into the different factors that I consider before putting a price tag on my work, there are majorly two types of pricing that you can work with; a fixed price and variable/fluctuating price.

Fixed price : you pick a rate card for yourself depending on the kind of work you do/ you’d like to do. E.g.: Any or every wedding invitation will be charged Rs. 2,000 (imaginary figures) regardless of the brief (kind, type, size, etc).

Variable price : the pricing will depend on the brief.

Again, I am no expert in this field (I will always be a newbie) and I’ve learnt things the hard way (and I’m learning everyday). Here are a few pointers I tend to keep in mind before giving a quotation to a client (please bear in mind that this advice is coming from someone who once charged a client Rs.15 for a doodle!).

Time : the amount of time it will take you to make the said artwork. E.g.: an artwork that takes you 5 hours to make should ideally cost more than something you can whip up in 15 minutes. Some freelancers also charge a fixed rate on hourly basis. E.g.: you charge Rs.500 per hour. You work on a piece for a total of 4 hours then 4*500 = cost of total project Rs. 2,000.

Effort : this is hard to quantify but comes with practice. Effort as the word suggests is the effort you’re going to put into the artwork. E.g.: it could be a single character illustration but may require a complex amount of detailing and layering which will take time and a lot of effort when compared to making a stick figure of a human.

Scope of work : I’ve discovered this only recently (from my mistakes, you shall learn). I think I can best explain this pointer with an example : if you were to make an A5 size poster for a client and charge them Rs. 1,000 for it. But the client uses the same artwork as a book cover and prints say, 1,000 copies of it. Prints bookmarks and posters, and even wall art of the same design makes a thousand copies of each and sells them in the market, then congratulations! You’ve been fooled. *hands a paper crown*. In such cases, always know what the scope of work is, where all it’s going to be used, have the client sign a terms & conditions document which prohibits the client from using the artwork outside of the scope agreed upon.

Size of artwork : sometimes size matters. Sometimes! It’s a simple case of designing an A4 size poster Vs. designing for a food truck. The latter will require more effort and time and greater scope of work, hence the client has to part with his/her kidneys!

Timelines/priority : my favourite breed of clients are the ones who use the words ��ASAP’ and ‘URGENT’. They will always ask for top notch quality with quick turnaround time and want to pay you peanuts for it. Now, you cannot compromise on quality (because I am assuming you’re a decent artist and human being) so you’ll burn the midnight oil and deliver within the “URGENT” timelines. So in such scenarios, the one thing you can do is demand more money. Because you are pushing other commissions to make space for this one, you better get reimbursed for making their priorities yours.

How to get pricing right?

Nobody knows (ok! Maybe some people do. But hey! This is my blog and I will give shitty advice).

Trial and error (this is my mantra for EVERYTHING in life. Glad I don’t have kids yet!).

DON’T EVER WORK FOR FREE (I will stab you in the eye if you do!). You can work for free for NGOs working for a cause you believe in or for your grandfather (poor old man. Have a heart!). But otherwise, as a rule of thumb, please don’t ever work for free. If you work for free for a client/organisation, you’re not only securing yourself a comfy spot on the pavement to sleep for the rest of your life but also hitting the rest of us. Because then it’ll be a case of, oh! Sharma Ji’s son worked for free, you should learn something from him. We will all end up on that pavement. And people in our country DRIVE on pavements!!!

Ask yourself how much you’d be willing to pay for the piece you’ve created. Or ask a friend how much they’d be willing to pay for it (a real friend not those imaginary ones)

The other thing you can do is ask the client for their budget and see if you can match their budget or meet them halfway. You could alter the project E.g. An A4 poster with complex detailing and colouring can be reduced to an A5 poster with less background work, one character eliminated, etc to match the budget. Basically, work together with the client to make the project work. But don’t work for free! (I’m watching you).

