On the topic of working with clients…this can be a two-edged sword and at times stressful. I think many artists would struggle with this unique element of commercial illustration. Talk about that process a bit. Favorite kinds of clients? Any kinds of projects (or clients) you try to steer clear from?
The client, at least for me, has mostly been publishers who know what they’re doing and are professional, so there’s rarely any difficulty working with them. If an author reaches out to me directly, I’m supposed to defer to my agent. When you illustrate a classic story, the author isn’t an issue, so it’s been easy. A book I illustrated won the Colorado Book Award for children’s literature last year, but the only time I interacted with the author was to congratulate her. That’s typical — the relationship between writer and illustrator tends to be very separate.
If an individual commissions a painting, that’s different. I explain the contract and how it works so there’s no confusion.
Did you ever have to submit a work you weren’t 100% happy with but maybe the client said “perfect!”?
Almost every time! No, actually you will often get notes about changes to make, which I’m happy to do because the goal for both the illustrator and the publisher is to make as good a book as possible. Early advice I got from an illustrator I admired was to have higher standards than the client. And the artist tends to be more aware of imperfections because you’re butting your head against them while making the picture. My name is going to be on the book, so that fact tends to push me to provide as high a level of quality as time allows. And your reputation and future job offers, especially from that publisher, will depend or be influenced by how good your work is.
Your illustration work often has a very storybook feel with an almost familiar (in a warm and welcoming way) resonance while still being unique to your own aesthetics. Talk about developing your own style while working in an industry that likely has certain confinements or expectations.
You framed it perfectly, in that you want to do work that’s in the style you like — your style — but there’s also the prevailing general trend of what’s being currently published. It’s a balance between being true to yourself but aware of trends. If I do work like what’s being published, I’ll get published versus remaining true to yourself.
Publishers will advise you to just be you, but when you look at what they’re publishing, some of them seem to be following the herd.
It’s a tricky line to tread. So far I’ve been fine. I paint like me and some people do seem to want it. I think it’s important to be open to growing, while remaining yourself. That attitude might be the sweet spot when it comes to style. I’ve evolved a lot. Hopefully I’m getting better. You’re allowed to change too.
How do you maintain a style while also being flexible enough for a variety of projects – that sounds hard to me!
Haha. My attitude is, I enjoy doing a stylistic range from what I’d call almost visual comedy on one end, to a classical style on the other end. I like doing both at different times. I have a sense of humor, too much of a sense of humor, maybe. And that can be fun to let loose on the stuff for younger kids.
Do you typically keep your originals for a book illustration? Is this all part of the contracts?
Yes. And it is, as you say, per contract. All the contracts I’ve had have allowed me to keep the originals. I don’t know if that’s the case in other genres, but in kids books I think that’s the norm.
It used to be illustrators didn’t get to keep their originals, which would suck. That’s why so many N.C. Wyeths and other Golden Age illustrators’ work is still floating around New York city in collections.
I tell students one of the cool things about working traditionally with paint rather than digitally is you have original art you can sell. You can also sell prints, limited edition prints, etc. It’s an additional income stream beyond what you receive from the publisher.
Do you have a dream illustration project?
I’m developing a book dummy for a lesser known Grimms fairy tale that I’ve been hoping to do for a long time. I illustrated “Grimms Fairy Tales” for Barnes & Noble, but this particular story, as far as I can find, hasn’t been done more than a couple of times, and never that well, in my opinion. And it’s a strong story. So that’s a project I’m nibbling on, in addition to raising the quality of illustrations and developing new pictures for gallery shows. One of the paintings I’ve done for this book dummy will be in the show. I’ll be sharing it online this week.
Has AI started to have a noticeable impact on the business of commercial illustration? Share your thoughts on navigating this strange new era of instant “art.”
It undoubtedly has, though I have to say, it’s not having a huge effect yet, not in kids books. Not in terms of taking away work. I think it can be a great tool as part of your process. I like to point that out because most people, or most students, take a completely negative stance toward AI.
