Take "Drawing Ideas: Create Conceptual Illustrations for Editorial and Beyond " on Skillshare! - https://skl.sh/40dk9rK (Use my link to get 30 days free).

In this episode I share my income sources in 2024, and how much of my overall earnings I took in for each one. I look into whether I'm the only illustrator who earns most of their living from outside of illustration. I'll share some helpful tips for anyone hoping to find new income sources in 2025.

IN THIS EPISODE

Is it possible to make a living just from illustration in 2025? How much of other illustrators' income sources comes from outside illustration? My other passive income sources, such as Teaching, Patreon, and more. Tips for choosing and building new income streams as a creative professional

SHOW LINKS

LA Fires — Are you an illustrator affected by the LA Fires? Tell us your story. More info at http://tomfroese.com/firestories

Anoosha Sayed: Breakdown of an Illustrator's Salary

Jill Labieniec: Income Sources in 2024 -

Ohn Mar Win: How I Made Money in the Last Year (2022)

HOW TO SUPPORT

Share this episode with your friends on Social Media! Like, Comment, Follow, Subscribe! Become a $3 Fan or $8 Drawing Buddy on Patreon. Visit

⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/tomfroese⁠⁠⁠

to learn more.

CREDITS

Music and Cues by Mark Allan Falk - ⁠⁠http://www.linktr.ee/semiathletic⁠⁠

FIND ME ELSEWHERE

Work and Classes - http://www.tomfroese.com

Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese

Daily Drawings - http://www.instagram.com/drawingisimportant

Take "Drawing Ideas: Create Conceptual Illustrations for Editorial and Beyond " on Skillshare! - https://skl.sh/40dk9rK (Use my link to get 30 days free).

In this episode I reflect on the last trip around the sun and make some bold predictions for 2025. Be warned, I went commando in this episode — no script, no idea of how the show would go — but I think I pulled off a meaningful, if not personable, episode. (I'm speaking figuratively — I was wearing underpants, and pants, the whole time). Enjoy!

IN THIS EPISODE

• Was 2024 better than my worst year ever (2023)?
• Why I'm feeling optimistic about 2025
• Thoughts on aging, time acceleration, and how I perceive "the present moment".
• Highlights and Struggles of the year
• Predictions for the state of illustration by year-end

SHOW LINKS

• Take my new class! Drawing Ideas: Create Conceptual Illustrations for Editorial and Beyond - https://skl.sh/40dk9rK
• Substack (where I will publish my written annual review) - http://mrtomfroese.substack.com

HOW TO SUPPORT

1. Share this episode with your friends on Social Media!
2. Like, Comment, Follow, Subscribe!
3. Become a $3 Fan or $8 Drawing Buddy on Patreon. Visit ⁠⁠http://patreon.com/tomfroese⁠⁠ to learn more.

CREDITS

Music and Cues by Mark Allan Falk - ⁠http://www.linktr.ee/semiathletic⁠

FIND ME ELSEWHERE

Work and Classes - http://www.tomfroese.com

Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese

Daily Drawings - http://www.instagram.com/drawingisimportant

Kyle Webster is arguably the most influential person in digital illustration brushes, period. He started making Photoshop brushes a long time ago, leading to Adobe's acquisition of his brushes and his talent in 2017. In 2024, Kyle left Adobe and joined Procreate in very close succession. I wanted to catch up with Kyle and let him explain what happened, in his own words.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why did Kyle leave Adobe?
• What does Kyle think of Procreate compared to Adobe's Fresco and Photoshop?
• Making brushes in Procreate vs. Photoshop (Key differences)
• Kyle may or may not know what's coming with Procreate v6
• Happy birthday to Thoughts on Illustration!

SHOW LINKS

• Kyle's Newsletter, The Accidental Expert - https://accidental-expert.com/
• Kyle's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kyle.t.webster/?hl=en
• Max Packs Procreate brushes - https://maxpacks.com/
• Jing Sketch Procreate brushes - https://jingsketch.com/

HOW TO SUPPORT

1. Share this episode with your friends on Social Media!
2. Like, Comment, Follow, Subscribe!
3. Become a $3 Fan or $8 Drawing Buddy on Patreon. Visit ⁠http://patreon.com/tomfroese⁠ to learn more.

