My contribution to the world is my ability to draw. I will draw as much as I can for as many people as I can for as long as I can. Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic. (Keith Haring)
At first, I wanted to write a book that would teach drawing skills – the skills that every artist needs to succeed in any art-related profession. Drawing is the lifeblood of visual communication. But, after a trip to my local bookstore and a visit to Amazon, I realized that this would be preaching to the choir. There are a thousand books that will teach you how to draw.
This isn’t one of them. It’s about making money from art-related work. The people I really want to reach already know how to draw. They are people like me... drawing since we were kids, pretty good at it, and more than able to go to a library and pick up a specialized-techniques book anytime we need to learn a little more.
The problem, for the most part, is money. How to make a good living at something that takes advantage of our artistic skills. Not just a living, but a good living. Benefits, regular money, and enough of it to have a home, a car, kids, and a spouse who won’t leave because of nail-biting financial uncertainty.
And so – Drawing for Money. If you like to draw, this book will show you how to make a more than decent living using your artistic abilities. You’ll need to know how to use a computer, and it helps if you have even minimal knowledge of computer art programs. Updated for 2024, you’ll find a wealth of job-related information for graphic artists.
By themselves, drawing and sketching won’t get you too far. You’ve probably found out already that low-level graphics jobs barely pay a living wage. Why? Because at least 10% of the population likes to draw. Another 10% think they are artists, since they bought Photoshop, or used PowerPoint at work to make a presentation. That’s a lot of people willing to work for peanuts. Because, just like you, they want to work at an enjoyable, fulfilling art job. And when you have an oversupply of available talent, salaries go down... and down... and down.
But you don’t have to be a starving artist. Living with your parents until you’re 35. Or living like a character in Les Miserables, in a ratty rundown apartment, coughing all winter because the landlord won’t turn up the heat. You can do much, much better than that, thanks to your artistic talent. In fact, following the advice in this book, you will earn significantly more that the US average family income, even while you are still single! You’ll learn to leverage your talent – your drawing abilty – putting it to use in different occupations where your visual communications skill adds great value.
More importantly, you’ll also learn to plan your own future. Back when, this wasn’t too important. An artist could go from one job to another, because the jobs were always there. That is no longer true. Why not? Go to the next section.
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