You can (and should) revise your pricing every 6-12 months. This is again assuming you have polished your skill set and you’re producing better work and know your craft a little better than you did 6 months ago. To ensure the client doesn’t completely ruin your life, see if you can get a full or 50% advance payment before starting out. A lot of companies don’t agree to the 50% advance payment method (unfortunately) because they have their own 30 day payment schedule, in which case it’s a gamble. So you decide whether you want to risk it or not, how badly you want the project, and how reliable is this brand.

A quick wrap-up of this very serious and very useful blog :

Never work for free.

70% of the clients will claim to be poor.

And IF you are working for free as a one-off then make sure it is a one-off only and the “exposure” or “cross promotion” “collaboration” is worth it. Because if its not, I am coming after you with that knife!

Make sure you include cost for ideation if you’re also working on the idea/storyline/layout etc for a project in your total quote. You can totally charge for rough drafts/samples/and even extra iterations. 

And lastly but most importantly -Pricing depends on you, your skill level, your experience, & your needs.

Please remember that it’s ok to fumble, be confused, make mistakes, underprice (happens with me all the time) & overprice (the client won’t let this happen). At the end of the day, you need to decide how important the project and that experience is for you. You might come across a very interesting project which will also look amazing on your portfolio but the money isn’t great. Or the money is good but the project itself is bleh. It’s a choice you have to make!

Hope all this rambling was useful. If not, I am not sorry, you chose to click and read. 

[doodleodramablog-blog]

Hey! I love your illustrations and drawings, and apart from being funny and beautiful, they contain messages that are really important. Your blogs are both funny and helpful, making for an interesting read! I admire you! Your work gives me hope, and brings a smile to my day!

Hey! Thank you SO much ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[doodleodramablog-blog]

I want to draw great things(ideas too) but shit happens all the time. Sleepiness, laziness and all dumb things happen together to just put me off...how do you react or act when you experience a massive creative block.

Hey. I think I kind of answered this in the recent blog :) hope that helps.

[doodleodramablog-blog]

Inspiration & Motivation - the tale of two ex-lovers.

So after the huge success of my first blog (6 people read it including my own family), here we are with blog number- Two *insert drum roll*.

I did an Instagram story poll thing for this one, asking which blog to write first; inspiration & motivation or pricing (you know by now which of the two emerged as a winner). I will however, write one on pricing soon (too). So thank you to everyone who participated in the poll.

Now that we are done with the awkward intro-session and are all warm & toasty, let’s dive straight into the subject. Let me start with “my” definition or differentiation between the two. According to me, inspiration is ideas and motivation is the energy/zest/zeal/enthusiasm to implement these ideas.

Often, I find it challenging to bring these two people together, under the same roof (hence the title). They are like ex-lovers who went through a bad breakup and therefore cannot see eye to eye. And whenever they are in the same room together, the air is tensed but it helps get work done!

Before I start rambling about them, I think it’s very important to understand and acknowledge what is it that you need help with. Are you lacking motivation or inspiration?

Let’s talk about motivation first. Now these are some pointers that help me personally to get motivated. (Try them at your own risk).

Consume more so you can create more : I religiously follow and sometimes stalk truck loads of artists (illustrators, cartoonists, comedians, vloggers, poets, photographers, etc). Just seeing people put out amazing work, puts me in a good mood. I try to feed off on their energy and it helps me give myself that little push to work harder on my craft/skill.

Note : this might have the opposite effect too. I know creators who look at other people’s work and go “Oh! Everyone’s creating such amazing content and I’m a potato. Woe is me. I’m hopeless”. That brings me to the next pointer…

2. Know what works for you : take a walk, get a cup of coffee, stretch/sketch(or both), music, pet a floof (a real or imaginary pet), etc. Any of these or all of these could work for you. Motivation is all about working your mood to work for you. Even a nap could help! Try a few things and see what works best for you.

3. Take time off : taking a break helps. For me taking a break from my immediate surroundings does even better. So my breaks are as simple as sitting on the couch in my living area instead of sitting on the chair in my studio, just change of scenery can help sometimes. Do something outside of work. I turn to music or books or movies or tending to my dying plants and this can sometimes even spark inspiration (more on that later). I like going shopping for plants (that i will eventually kill), books, and stationery in general.

