This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Registration ends today for Art Business Boot Camp, an online course that looks fantastically comprehensive, run by illustrator/art director Marc Scheff (@marcscheff) and graphic designer/art director Lauren Panepinto (@planetpinto).
I've followed Marc Scheff's career for a long time, and a characteristic I see from both Scheff and Panepinto is that these are restless artists, ready to take ideas and run with them. As Drawn and Drafted, they've launched a number of projects that help illustrators (mainly science fiction/fantasy and comic book artists, but not exclusively) take advantage of the good things the internet has to offer a committed career. From the Everyday Original gallery to the Dear AD Tumblr, the pair are not interested in squirreling away their own successes - they realize that for the field to succeed, it takes a collective. Sentiments after my own heart and what Symbiartic attempts to do with the #SciArt field.
With Art Business Boot Camp, they're trying to create a professional collective in the most direct way yet.
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Panepinto and Scheff have even released their Bootcamp PDFs for sale on Gumroad.
Art Business Boot Camp is not only a series of lessons and online chats with the instructors - those who sign up will also have access to a closed Facebook community where they can stay in touch and help each other.
Years ago, I turned down illustrating a book cover for a science communication peer who lacked the funds to pay me to do it. But I didn't close the door to working together or go off in a huff: I realized that the people who are at the same phase of their career right now are likely to be your peers and colleagues as time goes on (plus, this person was just fun to talk with). You need to have peers, and Art Business Boot Camp doesn't look like a top-down only set of lessons.
I had a phone discussion with Marc Scheff about the class a few weeks ago (the lateness of this post is entirely on me - did I mention registration closes today?). One of the features that appeals to me with this class it is very much the type of model the internet is best at facilitating - a rarity in the often conservative world of art instruction.
From their registration page:
The artists who succeed after taking our Bootcamps are the ones who do the work. We can point you in all the right directions, you will be the ones walking there. We’ll be right behind you, pushing you along. Nobody can carry you the whole way.
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Learn more about Art Business Bootcamp by Drawn and Drafted:
Art Business Boot Camp main site and registration
@DrawnAndDrafted on Twitter
