Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm Valerie, a Canadian illustrator, and I'm all about mischievous characters in inclusive stories! I'm available for new projects, email is the best way to reach me : [email protected]
#childrenillustrations #middlegradebooks #canadianartist #kidlitillustration
Happy Spring! 🌱
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I am working on adding some portfolio piece before I send my art director outreach email.
Second image is where I started, you can see all the small changes I made to make the illustration better.
#childrenillustration #kidlit #canadianillustrator
Burnout doesn't arrive with a warning label. It shows up quietly, while you're busy delivering work, hitting deadlines, and telling yourself you'll rest when things slow down.
Spoiler: things don't slow down. You have to slow them down yourself.
I've burned out twice in my previous career. The second time I swore I'd learn to catch it earlier. So I made a list of my personal red flags, and paired each one with a small reset that actually works.
Swipe through. See if any of these feel familiar.
And if 3 or more are showing up at the same time? Stop. Not someday. Now.
Save this for when you need it. 💙
Every Thursday I send one tactical tip for building a sustainable creative business, no fluff, no theory, just real systems from 26 years of freelancing. Link in bio to subscribe.
Are any of these showing up for you right now? Tell me in the comments 👇
#illustrator #freelanceillustrator #childrensbookillustrator #creativebusiness
Stuck with not knowing what to draw? No longer a problem!
My friend @valparizeault let me try her Mind Sparks and I'm obsessed!
You can get Mind Sparks with my special promo code MILA10
Happy creating!
Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm Valerie, a Canadian illustrator, and I'm all about mischievous characters in inclusive stories!
I'm available for new projects, email is the best way to reach me : [email protected]
Complete portfolio in my link.
#childrenillustrations #grandpalove #canadianartist #kidlitillustration
Art school taught me perspective, colour theory, and how to stretch a canvas. Pricing a project? I figured that one out the hard way, over 26 years and more than a few invoices I wish I could take back.
If you're starting out and have no idea what to charge, swipe through. These are the 5 mistakes I see new illustrators make constantly, and yes, I made every single one of them before I knew better.
Save this. You'll want it later.
Full pricing breakdown on my Substack this week, link in bio.
Are you guilty of any of these? Tell me in the comments 👇
#illustrator #creativebusiness #illustrationbusiness #freelancelife #pricingtips
5 pricing mistakes illustrators make when they're starting out (and I made all of them) 👇
1. Charging by feeling instead of by math. Your rate needs to cover your life. Calculate it, don't guess it.
2. Forgetting non-billable hours. Emails, admin, revisions, research. None of that is free. It all counts.
3. Not adding a buffer. Add 15-20% to every estimate. Projects always take longer than you think.
4. Saying yes before knowing the full scope. Get the brief, ask every question, THEN quote. In that order.
5. Never raising their rates. If you charged the same thing 2 years ago, you're making less money. Inflation is real.
Save this for when you're building your pricing from scratch. Full breakdown on how to actually quote a project on my Substack this week, link in bio.
Are you guilty of any of these? Tell me in the comments 👇
#illustrator #freelanceillustrator #childrensbookillustrator #creativebusiness #illustrationbusiness freelancelife pricingtips artbusiness creativeentrepreneur latebloomer illustration kidlitart picturebookillustration artbusinesstips illustrationlife
I'm 3 years in, I've been a fully booked illustrator for the last year, and I've been a creative freelancer for 26 - so you know I've been testing apps since Facebook existed!
These are the four tools that run my entire children's book illustration business. I track every hour with Toggl so I never undercharge (if you are starting out, tracking everything will lead to better quotes). I ditched Adobe for Affinity Suite and never looked back (it's a fraction of the price). I invoice clients across three countries with Stripe : it takes care of getting payments (even recurring ones) and send reminder emails without the irk. And I do direct art director outreach to my 400 contacts, four times a year, straight from Squarespace so I don't get banned or flag as sp*m.
That last one? Most freelance illustrators don't know it exists.
Swipe through. Save it for when you're building your illustration business from scratch. 👉
#illustrator #freelanceillustrator #creativebusiness #illustrationbusiness #childrensbookillustrator
I'm a fully booked illustrator. This is how I start every portfolio piece. 🎨
I pull 5 sticks from my creative prompt kit — a place, a character, an object, an emotion, and one children's book illustration wildcard.
Suddenly I'm not staring at a blank page anymore. I'm solving a puzzle.
This is Mind Sparks — a physical creativity tool we designed to take illustration inspiration offline and back into your hands.
60 word sticks. Endless combinations. Zero blank page paralysis.
Perfect for illustrators building their portfolio, art students, and anyone tired of waiting for ideas that never come.
Link in bio to grab yours. 🔗
What's your go-to trick when you're stuck creatively? Drop it below 👇
#illustrator #childrenbookillustration #portfoliobuilding #creativeprompts #illustrationprocess
I had a fun time illustrating a short story from @simonboulerice of Lamia, a girl struggling with alopecia.
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J'ai eu beaucoup de plaisir à illustrer une histoire courte écrite par Simon Boulerice le fantastique à propos d'une jeune fille, Lamia, qui fait apprendre un nouveau mot à sa classe - alopécie.
Mandat : 3 illustrations pour un cahier de français - 4e année.
#kidlitillustrator #canadianillustrator
I'm a fully booked children's book illustrator 3 years in — without an agent. 🎨
Before I even considered querying illustration agents, I made sure I had the groundwork in place.
And then I realized: I didn't actually need one. My illustration portfolio was already getting me work, and I had the business skills to go freelance comfortably. The agent wasn't the missing piece — the system was.
If you're a freelance illustrator thinking about querying agents, swipe through before you send a single email. This is what I'd make sure I had in place first.
Save it for when you're ready. 👉
#illustrator #childrensbookillustrator #creativebusiness #kidlitart #illustrationtips
