Artist/illustrator for publishing project

I’m working on some books for a regular client, to finish in March/April, and he’s having some problems with the stuff that’s not supposed to be my responsibility.

I have a group of people producing text, and specifications for illustrations in English. He needs someone (several someones) to produce hundreds of pictures, icons, and what have you. Someone who can read English and is not afraid of talking to big hairy foreigners.

He’s tried 104, but linguistically capable sub-contracting artists with time to take on major projects seem to be in short supply. Any suggestions?

I put an ad on the F’ieds, but don’t hold out much hope.
forumosafieds.com/detail.php?siteid=2034

Hello tmwc

I am a cartoonist/illustrator that can pump out work as fast as you need it. Have experience doing magazine/book/t shirt designs and can use the basic PC graphics programs, scanning etc…

Just checked out the ad, and this sounds like a great opportunity.

Landing some work like this would be a dream come true :slight_smile:

I am also looking for someone for a language teaching materials project. It’s on hold at the moment so I dont want to waste anyone’s time, but I’d be interested in seeing work for when things get going.

Hi Buttercup

Here are some samples of my 'toons. Have hundreds more all scanned and ready to go :wink:

These are just doodles from my sketchbook which i try and take everywhere with me… I can also do colour finished art which is probably better suited to text book illustration.

I am just wondering what sort of incentive it is to work for a wage not comparable to an English teacher? I think you will struggle and the old “pay peanuts - get monkey” might apply. Actually the add is a bit offensive to any person who has studied art.

TCB

The ad says its project based employment, so the salary may be decent if its a ‘per book’ deal or a set number of illustrations. Have you studied art? Did they teach you about payment options when working freelance?

Regardless of that, maybe they are not looking for somebody who has ‘studied art’ and just need a person that can work fast and draw anything that is requested :wink:

Pubba

" Payment is negotiable , but not comparable to English teaching " means you would earn less than an English teacher.

Whether you studied art or not if you can live off a wage much less than an average English teacher and are happy to " pump out " stuff for that $ then go for it. Might not leave you much change for a beer.

Good luck

Hi TCB sorry if my post came off as rude, i just read it again now…

I figure for the first few months I want to explore as much as I can around Taiwan and perhaps do a Chinese course at Shi-Da there in Taipei.

This work could fit into my plans pefectly… Despite the apparent low pay prospects. Plus they would probably not even consider paying royalties such as with childrens book illustration etc…

Anyhow - I sent off an email and will wait and see what they say :slight_smile:

You’re obviously not thinking very much about this then.

For a start, it’s “ad”, not “add”, which proves that studying English (or art) is not the same as being able to produce English (or art) which meets the editor’s requirements. If someone who has studied art is offended, but actual artists are applying then the ad is working just fine. And they are.

Amazingly, there are many competent artists in Taiwan. Some speak enough English, most would be happy to work for the payment on offer, and I expect they would find it offensive that you refer to them as monkeys.

It may be offensive to a native English speaker to be asked to work for less than they could make singing songs with five-year olds, but the skill that is sought here is artistic ability, not native-speaker fluency. That’s why the ad specifies [quote]Prefer Taiwanese.[/quote]

It doesn’t require native-speaker proficiency to follow simple instructions, especially with a bunch of capable people in the office to consult if anything is not clear. Therefore it isn’t necessary to pay the native-speaker premium. What I should have said was that the applicant does need to be able to work with various Taiwanese people and they don’t all speak great English. How’s your Chinese? Up to discussing educational requirements, details of illustrations, and publishing procedures?

The problem is to find [quote]sub-contracting artists with time to take on major projects[/quote]

Pubba, thanks for your application. Nothing you showed me is ‘exactly right’, but you seem to be a versatile enough artist that you could probably produce the right sort of stuff. I passed everything on to the appropriate people, and their immediate response was “Cool, he could paint the wall of our new school.” I doubt they could afford that, but it certainly brightened up a few people’s Fridays.

It’s a pity you’re not actually here and ready to get started, isn’t it?

Actually my experience of that kind of work is that the artists generally struggle with concept. They have trouble with the simplest of ideas and continuity. They need to be very much a part of the development process or be very adept at concept.

I was once publishing material for Disney Consumer Products and we were using local artists. They had a lot of trouble drawing the characters to Disney specs and they also had difficulty with concept and/or staying focused on projects. We decided to get some of the art done in the States for comparative purposes. The difference in quality and professionalism was incredible. The turn around time was cut by two thirds, the quality of the artwork was exceptional, and the input and feedback from the artist helped the quality of the production. From my experience local artists leave a lot to be desired; they are generally untrained, they have little idea of publishing, and require a lot of management for often mediocre results. I found the Filipino artists to be more professional also.

