From the Freelance Files: Pull USA!

When I do any talks about the business of freelance illustration one of the things I point out is that no illustrator makes a living doing nothing but covers for TIME or some other single high profile gig. Illustrators make their living working for a large variety of clients, many of which you’ve never heard of. I’ve done a lot of work for many small circulation magazines/publications that serve a specific industry or audience. These kinds of clients are the bread and butter of most illustrator’s income.

One such client for me is the USA High School Clay Target League and their publication Pull USA. Their magazine is distributed to high school trap shooting teams and competitions. I illustrate a column written by an instructor, and most of the illustrations are messages about safety, good form, rules and other issues important to competitors. They range from humorous to instructional to technical. Here’s the one cover I’ve done and a sampling of some of the spotss I’ve done over the years: