New Zealander artist Yueko’s journey to becoming a full-time illustrator - On utilizing social media, getting commissions, and more
Index
- My art style has evolved, but what makes my art uniquely me has remained consistent
- “I began posting my art online when I was seven.” How Yueko utilizes social media
- Why I decided to pursue illustration full-time
- How I receive commissions
- What you need to know if you’re considering becoming a pro illustrator
- Yueko
- Yueko is an illustrator from New Zealand who enjoys drawing pretty girls and soft things. Her signature art style is defined by delicate brush strokes and a soft color palette, lending her illustrations a refined beauty.
My art style has evolved, but what makes my art uniquely me has remained consistent
── What kind of work do you usually do?
── What kind of original works do you usually draw? Do you have any themes that you tend to incorporate in your art?
── Do you have any specific art styles you think you’re good at or have been brushing up on?
── Looking back on your work, I find your use of color very impressive. You also seem to have a clear sense of what your art style is. How did you settle on your current style?
My art style has definitely evolved over time, thanks to my interests and the artists and media that have inspired me. Early on, my artwork tended to be more realistic and fantasy or Western-inspired since I mainly took inspiration from games such as League of Legends. However, as time passed, I became more interested in anime, which is why my style is noticeably more anime-like.
Similarly, my use of colors has also changed over time. In the beginning, they were a little softer and warmer, thanks to the techniques that I used at the time, but lately, I've been enjoying using vibrant colors since they make my art pop. That said, at the end of the day, I still enjoy using calming colors. Essentially, my art style is like a culmination of my interests and the atmosphere I want to convey in my works.
── So, your art style has a tendency to shift towards what you’re interested in at that point in time. Considering that, how did you cultivate your own “touch,” so to speak? What makes your art uniquely yours?
Since my art style is a mix of the things that have influenced me and my inherent tastes, that often shows through my artwork. A long time ago, I didn’t think this was the case, and I used to ask my friends whether they thought my art style was as inconsistent as I felt it was. Each time, however, they would reassure me that all my drawings looked like something I drew. Although I didn’t quite understand what made my art uniquely “me” at the time, I think my underlying tastes tend to show through my art, especially for things such as composition or the way I draw certain facial features. As subtle as that may be, that’s something that’s consistent throughout my art, even if other aspects of it change.
── Is that something that comes naturally, or do you keep certain things in mind when you draw so things stay consistent?
“I began posting my art online when I was seven.” How Yueko utilizes social media
── When did you start posting your work on social media?
I started posting when I was seven after stumbling upon a community of online artists. Since I was someone who spent a lot of my time on the internet, I found the whole process of sharing what I drew online highly appealing.
── What kind of illustrations did you post at the time?
── Do you remember when you first started drawing anime-style illustrations?
I think my art began shifting towards a more anime-like style after I started watching anime more often again. When I was younger, I used to watch a lot of anime before I even knew what it was, but I stopped for a while when I got really into animals. Eventually, I started watching this anime called Kill la Kill in high school, and that’s when I started getting back into anime and drawing more anime-style illustrations. In the beginning, I drew a lot of fanart, mostly because I was very inspired by the stories and cool characters of the anime I watched and longed to be able to draw them well.
── You said you’ve been using social media since a very young age. When did you start to gain more followers and feel that your artwork was starting to get recognized by the illustration community?
I think my artwork started to gain more attention around 2018. I remember that year quite well because I was seriously contemplating what path to pursue in the future, and I felt that follower count was one metric that could justify my decision if I were to pursue an art career. That year, I managed to gain followers at a steady pace that made me feel confident enough to continue my art journey, and at the end of that year, I made the jump to become a full-time freelance illustrator.
── What made you decide to use your follower count as a metric to determine your future career?
Back then, I didn’t know if it was truly possible to make a living as a full-time artist, nor did I have as much confidence in my work as I do now. Because of that, I wanted to prove to myself that there were people who enjoyed and appreciated my art.
── Did you do anything special to increase your follower count and gain more recognition?
I don’t think I’ve ever done anything special just for recognition or gaining followers. I mostly picked and chose to draw things that already fell under the umbrella of what I naturally enjoyed, for example, anime and games. Luckily, there were many other people who also loved the same things that I did, and so I naturally wanted to draw more fanart for them. That really helped to boost my following.
── Have you ever run into a “brick wall” when it came to gaining followers?
── What did you do to overcome that issue?
When I was first starting out, I was fortunate enough to make some very good and hardworking friends who, at the time, had bigger followings than me and were highly supportive of my art. Thanks to them retweeting my illustrations often, I was able to get an initial follower boost, which helped a lot. I also held a few raffles where people who reposted my art could get a chance to receive some free art, and since people love free things, that also helped. I think the key was to stay active: such as by interacting with others in the same community, making friends and engaging with my audience. That, and of course firstly making sure my artwork was at a level where it was truly worthy of the attention I wished for.
── In addition to being an illustrator, you’re also a streamer. What made you start streaming?
── What kind of stuff do you usually stream?
Nowadays, I mostly stream art, although I haven’t streamed in a while because I’ve been busy. I do want to get back into it, though. My streams can be pretty varied; sometimes, I’ll stream my illustration process, while other times, I’ll game, do random things, or chat with my audience.
── What made you start using pixiv?
I started using pixiv a long, long time ago when my friend recommended it to me as a platform with many talented anime-style illustrators. Because DeviantArt* was a lot more Western in art style, it was really refreshing when I discovered pixiv, and I was very inspired by the artists there.
*DeviantArt is an online art community.
── Are there any specific ways you use pixiv differently from other social media platforms?
I suppose because I consider pixiv to be more of a gallery website, I post less irrelevant things on it than I would on X and mostly just focus on uploading my art to it.
── Would you say that on pixiv, you only post your best art that you feel comfortable sharing?
Why I decided to pursue illustration full-time
── Let’s move on to questions about your work. Were there any milestones or specific points in your career or art life where you started viewing drawing as work and not just a mere hobby?
── What was the final push that made you decide to pursue art as a career?
I felt that even if I chose a different path, art would always be something I wanted to do, and I didn’t think I would be happy balancing it with something else and not being able to put my all into it. If I pursued art, I could put all my time and energy into it, which would make me a lot happier in the long run, regardless of how things turned out.
── I think a lot of people are afraid to pursue art as a career because it can be hard to find consistent work or have your artwork recognized. What helped you overcome those fears, if you had any?
How I receive commissions
── How did you find work when you were first starting out as a freelance artist?
── Did it take you a while to get your first job?
── How about companies? How do you receive commissions from them?
They usually contact me via email, which they probably find through my social media accounts. Perhaps they reach out to me after seeing fanart that I drew and thinking, “Hmm, I want something like that.”
── Would you say that being active on social media really helps you with getting work, then?
Yes, I’m definitely able to make a living thanks to social media.
What you need to know if you’re considering becoming a pro illustrator
── What kind of advice would you give to your past self who was first starting out?
── What would you tell yourself to work on specifically?
── Is there anything you want to try out in the near future or goals that you have in mind?
── What would you tell people who are trying to become a professional creator like yourself?
── Lastly, would you like to say anything to your fans?
Find prints and other cool works by Yueko at the link below!
