Making a living through art in Bangladesh

Children’s book illustrations have also gained significant traction over the last few years. Amar Ekushey Boi Mela has seen a surge in the number of books geared towards toddlers. Publishers and independent writers are on the lookout for illustrators. These books tend to have a childish charm about the art style as they often deviate from a polished look and prefer illustrations reminiscent of children’s scribbles. Therefore, depending on their strengths, the artist can work on orders they specialise in and carve a niche out for themselves.

Tahmeed Karim, a 22-year-old artist based in Chittagong, shares, “My first customers were my friends and classmates. Everyone used to recognise me as that kid who paints and sketches. That helped in getting the word out.”

He adds, “I would go to comic cons, participate in school events as well as share work in art groups online. This helped gather momentum until eventually, it accumulated to somewhat of a stable client base.”

Commission work and freelancing are options to consider but the underlying problem that often repels artists from pursuing them is the lack of security and its unsustainable nature. Unless there is a constant stream of orders for them to work on, there will be little to no income. As significant as commissions are to an artist, working exclusively on orders takes the joy out of the process. Artists have lamented about burnouts, creative blocks, and just a general lack of motivation when they spend all their time working.

Moreover, the process of gathering clients is arduous in and of itself. To gather a stable client base, one must have an online presence, accumulate recognition, and be deemed good enough amidst an abundance of content.

“When I first started, the rates were embarrassingly low. Anyone starting must remember that it is very difficult to convince people to pay for your art. The key to making it sustainable is to be willing to consistently put in the work,” asserts Tahmeed.

Nevertheless, the golden age of content is somewhat of a jackpot for artists. TV shows, movies, video games, comic books, and graphic novels are all narrative mediums that require creatives and such content is being churned out at an unprecedented rate. From story-boarding to character design to designing the opening sequence, creating the final product requires an artist almost every step of the way.

Asifur Rahman, the mind behind Arts by Rats, says, “Locally, there is a handful of studios in the country with small teams. In such scenarios, artists usually work on numerous tasks simultaneously. At Mighty Punch Studios, I worked as a concept artist as well as a character designer while also involved as a background artist.”

He continues, “There is no global standard as to how many artists a studio requires. Smaller studios have a smaller team with a more hands-on approach across all departments, which usually gives more leeway for individual expression.”

In the long run, everyone aspires to work for the biggest studios but the fairy tale is a challenge. With opportunities few and far between and a system that provides an obstacle for creative pursuits, artists cannot thrive. The option to pursue a degree in any form of art is not only demeaned, but it is also very limited in the educational sphere of our country.

Asifur is currently pursuing a diploma in 3D Modelling, Art, and Animation from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He feels as though the degree has given him a clear set of guidelines as well as instilled some discipline into the learning curve.

“Although you could find similar resources on the internet, there is just something about being taught by an industry professional that cannot be replaced. There is also the aspect of getting in touch with people who have experience in the field and establishing a network with such individuals goes a long way,” Asif says.

Fortune certainly favours the bold, but to leap, one must at least take a look down at the drop. The many hurdles in the local creative field emerge from deep-lying systematic issues that put artists at a disadvantage. There is no denying that young creators will inevitably have their passion for art exploited, whether it is through low prices or long hours of work.