📍Start Here: Katiedraws' Illustrator Jobs Board
All the good stuff in one place
Useful Links:
💼✏️ THE JOBS LIST
See all previous job posts. It’s free to browse, you just have to pay to apply.
✨💰 UPGRADE YOUR JOBS BOARD SUBSCRIPTION HERE
Nice to see you!
If you’re new here, this is a good post to start with to see what exactly you can find here and what’s what.
👋 Hiya! I’m Katie Chappell.
D’you want the nice short version of this story?
Ok, phew. I will give you a nice little half-arsed version today.
It took me over 7 years to figure out how to make a living from my creative work.
I made so.many.mistakes. along the way. (That’s how I learn best. Alas. 😅 )
I was a university lecturer in illustration until 2020 and we aaaaall know what happened that year. 👀 🦠 Ahem.
Nowadays I help illustrators and image-makers navigate a creative career alongside my v wise and excellent illustrator pals Helen Stephens & Tania Willis inside The Good Ship Illustration 🚢.
You can read all about it here:
Here’s me with ma Good Ship pals / fellow captains Tania and Helen I’m a live event illustrator. I draw while people talk at events and it’s my favourite thing ever.
These days, I prefer working remotely so I can eat with my family, walk on the beach, and sleep in my own bed.
The good news for you?
I share the jobs I can't take on this Illustrator Jobs Board!
✏️ Find Your Next Live Illustration Gig on
The Illustrator Jobs Board!
I often find myself up to my neck in opportunities from amazing clients who are not quite right for me. I share those gigs over here on The Illustrator Jobs Board.
See the job listings here (free to browse):
https://katiedraws.substack.com/t/illustrator-jobs-board
Read all about why I started The Illustrator Jobs Board here:
Illustration jobs board...
Since I started freelancing in 2012, things haven’t always been how they are now. I have a weird problem that I never ever anticipated.
Nice things people have said about
The Illustrator Jobs Board so far
Frequently Asked Jobs-Board-Related Questions
Are all of the jobs in the UK? 🇬🇧
Mostly, yep.
However, if you have a quick glance at the recent jobs board listings here, you’ll see that there are job enquiries from all over the world (Dubai, Australia, the USA). The majority are UK-based though.
My mind-reading isn’t great, so I cannot predict or guarantee which jobs will come in and from where.
That’s why I’ve kept the monthly subscription cost nice an’ low. You can join, have a peek, and then opt out if it’s not right for you. I won’t mind!
Are all of the jobs just for live illustration work?
Most of them are, yes.
Again, looking at the recent jobs board listings here, you can see that they’re not *all* live illustration. Some are infographics, or visualising some other information.
Since I’m a live event illustrator, most of the enquiries shared here are for live event illustration work. It makes sense, innit?
I’ve never done live illustration - can you teach me how?
Yes! In fact, I’m working on a course right now for The Good Ship Illustration. You can register your interest here:
Do you do portfolio reviews or 1:1 mentoring?
Sometimes! It depends on how busy I am with my own live illustration work and The Good Ship Illustration stuff.
Get in touch by messaging me here on Substack if that’s something you’re interested in and we can take it from there :)
Why are you giving away all of your work, you nutter!?
I’m not! I promise.
These are just the opportunities that aren’t right for me/Illustrated Live, right now. There’s an overflow.
Get stuck in! Fill your boots.
I go more in-depth on the WHY of setting up the Illustrator Jobs Board in this post here.
The budgets on the jobs board scare me because they’re so high, Katie. HELP!
Don’t worry, I’ve written a post for paid subscribers to the Illustrator Jobs Board all about pricing your live illustration work.
Here it is:
Are You Charging Enough for Live Illustration? Let's have a pricing chat.
I’d love you to finish reading this article feeling inspired and empowered to charge more for your incredibly valuable, highly skilled work.
If you’ve got a question about pricing or anything else that I haven’t tackled here, just message me on Substack or chuck it in the comments.
And if you’re still reading this, hello there.
Subsack Posts You Might Like:
There *is* lots of work out there for illustrators, I promise
Here’s a quick video I made for you all about it. I’m not completely delusional, I’ve just noticed a couple of things that keep cropping up and it hurts me to see illustrators crying that there’s no work out there when that’s JUST NOT TRUUUUE.
Please Share Your Brownies
Firstly, if you’re reading this, I don’t believe in accidents. I reckon you’re reading this for a reason. Perhaps some kind of internet angel shoved it under your nose because you were meant to read it today. Thanks, internet angel/algorithm/whatever you are. Nice work.
How the *&!?$* do you find (more) illustration work and get clients?
*…the steps are not delicious. I lied about that bit. Can you just hold my coffee for a second? Thank you.
I'm an illustrator and I'm *not* worried about AI stealing my job
Firstly, in case we haven’t met, I’m Katie. Hiya! I draw pictures at meetings and events while people are talking and basically just turn information into pictures while people talk. Yes it’s magic.
Hi Katie, I am a newly solo live illustrator based in NZ. Sadly, there is not much awareness here for graphic recording (which I am working on improving!) but I am considering a move to London in the near future, and understand there is more live illustration work there. Before subscribing, I am curious -
Do you think any of the jobs you post would consider hiring a remote live illustrator? It's opposite timezones, but damn it I'd be willing to work at 1am if it's a possibility to do remote live captures from NZ. What do you think?
Hi Katie, (and everyone)
Thanks for all the information that you give out, it's very exciting! I am lost in the world of I-pads and which is the one I should choose? What do you and/or others recommend? Thanks again!