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An essential requirement for an illustrator is to present your artwork in a professional manner, whether that’s on your website or as printed portfolio. A requirement of being freelance is to share your illustrations widely in order to find commissioned work. This guide is designed to help demystify the process of putting together a professional portfolio.

Alber’s believed that formal knowledge about the order of colour, would be of little practical use to his students if they didn’t understand the elasticity of colour. For instance while you can do your best to learn about the conventional elements of art such as how to create a harmonious palette, when applied in context, colour is beguiling and deceptive. It will change according to its interaction and placement of other hues. He observed and explored these universal quirks in his book, The Interaction of Colour.

Colour is used everyday in the visual arts from illustration, graphic design, to architecture and technology. Choice and arrangement can have the power to create iconic imagery, for instance painters such as Mondrian and Matisse are recognisable for their distinct visual language which is identifiable by the clear and precise use of colour.

Over the past few years I’ve found the following books to be invaluable to informing my ideas and understanding about illustration. This library is aimed to give you a well rounded understanding of illustration, and ultimately help you to become a better illustrator.

Mind-map your initial ideas

Pull out key words, themes, or visual ideas from the text you are working with. This is a great way to get vital information from the brief. Almost like day-dreaming, allow your mind to wander and write down (or draw) any words that bring immediate images to mind. These can be used as a spring board for new ideas.

What advice would you give to anyone hoping to become established in the industry?

Create personal projects directed by subject matter that you feel passionate about. This will help build your illustration portfolio with themes that you’re interested in and will hopefully attract the type of clients that you’d like to work with. Share your work widely and a like-minded audience will find you.

Who’s Flying The Plane is a podcast centred around creatives making a difference in their field, the creator of the podcast Alex Wilson interviewed me in January 2020. We chatted about how I became an illustrator, and what it’s like to come up with editorial illustrations for topical and sometimes tricky issues.

I made this course as a direct response to some of the most frequent questions I get asked, and it’s based on my experience of working professionally as an illustrator for eight years. In this concise guide I round up what it takes to be an illustrator covering everything from developing a distinct visual language, to creating a strong portfolio, to promoting your work and how to get commissioned by your dream clients.

An artist residency can be a wonderful way to work in a new environment, experience life in another country, meet other international artists and gain fresh perspectives. You can apply for many different artist residencies all over the world and the expectations or specifications will vary, so it’s good to get an idea of what’s on offer and to research thoroughly before applying.