2021 was my biggest year for illustration earning yet, but there’s still quite a gap between my illustration earning and what I was needing to earn to stay afloat, London’s expensive…

Yet I decided to take the leap and go full-time as a Fashion Illustrator, 2022 was finally the year I could focus 100% on illustration

I’ve been trying to monetise my drawing ever since I can remember… I used to go round my classroom signing friends up for £3 commissions paid in 50p weekly instalments.

An artistic klarna if you will.

This year marks the 13th year since I began doing live events, how I was doing live events at 10 years old is unreal really xoxo

But over the years you pick up things, you notice patterns, you learn stuff and I wanted to share the 6 most common mistakes I see Event Illustrators making.

When people think of an artist, they picture someone at an easel, palette in hand, spending hours pacing to and from the canvas perfecting that single brush stroke that ties everything together.

That’s a luxury rarely afforded to us in the fashion illustration biz.

I’m a weirdo that always finds January exciting, I plan my year and sit in a lil delulu bubble and dream up everything I want to achieve over the next 12 months.

But I know it’s easy to sit here and just bark at people saying they should be charging more… but pricing in the creative industry is a tough one.

It’s something few people are transparent about it, not many people’s prices are available publicly and there’s a million and one things that can impact someones rate such as followers, representation, previous clients, style, location.

I’ve been doing live events for over 13 years, so unlike what some people state, live illustration is not this brand new invention, it was around long before this trend and will resume long after.

When you’re self employed you don’t exactly get yearly reviews or a sit down with the boss, unless you’re particularly adept at talking to yourself in the mirror.

But when you’re so busy working, head down focusing on rowing, it’s easy to forget that you’re also captain of the ship.