How to Set SMART Goals as an Artist

Setting SMART goals seems easy when it comes to quantifiable things like a PR in running or saving a certain amount of money. When it comes to the more “abstract” world of artistic pursuits, setting goals can feel more daunting. You might think “I want to get better at drawing”. Or, “I want to become a better digital illustrator”. Those are beautiful intentions, but how do you sit down and make that happen?

Even though I’m a professional illustrator and designer, I still keep a beginner’s mind and strive to always be learning and improving. It’s well-documented that increasing your overall output will lead to increased quality , so my first suggestion is setting a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based) goal centered around increasing your output/quantity. But you also don’t want to practice badly (that is, you don’t want to learn how to draw incorrect proportions then lock that in by drawing 100 incorrect figures!) so I use the phrases “portfolio-worthy” and “that I’m happy with” to indicate that the quantity should correspond with quality as well. I also use those phrases because maybe you aren’t going for anatomically accurate proportions, and only you will know when a drawing has met your personal aesthetic preferences.

Below are some examples that you can customize to fit your areas of interest. For all goals, you would add a date of completion – e.g. “I will draw 60 portraits of women in their 60’s by 60 days from now. At least three will be portfolio-worthy.”

For improving drawing:

  • Draw 30 noses I’m happy with, 30 ears I’m happy with, and 30 hands I’m happy with

  • Draw 100 fashion illustrations in 100 days

  • Draw 60 portraits in ten days

  • Create a collection of ten cohesive pieces I consider portfolio-worthy

  • Draw ten buildings I want to see in-person

  • Watch (and follow along with) 20 hours of drawing tutorials

  • Draw my roommate/spouse/parent one time everyday for a week/two weeks/a month

  • Draw a person at every age from age 0-100

  • Draw ten different animals from life

  • Draw all the houseplants I have in my home

  • Draw a quick self portrait every time I get ready for work in the morning

For improving painting:

  • Paint 10 paintings in one day

  • Paint for 2 hours everyday

  • Use all the brushes I own in one painting

  • Create 3 paintings using only one brush

  • Create ten paintings using only one hue

  • Paint a series of 30 watercolor paintings, trying a different watercolor technique in each piece

  • Use acrylic paints on ten different surfaces

  • Use watercolor paints on ten different surfaces

  • Create a series of 10 mixed media pieces

  • Watch 10 hours of painting tutorials and follow along

  • Paint my breakfast every morning before work

  • Paint for 30 minutes each evening before bed

For improving ideating/creativity:

  • Come up with 100 new words I’ve never seen or heard before

  • Put together a stack of scrap paper with 50 adjectives in one pile and 50 nouns in another pile – draw one from each pile and there’s an idea!

  • Play with scale. Drawing a human figure and an animal? Try making one of them drastically bigger or smaller than the other.

  • Try representing an abstract idea using only physical things. (e.g. the concept of “hope” as a little leaf poking through the cracks in the cement.)

  • Use a composition from a historical work of art, but completely change the figures and setting.

  • Write without stopping for 30 minutes (even if I run out of ideas, just keep writing my thoughts).

  • Create a bullet list and don’t stop until I’ve come up with 100 solutions to my prompt

What To Expect When You Commission An Illustration

Many of my illustration and graphic designs commissions over the years have come from clients who are working with an illustrator or designer for the first time. Understandably, this comes with questions about what the process entails. In order to help more people learn what to expect, I’ve created this step-by-step guide. Each project can of course be customized or may look a little different, but in general here’s what you can expect as a custom illustration or graphic design client:

  • First: we’ll discuss your project and confirm the timeline, budget, and deliverables. Once we establish we’ll be a good fit, I send over an invoice for a 50% deposit.

  • After I receive the 50% deposit, we discuss the project in more detail (by email, phone, video chat, whatever you prefer). This is the best time to talk through any ideas you have about the details or mood of the final piece. If you have any specific requests (i.e. a certain color scheme or technique, having the figures be wearing a particular garment, etc.), this is very helpful for me to know before I begin sketching. I also work with clients who don't know what they want visually and that's completely fine too.

  • Along with the above, the client may provide me with any relevant materials such as reference images. Sending visual references helps me understand your vision and ensure we're on the same page. For certain projects — like custom portraits — this is crucial, whereas for other projects it’s optional.

  • Once we have discussed the details and have ensured we're on the same page, I move into the sketch stage. I will deliver 6 black and white sketches for you to review. This stage typically takes about 3-4 days.

