To kick things off for my very first interview here on Fuel Your Illustration I’m joined by one of the very artists set to participat in this Friday’s upcoming 3G show (Gremlins, Ghostbusters, and Goonies): Dave Perillo. Drawing from a retro-inspired background of 50s and 60s album covers and character designs, Perillo combines his love for pop culture (cartoons, comics, video games) with this vintage aesthetic to create works of art that are both strikingly bold and brilliantly simple.

Visit Dave’s portfolio |   Follow Dave on Twitter

Thanks for joining us, Dave. Can you recall the first illustration you ever did? What do you remember most about it?

I don’t really remember the first illustration I did, but I do remember being around the age of 4 and making a little mini picture book called “The Bubble Factory” where a mad scientist made a bubble machine. The scientist and a little boy get trapped in a bubble and then float away until it eventually pops and they safely land on the ground. I know my mom helped me put it all together. It was riveting story that I hope one day will be made into a big budget Hollywood film… maybe James Cameron could direct?

You graduated from Cabrini College with a degree in Graphic Design. Was there any specific experience you had that drew you more towards the illustration side of graphic arts?

Well, I was always told that if you majored in graphic design that it’d be easier to find a “real” job, which it did. I eventually moved into doing illustration work since it was more up my alley, I always loved “drawin’ pictures” so that’s the way I had to go. I do think that the graphic design background definitely helps when incorporating type and choosing color palettes in my work.

Most of your artwork seems to revolve around pop culture icons whether they be from film, television or video game. What do you find most appealing about this subject matter?

I guess as an artist you find inspiration on what surrounds you. Monet had water lilies, Van Gogh had sun flowers and I have cartoons, comics, video games, movies and sugar coated cereal.

With that in mind would you say that you consider yourself a caricaturist, cartoonist, or simply an illustrator? What do you perceive to be the differences between the three, if any?

It really is a fine line defining the three, but I would consider myself to be a cartoonist/illustrator. I always think of a caricaturist to be the guy who sits at an amusement park and draws silly pictures of people in a race car or on roller skates.

What kinds of things do you find the hardest to illustrate?

I gotta say feet and hands are always a pain to draw. Also, I once tried to draw the back of my head but could never get a clear look at to see if it came out okay.

How do you go about developing a typical illustration, do you start with a sketch and photo references or jump right into digital?

Sometimes I’ll do a rough sketch and then kind of use it as an overlay when I work on it digitally. Other times I’ll jump right in to digital, it depends on the piece really.

You co-host a podcast series called Megapodzilla with ‘Krazy Joe’ Fiore. Can you tell us a bit more about that and how you got involved?

My friend Krazy Joe wanted to do a podcast talking about movies, TV, comics and all things nerdy and asked if I wanted to co-host. We talk about what we currently enjoy (the “high five” section of the show) and our dislikes (Damage Report) and we give our thoughts on upcoming projects (Megapodzilla Prediction Network). We both used to do college radio shows back in the day and the podcast is kinda like an updated version of that.

Your work shares an aesthetic of simple shapes and flat colors that could be found in either animation or the Sunday ‘Funnies.’ Are there any specific examples of artists from these mediums that have influenced you at all?

I feel very influenced by things from the 50’s and 60’s. Occasionally I do some off registration in some of pieces which is kind of a throwback to way newspapers got printed. I guess as far as artists that influence me, I find I lean more towards artists like Jim Flora who did a bunch of jazz album artwork and Mary Blair who worked for Disney in the 50’s and 60’s. I use to own a book as a kid called “Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book of Animals” which showed you how to draw using basic shapes, i think that might have had an impact on my style today.

In 2002 you had a comic entitled “Abbey and Squirrel: Toad Trip” that was loosely based on an trip you and a friend had to experience Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Unfortunately, the comic never concluded… did they make it?

Ah yes… Abbey and Squirrel, I remember those two. Did they make it? Much like the riddle of how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop the world may never know. That is of course unless James Cameron would want to make it into a feature length film… Hollywood are you reading this?

In your biography you mentioned wanting to be Ziggy when you were a boy. Whatever happened to little ‘Ziggy’ Perillo?

Let’s just say I’m on my way to baldness and then after that the pants come off!

