Time flies! I can’t believe today is my 8th business anniversary. When I started sketching my very first fashion drawing on my apartment kitchen counter, I could never imagine that 8 years later I would have built a brand to inspire and empower women all around the world. 

12 years ago, with broken English and a dream to be a fashion artist, I flew across the world from Shanghai to New York City. I remember there were many of my schoolmates thinking I was silly giving up a career as a game designer plus a potential engagement to come to a strange land and take a shot at being a full time artist. But to me, the dream was everything. If we don't have dreams and goals to look forward to and work hard toward to what’s the point of living? I knew the second the airplane landed at JFK airport, I was on a mission. 

After a few years of working with luxury brands like Chanel and Louis Vuitton, I realized that the glamorous fashion shows and celebrity red carpet were not my interest. They didn’t light me up. Instead, I loved to draw everyday women. I wanted to draw women that we all can relate to. I put my focus on drawing holidays, special moments, friendships, and motherhood. So many have told me they see themselves in my drawings. There is no better feeling than to hear that, so I kept going. My work started getting attention from retailers like TJ Maxx, and Hobby Lobby. It was also getting noticed by the planner community, where I started to produce planners, and stickers of my art! Today, I have a busy e-commerce store and license my work to retailers around the world!

I look forward to what this journey will bring me and continuing to share my art every day. I am so grateful for all of you to be on this trip with me.

If you are thinking about starting your side hustle or your dream business, here are 5 things I can share with you.

1. It’s a mindset game - Business will always have ups and downs. Having mental toughness is the most important thing to carry you through the lows and keep you grounded through the highs.

2. Get comfortable with pivoting - The economy and consumer behavior is changing. Going with flow is important to keep you relevant. For example, I have always sold my art prints and original art. However, because I got many requests from the planner community I started creating planners and stickers with my art. Always listen to your customers!

3. Customer service is everything - Serve your audiences with the best experience. I have spent a lot of time in the back end of my business to speed up our shipping time, and talked with our manufacturer to provide the best quality products possible to my customers.

4. Hire a team to grow - Hire your weakness. Remember, you can’t do everything. That area you may not be doing well with, don’t hesitate to hire professionals which will save so much time and have a way better result.

5. Always be learning - I am an artist first and foremost but in order NOT to be a starving artist I also spend a lot of time learning the business side of being an entrepreneur. Learn from people who are doing what you would love to do. Invest in yourself, success leaves clues.

Whether you just found my art, or have been following me for awhile ... thanks for being here! Cheers to 8 years in business and look forward the next many many years to come!

Love,

Rongrong

Shop planner and stickers: www.shoprongrong.com

Shop original art and prints: www.rongrongart.com

Learn how to be a thriving fashion illustrator: https://www.rongrongdevoe.com/fashion-illustration-course

Hi Friends! Today I want to show you all how to draw faces! In this part we will focus on coloring in your face drawings. To learn the steps of drawing a basic face, check out part one on the blog here: https://www.rongrongdevoe.com/blog/how-to-draw-faces-part-1

Watch the video below for a 20 minute tutorial and read on for a list of steps on how to color your face illustration. All you need is colored pencils or markers and your sketch of a face from part one.

This is a skill that intimidates many people in the beginning of their art journey so I am here to help remedy that! All you need is a pencil, paper, markers or colored pencils, and an eraser!

The first thing to do is to lighten your pencil lines from your original drawings with an eraser. You don’t need the lines to be profound as they are just guides for your color. Erase to the point where only you can see the lines.

First Rule for Coloring:

• Wherever you touch color, whether its hair or face or clothing, start with the lighter color. Build the color light -> medium -> dark. (If you want to see specific colors I use, watch the video)

Tips for Coloring the Hair:

I like to start with the hair when coloring.

1. Always use long strokes while coloring. It gives your art a smoother look.

2. Do the left and right side together (Don’t finish the hair, eyes, or anything on one side before doing the other. This can make them look unmatched.)

3. Make sure to fill in the hair from behind the head / neck.

4. Once your have the base lightest color on, move onto the medium color. Use this for shadows (hair behind the head). This adds more levels to your work and makes your drawings look more vivid. With the medium you should also darken the roots and can add a few longer dark streaks in the hair.

5. Finally add the darkest color. Close to the neck is the darkest. I have learned this from observing family and friends in real life - so I recommend really looking at your family and friends and what their hair and features look like to learn for your art. Also darken the part on the top of the hair.

Steps for Coloring the Face:

1. I tend to use two shades on the face. Like before, start with the lightest color and use long strokes. If the color feels too light a 2nd layer of the same color can help.

2. Apply a medium shade for shadows under the eyebrows, on the side of the nose, under the hair, under the nose, under the lips, the side of the mouth, under the chin on the neck, on the collar bones, and the shadow between skin and clothes.

