Creative Boom

MARCH 15, 2023

Image licensed via Adobe Stock It's all very well offering advice in theory, but how do freelancers and studios actually find their dream clients in practice? When you look at your list of clients, we all have a favourite. So many great clients have come to me through weak ties," she says. Or perhaps not.

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Creative Boom

JANUARY 31, 2024

Auckland-based illustrator Joseph Carrington creates instantly recognisable work thanks to his sleek, deceptively simple style. Having originally trained as a graphic designer, Joseph Carrington pivoted to illustration seven years ago. As well as landing clients, Joseph's determination led him to being represented by Closer&Closer.

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Creative Boom

APRIL 23, 2023

Image licensed via Adobe Stock With the economy looking a little flat, most freelancers must put more work into selling themselves. So how can you survive the next few years as a creative freelancer? Ultimately, whatever the broader picture, there will always be clients who are desperate to hire good people.

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Creative Boom

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

For creative freelancers, the start of the year is often a quiet time, with few enquiries coming in. And there are plenty of useful things that creative freelancers can do to stay productive, focused and positive during these quieter periods. Graphic designer and illustrator Muhammad Alfarizy has a similar approach. "I

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Creative Boom

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Eastbourne-based illustrator Beth Tibbles specialises in creating colourful illustrations brimming with joy and humour. We caught up with her to learn more about her journey so far, how she looped back into illustration, and what it's like to go freelance. For Beth Tibbles, drawing has been a life-long passion.

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Creative Boom

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

It doesn't matter how talented you are in your chosen creative discipline; that's only half of the work of being a successful freelancer. Talk to a freelancer who's got that sorted, and you'll probably find they have a suite of productivity tools that help them achieve this with minimal fuss. Obsidian Do you work in Markdown?

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Creative Boom

MARCH 14, 2024

Stoke-on-Trent-based illustrator and animator Qianhui Yu is on a mission to highlight social problems and tell stories from new perspectives. She's doing this by creating imaginative illustrations imbued with a healthy dose of feminism. Outside of her animation work, Qianhui is also making waves as an illustrator.

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Creative Boom

MARCH 12, 2024

© Dong Qiu The Chinese artist's distinctive style blends Asian tradition with modern sensibilities, attracting global clients and resonating with audiences worldwide. The moment you clasp eyes on freelance illustrator Dong Qiu 's work, you feel yourself being pulled in multiple directions.

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Creative Boom

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

Particularly as your clients may also be feeling the pinch as the economic situation worsens. After all, most of the time, our freelancer bank accounts are empty. Getting paid in full and on time often feels like a job in itself, and it's as much about organising our own affairs properly as it is chasing clients.

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Creative Boom

JANUARY 24, 2024

Award-winning London-based illustrator Josh Patterson specialises in creating bright, bold and playful artwork that grabs people's attention. Like many illustrators, Josh settled on a creative path when he was young. So I switched back to freelancing in 2022 and have been loving it ever since."

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Creative Boom

MARCH 12, 2024

© Dong Qiu The Chinese artist's distinctive style blends Asian tradition with modern sensibilities, attracting global clients and resonating with audiences worldwide. The moment you clasp eyes on freelance illustrator Dong Qiu 's work, you feel yourself being pulled in multiple directions.

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Creative Boom

MAY 3, 2023

The Santa Barbara-based illustrator has enjoyed plenty of success thus far, boasting clients such as Red Bull, Major League Soccer, and The Washington Post. After being a bit of a creative nomad, I went back to school at UCLA to study graphic design but discovered that being an illustrator made me happiest.

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Creative Boom

JUNE 29, 2022

London-based illustrator Grace Helmer draws viewers into her tender, painterly illustrations with a masterful use of colour and compositions that contain a sense of story. We caught up with her to hear how she's gotten to where she is and what illustrators should look for when seeking an agent. © Grace Helmer. © Grace Helmer.

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Creative Boom

MAY 22, 2024

Somerset-based illustrator, Charles Bailey channels the likes of Quentin Blake and Spike Milligan in his naive, expressive artwork, which explores complex themes. Studying illustration at Exeter changed all that. His illustrations still manage to be completely unique, representing a blend of Quentin Blake and Spike Milligan.

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Creative Boom

AUGUST 16, 2022

Play your cards right, and your worst client relationships can eventually become your best. We've all had clients that have made our lives a misery. Because let's face it, keeping existing clients is always easier than finding new ones. Yes, clients can sometimes be maddening, insanely irrational, and act like total jerks.

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Creative Boom

JULY 5, 2022

For Sarah Madden , a graphic designer based in Leeds, she realised she wanted to embrace freelance illustration and design full-time to explore a better lifestyle. She'd been illustrating on the side to make some extra cash and had the realisation that she could go for it and make illustration part of her full-time gig.

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Creative Boom

APRIL 29, 2022

But recent algorithm changes and a push for more video content have left many artists and designers struggling to enjoy the same likes and reach. Instagram is still a good visual resource or portfolio for clients, but it's the PR push that has been the most effective.". Artist Russell Taysom loves using Pinterest.

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We And The Color

JANUARY 24, 2024

Unleashing Creative Independence: Thriving in the Design World Without Clients The hustle and bustle of client relationships may not be everyone’s cup of creative tea, but envisioning a design business sans clients might seem like an oxymoron. Platforms like Society6 provide a marketplace for your artistic endeavors.

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Creative Boom

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Landing on graphic design, Min was always drawn towards the illustration courses and graduated with an illustration major from the Art Center College of Design. With just a few jobs under her belt as a freelancer, she found herself working as an in-house illustrator at tech companies through a recommendation from a friend.

