Back in 2008, I got contacted by someone who was putting together a book of interviews with, if memory serves, famous comedians and comedic actors. He wanted little portraits of each subject at the beginning of each piece, and asked me if I would be willing to work up a sample.
Now, for those of you who are not freelance illustrators, this probably sounds somewhat reasonable, but if you are an illustrator, this seems like a weird request--my website has literally hundreds of examples of my portrait work. As a professional, you wonder, can't this guy just look at all those and figure out what they'd look like?
He didn't have much to spend (another warning sign), but the book sounded so cool, and I so wanted to be involved in it, that I agreed and did this straightforward portrait of actor/comedian Bob Odenkirk (who I knew from Mr. Show, and can be seen now on Breaking Bad). Nothing spectacular here, but I thought it turned out pretty well--plus, it was done in the exact manner (proportions, color, level of detail) that was asked for by the prospective client.
I turned the piece in after just a few days, wanting to show I was capable of doing what could have been dozens of portraits in a very short period of time. Then...nothing. Months went by before I got any sort of feedback. Finally, I got some terse email telling me I wouldn't be needed for the project, and that was the end of that. I was disappointed but also a little relieved, since I got the feeling this project would not be as good as it first sounded. Ah, the life of a freelance artist...
Now, for those of you who are not freelance illustrators, this probably sounds somewhat reasonable, but if you are an illustrator, this seems like a weird request--my website has literally hundreds of examples of my portrait work. As a professional, you wonder, can't this guy just look at all those and figure out what they'd look like?
He didn't have much to spend (another warning sign), but the book sounded so cool, and I so wanted to be involved in it, that I agreed and did this straightforward portrait of actor/comedian Bob Odenkirk (who I knew from Mr. Show, and can be seen now on Breaking Bad). Nothing spectacular here, but I thought it turned out pretty well--plus, it was done in the exact manner (proportions, color, level of detail) that was asked for by the prospective client.
I turned the piece in after just a few days, wanting to show I was capable of doing what could have been dozens of portraits in a very short period of time. Then...nothing. Months went by before I got any sort of feedback. Finally, I got some terse email telling me I wouldn't be needed for the project, and that was the end of that. I was disappointed but also a little relieved, since I got the feeling this project would not be as good as it first sounded. Ah, the life of a freelance artist...
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