10 Online Creatives To Watch In 2011
(Illustration by James Arnold)
This is our completely subjective list of artists who have shown to be consistently active, both creatively and socially, as Illustrators, content creators, and members of the online art community, in no particular order.
As soon as I started to make the list I instantly regretted it, because there are so many more than 10 people who qualify that it’s almost ridiculous. That being said, I still wanted to share a selection of folks who have done great things for the Illustration community and who I’ll be keeping an eye on in 2011.
Dani Jones is the archetype of artist as content creator and community leader. With a series of unique and useful tutorials, a webcomic, a live UStream show, and the recently formed Artcast Network, Dani has been an active contributor to our community, and our industry. Word is, she’s already working on more exciting things for the new year.
Chris Oatley is the hardest working man in show business, and by show business I mean the online art community. Through Chris Oatley’s Artcast, video tutorials, and several other projects, he has always been a huge proponent of artists joining together to share resources, ideas, and inspiration. In fact, Chris is one of the major influences in the creation of Escape from Illustration Island, so to leave him off of this list would be a lie.
Jerzy Drozd is an active comics creator, self-publisher, educator, convention organizer, and one-third of the team behind the Art & Story family of podcasts. Like many others on this list, Jerzy is the perfect example of someone who is always thinking about the next big thing. The best part is, many of his projects actually see the light of day, which means that there’s probably something else right around the corner. No pressure, Jerzy.
Illustrator, podcaster, and creator of IllustrationClass.com, Von Glitschka is an active member of the online art conversation. A master of vector tutorials, he has just released his latest book, Vector Basic Training. 2011 is rumored to bring the return of the best freelance business podcast on the planet, Freelance Radio, which Von co-hosts from an artist’s perspective, and I’m excited to see what else he has in store for the coming year.
Bob Ostrom is a long-time friend to the online Illustration Community, starting as the co-host of one of the first freelance podcasts around, Answers for Freelancers. Nowadays he still spreads the art love through his How2Draw tutorials and the Creative Independence podcast and blog.
Jonathan Woodward has shown to be a sincere champion of aspiring Illustrators as the creator of Zero 2 Illo, the 12 Week Challenge, and other projects developed with his wife, Lea. Jonathan is consistently working to build a strong community of artists who make real connections and help each other to grow creatively and professionally. Thanks for all the hard work, Jonathan.
Holli Conger continues to be an inspirational resource for Illustrators throughout the online community, sharing ideas and guidance based on her own experiences with starting an Illustration business. She shared many pearls of freelance wisdom on Episode 14 of the EFII Podcast, and continues to publish business tips for artists on her blog, A Girl Who Creates.
In addition to her work as a Typographic Illustrator, Jessica Hische is an active member of the Illustration community, both online and off. What makes her stand out even more is her unique ability to use the internet as a creative tool, from her use of social media to her addiction to creating humorous websites on a whim. Follow her in 2011 for a constant source of inspiration, humor, and beautiful work.
Nate Williams is the talented and prolific Illustrator behind Illustration Mundo, my pick for the best Illustration-related website ever. His other contributions to the online community include articles on Illustration and business, as well as the creation of Letter Playground, where artists can participate by submitting their own experiments in drawing type. No doubt he will continue to inspire us all in 2011.
Claudine Hellmuth is the model of finding alternative income streams in all facets of professional art, through commissioned work, workshops, tutorials, and even her own line of art products. Her use of blogging and social media have helped her to find success as well as a place within the online community. Here’s to hoping for more of the same for Claudine in the coming year.
Who would you add to this list? Please share your thoughts, or a link, in the comments section of this post.
Special thanks to James Arnold for providing the artwork for this post.
About James Arnold: James uses watercolors,ink and color pencil to create his illustrations. Imagination and humor are always included in his work. He Graduated from University of the Arts.
Related Posts:
- 150 Useful Resources for Illustrators
- 15 Thriving Online Art Communities
- Taking Stock of Your Illustration Business in 2010
I would include YOU! LOL!!!!
As well as Kevin Cross and Mark Rudolph!
There’s many people I would include too, for many different reasons, but since you said Illustrator, I’m thinking of those that are strong in the field, and excellent online community members, sharing, and inspiring.
But I definitively agree with your line-up 100%.
Thanks so much for your inspiration, councel, and intense community spirit, Thomas!
Happy New Year!!!
It’s almost a crime to limit it to 10, but you’ve got to stop somewhere :)
Wow, what an honor to be included with such an amazing group. Thank you.
This coming year you can also find me over at Drawn by Success working with my good friend Carlos Castellanos the extremely talented co-creator of the comic strip Baldo.
We have a ton of great stuff lined up for freelancers of all kinds.
http://drawnbysuccess.com/
You’re very welcome, and thanks for the link. I almost can’t keep up with all the great things happening online. Keep up the great work!
It’s fine folks like these who have made my first year of freelancing a great succes – thanks to their incredible generosity in sharing information and creating invaluable resources for illustrators. We are so lucky to be in an industry full of innovative and generous people!
Agreed, Melanie. So much greatness being shared every day. Makes it easier to be a lone freelancer.
I agree that you defenetly make that list. Happy new year
Wow, I’m honoured to be included in the list Thomas – thanks so much.
I agree with the others that you should also be in this list with everything you do for the illustration community.
Wishing you and the family a fantastic 2011 and look forward to hopefully meeting you in the summer when we head to Portland :)
Definitely. See you then!
Yay Dani. congratulations
Thanks for the mention, Thomas! I will do my best to prove worthy of the kind words and the good company in which you placed me!
Don’t let me down, Jerzy :)
Wow! Congrats to these ten illustrators. I can understand why they were selected after
reading what they have accomplished and furthering the cause of illustration. I really enjoyed Holli Conger’s ” A Girl Who Creates”, some very good information for illustrators just starting out.
Hi Paul. Yes, Holli’s series about her experiences starting out have helped a lot of people. It’s always great to get a peek inside another artist’s world, and in fact I think most of us realize that our paths have many similarities, which can be both comforting and inspiring. How many people on this list were new to you?
Hi Thomas,
I would have to say that six of these illustrators not really familiar with.
I am certainly familiar with Dani Jones, Chris Oatley,Von Glitschka( love his
illustrator designs) and Bob Ostrom from listening to other video casts or
reading from blog sites. I have been on Illustration Mundo for a few years
but really not familiar with Nate Williams. After reading about Nate I will
probably try his Letter Playground, sound like a great creative outlet.
There is a great wealth of information from these ten illustrators and
how they got started and what they use to promote themselves. I will
definitely be comparing their information to what I have been using to
promote my own business.
thanks for the list.
You’re very welcome, Paul. These 10 people are not only great artists, but do a lot to help their fellow artists in many ways, and entertain us in the process. Have fun checking them out!
This definitely makes perfect sense to me..