It might sound like an Irish joke, but when I trained at art college in Dublin in the 1980s, the college was housed in an old whiskey distillery. It was a wonderful experience. Not only was the building itself a piece of history, but because it was built around a small courtyard, we graphic design students (unlike at LAC, there was no dedicated cartoon or children’s book course!) found ourselves naturally mixing with the painters, sculptors, fashion designers and pottery students. Friendships formed there that have lasted to this day, and so did a realisation that has stayed with me just as long: whatever your art discipline, learning the craft is one thing. Learning to make an income from it is an entirely different challenge.
I’ve had many conversations about this over the years, not only with fellow cartoonists and illustrators but with artists from a wide range of other disciplines too. A while ago I started compiling various notes based on the lessons I have learned in my own career — not to mention the lessons I wish I had known when I was starting out. The result is my new ebook Turning Art Into Income.
The guide aims to provide a practical overview of all the ways in which artists earn full time or part time income, ranging from selling originals to promoting themselves online. One of the main reasons I decided to publish it now was the ongoing debate in many artistic circles about what the future holds for those of us who create art, now that AI tools can — or so it seems — produce paintings, illustrations and even video at the touch of a button.
For me, London Art College is in itself an excellent indicator that the future still looks bright. Our core mission is, as it has always been since our foundation in the 1930s, to help students tap into and express their unique artistic talents — and as working artists ourselves, my teaching colleagues and I keep our instruction and our courses updated to reflect the art world as it is right now.
Similarly, while there are some consumers who will undoubtedly opt for the instant nature of AI, there are many more who will continue to value the unique human ingenuity that artists pour into their work every day. I hope this guide will help support that ongoing work — and as a thank you to the many LAC students who continue to inspire me, I’ve set up a special link where the ebook can be downloaded for £4.99 rather than the usual price of £7.99.
Please do check it out at https://tinyurl.com/LACstudents
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