I think I’m more relaxed about it because I’m well along in my career whereas college kids may take the brunt of whatever’s coming. People in the publishing industry freak out every few years about a perceived threat that is then completely forgotten a few years later. That won’t happen with AI – it’s major. But we should all be reminded, change is always happening and that’s all AI is, another change.
As I wrote earlier, one of my favorite duties at Ringling is I’m in charge of the visiting artist program for the first year students. I hosted an artist who does concept art of the spaceships for The Mandalorian tv show and many of the Star Wars movies. When I asked about AI’s impact on his work, his response was it didn’t affect him at all. He said when he was just starting out HE was the threat to the model makers of the X-Wing fighters. You can always find a threat if you look for it, was his point. And he was similar in age to me, which is to say, when you’ve lived long enough you’ve seen problems arise and then get absorbed and resolved — it doesn’t always turn out as badly as your emotions fear. Change is the nature of things, so calm down, it’ll be fine. But I realize it’s easy for us to say because things worked out for us.
AI aside, any other major changes or impacts you have seen in this field over the years?
I don’t know about any other major impacts. I’d say the work being done is slowly starting to become more digital. If you ask publishers, they don’t care how you created the illustration — they actually prefer it to look like traditional media and don’t care whether it’s been created with a paint brush or a laptop. That might be a surprise to the average person.
When I looked at “The Original Art,” a curated show of children’s book art at the Society of Illustrators last summer, I counted about 25 percent of the pictures were painted traditionally, and the rest was split between being a hybrid of traditional and digital media, and entirely digital. So basically it confirms what the publishers were saying, that you can create illustrations in a way you prefer, as long as it’s good. Procreate was the most common digital platform used for painting. It’s becoming a really common tool for digital painting because the young guns coming up are using it from an early age. I suspect Procreate might take over because these younger artists aren’t as facile at traditional drawing as they are drawing on an Ipad. Not a big sweeping change, but I’m interested.
Tell us about this upcoming MAC show here in Wenatchee. Will you be here for the opening? If so, any plans for a lecture/Q&A or any other kind of presentation?
“Making a Living Painting Bunnies and Mermaids: The Art of Eric Freeberg” will open in the MAC gallery at Wenatchee Valley College on March 6th, 5-7pm.
The show is a sampling of work I’ve done over my career as an illustrator for various publishing houses, along with recently created work. Work in the exhibit for classics such as “The Iliad,” “The Odyssey,” “Great Expectations,” several large paintings for “The Wizard of Oz,” “Grimms Fairy Tales,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” “Tom Sawyer,” “Greek Myths,” and “Roman Myths,” and Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Oblong Box” will be included.
I did a kids book for the National Parks Service raising awareness for the plight of the Red Wolves population. The cover painting for that book is in the show.
Additionally, I illustrated 6 easy reader books (Berenstain Bears are easy readers, for example) for the Kudu Adventures series. Several paintings I created for those readers will be in the show, as well as many other jobs.
The title of the show was what I got in the habit of telling people when asked what I do for a living, because at one point I literally was painting bunnies and mermaids for 2 different book jobs, and I thought it sounded funny.
Yes, I’ll be in Wenatchee for the opening on March 6th, and I’ll be in town through the 15th.
I’ll be doing a Powerpoint presentation of my work at the opening that I usually give to 5th graders, with some slight alterations. There’ll be a Q & A.
I need to touch base with the high school, but I agreed to do a talk and demonstration for students there some time in the following week as well.
Where can people follow your endeavors online?
You can find me at ericfreebergillustration.com. To be put on my mailing list if you have an interest in buying a painting or prints, message me through my website, or email at ericfreebergillustration@gmail.com.
Making a Living Painting Bunnies
& Mermaids
WVC MAC Gallery
March 6—April 24
First Friday Opening Reception:
March 6, 5:00—7:00 pm
Presentation by the Artist in the MAC Grove: Friday, March 6, 6:00 pm