Of course there will always be exceptions. In Taiwan that means if you have a good artist put away the peanuts and bring out the cashews.

I have a job for you. Let’s set up a meeting when you get here.

Fox, I’m expecting you to be right but I don’t make the decisions around here. Not about this anyway. The man wants local.

(My own experiences of working with artists locally have been awful, which is one reason why I’m trying to avoid getting involved with this beyond posting an ad.)

So that’s me, TSC, Buttercup, and how many others looking for a good sub artist? Is there a niche market here? Shit, if you’re good at this stuff you could base yourself out of a bungalow in Thailand and do the work via the intraweb thingy. Even TW wages would be attractive, and you could charge more than that.

Taichung Social Club - Thanks for your interest - I will contact you when I get to Taichung, or can start sooner if you need. Have sent you a private msg :slight_smile:

I arrive in Taipei on the 11th of November, and have a 60 day visa being processed at the moment

Are there any graphic design schools in Taipei? We have a few local ones that offer ‘diploma’ courses and are basically self-taught in a studio style classroom

Im going to start working on a folio of art that I can show around. Can anyone post a sample or style of what you want, and I will try to meet that criteria?

I like a challenge :slight_smile:

tmwc - I like the way you think! Retire to Thailand and work from home… :beer:

TMWC
What a snobby fuss over ad v add.
And wat a great reactn to a simple point that people think they can pay crappy pay to artists.

[quote=“TCB”]TMWC
What a snobby fuss over ad v add.
And wat a great reactn to a simple point that people think they can pay crappy pay to artists.[/quote]
Well, just don’t apply for the job, then. Seems there are several other artists quite happy with what’s on offer.

I may be able to help on this project, if you so desire.
Will put together a sort of portfolio and email within the next couple of days.

What style/medium are you looking for?

Until then, something to brighten up all of y’all’s days.

Lupillus, people are saying “I like it, but…”

Email it quick. They’re interviewing like crazy right now.

Just a random thought: How does the cost of photographs compare to the cost of illustrations? Most of the books out there seem to use either photos or relatively simple ‘cartoony’ drawings. I don’t see any detailed artwork, so I assume it’s prohibitively expensive even if you’re not employing TCB.

Oh, TCB, sorry for making a fuss about basic English. Can’t help it, I’m the bloody editor and I’m paid to make sure that kind of crap is not part of my life. I need to ensure that the people involved in this project pay attention to details like that, because -believe it or not - they do actually matter.

As you assume you’re worth more than any mere English teacher then I can’t help expecting you to exceed the minimum standard required of English teachers. If you want to be judged purely as an artist then that’s fine, but in that case you’ll have to accept being paid purely as an artist. The job pays what artists in Taiwan get paid, possibly more. It doesn’t pay what English teachers get paid, but you wouldn’t measure up as an English teacher, so why don’t you post/email some of your art and let people decide whether you’re qualified to have an opinion?

Why do you find the ad insulting to artists, or the pay to be too low, if that’s what the market pays? How much do you normally get paid for work of this type in Taiwan? If I’m wrong in believing that artists in Taiwan normally earn less than English teachers then I’d like to know the truth. I don’t have a problem with being wrong, this is not an area I claim to have any expertise in, but it appears that I need to be better informed. Please enlighten me.

You’re not. Not by a long chalk.
I have a friend who is a beautiful illustrator of children’s books, and her illustrations are also very pretty. River Chen. She’s sometimes to be found in Bobwundaye. She does seriously lovely shit. Very high quality indeed.

A mate of mine here in Taichung is a comic book artist and a damn fine one too…

Check out his website… http://www.illuminatirex.com/

I’ve told him to check out this thread and the forumosafieds ad, but anyone intersted can contact him via the website…



tmwc - I looked through the samples that you sent me, and I think it would be no problem to produce art that would suit what they may need.

If they are unsure, I can come to an interview any time after the 11th of November.

plasmatron - that guys site is brilliant! Love the ‘evil smurfs’ :laughing:

I dont have a mortgage or study loans etc to pay off back home. Im guessing local artist wages would still be enough to live on fairly comfortably? The only things I blow money on are videogames, movies and those deep fried squid ball things at the night market (takoyaki?)

PS: There is no emoticon for ‘beg shamelessly’