Monthly Questions

How to take an illustration brief from start to finish

Answers from Illoguild

Sep 13, 2022

Illustration by Damjana Loddelina (The Lemon Tart Bandit)

Each month members from illoguild answer a question that’s relevant to the group (and fellow illustrators).

This month we are talking about how to take an illustration brief from start to finish.

Below are answers from our members:

Inna Says:

Inna, Prune Away

The other side of The Brief

I got into illustration through marketing. After uni I was working as a Junior Brand Manager in Nestle on chocolate. I wrote small briefs for artists and designers. And I was getting results I didn’t like. At first, I put it on account of my rookie writing. I tried writing longer more detailed briefs and then shorter clearer briefs not to stifle the art…

2 years ago · 2 likes · 1 comment · Inna Grishina

Katie Says:

Katie’s Newsletter

A little behind-the-scenes: working with clients

Each month members of the IlloGuild are answering a question together, and this month it is: How do you take a commission from initial requirements to a completed artwork…

2 years ago · 3 likes · 4 comments · Katie Stack

Carla Says:

Carla’s Crowd

Tackling an illustration brief

First of all congratulations on getting illustration work! 🎊🎉 After the initial celebration of agreeing to a new project, commission or book deal there is always that question - how am I going to do this?!?! Well this is how I tackle it - hopefully there is something useful in it for you…

2 years ago · 4 likes · 2 comments · Carla Hoffenberg

Damjana Says:

The Lemon Tart Bandit

From sketch to finish

First of all, welcome, new subscribers, it’s nice to see you 🌺! It’s second Monday or September and this month’s theme by Illoguild, the children’s books illustration review group is: How do you tackle an illustration assignment - you can find articles from other Illoguild members, describing their methods of tackling a picture book, a custom illustrati…

2 years ago · 3 likes · 1 comment · Damjana Loddelina

Jen Says:

Rhymes with Pizza

A Look at Process

I’m a member of the international group of picture book illustrators called Illoguild. Each month, we each answer a question here on Substack. For September, that question was: “If you are doing an assignment - how do you take it from initial requirements to a completed artwork…

2 years ago · 1 like · Jen Gubicza

Tammy says:

Requirements to final

THE PROBLEM So you get an assignment, a commission, a new request from your agent and FREEZE. What next?Thanks for reading Tabbykat chats! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. As a newb in illustration, one of biggest challenges for me has been to settle into a groove, a process, a set of tried and tested methodologies which will t…

2 years ago · Tammy Angelis

Brenda Says:

On The Creative Road

Cooking Up An Illustration

{ There was a hiccup with my subscribers list. I’m so sorry if you received this email in your inbox twice! It should be fixed for next time! Most of you, will have received only once. Thank you for your patience! } Creating an illustration can feel a lot like cooking up a meal. There’s prepping, creating, and serving. I have boiled it down to the 10 fol…

2 years ago · 6 likes · Brenda Harris

Hope you picked up some good tips.

Please feel free to share your tips in the comments - we would love to hear from you and learn together!

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