It's all began in 2008 while I was working in the office full time as a graphic designer after university graduation. Studio was nice as well as the team and I've learned a lot there. But there was something boring for me to move texts and simple colored shapes on the layouts with working on the photos together. I thought I will not understand and succeed in graphic design and there was no way to grow there for me.
I've started to learn illustration in the studio during my free lunch time or in between different design projects waiting for another task. Sometimes my boss allowed me to illustrate something for the studio clients as well. My first drawings looked so weak I will never share it.
Slowly I've learned the techniques from my friend Gordei and started copying the style of Oksana Grivina. After some time, I've got my first good commercial order for 12 illustrations in a row so I've quit office job and started to draw it.
Fake Project
It was a series of A1 posters about Road Safety for Kids. Client gave me the full freedom. He told me just draw something: I like your Zebras a lot. Can you do something similar but to catch kids awareness for the rules of safety near the road?
Was working for the first time feeling real freedom of freelancing at nights. I was able to choose working time and daily schedule by myself. One illustration in 3-4 days. It was my maximum for that time and it was true art in sense that nobody told me what to do. They just approved everything without a single correction. Ideal clients!
Finally, I showed them all to my friend Gordei asking his opinion cause he already successfully freelanced using Behance for more than a year that time drawing for US Colgate and other cool companies. He told me it's cool but local Soviet logo with Russian poems will not fit there. Jokingly he said you just put any other logo instead. Like Coca-Cola or Pepsi.
It was great idea and it worked! I've used almost all the companies I was dreaming about to work with. I was not fooling anybody. I've added a comment in my project explaining the truth. But nobody reads, you know?
Worldwide commissions
After that project had been featured on the main page of Behance I've started to get my first overseas commissions and gradually such giants like Kinder chocolate, McDonald's, Panasonic and Pepsi, Wrigley reached me out. I've worked with everyone I had been dreaming to work and even much more.
Only because of Behance I've started to work worldwide with big and famous advertising agencies like BBDO, DDB, JWT, LeoBurnett, Lowe Adventa, Prior, Saatchi&Saatchi, Y&R...
Getting 2-3 inquires everyday both Russian and foreign it was actual to hire a manager for me. I've spent more time answering to my potential clients rather drawing.
From that time each and every of my new project at Behance got featured. God, I am so lucky and really grateful! I don't know where I've been now if not the help of Behance.
Almost 223k followers
Once upon a time I woke up seeing enormous activity in my profile. Follower numbers become growing like a crazy. In geometrical progression. My 2000 started to grow to 4k, 16k, 32, 64... Somehow there was a new system Behance was testing and they showed up my profile in the top 3 first list suggesting to follow me for the newly registered users.
Actually this gave nothing but only numbers. Anyway it's nice numbers and some clients thinks there is some meaning behind that. Okay, I don't mind.
10 years of Success
Can't believe 10 years passed! Still feeling I know nothing and can't do anything. Still learning. Still trying to promote myself even on new platforms. Of course I am using different social medias for that but the major number of clients still coming from Behance. And for that 10 years I never had any free day sitting without a work. This is amazing. I know lots of great artists who are drawing much better than me but somehow I always have something to do.
New Breath
When you've got everything you was dreaming for it is hard to keep working being inspired. With Steem I got some sort of a new breath. This blogging platform is like a game. You never know what fish you will catch here. Finally, I can draw anything I like and keep earning. I am gradually transforming my freelance illustration to fulltime art blog work here because it is worth it. Maybe I will start drawing my own children book soon. Thanks to Steem for that.
And I have a plan to tell all of my 220k Behance followers about Steem. Preparing new project there with all new illustrations I've exclusively done for eSteem and Steem. Let more valuable professionals come here. Together we can do much more.
I'm still learning, learnt alot from this post...
Thanks so much...
If you have gotten this far and your humble... I wonder what i will do...
You can raise to the stars :)
Wow, it's awesome that Behance worked so well for you! (I have a pathetic old account with 7 followers, haha)
And it's great that Steemit gives you the chance to have more freedom and create your own work. Looking forward to seeing your childrens book!
I dream of having the time and opportunity to make my own work as well and I definately want to write and illustrate my own childrens book (my kids already have these crazy ideas for it, probably will be a big project ;)).
By chance my friend had been there and he told me to register. Also that time 10 years ago Facebook was not popular in Russia at all and he also told me to use it to promote myself. Facebook worked till the time they changed feed algorithm. Same with insta...