4. Let lazy takeover : There are only so many battles you can fight in a day and only so many that you can win so it’s totally ok to let lazy take over somedays. Don’t try to fight it everyday, every second (I’ll make a horrible parent!). Somedays you just want to smell bad, look bad, and pretend dead. And that is A-ok.

(Again, these pointers work for me. I’ve been told that I should be banned from giving advice…so…)

I’d also like to add another pointer here. I don’t usually struggle with motivation when it comes to client work. I somehow like being accountable and I hate to admit this, but I do work well under pressure and with deadlines. (As a student, I loved writing exams and that’s one of the things I miss about my student life- exams. Yeah. So now you know). Also, with client work there’s usually a set (agreed upon) brief available so inspiration is already served, you just need to bring your motivation to dinner table.

Moving onto Inspiration, this is harder to achieve than motivation (IMHO). Now inspiration doesn’t come knocking on my forehead every single day as soon as I wake up. So whenever it does come, I try and grab it with both my hands and soak in as much as I can.

Note : Here I’d like to throw in a recommendation- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. PLEASE read that book if you’d like to explore creativity, inspiration, motivation and all that jazz. READ IT.

Here are a few things that help me get inspired. Again, these work for me but might not work for you so don’t come looking for me with a butcher knife. Don’t.

People : Indians are THE funniest race on planet earth. We just don’t know how to laugh at ourselves. All my comics come from observing people, their action-reactions, us as a society and our approach to life. I love observing people. So I am that creep who sits in coffee shops and pretends like I’m working or eating but I’m actually listening to your conversations, watching your body language, and making layouts for my next comic, featuring YOU. (Learn the art of subtlety before you practice this stunt. We have laws now so be civilised).

Anything but work : Surprisingly, I don’t get ideas when I look at other fellow illustrators/comic artists’ work. I get motivated, sure but not inspired. For that, I need to look outside of my work. I often get my ideas/concepts from books I’m currently reading, maybe a film I recently watched, an incident, circumstances, relatives at family gatherings, Facebook activity of my “Facebook friends”, etc. Yeah, I feel like I have a self awarded degree in human psychology (although I studied journalism, advertising, & film).

Shame your creative block in public : Let EVERYONE know that you are not inspired at the moment by drawing/writing about the creative block. And if this creative block visits often which it will (pesky little rascal), find creative ways to introduce your uninvited guest, the creative block to the world. Sooner or later you will get on its nerves and drive it away (for a while at least).

Go back to where you came from! : (immigrants can sit down. HAHA. OK sorry). What I mean by that is, when you’re stuck in a rut, reach for comfort food (first) and then for something familiar. For me, I love warming up with some rough sketches of faces with varied expressions. I find that relaxing because it’s something I know and enjoy doing. It’s like giving my ego a mini massage session. Don’t tell your brain to create a master piece just let your muscle memory do its job and draw some gibberish. Anything. Once you’re over that block, you can go ahead and poop all over that smooth road now!

So these are some of my cue cards/go-to pointers whenever I am stuck/not in the mood/not feeling it. But then again, they are not foolproof and that explains why I only did client work today. But hey! At least we got this blog done. I hope this was some help to the 3 people who will read it. PLEASE do drop me a note/message here. There’s also the ask me anything section.

There’s also the Doodleodrama Facebook & Instagram & email. If you have questions/opinions/suggestions- let me know!

*takes a bow and doesn’t leave*

[doodleodramablog-blog]

The seven deadly doubts

Let’s begin! 

Firstly, a big welcome to all the warm butts parked here. Welcome to my blog. I am going to be using this space to answer questions, give unnecessary but free gyaan, and to spurt other nonsense from time to time. So sit back and try not to throw up. 

