What’s the difference between a good artist and a great artist? AND How do you get there?
Lilla here. I’ve been sharing some hints, tips and thoughts with you over the past few weeks that I’ve learned from my decades working in the illustration industry both as a professional illustrator and as an art agent, and I hope you’ve found them useful.
(If you missed out on the first installment, you can read Lilla’s hints and tips #1: How to up your game and get work as an artist here.)
One thing I was asked recently is what’s the difference between a good artist and a great artist? For me, I think it’s when you can look at a piece of art and really sense the individual behind it, and their unique self truly comes through in a way that’s magical and original and fresh, that’s the difference between a good artist and a great artist to me. And learning to do that takes a long time, and a lot of work and practice. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
How do you keep going, in order to get to that point? It’s difficult, right? A crucially important part is having support – not just practical support, although that’s important too, but emotional support, from people who understand where you’re at now and what you’re going through. Being part of a strong, supportive creative community can be the difference between keeping going and giving up before you have had the chance to succeed: perhaps the difference between a good artist and a great artist.
Make Art That Sells manifesto by Aparna Vijayan. Community is key!
I’m hugely proud of the incredible Make Art That Sells online community, and how much support and encouragement my students give to one another.
Each of my online courses has its own private Facebook group, where students can chat, network, share work in progress, ask questions, celebrate successes and lots more.
Each group has the same rules and I law down the law right away: that it’s a place to be supportive, positive and encouraging of each other. Why? Because it’s a fact that that’s going to help you do your best work, because it’s a safe place, and that lets everyone else do their best work too.
Make Art That Sells manifesto by Abigail Halpin. You can see more incredible Make Art That Sells manifestos created by our talented students in this blog post.
At same time, it’s an incredible resource to be able to tap into a huge group of amazing people who know all sorts of things, like which tablet is best, which scanner, which printer, which print on demand site should you use to sell your work: you can ask anything and get a dozen responses almost immediately, it’s fantastic. Plus, because Make Art That Sells students are based all over the world, there’ll almost always be someone online when you are.
Plus you can ask something like: I’m working on my piece for the final assignment, do you like this version or this one, which color scheme do you prefer, should I add lettering or leave as is, and so on and get feedback from your peers that’s invaluable. It’s a treasure and I’m so proud of it. (Want in? Sign up for one of my raved-about online courses here.)
Lots of love
Your fearless art leader
Lilla xo
P.S. Have you spotted the new bundle in our shop? The Children’s Book Bundle gives you everything you need to build a successful career in the booming picture book market, including My Kid Book Pitch, Illustrating Children’s Books PLUS and Lilla’s Art Recipes: Drawing Faces – all for 25% off! (That’s like getting Illustrating Children’s Books PLUS for just £7 (approx. $9.70)!)