Together with kids it's could be awesome and crazy collaboration!
It's great you had that luck on your side :) and it sucks that they changed the algoritm huh.
Really f-ing awesome, your work is awesome and you've reached far Dunsky, I look forward to seeing what the future will hold for you! I will be following.
Here's one of my own works...
Thanks :)
Awesome story :) I'm still planning my freelance career since ever... ;) I hope I will manage the switch someday.
Haha :) I was just in the state when I can not handle going at the same place and sit there from 9 to 6 everyday anymore :)
I know that feeling! Sometimes you don't have a choice though (if you want to keep feeding you kids :P)
Yeah, that's true :) sometimes the safeness of a permanent position is quite important.
I gone freelancing only after I had some saving behind together with more or less frequent freelance orders. Plus I don't have anyone to take care that time so it was worth it to try. So I completely understand you.
:) and the other important thing is, most of my work I've done at work is always under pretty strict NDA's so it's quite hard for me to show it of in public.
I was a freelance photographer for 5 years (glorious time!), until my kids had special needs at school that we have to pay for ourselves. Now I prefer some steady income for a while.
Yeah, i can imagine that such circumstances need the steady income of a permanent position. and also the possibilities to just call in sick at one day and still get payed is also a good thing. cause kids get sick all the time :D
Yeah I can imagine :D the "problem" is, I really like my actual job and I have a pretty good senior position. But still, I love the possibilities that come along with freelance work.
Then sounds it's still better to keep freelancing as a backup for you. You can start freelance anytime. And it's really like a divorce when you are telling people in the office that you are going away. We had been like a friends with guys in the office but then for about a year we both was feeling that brake keeping silence.
Yeah... I will probably try to start freelancing while still working for my company and try to make it a soft transition ;)
Always thank you for sharing of your illustration world⭐️
Thanks a lot, NanoSesame! 🙏
Hey Dunsky :) I admire how much work you put in your posts, thanks for sharing the stories :)
Btw, are you also in cryptokitties?
P.S. what does the "do" in your illustrations stand for?
do is doonskiy (my family name pronounced like that) at the same time do looks like first letter of my name in Russian ф
No, I never used cryptokitties. Are you talking about that game with ETH?
Ia ruski toje panimaiu :)
Toka ruskuiu klaviaturu paka ni viuchil :D
Yeah that's the game with ETH. It's like a collectors game in cryptocurrency :) there's a lot of thought behind it in terms of DNA and breeding. If you're interested you can open up an account and try it out, there's also @cryptokittyfarm that gives away free kitties you can try winning one.
I won 3 already for free :D but from another giveaway.
Beautiful artwok Wow wow wow... Very cool 😢💟💟💟💟
Thanks! Why you are sad?
Because i cant do like what you do.... Your art very amazing sir... The color so warm and stylish...
Wow such an inspiring story dunsky, I never get the my chance on behance, but I'll keep trying :), your story really motivated me. Thank you so much.
Thanks a lot! :) Wish you all the best trying!
What an incredible story @dunsky! Thank you for sharing, looking forward to seeing your Behance Steem plan :D
Steem on!
Haha, thanks a lot! All the best to @sndbox team! Already started to prepare a draft at Behance with the new project about Steem :) Hope to post it in a week or so...
So energizing, nice share.
Great experience @dunsky. You know, having an original and personal style, combined with good ideas and color management may help... a lot! I'll try harder on Behance...
Yes, this is all one big successful combination of luck, skills and something else behind that.
Man... you are such an inspiration!!!!!!!
Thanks :)
Wow, great work, and great story! It's probably one of those situations where your success exceeds your expectations - where you expect the least and get more than you've dreamt of - or something like that? :)
I'd rather said I've got exactly what I wanted :)
Or that, yes :)
Welcome to Sndbox @dunsky! Your work is amazing, and your Behance success story as well. It's hilarious that you faked the logos of the big clients when you were getting started and then you ended up working with so many of those companies after all! I hope we can see Steemit become as empowering of a platform for artists as Behance.
Thank you, @erb yeah, it looks like you have a dream and making an aim of it or adding an intention to your wish and then letting go working with everything you have. Then slowly it started to happen with me. Big luck...
P.S. For the Steem I am also in such a hope. There’s is really huge potential here.
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Great to see a fellow behancer here =)
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