No one could answer this question about being an illustrator for me, but recently, I think I may have answered if for myself.
Open Studio June 16 2026.
Hello Artist Friend,
I’m doing this new thing here where I’m inviting you into my world as an illustrator, and I guess … writer, on substack. Just off the bat I want to say that I’ve been doing some fun things with paid subscribers on this substack, but this letter is not about that, I’m really trying to make this feel like you’re over at my place and I’m telling you what I’m working on.
As I do so I’m going to imagine you have questions, and those questions would be formatted like this…
Is it true that a huge publisher reached out to turn one of your substack into a book?
Where did you hear that?!, maybe… but if it were true, then maybe we’d be I’ll be talking to them again soon, about some positioning stuff and the market in general. And I imagine in that hypothetical situation, that it has been fun learning about publishing from the perspective of an author and not just an illustrator… but in any case, if such a thing was happening, I’m sure I would let you know as soon as I can.
Okay, let me say a couple of things about…
Making Comics
I don’t know if you know, but I never set out to be a children’s illustrator.
I actually set out to make comics for a living. But somehow it occurred to me at least for the moment I could probably find the most ‘success’ illustrating picturebooks, and so I took that most obvious path. I’ll talk about that path again later, but for now, I just want to say… that I got 3 of Lynda Barry’s books this year.
And I’m currently working through this one like it was a collage class. ( which is one way you can use the book)
I do it as part of my practice, normally early in the morning.
Recently when I lead a group of people through a program for building a daily program, some struggled to relate all the daily practice stuff, with the work of being an illustrator.
The mundane way I think of that is, the daily practice is like going to the supermarket to get the ingredients, for making, the thing.
It’s not a perfect analogy, but if someone is asking from that perspective it works.
Another way to think about it is like an athlete training for a competition, and the practice is the training, that informs the competition. My goal in working through this book is not to make any thing, at least not in the immediate future, but it’s to help me develop as an artist.
There are little things from my practice that end up being useful in my work almost immediately. But most importantly it rouses this love of making, and gets me into the state that is required it seems to make good work.
Lynda Barry talks about being doing a physical activity in a certain state of mind and that is what this book is about, a practice…something to do.
If you want to get started on a personal daily practice in ten minutes a day, I have a method that gives you a real bang for your ten minutes.
Couple of more things I would say about making comics.
If you’re a paid subscriber this month’s project will be about making comics, 5 days of comic related 10 minute prompts. Look out for that.
I’ll also be leading a work shop with Katie Stack About comics over ArtGym on July 1st!
I’ll share my woken as I work through this pool in the Open Studio (this space)
Okay, jumping around… have you been watching
The World Cup?
I got a stack of illustrated copies of a book I illustrate about the life of Lionel Messi.
10 , five minute bedtime stories in one book and a perfect introduction to the sport. The book also features nonfiction sections where different aspects of the game are interested. If that’s your jam, guess what, it publishes TODAY!
My favourite part about doing this book was all the research and digging into the ten stories. The book contains over 100 pages and was made of sweat and tears.
If you do get it, enjoy!
Other than making comics, I have been working through Mike Lowrey’s getting paid to draw class. And what I enjoyed about it was of course the opportunity for personal interaction, but also getting a glimpse at how different illustrators put together an art career.
I’m at the 5 year mark of my own career which has been very focused on Children’s Books, and I would say, perhaps I miscalculated…
I couldn’t have known better, but really depending 100% on Children’s Book illustrations to make a living has its drawbacks. I’m proud and happy about the stack of books I have had the opportunity to work on, but when I look at other full time illustrators.
Particularly those who support families or even themselves, they do a diverse range of work.
And while I am not looking to slowdown working on books (I’m working on 3 as we speak) I am looking for different streams of income as an illustrator. This is an exciting switch for me.
Right now I’m doing the background work in my personal practice, but also the more mundane tasks of researching and outreach. I was on the hot seat in Andy J. Pizza ’s Pro Chat last time around, and the group helped me think through some of this too.
If you’re a professional creative and want to hang out with ‘your people’ I highly recommend this community, I think some of the cool kids from substack are going to be in the next one which is this Wednesday.
How do I wrap this up?
I hope you like this format, I’m sure it’s going to be different every time as i try to figure out what works. I’m getting quite happy with how this substack is shaping up over the past 5 years.
I’m grateful for the people I’ve managed to help through my writing, and I’m grateful to everyone who’s popped in. Oh oh, I know let me show you something I’m working on….
This is a rough from a book I’m illustrating for an American publisher. It’s been a blast working with the creative director on this project.
One thing that was great is we spent 90 minutes talking through some early thumbnails, which saved so much back and forth email time. Moving forward I’m going to make that step a requirement with all my clients.
It turns this lonely profession into something that feels a lot more like a collaboration. I wish I didn’t have to go but I do.
I’ve got so much more to say… I feel like I’ve turned a page on this adventure, see you in the next one.
Oh! The question I had about being an illustrator was how to get to the next level and I guess the reason no one could answer that for me is, that it’s actually a question I need to ask myself, what would be the next level for me…
5 years ago the answer was to be a published illustrator with 10+ books, today, I need a different answer, a bigger identity, one that incorporates the Children’s illustrator, but is more than.
Maybe I can talk about that identity in the next newsletter, I think it will go off on a weird tangent.
If there’s anything you liked about ‘Open Studio’ or this newsletter in general please let me know in the comments!
PS: if you want a July Cohort Previewof How to be an Artist: Gameplan which can toggle that on here, to get those emails (some people love those emails while others hate em, so I’m making them optional ;)