How to Make an Impact With Your Art

Whitney Simms

I was waiting for a feel good episode from you guys. All your episodes are awesome and funny, but give us the moments! Those were great. Sometimes the why we make art gets lost in the business side. The process is fun, but it’s the moments that seem to elevate what we do to a higher, more fulfilling level. And every so often I get a glimpse that I have been part of a divine plan to make an image that sends a message of love from someone great than I am.

But like you guys said, in not these exact words, you can’t change anything if you aren’t creating! So get to work!

ArtofAleksey

This episode is great and made me think a lot about who I’m making art for. A big part of it is for myself I think. The Lemony Snicket “A series of unfortunate events” books resonated with me so well cause I didn’t have the easiest childhood and I think those are the people I wanna make stories for.

JerrySketchyArt

@reddprime It's not just you. It really is distracting. Usually that's because someone is using speakers.

@Lee-White @Will-Terry @Jake-Parker Make sure everyone is wearing a headset on the podcast. That echo is taking away from the great content. (1 star )

burvantill

@SketchyArtish @reddprime that echo is because will and jake are in different parts of the same room. They have addressed this topic in the past. The audio is very much improved.

Lee White

@burvantill is correct. It is from being in the same room and it's almost impossible to eliminate. We think we have it figured out, but we are still working on it. Thanks for your patience with it. The tech side of this stuff is so tough to figure out.

JerrySketchyArt

@Lee-White I guess you're just going to have to make Will and Jake share a headset.

JerrySketchyArt

@Lee-White @Jake-Parker @Will-Terry It dawned on me that we solve this problem all of the time in gaming channels by requiring push-to-talk from people in the same room. It would solve that echo issue in a snap.

Lee White

@SketchyArtish that's a good idea! Jake is moving so it's gonna be taken care of anyway. But maybe we can try that way. Not sure how well it would work with a conversation that is bouncing between us.

JerrySketchyArt

@Lee-White It works perfectly well when everyone is talking. The only difference is it's muted when you're not talking. Eliminates a lot of background noise and accidental interruptions like phones going off. The only negative effect might be @Will-Terry having a sore finger from holding down the button on a long story.

(P.S. Love the long stories Will; never change. Your YouTube brought me here.)

Julia

First, I want to say that I love the way the podcast is done : on the top of having an insight on the illustration industry, it is very refreshing and inclusive : one feels among friends! Thank you for making the podcast.

That said, I was surprised by the below comment in the last podcast :

"Will’s author friend, the late Rick Walton, said something along the lines of: “If you set out to teach a moral in your story, you’ll almost always fail. You should set out to tell a really fun or interesting story, and if it teaches a moral then thats a benefit and you can use that moral to market it, but if you set out to teach a moral, almost always your story structure will fail.”"

I have no experience in writing or illustrating children books but when this sentence was quoted, I immediately thought of Jean de Lafontaine. As an instructor, his duty was to teach moral to his pupil... and he did it by writing the foundation of children books! Les fables de Lafontaine (the stories from Lafontaine), although 200 year old, are still taught today to small children. Gustave Doré also shaped the illustration world by drawing the stories (they inspired Walt Disney later).

More recently, one of the most successful best seller in the world, le petit prince "the little prince" by Saint Exupery is also a story built around a moral ("see with your heart").

Hence I think there is no rule here : it all depends how inspired and talented the author is

andersoncarman

@jaepereira I know I'm not @Jake-Parker but I have a response all the same...

This sounds very similar to my first con experience. I made a book and had prints. I printed 500, yes..... 5 stinking hundred copies of my book. and I sold maybe five of them. The table was $300 and that coupled with all my other upfront costs I was an easy $K in the toilet. But that was just the first of many a con I have attended since. I would have loved for someone to tell me to not buy 500 copies of my book but also the lesson is much stronger in my head since I learned it. Like being told fire is hot versus sticking your hand in. (but seriously don't stick your hand in the fire and order 500 copies of anything without a demand!)

One thing is to try to focus on a connection with people over your art. for example I now have a comic called Fear Hunters and when someone starts to pause at my table I ask them "What is your greatest phobia?" and then we get talking and I have a chance to connect then I pitch them my book and often they like the idea and buy it. Focus on connection more than a sale, obviously, you are there to make a sale, but they know that. just be nice.

It also helps a ton to have free stuff at your table, business cards or simple small prints.

I hope that helps, I'd love to hear more about your experience.

jaepereira

@andersoncarman I had prints (2 sizes) and books (only 100 printed). I think I need more than a “portfolio” book and something with a story. I have plenty of ideas. Just need to execute.

andersoncarman

@jaepereira I have 8 different Mini-Comics and 7 different sketchbooks that I print on a 15-20 count basis and if they move fast then I make more, if they move slowly then I just don't make more when I run out. I never make them again, but that's okay because I make a new book to replace them.

That's not to brag, it's just to say that the more options you have for at your table for a reader the more chances of you having "That Thing" they are looking for.

Yea, having the ideas and needing to execute is tough. but I believe in you! keep it up and slowly chip away at your stories!

Good luck