Hi, I’m Libby. I’m trying to find my feet in the world of illustration. I’ve done a load of research, and I’m sharing it here, along with my progress on how my illustration journey’s going. I’m so glad you could join me on this bumpy ride!
Hi there!
Welcome to my month 14 update. 14 months of illustration and I’m proud to still be wearing the newbie illustrator badge, perhaps with a little more confidence these days.
I’m in Wandsworth, South London, this week with Lou Lou and Jellybean.
It’s an attic flat in an old Victorian house. The flat looks out, through a big window, onto a sea of green leaves, from neighbouring trees, which goes some way to cancelling out the noise of a nearby busy road.
We’re hopefully soon coming to the end of our 4-year house-sitting journey.
Yes, we’ve been 4 years without a home.
I’m delighted to say that we had an offer accepted on a property and we are crossing fingers and toes that it’ll all go through and that we’ll be in by the Summer.
My biggest project yet
Last month, I was pitching for a new project.
I was extremely lucky to have an old work connection reach out to me.
It’s the kind of project that will be a great boost for my financial goals for the year and provide me with credible work for my portfolio.
The project includes:
Logo design and branding
Around 20 illustrated small icons
A few basic illustrations
Plus some social media graphic design to pull everything together
The project is related to renewable energy installations for the home.
If you know my work, you’ll know I don’t have this kind of work in my portfolio… far from it.
I was approached because my contact knew of my Engineering background (I have a design engineering degree) and my work ethic.
So I’m really grateful that I was considered without examples of this kind of work.
I said when I defined my goals this year that I’d focus on building my licensing portfolio but would consider each commission request that came in.
This was definitely one I wanted to, and was able to say yes to.
I will say - this project will not be fully aligned with my current illustration style due to the client needs but it’s a great opportunity to diversify and show that I can complete this kind of work for paying clients.
Although I was approached for the work, I felt the need to pitch back to the client to show that I’d understood their needs, in order to have the best chance of closing the deal.
So I set about putting together a written brief, proposal and quote.
I believe this got me the project and raised my game from a credibility perspective with the wider client team.
I picked simple branding for my pitch deck and included all my contact information in case the project ever changed hands.
I think it’s important to keep the deck simple so it doesn’t distract from sketches or the project theme.
I also included my contract terms, which I’ve adapted from those supplied by the AOI (as a member.)
I then sent the deck to my client.
After a clarification call and revision of the brief, we were both happy to get started.
Progress so far
I’d say I’m 50% into the project now. Things I’ve completed:
An initial research and sketch review
Refined a logo concept based on feedback
Drafted concepts for all 20 icons
Sketched out and agreed on a strategy for the illustrations
Things that are working well
Here are some thoughts I’ve validated and things I’ve learned through the process that I thought might be helpful for other new illustrators.
Professionalise your offer with neat presentation templates and communications. This adds perceived value to your offering.
Stage gates are key - share and discuss research, agree on key themes and preferences. After feedback, share and discuss sketches. Avoid moving forward to refined sketches until the client feeds back. It’s very likely your sketches will spark thoughts and a better understanding between you and the client and avoid wasted time.
Initial client preferences tend to hold out - listen to the language they use and play back what you hear. Clarify and ask questions.
Set clear expectations for decision making. E.g. ‘I’ve posted my sketches. Please provide feedback by the end of this week on which ones you’re happy to take forward and provide comments for revision for those you’d like to change.’
I’m using Miro with this client, so we are both sharing and commenting in an interactive space, which I find super useful.
Here is a sneak peek at my logo development process. These are symbols that represent the themes within the project.
These symbols are the absolute basic forms of the subject matter. I use the symbols as a basis to build a logo design.
I can’t wait to share the final project designs with you!
I’d love to know about your first biggest project. What did you learn that might be helpful for others?
An even bigger project?
Whilst I take on this big project, I have another big one running in parallel.
One that has almost thrown all my illustration goals out of the window.
In 2024 I wrote about illustrations I made to help me deal with grief and loss from a long infertility journey.
I really appreciated all the support and love I had from the community here, so thank you ❤️
It turns out 2025 has brought about a new journey, and I’m happy to share we are now halfway through a pregnancy.
We’re more than grateful for this news and the new direction that our lives are taking.
As I wrote my annual goals here, I certainly didn’t realise I’d be very ill for a solid 3 months.
I was really sick. A sick feeling that I almost came to live for each day, given our experience getting to this point.
My brain is now ticking again, just in time for the above branding project, and I’m here for it.
I’m not quite sure what I’ll be achieving illustration-wise this year. Probably not as much as I had planned.
I say this without shame or sadness.
Sometimes life takes you somewhere you didn’t think you’d be, and it can be beautiful.
I am looking forward to new influences for my work. I might just need to carve out a new schedule!
Key takeaways this month
Old connections are everything. Remind them what you’re up to (on social media or catching up for coffee), and work may come your way sometime in the future.
It’s ok to listen to your body and rest. There will be plenty of time to go again.
Here’s a little illustration I made this week for a yoga collection that’s been on my to-do list.
What I’m excited about for the next month
Pushing forward with the branding project
Starting a new personal illustration project related to our upcoming arrival that I can’t wait to share with you…
Feeling the warmth of the sun on my face as Spring goes into bloom (you can keep the pollen, though.) ☀️🌻
Has Spring brought you a new perspective on your goals for 2025?
Thank you for reading!
Libby
Congratulations on all accounts, Libby! I’m so happy for you!
It sounds like a fun project! I'm a logo designer, and branding is a passion. I can't wait to see what you come up with.