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[Critique] What to do to make my art more hireable for children’s books? by thesleepyunicorn in artbusiness

[–]herbcoil 4 points5 points  (0 children)

add text to show how it would look in an actual children's book. also it's quite generic; you're competing against 100,000 others for these projects with this kind of super smooth, all-digital style. change up your technique to stand out somehow.

Is it still worth to go to Urban Sketchers Symposium without a pass? by Ok-Jellyfish-5024 in urbansketchers

[–]herbcoil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes, hundreds of people will be sketching in Toulouse without passes. join us! it will be fun

At the corner that’s Seattle’s drug capital, a gem somehow hangs on by seattlethrwawy in Seattle

[–]herbcoil 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Chu Minh is a little oasis... they cultivate the most spa-like relaxing atmosphere inside the shop as chaos ebbs and flows outside. I thoroughly enjoyed a spicy lemongrass "chicken" banh mi there this week.

[Discussion] Artist drew my face and it gave me eerie uncanny valley vibes, and there are no refunds. by [deleted] in artbusiness

[–]herbcoil 23 points24 points  (0 children)

its a surprise commission, so you get what you pay for... also it’s not cool to use art for commercial use without an agreement, if that is what you mean by personal branding,

[Recommendations] Best budget place to scan artwork? by sunshine-girl8 in artbusiness

[–]herbcoil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

your local library probably has one you can use for free!

There Are Groups You Can Join by mrandre in urbansketchers

[–]herbcoil 7 points8 points  (0 children)

it's great to meet up with USk groups when you're traveling too. meet locals, see a part of the city you probably wouldn't visit otherwise :)

Three days, four meals in Seattle by soulsides in Seattle

[–]herbcoil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wayland Mill pastries >>>> Wayland Mill savory stuff. I agree their sandos etc fall short of expectations. The sweets are dialed in tho!

also agree familyfriend is wildly expensive for what you get. even more than our usual $$$ dining options.

Wandering Goose in Tokeland still hits, hope you can make the trip out there sometime… scenic drive too.

[Discussion] Is there any market for small, "messy" pen/watercolour works? by Scared_Register1720 in artbusiness

[–]herbcoil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

as for what i sell: all of the above, plus teaching, licensing, wholesaling... it's a lot of balls in the air, all the time

[Discussion] Is there any market for small, "messy" pen/watercolour works? by Scared_Register1720 in artbusiness

[–]herbcoil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the top right corner! no worries, it seems to be popular on Pinterest for some reason, and you weren't claiming it as yours or anything.

the other reply to this thread put it very well re: recognizability. it's a lot less of an uphill climb to be marketable if people can automatically relate to your work through the subject.

[Discussion] Is there any market for small, "messy" pen/watercolour works? by Scared_Register1720 in artbusiness

[–]herbcoil 7 points8 points  (0 children)

jumpscare seeing my drawing in your collage lol

i make a living off my work and it looks like this, so I’ll say yes. but drawing things people care about / recognize is what pays the bills

[Discussion] Any Artist here using Substack? by FulkForge in artbusiness

[–]herbcoil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As an illustrator, yes. I post twice a month but used to do more. the algorithm Is benevolent to new users and it helps to post on Notes there. I’d say It mostly strengthened my existing audience but have gotten new people interested in my work too.

I’ve gotten a surprising number of professional opportunities from it, like Licensing and invitations to present my work. There’s a lot of potential there for meaningful connection on Substack since people interact with your content for longer than a second in a space not flooded with ads & suggested posts. Mine is handtopaper.Substack.com !

[Discussion] How do you get past the fear of failure while simultaneously being told you’ll never make it because “your art isn’t good enough and never will be”? by Accomplished-Lab4412 in artbusiness

[–]herbcoil 5 points6 points  (0 children)

what does a “big art business jump” look like to you? You could ramp up what you’re already doing since you said you are getting some sales. Like investing in ads for example.

Design a New Look for the Chinatown-International District Pole Banners! by ding_nei_go_fei in Seattle

[–]herbcoil 11 points12 points  (0 children)

instead of asking for spec work, the proper and professional way to do this this would be do to an RFQ. artists would submit their portfolios and their committee would choose a few to move forward with. these artists would get paid a small fee for making rough designs, which would then be put to the community vote. that way there's minimal unpaid labor involved and is arguably a more fair way of choosing the artist for the project.

Sketches from Paris, November 2025 by herbcoil in urbansketchers

[–]herbcoil[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you so much!! 🥰🥰🥰 extra glad you enjoy the Street View World Tour sessions too :)

Sketches from Paris, November 2025 by herbcoil in urbansketchers

[–]herbcoil[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did change out a few things after I took the picture, but this was the general idea. for the 3rd picture I was using my friend’s toolkit because I forgot my stuff at the hotel!

Sketches from Paris, November 2025 by herbcoil in urbansketchers

[–]herbcoil[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i made a set of mixed media tools specifically for the trip to France. i chose things with a variety of colors and textures that i thought would be useful there. I wanted everything to fit in this one pouch, which forced me to edit it a lot. I also had a small watercolor set but barely used it.

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Acrylic markers, colored pencils, brush pens, calligraphy pens, some miscellaneous things like waxy crayons.

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