To Do or Not Do a Christmas/Holiday Card and Cool Podcasts

2009 Edition

It comes down to the wire every year... Whether or not to do a card. I am planning on something quick and simple and will post soon.

Do you all do one every year? Are you just emailing them or printing them?

Post your cards if you do them....

In Other News...

I know a lot of us listen to audiobooks and podcasts while working. I recently stumbled on this new one by Sam Weber last night and it is pretty good. It is just starting; so the show is still working out the rough edges (like so many podcasts).

http://yourdreamsmynightmares.com/episodes

He basically sits down and talks with different illustrators and art directors each Wednesday. It is part of the lineup for WSVA (a radio station for the School of Visual Arts in NYC) but anyone can listen.

Another excellent podcast is the series on Escape from Illustration Island. http://escapefromillustrationisland.com/podcast/

 It has 80 episodes so far and includes interviews with Scott Hull, Drew Struzan, Brian Despain, Elizabeth Dulemba, Anita Kunz, Dave McKean, and many others...

Portfolio Sites Revisited

I did a talk at Books by the Banks today about illustration. I mentioned portfolio sites and thought I would post some resources:

Guide to some free portfolio websites:

http://escapefromillustrationisland.com/2009/11/19/9-free-online-portfolio-sites/

Carbonmade
Coroflot
deviantART
Flickr

Good pay portfolio sites:

ChildrensIllustrators.org
Directory of Illustration
Hire an Illustrator!
The iSpot
Workbook

Good Illustration Resources:

Escape From Illustration Island: http://escapefromillustrationisland.com/

SCBWI (Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators): http://www.scbwi.org/

Imagine FX

Concept Art: http://www.conceptart.org/

Feel free to add any links you guys like. What are your favorite portfolio sites?

Cool post on Escape From Illustration Island

I assume most people already follow Escape From Illustration Island but I saw this article they posted on Facebook the other day:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/notes/escape-from-illustration-island/3-things-your-about-page-might-be-missing/458301152009

It is called: 3 Things Your About Page Might be Missing

It is a good read about how art directors may perceive you from your "About Me" page.

The Business of Art/Illustration/Design

Viki brought up the site Escape from Illustration Island a couple weeks ago and today they have a particularly cogent article about the business of art. http://escapefromillustrationisland.com/2010/06/09/open-letter-to-art-schools-everywhere/

It also nicely ties into Darcy's new blog Smartists, Inc.: http://smartistsinc.blogspot.com/

This is the time of year for many graduations. As many new designers and illustrators enter the job/freelance market they ask, what do I do now? How on EARTH do I make a living?

Podcast: Scott Hull

Escape from Illustration Island just did a podcast interviewing Scott Hull. Check it out!

While you are there, be sure to explore the site. It has a lot of goodies and information for freelance illustrators.