Here are some of the questions that I get asked very frequently. I am going to try and answer them to the best of my ability

1. Who are you?

My name is Mounica Tata. I am a 28 year old woman, self-taught full-time freelance illustrator. I am originally from Hyderabad but based out of Bangalore. My dad was in the army so I moved around quite a bit. I speak Hindi, English, and Telugu (can’t read and write Telugu though). I am married to a fine man, I fondly call hubster and I have a very fluffy son, adopted. He is a 2 and a half year old golden retriever called Sir Leo. 

2. How did Doodleodrama happen? 

I am a B.com Honours graduate who went onto do a masters in Mass Communication. Then went onto work as an editor for a college magazine, then as a client executive and content writer for a small design firm, then as an account executive and copy writer for a digital marketing agency. 

I finally quit my last job last year in May and decided to draw for a living. I had been putting up work online for a couple of years now and I used to get small gigs like wedding invitations, designing menu cards for cafes, customised posters, etc. which I used to work on on weekends. I realised that drawing gives me pure joy and I decided to take the leap of faith and do it full-time. 

3. Why that brand name Doodleodrama?

I definitely didn’t want to make my name my brand name. Honestly, I didn’t think much before I started my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/doodleodrama)  with that name. I was in college, I liked doodling, I liked all things dramatic and have always been a fan of everything round so the O to bring doodle and drama together. I wanted to at some point change the name especially since I’ve been drawing for a living now but the name stuck and it has LEO in it so I let it be :) 

4. How did you pick up drawing, the tools, and all that jazz?

I don’t think I have mastered any of that yet, still a long way to go. I worked as a content writer and client executive with design & marketing firms so I used to stay up after work hours or sit during breaks with the design team and ask them to teach me the basics (opening & saving files on photoshop). Up until then, I used to take pictures of my hand-drawn comics and upload them or use MS Paint. So I used to come back from my day job (at night!) and then practice the software, watch a tonne of online tutorials, read & read some more. See more art, follow crazy number of artists & their work (still do) and practice. My learning curve has been quite steep  (from where I started to where I am today and where I am headed from here) but it taught me a lot! 

5. What are your weapons of choice and what’s your method/process like?

I still predominantly use pencil and paper for my initial rough sketches. Still pretty old school. I then either take a picture or scan my rough sketches and take it to Adobe Photoshop. I then add layers and use the brush tool and ink my rough sketches (to get cleaner, bolder lines). And the subsequent layers are for colouring, detailing, adding shadows, highlights, text, etc. 

I started off with Wacom Bamboo drawing tablet and a 15-inch Dell Inspiron laptop. I used that drawing tablet from 2013-2015. In 2015, I went off to London for a few months and my most priced possession/buy from that trip is my Wacom Intuos Pro Medium drawing tablet. I work on a 27-inch iMac desktop. I recently got the new iPad Pro and I am enjoying drawing digitally (directly) on the screen with Procreate. These are all the hardwares and softwares I use and have used.  

6. What about traditional art?

I am quite rubbish with traditional art but I find paints and paper therapeutic so I continue to experiment, explore, fail, and pick up! Thanks to #Inktober2017 (you can use the #myelliestory on Instagram to see my inktober story this year) I invested in some inks and paints. I currently have a set of Windsor & Newton watercolours (it was a gift), Camlin transparent photo colors, & Daler Rowney’s acrylic inks & Sumi India Ink (black). 

7. How do you get clients & followers?

I believe I am an average artist and a terrible business woman. I’ve not invested a single penny on digital/social media marketing for my work. I’ve only invested time and effort in putting up work. It helps to create a digital portfolio and in turn helps to get recognised. It’s important to find your voice and your style and that helps you to build a niche audience for yourself and to get noticed. My content, my style, and my sense of humour are my brand ambassadors. I draw everyday, I put out content regularly so nothing happens overnight! 

I am sort of tired now. My brain hurts (also soul). Leave me your questions here or on Facebook or on Instagram (if you have any more) or if you have fun topics that you’d like my two cents on, please let me know so we can keep this blog alive. Not bad for a first attempt, no?