CREDITS

Music and Cues by Mark Allan Falk - http://www.linktr.ee/semiathletic

FIND ME ELSEWHERE

Work and Classes - http://www.tomfroese.com

Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese

Daily Drawings - http://www.instagram.com/drawingisimportant

"An artwork is never finished, only abandoned." This is apparently a quote from Leonardo Da Vinci. If one of the greatest artists of all time had trouble knowing when his work was finished, then it's no wonder the rest of us do as well.

In this episode, I share some ideas on what it means to complete a work, how to know when you should call it done, and if that's not possible, how to responsibly abandon it.

At the end I share some important news about the future of the podcast.

IN THIS EPISODE

• A new definition of "perfection"
• Missing the mark: Is your work "sinful"?
• How to know when a work is done
• Overcoming perfectionism in client work and personal projects
• News about the future of this podcast

SHOW LINKS

Take Drawing Towards Illustration on Skillshare. Learn how to connect how you draw with how you illustrate.

https://www.tomfroese.com/teaching/drawing-towards-illustration

HOW TO SUPPORT

1. Share this episode with your friends on Social Media!
2. Like, Comment, Follow, Subscribe!
3. Become a Drawing Buddy on Patreon. Visit http://patreon.com/tomfroese to learn more.

CREDITS

Music and Cues by Mark Allan Falk - http://www.linktr.ee/semiathletic

FIND ME ELSEWHERE

Work and Classes - http://www.tomfroese.com

Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese

Daily Drawings - http://www.instagram.com/drawingisimportant

In the age of AI, it's time to double down on being a human. That means things like bringing more hand-influenced spontaneity into, and embracing analogue processes in, your art. In this episode I share how I'm doing this in my own practice and how it's bringing me more joy and even creating new opportunities for me. By listening to this episode, you'll learn how to embrace your own humanity to re-spark your joy and feel more connected in your everyday practice as an illustrator.

Learn how to be more consistent in your client work — Take The Six Stages of Illustration on Skillshare today: https://www.tomfroese.com/teaching/the-six-stages-of-illustration (Get 30 days free on Skillshare with my links). Consistency is Key. You've heard this before, but what does it mean? Throughout my career, consistency has been key to my success. This has been true both in my habits and in what my work looks like. Most importantly, it's been important in having any sense of focus at all. But for many of us, there are all kinds of things distracting us, or pulling us in different directions, that make it hard to be consistent. In this episode, I offer you some helpful tips for staying the course, and some pretty motivating reasons for doing so.

Today's scheduled epsiode (Episode 41) will be postponed until next week. Stay kind!

In this episode I chat with James Hughes about his new book, The Illustrator's Guide, a comprehensive, motivational handbook for artists trying to break into the freelance illustration market. James is an agent at Folio Illustration and Animation Agency, representing some 60 illustrators around the world. Taking advice from James means learning from someone who sits at the front lines of both illustrators and the clients who hire them every day.

Develop a Drawing Habit in 30 Days. Take my class, Drawing Is Important – https://www.tomfroese.com/teaching/drawing-is-important. Use my links to get 30 days free on Skillshare. In this episode of My Thoughts on Illustration, I dive deep into my recent experience with a style crisis and how I turned to a daily drawing challenge to reignite my creativity.

Skillshare class promo link In this episode I talk with lettering artist Martina Flor. Martina started as a designer in Argentina, but she soon discovered the joy of hand lettering. From there she built a successful career as a lettering artist, which has now become a small empire of inspiring work, masterclasses, coaching groups, books, and even a podcast. Of course, she couldn’t do all of this on her own. She’s built an entire team around her so she can focus more on doing what she loves most, while being able to grow her business well beyond what she could do alone. As she puts it best, ““There’s no progress in isolation.”

Take Drawing is Important on Skillshare — https://skl.sh/3UWWY00 — Use my link to get 30 free days on the platform! Just like saving money in the bank, your drawings can gain interest over time. In this episode I explain how this works, and I share how this principle has yielded both creative and financial rewards in my own life. I open up the episode with some recap from the summer! In the end you’ll learn how to set your daily drawing practice up for success with my 5-step plan. Happy to be back for Season 3!