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Creative Boom

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

© Van Saiyan Spanish illustrator Van Saiyan recalls special moments from his childhood when creating gloriously retro artwork that evokes the look and feel of old-school pulp comics. His illustrations have appeared in editorial columns for the likes of The Washington Post, Forbes and Entertainment Weekly.

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Creative Boom

FEBRUARY 11, 2024

Artist has taken successful concept of workshops she ran for major brands such as Nike, ASOS and Timberland to help other freelancers or individuals get together and create. Freelancing can be a lonely gig, however much you love it. I was an illustrator surrounded by designers who thrived with conceptual minds.

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Creative Boom

OCTOBER 11, 2023

Art director, designer and illustrator Teddy Kang has had an eventful couple of years. Since the pandemic, he's moved from Toronto back to China, working in new creative fields and rediscovering his routes as an illustrator. We met him to hear how his work and life have evolved. We're big fans of Teddy Kang here at Creative Boom.

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Creative Boom

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Quebec-based illustrator and graphic designer Chad Grenier uses his beautiful illustrations as a means of connecting with other people and the world around him. Like most artists, Chad Grenier feels he's following an inner calling. Still, it was a graphic design course booklet that would take him in a more artistic direction. "It

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Creative Boom

AUGUST 31, 2022

Bay-area-based artist Goldie Cai explores the joy of daily life and the world of mental health in her bold, textural illustrations that make the most of limited palettes and bright colours. I would find myself studying and looking at an illustration repeatedly.". Freelance provides a lot more creative exploration," she explains.

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Creative Boom

MARCH 20, 2023

James Olstein chats to us about his love of zines, how web design led to his career as a freelance illustrator, and how his love of screen printing has shaped his work as a digital artist. He admits to always being an artistic kid, and his parents always encouraged his creative interests so long as they weren't too noisy.

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Just Creative

SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Did you ever want to be an artist growing up? Maybe you reached that goal and work in graphic design but for some of us, maybe we didn’t possess the natural skill or talent that the best artists in the world have. Thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, those dreams of being an artist can be real again with online courses.

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Creative Boom

MARCH 27, 2022

A freelance illustrator, mural artist and designer based in Glasgow, Ida Henrich creates colourful and energetic work, often exploring social and economic issues that are close to her heart. Alongside her illustrations, Ida creates murals in and around Glasgow and is also partial to the odd cartoon and watercolour painting.

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Creative Boom

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

Amsterdam-based artist and commercial illustrator Asia Orlando specialises in creating vibrant, playful images that pull viewers in with intricate details. It's easy to get lost in the illustrations of Asia Orlando, but that's no bad thing. This led Asia to take a bold leap towards the world of illustration. "I

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Creative Boom

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

Peru-based illustrator Ximena Collado is known for her bright and bold fashion artwork, which depicts female body types rarely seen in the mainstream. I started an Instagram account for my illustrations and always shared my process, which was very easy because of the speed painting videos Procreate automatically makes," she explains.

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Inkbot Design

MARCH 9, 2023

The Freelance Graphic Design Career Guide to Success Hey there, aspiring graphic designers ! Freelance graphic design is a booming industry that offers opportunities to talented designers like you. But why choose freelance graphic design over working for a company or agency? What is Freelance Graphic Design?

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Creative Boom

JUNE 28, 2022

Beijing Promenade (Mural Illustration commissioned for 798 District, Beijing). The vibrant and joyous illustrations of David Huang have won him accolades across the world. David Huang is a Taiwanese American illustrator based in New York City. So naturally, my illustrations range in medium, subjects, and colour.

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Creative Boom

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

© Anna Knopf Germany-based illustrator and storyteller Anna Knopf creates delightfully snug worlds in her atmospheric artwork populated by people, plants, and members of the animal kingdom. Don't worry if you can't do this for real, though, because Anna Knopf's delightful illustrations will take you there. Sounds like heaven, right?

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Creative Boom

MARCH 15, 2022

A designer and illustrator based in Baroda, India, Soumyaraj Vishwakarma creates digital artworks that are dynamic, otherwordly and intricate, celebrating those slower-paced days when we're able to forget our troubles and enjoy the simple things in life that make us happy. Slow Afternoon Jams © Soumyaraj Vishwakarma. It's a win-win for all.

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Creative Boom

AUGUST 11, 2022

Then check out this beautiful picture book from Elenia Beretta , an Italian illustrator based in Berlin. My favourite illustrators are Quentin Blake, Maurice Sendak, Alice and Martin Provensen, and Tomi Ungerer," she says. Illustration hasn't always been her main focus. "I Elenia Beretta.

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Creative Boom

APRIL 7, 2024

Artist, designer and photographer Mark Leary offers an example. Illustrator Ollie Hirst offers an unusual example. "I Using this adversity in a meaningful way continues to build me a commercial client base in these areas," Ollie adds. It's a fab way to connect with people you admire or want to collaborate with.

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Creative Boom

MARCH 28, 2022

Kristen Solecki is a freelance illustrator based in Durham, North Carolina, who is always on the lookout for clients that use illustration in new and unique ways. Not content with these fantastic achievements, she also teaches workshops and curates exhibitions.

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Creative Boom

MARCH 22, 2022

It's the art of telling stories that drives Luke Brookes , an award-winning illustrator based in Staffordshire whose vivid, graphic brushstrokes bring atmosphere and energy to everything he creates. I always look at my last piece, scrutinise what I think worked and didn't work, and try to improve on the following illustration.

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