[caveat: not an exhaustive list]
In a previous post, I explained what I thought were the main paths between art careers that needed a degree and those that didn’t. There, I suggested that an artist who wanted to pursue a self-initiated course of study could avail themselves of the tons of resources out there. Here’s a list of a few that I’ve appreciated being able to access over the years and I’ll update it as I discover newer ones:
Books
The Graphic Designer’s Guide To Ethical Pricing: An updated edition of this comes out every few years and it’s a fairly comprehensive book (and you can also get it as an e-book) that discusses the current guidelines for specific pricing in lots of markets. The book has lots of tips for good business practices.
The Artist’s Market: It’s a directory of publishers in all kinds of markets who’ve put a listing in this yearly publication which also includes galleries and art agents looking for artists to work with. Each listing includes the kinds of jobs (market, genre) they’re offering, how much they might pay for a job, turnaround time, the contact person and contact info, and more. Lost of tips for submitting work to ADs in a professional way.
Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud
Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices, by Will Eisner
Podcasts
ArtJuice (artists Alice Sheridan and Louise Fletcher). One of the best resources I’ve found recently. The hosts are funny, smart, and broach an immense number of practical, logistical, and philosophical topics to help the budding fine artist in business— and get their head on straight. And their artwork is fabulous too.
Design You (Tobey Fairley). Geared to the graphic/ interior designer.
Websites/ Blogs
Muddy Colors— started by James Gurney, one of the best art-centered blogs on the interwebs
Advertise Your Work: art directors and agents search for professional talent in these online directories:
The Directory of Illustration about $2700/yr for a full-page and apprx $1000 for an online portfolio only
The ISpot $650/year plus a one time set up fee of $100
AOI 175 British pounds convert to be about $204 in US dollars.
Children’s Illustrators $280/ year
Behance, free
Webhosters and Websites specifically for Artists
Having a dedicated website for your work is essential and I’ve written about it here and here. Any platform will work just fine really, but these websites offer extras (consultation, shows, etc) to help your art business specifically.
SiteDesign.works
FASO.com
ArtStorefronts.com
Storefronts
Etsy: I started selling prints on Etsy a decade ago but during 2020 rebranded to KestPottery and gained a little following. I still keep a few things there to entice people to come to my store here; eventually, I’ll phase out my Etsy. A storefront like Etsy is like a gallery— it gets a lot more traffic because of its popularity, but you might not like the nearly 20% of a cut they take or that your work will be jockeying for attention within the algorithm.
Fine Art America: upload image files and sell prints on demand. If you sell originals, they don’t take a fee. The platform feels a bit “commercial” with all of the products they offer to print your stuff on (bags, beachtowels, shower curtains), but it might be the perfect space for some kinds of artwork.
Shopify
Contests, Competitions, and juried shows:
TheArtList.com
The Art Renewal Center
Society of Illustrators New York
American Illustration
Communication Arts
Spectrum Fantastic Art
3x3
Creative Quarterly
Society of Illustrators Los Angeles (SILA)
World Illustration Awards
Applied Arts Awards
AIGA
If you come across any resources that you like and have used, please let me know in the comments!