  • From there, you choose your favorite and suggest any revisions. If you don't feel like any of them are quite what you're looking for, simply let me know what's not working and I will give you another 1-2 sketches.

  • After I send over a second round of sketches (either completely new or revised from the first group), I offer one more round of revisions. 

  • At this point you approve the final line drawing and I move on to what is called "color comps". Basically this means I will send simplified illustrations with two color options for you. These are not final illustrations, but will give you an idea what the final will look like. You can send over two rounds of revisions here if you'd like. This stage typically takes about 2-3 days.

  • Once you approve a colorway, I complete the final illustration! Depending on the level of detail in the approved sketch, this typically takes about 4-6 days.

  • I will send over a jpeg of the final image for you and your team to review. There shouldn't be any surprises at this stage, since you will have approved the final line drawing and the color scheme. However, I allow for one more round of small revisions at this stage (like adding more stars in the sky or making the cheeks slightly less pink).

  • Once the final is completely approved, I deliver all file types to you. This includes high resolution files for print and digital uses. It also includes an easy-to-share, lower-resolution image. If you want specific file sizes/types, I'm happy to send those to you as well.

  • Once the final deliverables have been "handed off", the client pays the remaining 50% balance within 30 days of that date.

I hope this article has helped you understand the custom illustration and design process. Feel free to get in touch if you have any remaining questions!

Defining Illustration: What is Illustration vs. Drawing vs. Painting vs. Fine Art?

When I was applying to grad school, I didn’t know if I should be a painting major or an illustration major. Once there, I would have many conversations (outside of school) in which I was asked what illustration was and/or what I intended to do with that degree. Whether you’re a potential art school student, someone who doesn’t care about art but has accidentally stumbled onto this page, or somewhere in between, I hope this post will be of help to you!

There are several ways to define illustration. The simplest is basically a picture that represents or clarifies something; for example, an illustration of a boat could be a photo, a drawing, a painting, etc. in a book, a magazine, a pamphlet, on canvas, what have you. By this definition, anything that visually represents something else is an illustration.

But in the art and design worlds, illustration is often juxtaposed with Fine Art because it’s the category of artwork that is commission-driven, rather than self generated. Medium-wise, there isn’t necessarily a defining difference. An “illustration” (that is, artwork that has been requested by a specific client) can be a giant oil painting, a photo of a paper cutting, a digital 3D model, a physical sculpture, a pencil sketch, a screen print, a digital “painting”, or anything else, so long as it meets the client’s needs. An illustration doesn’t necessarily require a deep explanation — “this piece was for a Coca-Cola ad” would suffice, whereas Fine Artists should be prepared to elucidate their work through an Artist’s Statement.

This differentiation goes one step further as well, where even self-generated work can be categorized as “illustration” depending on its visual connections to various artistic movements. For example, graphic novel and comic book style artwork are generally called illustration rather than Fine Art, even if they aren’t for a client. And there are several artists who blur the line between “Fine Art” and “illustration”, so the distinction is somewhat unnecessary. (Takashi Murakami and James Jean come immediately to mind, but think Alphonse Mucha and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec if you like ‘em historic.)

In the end I chose the illustration major because I’ve always preferred having an outside prompt for my projects, I knew I wanted to focus on making money through my work, and it seemed like I could use whatever medium I wanted. I’m thrilled with my choice, but it’s worth noting that painting majors can also do client work, just like illustrators can always do gallery and/or personal work.

Focusing on just the illustration world, here are some examples of potential freelance gigs, clients, and full-time jobs one might have in the field:

Freelance gigs and clients:

-Package designs (L’occitane en Provence, Estée Lauder, Celestial Seasonings)

-Advertisements (Oreos, Nike, Volkswagon)

-Album covers and band merch (any band)

-Stationery designs (Minted, Zazzle or your own shop)

-Book covers (Penguin Random House, Chronicle Books, HarperCollins)

-Political cartoons (New York Times)

-Portraits for a magazine (Elle, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, National Geographic)

-Vector illustrations for a tech company (Apple, Google, Airbnb)

-Event poster design (ballet, opera, music festivals like Bonaroo, charity events)

-Wedding/event invitation illustration and design (private clients)

Full time jobs:

-Concept artist at Warner Brothers

-Storyboard artist at Disney

-Textile designer at Anthropologie (URBN)

-Greeting card designer at Hallmark

-Senior artist/illustrator at Pusheen corp.

-Scientific illustrator at Salk Institute for Biological Studies

-Fashion Designer at Ralph Lauren

-Illustration Professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design

I hope this helps clarify some of your questions, and feel free to drop a comment if you have any more!