3. Now onto eyes which are the most important to portraits. First pick your color, then use a fine brush pen to outline the eyes. When outlining the eyes, follow the pencil lines from earlier and use long strokes. Then you can add some eyelashes. Don’t forget to draw eyebrows!

4. Use the same brush pen to outline the nose and lips.

5. For the lips, pick your lip color then use a black brush pen to outline the middle of the lips. Then add just a tad bit of line under the lip. Never outline the upper or full lips as it looks more cartoonish.

6. Refine the face with your brush pen. Do this slow and steady because you can’t change it after the fact if you aren’t drawing digital.

7. Outline the hair wherever the hair and face connects. Add some natural strands of hair so it doesn’t come across stiff and too perfect. Now you can outline the shoulders and start working on the clothes.

8. To add a bit more depth you can use a white gel pen to add highlights to the eyes and lips.

Drawing and coloring faces is really all about practice. To keep improving your illustration skills, sign up for my course Fashion Illustration 101. In the course you will learn how to draw inspiring fashion illustrations and even make money from your art! It’s time to invest in your passions, learn more at: rongrongdevoe.com/fashion-illustration-course

Book Recommendations:

• Steal Like an Artist - Austin Kleon

  • This book talks about how to combine your creativity with others and add your own spin on it. It covers why there are no new ideas and how to become a better artist buy standing on the shoulders of the greats.

• Show Your Work - Austin Kleon

  • This book goes over how to get out of your own way with judging yourself and instead put your work out there to the world.

• Art Inc. - Lisa Congdon

  • This is the essential guide to building your career as an artist. It goes over practical ways to monetize your art.

Hello everyone! It's that time of year again - my year in review! I am back in my studio from a super fun Christmas with family in Upstate NY. Just two more days until 2018! A brand new year, so many unknowns, so many amazing things can happen! I am beyond excited!!

If you had asked the 2014 Rongrong, she would never have guessed how much her illustration career would grow. And she would be thrilled to hear how many amazing experiences she had because of her little art business! I wrote a blog post my first year as a full-time illustrator, you can read it here.

I am writing my yearly review as a tradition to reflect on my successes and mistakes to help better navigate my path next year ... and maybe help some of you along the way! -)

Ok, let’s begin!

First I would love to present some pinch me moments which are some projects I did in 2017 that I have dreamed of for a long time.

1. River Oaks District mural.

It was a great pleasure working with the River Oaks District, which is a recently opened premium shopping center for luxury brands such as Dior, Hermes and Dolce & Gabanna in Houston. They tasked me with creating two large murals for their wall. Seeing my fashion illustrations in a huge format has always been a dream of mine, so when the manager called I said yes immediately!

You can take a look at this blog post which I dedicated to this project.

2, Live sketching for Maybelline New York at BeautyCon.

This May, I teamed up with one of my favorite beauty brands Maybelline New York to live sketch in their huge booth at BeautyCon. BeautyCon is similar to ComicCon but for Beauty Junkies. Thousands of fans showed up at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for a full day of everything beauty, fun activities, engaging panels, and no shortage of swag. It was for sure an eye-opening experience! I was in heaven as a beauty lover myself. I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to work with Maybelline New York.

Read the full recap here

3, Selling my art at T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods.

Two years ago I was the artist lost in the art section at a T.J.Maxx store pulling her hair out trying to figure out how to get her art into such an amazing store. I needed to make this happen!  I went home and researched and sent lots of pitch emails, but no responses. I continued working hard on my collections over the next year and this October my agent sent me an email saying that T.J.Maxx buyers love my work and would love to sell them! I was so excited! A collection of canvas art and a collection of stationery including notepads, planners, and greeting cards are now available in their stores nationwide! Many of my Instagram friends sent me their purchases and I was so happy! Stay tuned for collections of mugs and trays in 2018! It was a dream come true moment! 

4, Spoke at Apple store 

Another highlight of the year was being invited to speak at the Apple Williamsburg location in NYC. I was so grateful to share my journey from working as a concept artist in Shanghai to being a full-time fashion artist in Houston and everything in between. I also taught a quick session about how to draw fashion illustration on the Procreate app using IPad Pro. Many of my Instagram friends came to support me and we had a blast. 

Read the full experience here.

With all the successes in 2017 I need to remind myself of some things to work on in 2018. I am only in my third year in the illustration business and I have made many mistakes along the way. I am grateful for these mistakes as they are a great teacher and push me to continually improve!  

