Why Am I Different?

I have a simple philosophy when it comes to illustration:  Do something INCREDIBLE.

There are only so many hours in the day, years in a life…why waste them on something I’m not proud of?  I want every piece I do to be something incredible in three ways: First that the piece would clearly stand out to the public as something different and something great; Second that the creative process between myself and the client would lead us to an awesome solution, to excel in the collaborative component of illustration; and Third that I could push myself conceptually and technically and won’t settle for trite solutions

What Have I Done?

I began freelancing in 2003 and have had the opportunity to work in publishing, editorial, entertainment, and advertising markets.  I enjoy the diversity of projects I get to be a part of and their unique challenges.

My work has twice caught the eye of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles and was exhibited in their Annual show in both 2009 and 2010.  Only the best illustration is selected for their show, and I was honored to be counted amongst that group.

Who Have I Worked For?

AAA

Creation Engine

Fundex Games

World Gospel Mission

LifeWay

The C.S. Lewis Festival

Bookmarks Magazine

Kidsbooks

Kidzmatter

OneHope

Santee Cooper

Virginia Public Libraries

The Wesleyan Church

…and more!

What I offer Clients

I work primarily in Adobe Illustrator,  using highly flexible vector graphics.  Vector images never deteriorate in quality, no matter how small or how large you make them.  This means that the same artwork I do for a magazine ad can be resized for a vinyl banner on the side of the building with no loss of detail or clarity!

Secondly, I’m a very intentional communicator.  Some artists aren’t comfortable working with people.  I worked in sales and customer before I encountered success as an illustrator.   Sales gave me a lot of experience with communication with a wide variety of customers.  Whenever I work with a client, I work to continually keep them updated on the status of their project, and proactively address any concerns that might crop up along the way.  I want us both to be ecstatic about the destination, and a lot of achieving that is through good communication.

I also have begun creating natural-media illustrations for various projects.  Their textural quality gives them an intimate, timeless feel and are well suited for a variety of projects.

My advice to young artists:

Two things: Draw more than everyone you know.  If you do your skills will increase dramatically.  All art boils down to the conceptual stage, sketches and drawings.  You need to learn how to visually express yourself quickly and efficiently, learning not to hold onto ideas to tightly but to pump out lots of good ideas regardless of your initial preferences.

To help you get going I recommend committing to be a part of Illustration Friday.

Second: Read, read, read!  Read about art, science, poetry, history, biographies, short-fiction, anything that you can get your hands on!  It’s easy to go intellectually stale and a steady diet of new ideas keeps you fresh and can shed light on your life and art from a different angle.

Want to learn more about me?  Follow the links below to two interviews!

Zero to Illo

VectorTuts Interview

Want to Hire Me?

Just visit the Contact Me page and drop me a line!

Please include your name, email, phone number & a brief project description.

Or email me at dan@daniel-swartz.com