Cool Careers - Illustrator and Cartoonist

Interview with David Anderson: Illustrator and Cartoonist, Toronto, ON

"I love the creative process and being able to produce a visual hook that will draw people to products as diverse as a bottle of wine, an editorial opinion or a children’s story."

1. How would you describe what you do?

Broadly speaking I am an illustrator, although this is broken down into a number of sub-categories such as: cartooning and caricature, children’s book illustration, storyboarding, editorial illustration, character development and more.

2. How do you make money/or how are you compensated?

I negotiate a fee with the client to produce a piece of original artwork or to use an existing piece. Copyright remains with the artist unless otherwise stated and a piece can be resold more than once. The price is influenced by the amount of time involved and the end use i.e. a logo that will be seen millions of times worldwide will naturally cost more than a menu illustration for a local pizza shop.

3. What education or skills are needed to do this work?

Basic drawing skills are important, so some training is very useful, although there are those who have done it on their own. It is also important to develop an individual style that is hopefully appealing to prospective clients. Knowledge of digital media becomes more and more essential almost daily.

4. What is most challenging and what is most rewarding about what you do?

Keeping fresh and relevant is important, but challenging. Networking in order to gather new clients is something I don’t particularly enjoy, but it is vital to the business that my work be seen by as many people as possible. As for what is most rewarding: a satisfied client who knows what they want, but is also receptive to my ideas of what will or will not work visually. I find it equally important that I am happy with the end result and that I am proud to put my name to it. I love the creative process and being able to produce a visual hook that will draw people to products as diverse as a bottle of wine, an editorial opinion or a children’s story. To make people smile is an added bonus; humour is an important part of what drives me.

5. What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

Illustration is a very competitive field and you have to be driven to do it. Make sure that you are someone who can work unsupervised for long periods of time. It is a very rewarding job but you have to also develop a thick skin; not everyone will like what you do.

6. What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

That drawing and illustrating is some sort of party trick that takes very little time and effort because you are “gifted.”

7. Do you have any final thoughts you wish to share?

If you love this work, keep an open mind, learn new techniques, meet new people and accept new challenges. Demand is driven by taste and technology and they are always changing.

For more information about my work please visit: www.davidandersonillustration.com

Thanks for sharing your cool career with us, David. We think that you are an awesome Expert for our clients who want to test-drive a career in illustration and cartooning.

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