Learning From my Mistakes
A case study
Last time I said I would talk about my next painting but, unfortunately, it’s not ready yet (hopefully next month 🤞🏻). Instead, I’ll talk about a commission that didn’t go as well as I expected. As much as I’d like to blame the client, it was entirely my fault.
I obviously won’t be showing the actual illustration as that wouldn’t be fair to the client—nor super professional—so instead I’ll use previous work as examples. They/them/their pronouns used throughout for more anonymity.
When your style changes…
My style has evolved in the past few years, and even more so in 2023. In my quest to add texture, light, and shadows, it’s become more realistic, less flat.
The client, who had commissioned me in the past, reached out this summer for a new portrait. When they emailed me in August, they sent the previous illustration as an example of what they wanted, along with a reference photo for the clothing and colours.
I thought “okay, they want their portrait done” and disregarded the example they sent. Because it’s clear to me that my style has changed, I just assumed that they also knew based on my latest posts and that they wanted a portrait in my new style.
Narrator: They did not.
After sending them the final illustration, the client came back to me to say that they didn’t like the ‘sharp details, shading and darker areas.’ They showed me the example of what they wanted again, saying they wished for the illustration to be “a lot softer in style with lighter lines.”
My first reaction was to feel angry and discouraged. But then I thought about the example, and I had to come to terms with the fact that I hadn’t followed the brief, which was very clear. It’s not their fault they didn’t know about my new style, I hadn’t mentioned anything to them!
So, I set off to amend the illustration. The clothing was easy to adjust as there were just a few parts to make lighter. I had to redraw the face and hair though, and it was weirdly hard. A style that was mine just two years ago was now difficult to re-create! There’s a chance that starting from my new illustration style made it harder. I’d like to think it would have been easier to draw in the old style if I’d started again from scratch, but then again maybe not. Maybe I’ve changed too much in the past two years—as a person and artistically—to access my past style with ease.
At first it didn’t feel good to know that I hadn’t done the job I’d been hired to do, but it was a useful lesson. Don’t assume that people know where you’re at in your career—or your life for that matter. Even with social media, and in my case a newsletter or two, not everybody will see or read the posts in as much depth as you think! Next time I’m commissioned for an illustration I’ll make sure we’re all on the same page about what’s expected of the final result.
Judith xx
Monthly inspiration
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
If you like to create, in whichever capacity, you should read this book! Even though at times Rubin’s pushes too much the idea that ‘art is the most important thing and if the inspiration strikes you should stop whatever you’re doing to pursue it.’ That gave me ‘man abandons wife and kids to pursue dreams’ vibes. But it remains an excellent read that’ll make you want to create. It’s a bit woo-woo (all ideas come from Source), but I’m a bit woo-woo so I liked that aspect of it.
Rubin introduces the book by saying to take what serves you and leave the rest. Turns out that was good advice as it was a more thought-provoking book than I realised. Even more reason to read it.
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