Where to Find an Artist

Your project is all ready to go. You have a great script, but now you need to find a great artist; and not just a great artist but the right artist for your project and for you. So where do you begin?

Using a search engine will give you plenty of results, but it can be overwhelming and who knows if you can afford the illustrators on the top of Google’s list. It doesn’t take long before you are glazed over and discouraged in your quest for an artist.

Here are a few alternative sources to start looking for your artist.

1. Ask a Friend or Colleague

This is probably the best way to find an artist, because a lot of the legwork and initial screenings have been done for you. A colleague has already found the needle in the haystack. You know that this artist is trustworthy, professional, and affordable or your associate probably wouldn’t be using him or her in the first place. There is less risk for you, and all it takes is a little networking.

2. Freelancing Sites

Work from home jobs have skyrocketed in the last few years. I really believe that this trend is going to sweep the globe and become the new norm for the next generation.

With the improvements in the internet speeds and the technology to support it, working with someone on the other side of the globe is just as easy as working with a local professional.

Freelancing sites allow clients to post projects to an open board. After the project is posted freelance professionals then contact the client directly and bid on the projects that are the best fit.

This option opens up a wide field of talent for you to choose from. You no longer have to find an artist in your area, which can be a real challenge if you live in a rural setting. Now you have an entire globe of talented professionals to choose from, and they are competing for your business. You not only get better talent, but it is coming to you at a more affordable rate.

My favorite Freelancing sites are:

3. Social Media

Try searching for the specific type of art you are looking for on Facebook instead of Google. For example, “Infographic artist” This will give you much fewer results than Google but still enough to choose from and feel you have a good selection.

Find a book or illustration that you like and then search for that artist on Google or on a social networking site.

Many artists have pages just for this reason and want you to contact them to enquire about hiring them for your project. Don’t feel you have to go to a specific art site to find an artist. Use the social network you are most familiar with. Finding an artist on your favorite social network should at least mean you have one thing in common.

This also allows you to look at the artist themselves and get a peek at their personality and see if you think you would work well together. Social Networks let you do a little private investigating before you contact the artist, something that no other search option can offer you.

Of course there are more traditional methods to find an artist, but in today’s world I believe that these are the best options for small businesses and entrepreneurs. They are free, easy, and don’t require any special skills. It’s just using the tools you already have and are familiar with in a different way.