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Interview w/ Dave Perillo, Illustrator and Pop Culture Connoisseur

Chelsea Conlin

Find Chelsea at:

• http://paper-nautilus.com
• http://twitter.com/cacodaemonia

Rachael Rossman

Find Rachael at:

• http://rachaelrossman.com
• http://twitter.com/rachaelrossman

Kristin Bowen

Find Kristin at:

• http://doghousepetportraits.com
• http://www.twitter.com/doghousepetart

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For the Love of Dog: Pet Portrait Artists!

Entitled “The 3G Show,” the event boasts an impressive roster of over a dozen talented and diverse artist, each paying homage to a trifecta of pop culture cinema: Gremlins, Ghostbusters and The Goonies. Set to open next Friday, September 3rd from 7-10pm at Los Angeles-based Gallery 1988, the show will run until September 22nd 2010. Gallery 1988 has also announced that they will be featuring “an exact working replica of Ecto-1 (sweet!) and an original Ghostbuster” in addition to some of Mattel’s latest Ghostbusters action figures at the opening reception. Check out a sample of some of my favorites pieces from the show below.

Artwork © Alberto Cerriteño

Artwork © Germán Orozco

Artwork © Mark A. Fionda Jr.

Artwork © Jude Buffum

For more information on the show and its contributors, including more awesome art, check out The Autumn Society.

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Gremlins, Ghostbusters and Goonies… Oh My!

Hellboy II - Death

“[The notebook] contains visual ideas, character notes and plot details,” says del Toro in an interview with The Guardian,* “sketching a film can sometimes be more fun than actually making one.” With these same sketches, del Toro is able to establish the mood, style and presence of whatever world he’s currently creating and the characters that reside within. As it happens, many of these creatures are rather horrific in nature whether it be internally or externally, a trait that del Toro seems to be endlessly fascinated by as he told the New York Times in 2008**, “There’s nothing I enjoy more than creating fables about monsters, human or otherwise.”

Pan's Labyrinth - Pan

Having turned this obsession with monsters into a successful career I find his work to be both an inspiration as well as an impressive feat considering that he’s had no formal training. He did, however, spend eight years tutelage of SFX legend Dick Smith which might explain his attention to costume and character design. Among his many influences del Toro has credited Arthur Rackham, Francisco Goya, and William Stout as specific inspirations during his time on Pan’s Labyrinth and for those interested in hearing more about his sketches for Hellboy II I suggest checking out these soundbytes courtesy of The New York Times.

Hellboy II - Wink

*Pan’s people, The Guardian, November 2006
**Elves and Killer Beanstalks From Director’s Personal ‘Hell’, The New York Times, July 2008

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Sleep of Reason: The Fantasical Sketches of Guillermo del Toro

Ukiyo-e: The Floating World

One of these is Ukiyo-e, which, roughly translated, means “pictures of the floating world.” It was an art form in Japan in which artists printed amazingly detailed pictures on blocks of wood. The subjects of the paintings ranged from city life to mountain landscapes to ocean scenes. They were meant to show the beauty of the world around us. This technique was developed in the 17th century and became popular with townspeople who were not rich enough to own original paintings. Woodprints were easy and fast to make, taking one painting and making hundreds of prints. Because of this, they were mass-produced, so much so that soon there were far too many of them and their popularity waned. They were considered so worthless, in fact, that the Japanese began to use them as packing materials on ships. It wasn’t long before prints found their way outside the country and the rest of the world became aware of their existence.

European artists were in awe of the paintings. Impressionists like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet were greatly inspired by the artwork, and the influence of the Ukiyo-e art form was given a name: Japonisme. Though the rest of the world had embraced it, traditional Ukiyo-e died out in the early 1900s, and despite attempts to resurrect it, it has never hit the popularity it had once enjoyed.

I own several different paper prints of traditional Ukiyo-e images, but have never had the opporunity to see an actual woodprint of one. Are there any art forms that you admire but are no longer around? I’d love to hear about them! Feel free to share. For now, enjoy some of my favorite Ukiyo-e prints. For more information about Ukiyo-e, please visit The Japan Ukiyo-e Museum and the very informative Ukiyo-e wiki page.

Clicking on any image will bring you to the Wiki page for the artist. Enjoy!

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Ukiyo-e: The Floating World

We’re kicking it off with E.K. Weaver of The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal fame, a (more than epic) comic about two guys who throw caution to the wind, and take off on a cross-country road trip. As the author puts it, “”This is the story of two dudes who drive from Berkeley to Providence, take multiple detours, smoke too much weed, eat terrible Chinese food, sleep in seedy motels, get kicked out of a Goodwill, contemplate fate versus chance, piss into the sunset, start a brawl in a Waffle House, and fall in love.”

