second bachelors , associates, or masters after Illustration degree?

NovaLynnx
Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:28:06 +0000

Can you try to set up some kind of freelance business, or do contract work? This will help pull in some income and allow you to keep using your skills. Even if it’s just part-time work on top of a full-time job, it is better to keep using and improving on your skills and getting your name out there and seen.

Think about it: there are a lot of good art schools in the country. Pixar is not able to take on every good student from every school. How many other places did you apply to? Or did you just wait for recruiters to come and pick you?

Self-marketing is a crucial aspect of being an artist, and from what I’ve seen too few schools place enough emphasis on developing this skill in addition to the art skills. You need to have your work seen, in some way or another, by as many people as possible. They need to know your name. If you get some other full time job and just wait around for a design firm or animation studio to find you, it is never going to happen.

Also, illustration alone is tough to make a go of; do you have skills in web development and advertisement design? Adding some variety to your portfolio will help, so perhaps self-teaching or taking a course or two at a local community college will help you to add variety to your portfolio.

You are not untalented. Character sketches appear to be your strength, so do not give it up! But being a diverse artist is essential in increasing your marketability to potential employers and recruiters.