It's exceedingly difficult to make a living as an artist.
On average, even the most successful visual artists make around $91,000 a year, lower than entry level jobs in some other high-profile industries such as engineering and coding.
Artists are also more prone to mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, and since art come from oneself, that can make working and producing work that the artist is proud of very difficult.
Twitter user @Handsome-Frank decided to take some initiative and get artists feeling proud of their work again:
Illustrators of Twitter. Let’s make a thread of Monday morning inspiration for all the art directors on here. Post… https://t.co/D1BZ9jrAnV— Handsome Frank (@Handsome Frank) 1548064262.0
The results have been astounding.
Some were holiday themed:
@Handsome_Frank I was pleased with how this one came out. https://t.co/6lrYja1dMW— Wes West (@Wes West) 1548068885.0
@Handsome_Frank Does self initiated count? Rather happy with last year's Christmas postcards. They're the result of… https://t.co/1cdVjsQlMj— Emil Paun (@Emil Paun) 1548078872.0
Aww.
Some were simple:
@Handsome_Frank A simple portrait ✨ https://t.co/OMMAASBeL7— Eleanor Hardiman (@Eleanor Hardiman) 1548065248.0
@Handsome_Frank Hi, I was really happy with this cutaway train Illustration I recently completed. I am in a bit of… https://t.co/rOu5pBvKsP— Rich Gemmell (@Rich Gemmell) 1548066220.0
@Handsome_Frank Some of my recent sketches. https://t.co/d0QPtSJg8P— Wing derecho (@Wing derecho) 1548090723.0
@Handsome_Frank What a great idea to counteract the whole #BlueMonday vibe. Here's a wee polymer clay/mixed media t… https://t.co/uBiHIiMex4— Clay Disarray ✨ (@Clay Disarray ✨) 1548066211.0
@Handsome_Frank My most recent piece. Just happy with the effect. https://t.co/M95ic6k7uF— Timo Kuilder (@Timo Kuilder) 1548077092.0
Some told lushly told stories:
@Handsome_Frank What a great idea! This is a recent enviroment study I was really happy with. https://t.co/LO9yIg3raY— Ariel Vittori (@Ariel Vittori) 1548067178.0
@Handsome_Frank This is called Forest God. Inspired by a recent trip to Pompeii. :) https://t.co/Mo9p6QAMXN— Guy Warley (@Guy Warley) 1548077945.0
@Handsome_Frank Here's another image from the same story... https://t.co/3kz00MaoXE— Duncan Beedie (@Duncan Beedie) 1548166304.0
Some were urban:
@Handsome_Frank Hi! I did a double page spread for Stir to Action Magazine, looking back on 2018 and looking forwar… https://t.co/4fdYXXnAfb— Matthew Brazier (@Matthew Brazier) 1548064914.0
@Handsome_Frank Great thread! Here is one of my final cityscapes for an upcoming book, enjoyed the curves in this o… https://t.co/9m0eEvkpz4— Thomas Radclyffe (@Thomas Radclyffe) 1548067616.0
@Handsome_Frank here’s mine! inspired by an old apartment near my place https://t.co/YZPNcg3gAu— kapalkertas (@kapalkertas) 1548077034.0
@Handsome_Frank Here is a sketch I am working on for no reason 😄 https://t.co/U9CzWGS4Co— Cathal Duane (@Cathal Duane) 1548079508.0
Some were abstract:
@Handsome_Frank A piece I did for Rolling Stone Germany!! Happy to commit to a more fun style these days. https://t.co/ts4bwv59Tk— Michael Furler (@Michael Furler) 1548068503.0
@Handsome_Frank Wedding invitations collage I did ☺️ https://t.co/QKwXxXYPxB— iArafath (@iArafath) 1548071351.0
@Handsome_Frank I leave this right here https://t.co/HF3FUIkgEl— Martin David (@Martin David) 1548079880.0
@Handsome_Frank What a lovely idea for a thread! My favourite piece from last year was this Talking Heads poster https://t.co/EPBH4wFBfz— Taaryn (@Taaryn) 1548067235.0
All of them told us a little bit more about who each artist was as an individual.
@Handsome_Frank Some spot illustrations for New Years showing hobbies like dance, travel etc. https://t.co/6vyEIFB5af— Kate is never festive (@Kate is never festive) 1548082950.0
@Handsome_Frank Not recent, but few buggers have seen it. RTFM. https://t.co/gw3AdVzjdV— mark stafford (@mark stafford) 1548104522.0
@Handsome_Frank These are some of the linocut illustrations I did for The Almanac - a seasonal guide to 2019 by… https://t.co/SqJbAJ8RL3— Celia Hart (@Celia Hart) 1548090640.0
@Handsome_Frank Nice idea! Here's my recent illustration for @suomenkuvalehti about developing the center of the to… https://t.co/2A2SX7PtCc— Emmi-Riikka🌴 (@Emmi-Riikka🌴) 1548068428.0
The instigator, Handsome Frank, is an illustration agency representing contemporary visual artists around the UK.
From the website:
"Like all the best ideas, Handsome Frank started with a conversation in the pub. We now represent 35 illustrators, spread across five continents and we've worked with some of the biggest brands and agencies in the world.
Despite our growth over the years, we're great believers in keeping things personal. We pride ourselves on building close relationships with our artists and we feel this benefits their creative output and collaborations with clients. Nothing pleases us more than matching the right artist with the right project."
Some of the posts in our 'Monday Morning inspiration' thread, now have over 1000 likes. Really hope it will lead to… https://t.co/sSoS0r2EUO— Handsome Frank (@Handsome Frank) 1548179303.0
The name came from co-founders Jon and Tom's grandfather Frank.
The agency currently has 38 artists on its roster.