On with the Interview!

What started you down the road of comics?

I wouldn’t really say I’m “on the road of comics”… maybe on a smaller frontage road, or in the bike lane. I’ve always liked drawing quick sequentials, but never really identified as a Comic Book Artist – partly because it’s not how I make a living; partly because I’m still a very green amateur. Honestly, what got me started working on a comic book was realizing the story I had in mind was best told in that medium. That’s it. I’ve come to love it, though – the craft of comics, I mean. Scripting, pacing, timing, layout. It still blows me away that when you make a comic, you manipulate time with art. How cool is that?

Who was your biggest inspiration in the field of comics or cartoons?

Oh gosh, um. There are so many amazing artists (many my age and younger) who are continually evolving inspirations, but if we’re going with the past tense, I’d have to say Al Hirschfeld and Kyle Baker.

I’ve always admired Hirschfeld’s knack for distilling a person’s likeness down to its essential forms – not just facial resemblance but style of motion and posture as well. He depicts someone’s essence clearly even while rendering it in impossible ways – placing the eyes below the mouth, say, or drawing tight spirals for eyes. Not only that, but watching the documentary The Line King and seeing how instead of just flinging out these effortless curves and perfectly placed lines (as I’d previously thought), that he took each drawing through a painstaking sketching and refining process… it was like a beam of light out of the blue. I saw that pouring effort and time into artwork showed dedication, not inability to “get it right the first time”. That artists aren’t gods but people who work really damn hard.

As for Kyle Baker: His comics showed me the importance of acting. Characters don’t just move through a scene, they live it – they act it. Just read the first 10 or 15 pages of I Die At Midnight and you’ll see what I mean. His work is incredibly cinematic. Also, Baker’s books Why I Hate Saturn and Undercover Genie – and more recently, How to Draw Stupid – have been huge inspirations. There’s a LOT of Saturn influence in TJ and Amal – building characters through conversation and facial expression, setting the story in its place and period rather than trying to make it ‘timeless’, telling the story in ordered vignettes rather than one continuous arc…

What were some early creations – and what do you think of them now?

Comics-wise? I don’t really have much to speak of. Most of my creative projects before TJ and Amal were commercial illustration and design, or fandom stuff I did just for fun. Nothing I could call a truly original creation.

What is your favorite medium to work with?

Plain old mechanical pencil.

Regarding your process of creating a finished panel, what is your favorite part? Sketching, lineart, or the color?

Probably the first passes in pencil and ink. That’s when things really start to solidify, and when the emotion starts to show clearly. It gets me pretty pumped to see everything finally taking shape.

How long does it take you to create a final, fully-detailed comic?

We’ll find out. Three years, at least. *haha* A single page takes between 6 and 15 hours, and a 10-page segment usually will take between 3 and 6 weeks. (I have a day job, so comicking happens on weekends and at night. )

Who is your favorite – TJ or Amal?

I can honestly say I do not favor one over the other. Amal’s easier for me to relate to, but TJ’s dialogue is much easier to write.

If TJ and Amal were stranded in a rainforest, do you think they’d survive? (And who would crack first?)

Probably. TJ’s appetite might have him end up eating some nasty mushroom, though. (Amal would crack first, just because of all the bugs.)

Annnndddd…. What is your favorite webcomic?

Oh man, that’s like setting me loose in a cheesemonger’s and telling me I can only pick one! Erm, so I won’t.
For strips, probably either Nedroid, Hark! A Vagrant, Girls With Slingshots, or Something Positive. I’ve been following those last two for a long time. Long-form webcomics I like include Hanna is not a Boy’s Name, Templar, AZ, The Meek, Octopus Pie… I don’t think I can go on without leaving someone important out, but there are way more than this! There’s so much love, enthusiasm, and talent out there in the webcomics world. It’s really exciting.

You can find more about E.K. Weaver and her art here:

• Big Big Truck
• Official TJ and Amal site
• DeviantArt
• Twitter
• FormSpring
• TJ and Amal DA Club

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Webcomic Wednesday: Interview with E.K. Weaver

Jenny Clements

Git Git

Jennifer Miller

Ado Ceric

Chelsea Conlin

Laura Pelick

Camille Ching-Yun Kuo

Anry Nemo

Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

BreeAnn Veenstra

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A Celebration of Spring!

Case in the point: Matthew Hodge.

Here’s his story:

On August 22, 2009 Matthew Hodge, the 17-year-old son of former Disney story artist and Big Idea productions director Tim Hodge, was in a serious auto accident. A train struck his car at 50mph as he was crossing the tracks. While Matt suffered neither broken bones nor any internal organ damage, he did receive severe head trauma causing him to remain in a state of coma today. Matt is a high school senior, a straight A student, and a drummer in his state championship marching band.

Being self-employed, the Hodge family has short term medical insurance that will not fully cover all of their bills. Additionally, with the care they are giving Matt, full-time work is not possible for Tim right now. This loving family is relying on their faith and the love of family and friends for their survival. This is a tragic accident that will forever affect their lives as the road to recovery for Matt may be a long one.

To help the Hodges get through this hard time, the National Cartoonists Society Foundation has taken them under their wing and organized a fundraising auction on eBay. Illustrators, Cartoonists, Concept Artists, anyone who can pick up a pencil have contributed their artwork to help raise money for the family. Interested in helping out? Bid on any one of the amazing pieces of art that are up for auction on eBay right now. Here are just a few to choose from:

To find out more about Matthew Hodge and this cause, check out the Help the Hodges site, or go straight to the NCS Foundation eBay Store.

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Helping the Hodges!

• coveredblog.blogspot.com / Robert Goodin

Calvin and Hobbes by Chris Hoobler

The New Mutants by Ptricio Oliver

The Amazing Spiderman by Dan Lehane

The Spider-Woman by Paul Sizer

Star Trek by Alex Fine

Tank Girl by Nic Cowan

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Covered Blog: Comics Revised!

Calvin: “I’ve been thinking, Hobbes.”
Hobbes: “On a weekend?”
Calvin: “Well it wasn’t on purpose…”
- The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes, p155

I wanted to be Stupendous Man, and Spaceman Spiff, and I wanted to solve crimes as Tracer Bullet. And I can safely say that at ten years old, my large(ish) vocabulary was almost entirely due to trying to imitate Calvin’s memorable personality. He was the highlight of every Sunday.

People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.
- The Revenge of the Baby-Sat, p100

Dear Mr. Watterson

Since the final strip was published in 1995, the popularity of the Bill Watterson’s beloved comic has not waned. On October 26, 2006, rumors began of a documentary in the making called Dear Mr. Watterson. The following year, the still-strong Calvin and Hobbes community learned that very early pre-production had been started and that filming was now in the works. At the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, those behind the project came forward to talk more about what they had in mind, and we met the faces behind it: Joel Schroeder, Andrew Waruszewski, Matt Mcusic, and Christopher Browne. Last year, the crew released a teaser trailer with interviews from Seth Green, Berkeley Breathed, and other cartoonists, and the project picked up momentum. On December 15, 2009, Dear Mr. Watterson put out a call for help; they wanted to raise at least $12,000 to cover the cost of production. They hoped to raise it in 90 days.

Twenty-one days later, they had surpassed their goal, thanks to the support of Calvin and Hobbes fans worldwide. As of today, they have well over $13,000 and donations are still coming in.

I can’t tell if that’s funny or really scary.
- The Days are Just Packed, p64

This project just goes to show how large of an impact Bill Watterson’s creation has had on the lives of so many people. The books that contain the most beloved of these comics are still selling strong at every bookstore, and it is rare to find anyone who has not read at least one strip and smiled. It is easy to see even a little of one’s self in Calvin. He is every child – even the best of us.

I’M SIGNIFICANT! … screamed the dust speck.
- There’s Treasure Everywhere, p30

Links to the Project

For more information about the Dear Mr. Watterson project, please visit any of the following links:

• DearMrWatterson.com
• @dearmrwatterson
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Donate to the Project!

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For the Love of Calvin

• Are you afraid of social networking?
• Do you see it as a relentless time-suck with no quantifiable payoff?

Your fears are shared by many, and they are justified. Even in our increasingly online world, some creative professionals are still wary of using social networking as part of their self-promotion efforts. Some artists dismiss the idea as a superficial or detached way of trying to make connections and secure future work, while others just see it as the latest passing fad. However, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify these perspectives as more and more Art Directors, Agents, Illustrators, and Designers are finding success at building relationships and creating fame through the use of social networking.

