Pencil Kings | Inspiring Artist Interviews with Today’s Best Artists
Arts:Visual Arts
Lauren Panepinto is the Vice President & Creative Director at Orbit Books at Hachette Book Group, and in this episode, we'll deep dive into what it takes to break into the world of book illustration, and as you'll learn it's not always about being 'the best artist' in the room.
There's so much info jam-packed into this that if you're looking to get into book covers I suggest that you take notes throughout the entire interview because this is your blueprint.
00:38 - What does really 'getting out there' look like for a book cover art director
01:49 - How Lauren approaches portfolio reviews to help artists get clarity on what their next steps could look like
03:44 - Info on the cheat sheet guides that Lauren helped put together to instruct artists on their next steps
05:11 - How did you get into the world of art directing, and what does a book cover art director do?
11:27 - What does an art director look for in a portfolio that artists might not be thinking about?
15:55 - How to start building a portfolio specifically for book covers (and why including type in your work often makes it look worse)
22:14 - What catches Lauren's eye when she's looking at a portfolio so you can stand out?
26:38 - Which books do you recommend to get a good sense of the best work that you can use to research and inform your own style?
29:20 - Why subject matter knowledge is more important than technical skills as an artist
31:35 - How to make life easier for the art director (and increase your chances of getting hired over and over again)
38:41 - Advice for the first phase of your career in book covers, before you land your first job
40:43 - How much of a difference is it when you meet someone who could hire you in person vs just emailing someone quarterly updates
Check Out Lauren on the Web:
Web: http://www.laurenpanepinto.com/
Twitter: @Planetpinto
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauren.panepinto
Instagram: @planetpinto
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/planetpinto/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenpanepinto
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Marc Scheff - https://www.marcscheff.com/
Artistacon - https://www.artistacon.net/
Drawn and Drafted - http://www.drawnanddrafted.com/
Art Business Bootcamp PDFs (Lauren & Marc's artist cheat sheets) https://gumroad.com/drawnanddrafted
Make Your Art Work - https://www.makeyourartwork.com/
Orbit Books - https://www.orbitbooks.net/
Jon Schindehette - https://theartorder.com/
Richard Anderson - https://www.artstation.com/flaptrapsart
Donato Giancola - https://donatoarts.com/
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Looking for a fun, easy-going approach to learning art?
http://www.pencilkings.com
Want to learn to create realistic artwork?
http://www.pencilkings.com/evolve
Grab Mitch's Book:
Digital Artist Career Blueprint Physical Book: https://amzn.to/2VmUybF
EBook: https://amzn.to/2Xo4P9g
PK 223: The Business of Fine Art
PK 222: How to Launch on Kickstarter
PK 221: 100 Day Artist Challenge
PK 220: Artist Business Money
PK 219: Artist Productivity
PK 218: Creative Authenticity & Composition
PK 217: From Illustrator to Fine Artist
PK 216: Defining Your Art Career Path
PK 215: The 4 Life Stages When People Get Serious About Their Art
PK 214: The Critical "Switch" To Go from Dabbler to Pro
PK 213: Insights From a Rich Life as an Artist
PK 212: Building Meaningful Relationships For Artists
PK 211: Pinterest Promotion for Artists
PK 210: Finding Joy Through Art
PK 209: Three Years Growing on Instagram & What I Learned
PK 208: Growing As An Artist By Living Abroad
PK 207: Up Your Game as a Creative Parent
PK 206: Why You Should Make Art Every day
PK 205: Exploring Creative Side Hustles with Scotty Russell, Perspective Collective
PK 204: Strategies for Starting an Art Career with Allan McKay
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