A couple of words on self-confidence

So lately I have been pondering a lot. I have been thinking about what it takes to be in the business of freelance illustration. It is a tough business, it's not for those who give up easily, or those who struggle a lot with self esteem issues.

I have also been thinking a lot about who I am and why I fit in to the business in certain ways and how I do not fit into the business in other ways. I do have rather large self-esteem issues, which is less than ideal. I've struggled with it all my life, even though a lot of people may not notice it. That's because I'm stubborn, and refuse to give up just because certain things makes me feel uncomfortable.

In the video below I talk about the subject of self - confidence, and share a simple tip on how you can start to build up your own confidence. It may be a bit long, but I think it's definitely worth the watch.

So enjoy episode 5 of Anita Illustrated:




Until next time
Anita K. Olsen

New design!

Yes so I've finally registered my business. That deserves a small hooray. Now I can finally get properly started on my life as a professional illustrator.

I felt that with a new start my blog deserved a new design. Something fresh and professional. I chose grey because it doesn't steal a lot of attention from the artwork and it is soothing on the eye and gives of a professional feel.

The banner I made was made in pencil. I did it in pencil because my line work is technically strong and I have been told that it should be shown of. I like old parchment like banners. It has sort of a romantic feel to me, it gives off the feeling of lost and forgotten times. I am a romantic after all so I think it suits me and my business quite well.

I might have to change it up a bit thoug. It is very simple at the moment and I am considering to add some more Victorian details, like flowers, or ornament details or something like it.

Any Opinions?


Until next time
Anita Night

Achievable goals...Not such a bad idea...

What better way to start the post than with a happy drunk pirate ^^

Ok, so I totally lifted this idea of my friend Vinter over at Lazy inhouse illustration , and she in turn was forced to do it by her boyfriend.

The name of the game is as you might have guessed: Achievable goals. Things you want to accomplish during the coming year. It got me thinking, do I know what my goals are? Surprisingly enough I kind of had a mental list, but writing it down makes it more real and forces you to do more than just thinking about it.

Here is my list:

1. Set up illustration business and apply for government funding.

2. Take business classes so I don't run my own business to the ground within the first year

3. Buy a new drawing tablet and Painter 12...And then learn how to use painter..

4. Explore other niche markets in the illustration market besides fantasy and Sci-fi art. (editorial, children's books, packaging or licensing)

5. Maybe set up a "drink and draw" sketch group (creative people gathering somewhere like in a pub and enjoying some nice beverages while sketching and socialising). Because let's face it, illustrators tend to be way too solitary and some social stimuli must be good for our creative mushy brains!

Most of that actually sounds coherent and semi -intelligent. So not too shabby if I might say so myself.

I don't know if I'll be able to actually achieve all of these goals but they should be within my grasp if I push myself just a little bit more. We'll see.

Until next time
Anita Night

Thoughts on personal style

As I mentioned in my previous post about the New Blood exhibition I had a portfolio review with some very nice ladies from a company called Artworks. I asked them about their general thoughts on my artwork and where they thought I belonged in the industry.

My portfolio is not a graphic one, it is a portfolio filled with a lot of pencil drawings, ink and acrylic illustrations and heavily rendered fantasy artwork. I don't use photo montage or collage techniques and I'm not into designing fonts. Basically I am not a graphic designer/illustrator hybrid like a lot of illustrators seem to be these days. I was afraid that they would take a look at my things and say: what the hell is this? Funny enough they seemed to like it, and they seemed to be especially fond of my pencil drawings. However they would never be able to use my work for their company, as they used a very specific and, surprise surprise more graphic style.

They told me that my portfolio looked very different from the other things they had been looking at during the day. Their opinion was that I most certainly had a niche market style, and that I should focus on children's books and licensed products and the fantasy art market. I was not unhappy to hear it. Those are after all my preferred markets, I was just happy to know that someone thought I had a niche where I could belong. That is the positive thing. Moving on to the negative, because let's face it there are always positives and negatives.

The negatives is that I don't really belong in the other industry niches. Fantasy art exists almost everywhere, but it is not a big industry and I am a bit worried about being able to get the right amount of work or the right type of work so I can pay bills and afford buying food, you know the necessary stuff of life. So I have to wonder whether I should try to branch out some more and try to do more graphic and commercial looking artwork so I can get jobs in more well paying parts of the illustration business, or if I should just keep concentrating on the things I do now and the things I am apparently adept at or good at. There is no easy answer to this question and I am not sure I have a good answer to it either.

My current plan is to keep focusing on the fantasy and children's art and hopefully I will be able to make it my bread and butter. On my spare time I want to experiment with different styles. Maybe try doing some editorial illustrations and maybe some poster designs. Things like that should help me broaden my horizons a little bit.

If any of my followers have ever come across this problem in their professional life and have found a good solution to it or if you just feel like weighing in, please do so.