There's still time to join the backpack creature challenge – it closes Sunday night. Not doing the challenge? Share anything you made this week below. 👇

Remember my "boy with dinosaur backpack" drawing? Let's all do one. Prompt: a small creature that secretly lives in someone's backpack. Rules: any medium, any level, 30 minutes max. Done is better than perfect! Post it here by Sunday night. The one with the most likes gets featured in Monday's post. 🏆

An art director spends about a minute on your portfolio. In that minute it has to answer 3 questions: 1. What do you make? 2. Who is it for? 3. Can you do it at a professional level? Quick self-test – how many can you tick? ☐ I can tell your specialty from the first screen ☐ Your strongest work comes first ☐ It shows the kind of jobs you WANT, not just what you've done ☐ It shows storytelling, not just pretty single images ☐ Your contact info is obvious ☐ It works on a phone Post your portfolio link below!

Most outreach emails fail for one reason: they're about YOU needing work, not about THEM. A good outreach email has 5 parts: 1. Personal opening – prove it's not mass spam 2. A real observation – something specific you liked about their books or games 3. Your specific skill – connected to what they make 4. One piece of proof – a single strong link, not your whole life story 5. A low-pressure next step – "if anything comes up where this fits, I'd love to talk" And then follow up once or twice, politely. Most people stop after one email. A follow-up isn't begging – it's closing the loop. What's the scariest part of reaching out for you? Tell me below 👇 Premium members will get my real outreach scripts – the publisher, game studio and brand versions I've actually sent, plus follow-up and "too expensive" replies. Comment "SCRIPTS" if you want in when it opens.

New this week: set TWO goals. 🎨 One art goal – e.g. "ink 2 pages", "finish a character sheet" 💼 One client goal – e.g. "add 5 names to my prospect list", "send 3 personal emails to publishers", "follow up with 1 old client" Most illustrators only ever set the first kind. That's why work feels random – the art gets better, but nobody new sees it. Mine: 🎨 finish the Kickstarter key art. 💼 Reach out to 3 people I haven't spoken to in a year. Drop yours below 👇 I'll check in on Sunday.