Today, Isabelle Staub is a successful digital artist who’s worked with Marvel, Dynamite Comics, Wacom and TikTok. Shooting to fame by reinterpreting Disney’s Princesses in her own unique style, Isabelle has since gone on to create clothing ranges as well as illustrations.
Reflecting on her first freelance gig Isabelle says she was daunted and excited by the job. “I was ecstatic when I landed my first freelance job, but I honestly felt like I had no idea what I was doing,” says the artist. “At the time, I was a few months out of college and I still felt like a student with little business knowledge at all. It was definitely daunting, but I pretended like I knew what I was doing when speaking to the client.”
She admits to using Google and pestered her college professors for advice on pricing, invoices and how to tackle the basic business aspects of going freelance. “[In] hindsight, I don’t think I would have ever felt ‘ready’ to start freelancing. For me, it was something I just needed to jump in and figure it out along the way through trial and error,” she says.
BRUSHING UP
While Isabelle’s business knowledge has grown over the years (social media and new art trends have changed how she works), some aspects of her process have remained. The artist is committed to using Corel Painter to achieve a traditional texture in her portraits.
This story is from the October 2021 edition of ImagineFX.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2021 edition of ImagineFX.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Tribute To Akira Toriyama
Remembering a legend Artists from across the world pay homage to the influential manga artist and genius creator of Dragon Ball
First Impressions
The illustrator reveals his journey through the world of art
DEVELOP 3D SKILLS FOR CONCEPT ART
Gaëlle Seguillon creates a breathtaking fantasy environment by combining a selection of techniques within her workflow
DRAW FUTURISTIC VEHICLE DESIGNS
John A. Frye uses just a single brush to transform his messy thumbnail into a bold and colourful hard-surface creation
PART 5: SIMPLIFY THE VALUE SCALE
Charlie Pickard introduces his top advice for achieving strong values in your artwork to create clear and powerful imagery
Charles Ratteray
Page-turner Library meets laboratory in the artist's studio, packed with inspiration and a mix of media
How to tell a story in an image
Narrative masters Tanya Combrinck talks to four artists about using visual elements to imbue their work with personal and universal human stories
ILLUSTRATE A MAGICAL CHARACTER
For this illustration, I was asked to create a fun, bright image with the theme of making artwork magical by the developers behind the digital drawing app Clip Studio Paint.
First Impressions - Glenn Arthur
Influences from Disneyland shape the artist’s work
THE ART OF BRIAN SUM
Dominic Carter talks to the mech master about honing his cyberpunk visions, character designs, and his new artbook