12 Simple Steps

Contrary to what some may think, making proper use of the more common social networking sites can boost your profile and spread the word about how great you are, while making potentially lasting relationships with others in your field. Here are some tips that might help you to network online to the best effect:

• Pick a few that work. While it can be valuable to have a profile on as many sites as possible, it’s more practical and effective to devote your time and energy to the ones that are working for you.
• Be genuine. You may have noticed that I’ve used the word “relationships” a couple of times already. While this might seem like an odd way to describe the often impersonal interactions that take place over the internet, real connections do happen. Start genuine relationships with people rather than spam everyone you meet.
• Be generous. Share your knowledge and help those less experienced than yourself. This will help to make the types of connections mentioned above while presenting yourself as an expert in your field. People are searching online to have their needs met, and they will remember those who help them along the way.
• Broaden your scope. You may find yourself interacting with your artistic peers, and that’s great. However, it’s important to avoid the mistake of only networking with your fellow creators. This can lead to some great relationships, but it can also be limiting when it comes to attempting to promote your Illustration or Design business. Try to seek out and connect with Art Directors and others who hire people like you.
• Stay active. Submit regular updates to the few sites that you are most active on. It’s a good idea to stay on everyone’s radar and remind them that you’re an active, working artist, rather than a lifeless robot who posted a profile years ago never to return. No one is going to remember a name on a screen, but they will remember someone who is doing things that pique their interest, or even inspire them, on a regular basis.
• Be professional. It can be easy to overstep the line and start talking about your family, your favorite pet, and what you ate for breakfast. Unless you are providing something of value to people, they will quickly tune you out. Set clear boundaries for yourself to keep too much of your personal life from creeping in.
• Be personal. Balance the last tip with a healthy dose of humanity to remind people that you’re a real person. While it’s not a good idea to divulge to much personal information, real-life stories can be inspiring and helpful to others, as well as a deeper look into who you really are.
• Present a consistent brand. Try to make every aspect of your online presence visually cohesive through the use of logos, images, and color schemes whenever possible. That way, when someone stumbles upon your profile at any given social networking site, you will not only be planting yourself deeper in their memory banks, but you will also be showing yourself to be a professional business.
• Link to your website. Strangely enough, this step is often overlooked., but it’s one of the most important things you can do to draw someone into your world and present your brand and services. Your portfolio website is where you have the most control over your message and your efforts to convince your visitors to contact or hire you.
• Manage Your Time. One of the biggest dangers of social networking is losing yourself in an endless stream of friend requests and useless distractions. This is one of the things that gives social networking a bad name. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Set aside a few hours a week for this part of your business, and try not to overdo it at the expense of your valuable time. Some artists choose one day each week for social networking.
• Combine with offline efforts. Online networking is great, but don’t lose sight of the value of face-to-face connections and print promotions. Pay attention to any announcements of local networking events, and try to connect with other like-minded creators who live in your area.
• Don’t force it. Even with all these tips, social networking isn’t for everybody. You may find that certain sites are just not a good fit for your brand, your aesthetic sensibilities, or your personality. As with any part of your business, ditch anything that simply isn’t working for you and keep up with what is showing positive results.

Everything’s Going to Be Okay.

Social networking is not going to kill you, or your business. In fact, it can be quite the contrary. Social networking is changing the way the world does business, but it doesn’t mean that you have to abandon everything you’ve learned before. Rather, it’s just another set of tools to choose from in your daily promotional efforts. It can be extremely valuable to try and approach social networking as an opportunity to open some doors and see what lies on the other side.

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Social Networking Won’t Kill You: A Skeptical Artist’s Guide to Online Promotion

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Happy Winter from FYillo

Michael Jackson

(credit: Edel Rodriguez)

If 2009 was rough on illustrators, it was really rough on celebrities, every week it seemed there was a report that a movie star, socialite or politician had passed away, the most iconic of them being the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. News outlets couldn’t get enough of the story, and illustrators didn’t disappoint, all the while Thriller playing loudly in the background.
- MJ collection from drawger.

Cliched Themes

While starting a new illustration project is usually exciting, inevitably you get the call or email, read the article, and now have to figure out for the umpteenth time how not to draw windmills, euros or a medical bag. Yes, we’re talking about the assignment featuring the global financial crisis, the healthcare debate, or environmental jobs. All important topics of discussion….but please, don’t make us draw anymore dollar signs!

Death of Print

Unfortunately, this year we saw the shuttering of more magazines and newspapers. While calling it the death of print is a bit overstated, it’s sad to see them go for a number reasons, not least of which that these are an illustrator’s bread and butter. We wish magazines and newspapers better health in 2010.

