Hey! I was wondering if any of y’all have tips for good ways to grow my portfolio as a graphic artists, as well as tips on getting commissioned as a unknown creator, etc. Anything and everything will most likely help.
Personally, I have been building for approximately 2 years now and I only started building for other people a couple of months ago. However, I did actually find work pretty fast and I am to this day still learning and improving everything that I do.
Here are some tips on how I succeeded, these could help you with grahic designing:
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Start up a twitter page, instagram page or youtube channel and show your work to the community, you will generally see how much you progressed since the beginning, you will also start to gain positive comments on your artwork.
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Keep an eye out on the recruitment category for anything relating to graphic designs needed, I know for a fact that multiple people are on the lookout for people like you.
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Practice, if you’re generally new or you’re simply getting denied for your work, just keep trying over and over and continue to show your most recent and best work to prove that you are overall suitable for the position you are applying for.
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Thank you for these tips! I think I’m going to do some graphics just for fun as projects so I can expand my portfolio and use those to get work.
No worries, I hope it helps you. Good luck! :DD
Well growing as a whole is a tricky thing especially since we all learn in different ways. I’ve done a lot of art in general and honestly I think these are some of the best tips from others I’ve received, no matter what type of art your doing. Hopefully they help:
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Do what you want to do, and do it a lot. This is basically a reiteration of “practice makes perfect”. Most people don’t want to hear this for obvious reasons… but it’s important to list as the first and most important way to grow. You can’t expect to get better at what you do if you spend minimal time doing it. This will also give you many things to choose from for a portfolio of any type, and of course, you’d be able to put your best foot forward instead of maybe needing some filler projects in there.
Also, don’t get caught up in doing what someone else wants. -
Do what you want to do, but also try new and random ways of creation every once in a while. This is a good way to pick up different tips from different mediums. Sometimes you get stuck in the same rut and don’t notice it. Always do digital art? Pick up a pencil, or better yet some kind of paint or collage material, and experiment with them. Always use color? Take some time with black and white. Like brightly lit scenes and minimal shading? Try and make an almost-pitch-black scene. It’s a new thing, so don’t expect success, but keep trying at it for a bit and let yourself make mistakes.
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As far as getting commissioned as an unknown creator, I’d take the steps xStarfully has mentioned and set up some form of social media. This is often terrifying, challenging, and disappointing when still no one is looking at your work-- but stick with it. A social media is not an instant game changer, and you can’t expect to be famous immediately. Try offering people commissions, when they mention a need for artwork. If you are a fan of any Youtubers and/or Instagrammers, Twiter…ers, etc., then maybe send them fanart especially if they put fanart in the end of their videos. It’s a great way of connecting with people who are likely to have the same interests and if they like your style they will often click through.
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Find other artists. Feedback from an artist you like or appreciate and who has your best interests at heart are probably wise people to talk to. They’ll give you advice on what exactly about your art needs work, and because they’re artists, they will most likely know how to give constructive criticism as opposed to an “Your art looks great, buddy!” or an unenthusistic “Er…” or even just a legitimate hate comment. And when you’re in a rut with a particular drawing or art in general, they can help support you, remind you that you aren’t the only one with highs and lows.
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Don’t let art become work, even if it’s your job. This might sound weird. But what I mean is, if you have trouble being motivated to do art, don’t just sit down anyway and slug through more sketches. Take some time and figure out what’s demotivating you. Is it the amount of it you’ve been doing lately? Go take a break. Is it that you’re drawing the same thing and can’t seem to get better? Check out step 2 again. Is it something someone said, or that bugs you about your art? Then locate it. If you can’t find it then take a second. In that case it’s probably (1) What someone said was a meaningless hate comment or (2) you need to appreciate where you are and stop looking at others. If you can find it, take some time to improve that area. Focus on it as you’re drawing. Not in a “Oh no I gotta get rid of these uneven lines” kindof way but in a “I feel like I need to make cleaner lines, so I’m going to take some extra time with those” kindof way. And, no, it’s not going to work the first time, but art wouldn’t be worth it if it did.
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Do things that aren’t art. GASP … Most people don’t count this as a step to artistic growth. They say, well practice more!!! And that’s not always the case. We like to think of work as something that is linear,… aka, that, with more time, more work will get done. But humans aren’t that simple. 1-3 hours is about the optimal amount of time for any form of work. After that, work starts to get worse and worse as we experience burnout. And even if you get what you’ve wanted, you often have a negative relation with the finished product, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Also, when you aren’t doing art, you should take time to look at things, even if they aren’t particularly interesting. Don’t go into life autopilot-- make sure you are experiencing what’s around you. You can’t draw something to the fullest if you haven’t seen it for yourself in a while, reference or not.
If I had to say one thing to finish this off,…(I guess I do 
) remember that you’re ultimately doing art for yourself, even if you are a professional artist. You chose it as a hobby/career because it makes you happy-- we ultimately know it doesn’t exactly make you rich so that better not be your reason-- so if it stops doing that, it’s missing the point, and you should focus again on what you want to do. Whether that’s making a poster, knitting a gift, or even just drawing cartoon dolphins on a school notebook, remember to return to the roots of why you love art, and art may not be beautiful, but it will be fufilling, enjoyable, and it will make you a better person.
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