Illustrators Corner - Microstock Illustrators Forum > Illustration - General
what about going illustration ???
Susan S.:
How much talent you need to have depends a bit on what you have in mind to submit, and where, as the sites have very different requirements. If you want to submit to istock, you really need to be able to draw a bit - I can draw a bit, but really don't go much further than using a brush and tablet with the occasional foray into the pen tool in Illustrator and I got through the istock acceptance process first time. On the other hand because I don't produce those glossy buttons and swirly backkgrounds my files get a lot of nice ratings from other illustrators, but don't sell very much!
Looking around at other sites, some allow you to submit jpegs of illustrations (which gets around the pretty complex requirements for getting files to meet the appropriate EPS criteria) and also take simpler files. It is possible, especially if you are a good photographer and thus have raw material to use as a source for traces, to produce some interesting things just by learning to use the pen tool. And if you are doing isolations in photoshop already, then the pen tool is probably familiar anyway. While traces aren't as easy to do as one might expect (I find them much more time consuming than original drawings and you need to have a good eye for light and shade to simplify things well enough to make an effective final product) - you can use them as the basis for finding a style and training your eye.
Illustrator is a complex and somewhat counter intuitive program to learn - but if you have a couple of weeks to immerse yourself into it and do nothing else it's possible to go a long way very quickly, as to produce stuff that's acceptable for microstock, only the basic illustrator functions are needed anyway. My eleven year old daughter spent a couple of weeks over the Christmas holidays doing nothing else, after watching me, and ended up decorating all her school books with home produced smilies and glossy icons, made several birthday cards and drew some manga figures...(but then she has been using photoshop since she was eight)
She wouldn't pass the istock inspection as her drawing isn't strong enough yet, although it's getting better, and she hasn't the patience to produce EPS8 compatible files. But I bet she'd have a chance at one of the sites which take jpegs of illustrations. Anyone know whether Shutterstock allow under eighteens to contribute? (istock do if a parent signs the contract)
etudiante_rapide:
--- Quote from: rjmiz on April 13, 2008, 08:34 ---A word of caution about illustrations before you go head long into attempting this aspect of stock.
You need to know right from the start, that this form of imaging is quite different than actual photography.
On the other hand it can be rewarding, and very productive financially if, and this is a BIG "IF", you are good.
I mean really good.
--- End quote ---
what about mixed media, not vector but
photo with photoshop design,etc..
in the category, it 's either PHOTO or ILLUSTRATION
what are our chances if you submit something like that?
will they reject?
bittersweet:
--- Quote from: JSL on April 14, 2008, 06:49 ---
--- Quote from: rjmiz on April 13, 2008, 08:34 ---A word of caution about illustrations before you go head long into attempting this aspect of stock.
You need to know right from the start, that this form of imaging is quite different than actual photography.
On the other hand it can be rewarding, and very productive financially if, and this is a BIG "IF", you are good.
I mean really good.
--- End quote ---
what about mixed media, not vector but
photo with photoshop design,etc..
in the category, it 's either PHOTO or ILLUSTRATION
what are our chances if you submit something like that?
will they reject?
--- End quote ---
Raster illustrations are acceptable if they are good, original pieces of art, (i.e. scans of fine art drawings/paintings or well-done 3D renderings). At istock, these are uploaded through the photo queue, so you'll need to be approved as a photographer but not as an illustrator unless you are uploading vectors.
It is very likely that something that looks like a completed "design" rather than stock will be rejected at istock. I have heard that it is hard to get composites through unless they are really well done. I'm not sure about the level of difficulty with other sites.
As with nearly everything, it greatly depends on your level of skill.
araminta:
They will not reject mixed media: my all time best earner is a very simple mix of a photo and some photoshop elements.
Concerning vectors, I have myself tried to submit some of them recently and I even succeed in becoming a IS contributor (after three attempts) ;D
My goal is not to become a master in vector art (because I'm afraid don't have the artistic skills), but to be skilled enough to produce simple vectors suitable for stock.
The idea is to know enough all the main techniques which can be used to produce stock images (photo, bitmap illustrations, 3D and vector) as it is important IMHO to have a portfolio as diversified as possible.
But as many explain you, vector illustration is definitively not an easy technique especially because you have to upload EPS 8 compatible files (no transparency, drop shadow, no open path, no strokes etc.)
Microbius:
I agree with most of the stuff said in this thread. Good simple concepts sell the best, but some better more artistic stuff will get you portfolio noticed.
I'm largely talking about the sites other than SS here especially IStock.
SS is the exception in that they will accept any old crap and, remarkably, it'll sell too!!!
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