Where The Wild Things Are

(credit: wikipedia )

Okay, okay, technically, this book is not from 2009, but it’s reemergence is. With the excitement that came from the release of the movie by Spike Jonze, Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book re-won it’s way into our heart, with drawings and story that are still as magical as ever.

U2 – I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight

Here’s a brief musical interlude featuring our favorite illustrated/animated video of the year. Full disclosure, we don’t even like the song, which speaks to how good it looks.

The Twitters

Like everyone else, we love our social networking, particularly twitter. Whether showcasing a new piece, complaining about a deadline, or mostly (and preferably) simple irreverence, we illustrators love us some twitter. Here are some of our favorite chatty illustrators (aka, twitterstrators) from 2009: @jenniferdaniel, @TheHeadsofState, @dirtbagg, @uberkraaft.

Radiolab

(credit: Jez Burrows)

Working in the vacuum of freelance illustration, we all need something to listen to. While music is constantly in rotation, if you ask illustrators about podcasts, someone will always pop up and ask, ‘ooh, do you listen to Radiolab!?’ Heck, they even had a series of posters made for them.

Portfolios

Trends for online portfolios come and go, and this year we have seen the rise of two services allowing illustrators to post their work online with a familiar look. Some of us love the tech, some of us hate it, but there sure are a lot of us using indexhibit and cargo.

New Yorker Cover

(credit: Jorge Colombo)

One of the more entertaining discussions in the illustration world this year was over the New Yorker covers by Jorge Colombo using only his iphone, his finger, and the brushes app. Are they inspired drawings from real life? Technical masterpieces? IPhone overload? Was the New Yorker giving all its reader the finger? The debate was most entertaining.

Happy New Year everyone.

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Best of 2009 in the Illustration Industry

Ok, lets see if I can make two points at the same time.

When I first graduated and was ready to take the illustration world by storm a well-respected art director at The Times gave me the advice, “when it comes to clients, start at the top and work your way back.”

It’s great advice, especially to those people who are saying to themselves ‘oh I’ll just send stuff to my local weekly newspapers… “Smaller publications”… because it will be easier to get work from them…’. (here comes the first point) If you are beginning an illustration career you should not see ‘small’ clients as the only places you are worthy to work for just because you are new to the business; In general terms getting work is not about time spent as a professional, it is about the quality of your product. Plain and simple.

Now the other side of the coin.

The pervious advice should be bullet point number one on any new illustrator’s business plan, but it doesn’t mean a person should discard the so-called small stuff either. What I propose is to see the landscape of illustration clients on a level plain, treat the Philadelphia City Paper with equal respect and importance as Rolling Stone Magazine; my reasoning:

It is true that we as business owners want to do work for places that provide the most joy and fulfillment, but let’s be honest, we also want to make as much money as possible. Arguably the bigger clients will pay more money per illustration, especially when compared to a small B/W spot from a weekly paper. This is a logical approach, but don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. A magazine such as Rolling Stone can offer a nice payday for an illustration, but as a monthly magazine you can assume they are not going to call you more than 1-3 times a year (*average estimate). While these jobs are exactly what we all want, don’t brush off the importance of the smaller stuff.

Consider this: A weekly occurs 4 times more a month than a monthly, based on numbers alone, your likelihood of having steady work or at least more frequent offers from weeklies is much higher. Sure $100 sounds small compared to a nice $2000 pay day, but remember if you cultivate a good relationship with the weekly client and you get one spot a month you’re looking at an extra $1200 for the year. Now imagine you land 2 of these clients…$2400…you get the picture. Believe me, at the end of the day it makes a difference.

With the variety of pay scale that we as illustrators deal with, the smartest business decision is to look past the pyramid of clients and take it all on a level playing field. Each client you work for, whether big or small, will present its own set of benefits to your career and business. The idea is to keep your head up and always consider the long term. Don’t underestimate the power of the ‘smaller jobs’, but don’t think that’s all you are good for either.

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Business 101: Big fish, Small Fish

His style and language with this medium continue to grow as can be seen in the more intricate interpretation of the Empire State building at the bottom of this page. And just to give you an idea of the work involved, at the time of the photo the piece was made up of “Approx. 40+ hrs work so far, 1500 holes pierced, 33m of cotton stitched.” to which we respond, dammmn.

• www.petercrawley.co.uk / @petercrawley

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Peter Crawley’s Stitched Illustrations