Below are some ideas I wrote down to keep myself in check for 2018

1. Be more organized

This is not a strength of mine ... as my husband would attest! :) I often make the excuse of "I'm an artist, I'm supposed to be all over the place!" I have realized over time, however, not being organized can harm the business in a big way. After all, my art is a business and it needs to be organized. One thing I will implement is scheduling my social media posts on Instagram and Pinterest using sites like Tailwind or Iconosquare. Over the past year, there would be times I would go weeks without posting because I was overwhelmed by projects. I felt guilty not posting new art. So I will do a better job presenting myself online by scheduling ahead of time. That way, my anxiety level will be a lot lower ;-)

2, Be the best of yourself during live sketch events

There are times in which sketching in front of many people can be overwhelming and stressful. However, I need to remind myself I was hired as an artist not just to draw the best art I can but also to bring guests a fun and pleasant experience. My focus cannot just be on drawing, I need to engage the guests, be more talkative and social. That will be my mantra for live sketch events in 2018.

3, Focus on creating a community of inspiring fashion/beauty artists.

In 2018, I want to continue building a community of artists who are just beginning their careers as a fashion or beauty illustrator. If you do not follow my InspireToSketch account I recommend you do. I share sketch tips, drawing processes and feature artists that I like on that account. You can leave comments and ask any questions you might have. It is a place where many students who are taking my fashion sketch class and Business of fashion Illustration class hang out!  The reason I started this account was to instruct people on how to have a thriving career as an illustrator. I feel like it would have helped me immensely when I started three years ago!  I want to share the knowledge I have learned to encourage new artists that they can absolutely have an amazing art career! The world is so big, the opportunities are endless. As long as you dedicate yourself, work hard and be intentional with your business decisions you will be a success, no one should be a starving artist!

Before I wrote this blog post, I asked my Instagram followers to submit questions and I included them below. I hope you will get the answers you are looking for!

@thewoodedave

How did you start getting commissions for places? How did you start making money by drawing fashion illustration?

I first started receiving commissions by opening an Etsy shop. I made a few listings for commissions such as wedding portraits, family holiday portraits etc. That is what I recommend you start with as well. Alternatively, you can start your own website or online shop where people can view your work and send inquires if they are interested to commission you. Be very clear with your process in terms of how long it will take, how much it will cost, who will keep the copyright etc.

@Sprinkleonglitter

How do you know when you are ready to sell? Where is the best place to start selling?

I think you can start selling right now! There is always a reason to wait but do not keep waiting and all the sudden a year goes by! Get started now and make mistakes along the way. I opened up my Etsy shop once I had 5 pieces art for sale and continued to add more art as time went on. I recommend a Print on Demand site such as Society 6 as a start because you don’t have to invest in your own printer if you sell prints.

@nyamarche

Do you work remotely? If yes, did you find the transition from office to home difficult(less human contact?)

I work from my home studio. I do feel lonely occasionally but I am the type of person who enjoys being in my own little world. So working remotely is perfect for me ... but may not be for everyone!

@fitsabiana

Is it possible to make a full time living as an illustrator? And how long does it take to get there?

Absolutely yes! You can make good money as an illustrator. It took me about two and half years. That timeline can vary significantly depending on your circumstances. How are your current skills? Where are you located?  The first 3 years are the hardest but as you grow your client base and experience the income will continue to grow. The amazing thing about owning your own business is FREEDOM! I really enjoy being able to set my own schedule.  I work extremely hard and then, if I need it, can take a month vacation to recharge my batteries. So if you want to start your own illustration business I would look at your current life situation and determine if you can start full time or as a side hustle initially. Full time is optimal if you can pull it off but I would only recommend this if you have a strong financial position where you do not need income for a period of time, upwards of two years. The last thing you want is to put pressure on your creativity, it will only stifle it. If you are in the majority of people and do not have the financial position to quit your job start as a side hustle. Learn as much as you can, invest in yourself. But start today! Do not wait anymore! There is never a perfect time, start doing what you love now! 

@c_fitz

How do you figure out and set goals for yourself?

I have a vision board in my studio where I write down what goals I want to achieve for art, business, and finance. Then I break them down into steps. 

For example, if I was just starting out and wanted to be hired for illustration work my steps would look like this:

1. Have a great body of work (Not sketches, fully finished illustrations)

2. Open an Etsy shop or own website. (Either way, show professionalism)

3. Have an Instagram or Facebook (using hashtag #customillustration #freelanceillustrator #fashionillustrator)

4. Network! (Tell everybody what you do and encourage them to spread the word)

And that’s a wrap! 2017 went super fast and was amazing! I look forward to bringing more exciting projects to my business in 2018. I encourage you all to pursue your passion! At a minimum start a side hustle for something you really love! If you are seriously considering starting a career in fashion illustration or illustration in general, I recommend you check out the courses, How to draw fashion illustration and The business of fashion illustration. What do you think? I hope my message encourages you! Please feel free to leave your thoughts, I would love to chat with you!

Cheers to a fabulous 2018 all!

Rongrong