Blog
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Where the heck do you find clients?
I graduated from art school and was so excited to enter the working world. Only one problem - I had NO IDEA where to start. My illustration program only had one tiny business course. The instructors also directed us to fill our portfolios with highly conceptual editorial illustrations - not…
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Need to break out of self doubt?
Real Talk I’ve been feeling pretty bummed lately. I don’t know what it is weather. So, I took a few minutes this morning to get my samples out and put them on this display that I usually use for Comic Cons. It was a visual reminder of. All the stuff… -
Why DO I…
I was working as a graphic designer at an animation studio. It was a creative 9 to 5 and it was a really awesome job at first. I got to turn animations into brands and make the graphics that went on all the toys and merch. Fun right? It was…
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2024 Summary and Looking Forward to 2025
I wrote this once already and then Google deleted it. I was in a negative mood at the time, so maybe it’s a sign from the universe to smarten up So here we go again! Lots of transparency below!2024 was a building year for me After a spectacular 2023…
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Overcoming Creative Blocks and Generating New Ideas
Embracing the Block Have you ever found yourself staring at a blank page with no ideas flowing? Believe me, I’ve been there. Whether it’s from having too many possibilities, experiencing creative burnout, dealing with impostor syndrome, or just feeling uninspired, I think every creative person has faced a creative block…
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9 Red Flags - How to avoid artist scams
There are so many scams that target artists these days. Why artists? Because we’re easy marks! Emotionally swayed by someone liking our work and wanting to hire us for what we love doing. Scammers know this and we have to be extra wary of enquiries in our DMs and inbox.…
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Comic Con and Art Fair Survival Guide
Vending at comic conventions and art fairs can be a great way to diversify your artist income. It also allows you to meet your fans and customers face to face, interact with them and make a personal connection. You can get your work off the internet and in front of…
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5 Secrets to Build Your Creative Confidence
Imagine waking up and having the self-love to take action on your work, confidently and without any doubts. Being able to instantly turn off those thoughts of impostor syndrome telling you you’re just not good enough. If we are truly in love with what we do and in love with…
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How to Turn Your Art into a Thriving Business
I believe that there should be no such thing as a starving artist these days. With the reach of the internet, some dedication and drive you too can create a thriving business off your creative pursuits. I’m living proof - I’ve been at this professionally for more than two decades…
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2023 My Year of FEAR!
2023 was my YEAR of FEAR Pushing through fear, that is. I just had my most wildly successful year ever and I don’t think it would have been possible without taking some scary leaps. I’m not usually one to invest in myself or my business. I’m usually happy staying at…
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Superbuns - hand lettered logo case study
I was approached by Yowza Animation and Diane Kredensor to create a new logo for the property Superbuns which was about to move from picture book to animated series on NBC’s Peacock streaming channel. In this post I’m sharing behind the scenes sketches and communication with the client. Read along…
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Handling the ups and downs of being a freelancer
As a freelance illustrator, you’re probably familiar with the feast or famine workflow that comes with working in the creative field. One minute you’re swamped with work and struggling to keep up, and the next you’re twiddling your thumbs and wondering where the next project will come from. It can…
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Business after a facebook hack
Trying to recover your business after a Facebook and Instagram Hack 2022 September 15th, 2022 my personal Facebook account was hacked and it took down my linked business accounts @AlanaMcCarthyArt and @GeekyPet. I received an email that at 5am someone had gained access to my personal account and posted “child…
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Mental Health Awareness
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and #youarenotalone if you struggle with mental health issues. I went almost 40 years without knowing that I suffered from anxiety. I just thought it was my personality to always be panicked about everything. I watched my mom act the same and I just…
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2022 Goals and Reflections
Hello 2022! I think we’re all feeling a little apprehensive about this New Year - seeing how the past two have gone. I’m going into this one trying to focus on things I can change. I want to realign myself because the pandemic has really thrown me off track. I…
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How much will it cost to illustrate my children’s book?
I get a lot of inquiries from first time authors asking “I love your work! How much will it cost to illustrate the children’s book I’ve written?” I’m super excited for these authors, it definitely takes a lot of time, talent and guts to write something and put it out…
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2020 Income Breakdown
In 2020 I was much better at tracking my income. Out of curiosity I calculated the percentages of where my money was coming from.Here are my thoughts on this income mix. 81% CLIENT WORK I love client work. I love working with different people all the time and making…
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2021 Goals And Reflections
2020. What. A. Year. Pandemic, lockdowns, home learning, Black Lives Matter, the orange clown-baby president of hatred, so many face palm moments, political and social unrest. Slowing down, adapting, pivoting and so much change. I know so many friends that reassessed their lives this year and made risky changes to…
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Creative for life - My illustration career path
When did you know you wanted the career path you ended up on? I’ve known since kindergarten. I remember being at the craft table every day. Making these huge construction paper figures. The teacher was so impressed that she took me to the principal’s office with one of them, where…
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Three life changing tools for the creative business owner
Running a freelance illustration business may seem like an absolute dream job. It really is - I get to draw all day and make money from it! It’s like a childhood dream come true! But running your own business is a lot to handle. You end up wearing so many…
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Bleed, crops, gutter, safety lines and other essential marks for illustrators
When I was working as a senior graphic designer I was shocked at how many freelancers had no idea what bleed was or how to set it up correctly. This is one of the fundamentals for setting up images that you plan to print So what is bleed? Bleed is… -
Case study: Beer label design - Tall Dark and Mysterious Stout
🔮 Tall Dark and Mysterious Stout. 🔮 Here’s a walkthrough of my process from sketch to final. I’ve been wanting to design a beer label for a while now. I started taking Mary Kate McDevitt’s Skillshare course on lettering basics. Her instructions were to pick a phrase to letter but…
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Day 1: Working from home with kids - a quarantine diary
Me and the boys, 6 and 10. Monday March 23, 2020 March break is over and normally I would be rejoicing as my kids went back to school and I got to focus on my illustration business. But nope, this is the age of the Coronavirus Quarantine, so they’ll be…
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7 tips for working at home from an illustrator
Wash your hands! A motion graphic I made for social media. Welcome to the brave new world of working from home! I’ve got over a decade of solitary desk time under my belt and I’d love to share some tips with you. First off, how is everyone holding up with…
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Faced with a difficult decision? Here are some questions to ask yourself.
Are you up at night struggling with a difficult decision? These questions from cognitive behavioural therapy may help you work through itI found this advice to be so helpful that I decided to illustrate it into a hand lettered slide show to share the technique. Swipe to see it…