How to Be Attractive to an Art Rep
Do you have what Art Reps are looking for?
In your search for an Art Rep, it is important to remember that Art Reps are searching for the same things that Art Directors seek out when hiring an Illustrator for their next project. This is because agents are in the business of connecting connect their artists with the right clients, which requires a solid understanding of the industry and a history of building lasting relationships with Art Directors and Editors in their area of focus.
The good news is that this means that you are able to apply the same marketing techniques with art reps as you would with potential clients, because you can understand their needs.
Marketability
Ultimately, representatives need to collaborate with artists whose work is marketable to the pool of contacts within their area of specialty. Whether or not they appreciate your art on a personal level, they need to be able to secure projects for their Illustrators in order to make a living, and one way that they accomplish this task is to be selective about the artists they work with.
In order to be marketable, you need to not only have a healthy dose of talent and skill, but also a style and approach that is relevant to your target market. If you possess these qualities, then you’re off to a good start, both with Art Reps and Art Directors. Ideally, you’ve already been heading in this type of direction in your efforts to seek out and acquire more work on your own.
Consistency
It always makes you more attractive as an artist if you can show a consistent, clearly-defined voice. Just like clients, art reps need to know what to expect from you if you are assigned to a project. Otherwise, they’ll have nothing to promote. Consistency also means making your overall style compatible to your target market. You won’t want to include an image of a ghoulish zombie in a portfolio geared towards Children’s Education Illustration, for example.
History
In addition to marketability and consistency, art reps want to see that you know how to work with clients, how to meet deadlines, how to deliver finished artwork, and all other tasks that are involved with a typical Illustration project.
You can show your experience through your About page, client history, testimonials, tearsheets, and other forms of proof. Again, these should all be elements of your portfolio anyway.
Compatibility
Even if all the above requirements are met, it is still vitally important that you and your art rep are a good fit for each other, both personally and professionally. You don’t have to be best friends forever, but you need to be able to share trust, respect, and a certain level of camaraderie in order to work together effectively. After all, you are both seeking a mutually beneficial relationship, and the ability to understand each other and work together well will help to make that happen.
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What’s your experience? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Illustration by Frank Hansen. Find out more about Frank here.
Related Posts:
- Should You Work with an Art Rep?
- How to Find an Art Rep
- Is Your Art Rep Doing Anything For You?
- 10 Tips on Contracts and Clients
- Would You Hire You For an Illustration Project?
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It’s been my experience that consistency is the most important trait to have. Clients/Art Directors/Art Reps want to know what they’re getting before they get it. If your style is all over the place, say you have some abstract graphic stuff and some watercolor children’s stuff and some digital grotesque zombie illustrations, then it’s a totaly crap shoot. The client will have no idea what they’re getting.
Clients don’t want a jack of all trades. They want something specific and they want someone who specializes in it. If they want watercolor children’s style, then they’ll find someone who only does that. If they want grotesque zombies, then they’ll find someone who only does that.
I’m not saying that the subject matter all has to be the same, but the style does.
My rep said that I had a teen/sci-fi asthetic, which is exactly what I was going for and it is the stuff that I showed her.
Now, if you are one of those jack of all trades, then market those things seperately under a different name or a different website.
The bottom line is consistency is the key. If I can look at a book and tell who illustrated it without looking at the name, then that illustrated is far ahead in the industry. Take Dani Jones for example. I can tell if something is hers because she has a consistent style.
Anyways, that’s my two cents.
I find it difficult to decide whether my style is marketable or not. I feel that I am too close to have an objective opinion. I am told that your style should be unique… and so the market may not be publishing stuff similar to yours.. does that mean its not marketable.. or just unique?
Friends and family may not be of any help either as they don’t really have in depth knowledge of the market.
I have thought that I need to find someone (art rep or art director) to review my portfolio to get a truly objective and informed opinion.. any other ideas?
Great articles by the way.. first time poster.. long time lurker!
I am currently weighing if i should pursue an art rep or continue to self market myself. These posts are very helpful.
Hmmm if i read marks comment i think he’s talking to me: i’m a jack of all trades! I work with different materials…. Photoshop, oilpaint or a mix of pencil and photoshop. Can i choose one material to look more consistent? No! Because i would make my personal work with oilpaint on a bigger scale.. But if i’m working for a client/magazine i think it’s much quicker to use photoshop.
Then i have 3 subjects on my site: illustration (editorial work, commissions and stuff), my fashionillustrations and my children illustrations…
Can i choose one subject?No!I’m very selective and i removed a lot of illustrations.
I sent my site to artreps and asked for critique but i’ve got no answer.
So, what should you do? Make different websites?