This is part six of the mini-series Making Money in Mograph where we talk about some unconventional ways to earn an income in animation. Did you know that as an animator you also have the skills to make money as an illustrator? There are people like my guest today who are using these two sets of skills to showcase their creativity and earn more than they would in just a single field.

Hannah Jacobs is an animator and illustrator with a wonderful and unique style all her own. She has an MA in animation from the Royal College of Art and her work has been featured at international film festivals like SXSW and Tribeca. Some of her clients include The New York Times, VICE, and the BBC.

We sit down to chat about how to make money as both an illustrator and animator. These two fields complement each other as well as open up different revenue streams for you. By approaching animation with an illustrator’s background, Hannah faces some unique challenges but it pays off by setting her apart from the pack.

Hannah also discusses what it’s like being represented by a big production company and its advantages. She shares some great tips on what to do if you’re thinking about finding representation. Hannah talks about all the ways she is branching out to make money from her work, from selling prints to making kids’ books, she is exploring so many ways to earn an income.

In this episode:

The challenges that approaching animation as an illustrator presents
How having a unique style can attract clients
The advantages of being represented by a production company and the support it gives you
Tips for finding the right production company for you so that you can do what you want to do with the right support
Selling your personal work as a way to generate passive income
How the amount of creative control you might have varies depending on whether you’re illustrating or animating
Valuing the work that you do for yourself and finding the time to work on your own projects

Quotes:

“For me, the first stage of any animation is the design -- it’s the driver for me.“ [4:18]

“I know as creatives we often question absolutely everything we do all the time, so I think it’s so nice just to have a producer or another animator or someone to turn to.” [8:13]

“I think so many animators now are working in an illustrative way. I feel like you can press pause in a lot of films and take a frame out and be like this would be such a nice print for the wall … I feel like a lot of animators should think about potentially selling prints of frames from their films.” [18:10]

“Something that might seem like a bit of a random thing that you find yourself doing can often lead to something else. I love that opportunities sort of spring up in random unexpected places.” [29:26]

Links:

Find Hannah Jacobs online

Follow Hannah on Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Vimeo

Strange Beast

Barbican

The Association of Illustrators

The Ajoto Pen

HiFest Illustration Festival

Find the full show notes here

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037: Making Money in Mograph Part 6 w/ Hannah Jacobs

Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business