I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.
J.K. Rowling
What’s very magical is that I, plus you – all of us – can easily update this ebook with new information. Most artists -- visual communicators -- are woefully underpaid. Which is why I wrote Drawing For Money, and am now trying to get it to as many artists as possible. You can help in three ways --
1. Tell every artist you know about Drawing For Money. And send comments and suggestions about how to improve the ebook, to me at jon404@outlook.com.
2. Contact anyone you know who teaches or works in universities, junior colleges, or high schools -- and ask them to get info about Drawing For Money, free at jon404.com, to their school's art department head, and instructors.
3. Donate to help increase Drawing For Money outreach. The Ebook is absolutely free, no catches or fine print. But there are 265,000 graphic designers employed in the US, plus thousands of art students. 1.4 million working artists, and 2 million arts graduates, with median earnings of only $30,621. My goal is to reach them all. It won't happen overnight, but any donation will be a great help. The donation link here lets you send funds via PayPal. Safe and secure. Thanks for your assistance!
it also takes credit and debit cards.
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This 2024 version of Drawing For Money is an HTML ebook run from a link on my Jon404.com web page. At first, I thought about updating the 2012 print edition. I’d sold it for about ten years, and then started giving it away free as a downloadable PDF. This time, I wanted to continue giving away the book for free, and outside the Amazon marketing universe. Which meant a very painful transfer of the print-media material into an ebook... and then updating with the latest information. Ebook format? Back to basic HTML code, which runs on every browser on every cell phone, tablet, PC or Mac. Luckily, the format transfer task was greatly eased by Anthemion Software’s Jutoh 3 ebook compiler. A tremendous help, from an excellent small company with so many tips and advice for writers.
As the Olympic Games open, a runner sprints into the stadium with a fiery torch, igniting a stylized Greek oil lamp in a blaze of light as the Games begin.
You’re the runner. This book is your torch. And as you use it to light the path to a prosperous career, I want to wish you all the luck in the world and offer one last piece of advice.
It’s an old saying: ‘Roma die uno non aedificata est’, – ‘Rome wasn't built in a day.’ So true! If you don’t understand Adobe Illustrator right away, don’t worry. If you get stuck in a dead end job for a while, don’t worry. Promotion didn’t come through? Don’t worry. Just keep working hard and stay focused and when the door opens, even a crack, you’ll be ready and charge right through it.
And here’s my favorite Latin motto, which used to be on Pall Mall cigarette packages (who knows why, ask their ad agency creative director) –
‘Ad astra per aspera’ – ‘through hope to the stars’.
Not bad.
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