Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Rampton.
Hi Steve, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been drawing since I was a young child; I used to sit and watch cartoons and try to copy the characters I saw on screen. I never really thought about a career as an illustrator until about 2014 when I was working at an accounting job. It started as a side hustle that I did nights and weekends, and I was finally able to quit my day job and work full-time as an illustrator/designer in 2019 and have been doing that ever since.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I had quit my day job in November 2019 to work full time and then the COVID lockdowns and restrictions happened just a couple months later. Thankfully I could work from home, but small businesses were my bread and butter. A lot of them went under during the last couple years. It’s still a struggle for a lot of my clients and I have to find the balance between making enough money for my own business to survive while still being empathetic to small business owners who are being stretched thin.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an illustrator, caricaturist, and graphic designer so I’m pretty varied and capable in what I can deliver to my clients. I’m most known as a caricature artist, however, and a lot my clients use my drawings to market their businesses or to give as gifts for Christmas, birthdays, weddings, retirement, etc.
I’ve also been involved in children’s book/coloring book illustration and board game design. I think what sets me apart is that I have a very cartoony style that aims to simplify my characters so I can produce a lot of work every day and keep my costs reasonable for clients on a budget.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t give up, keep working. Work when you don’t feel like it. Work when you’re uninspired. Those who are successful put in the hours, and it doesn’t happen right away, so be patient. If your work is good, you’ll get clients.
Pricing:
- Headshot caricature – $35
- 2 people, basic background – $115
- Group shots – price varies
- https://binarygod.typeform.com/to/hOvhix
Contact Info:
- Website: www.caricaturesbysteve.com
- Instagram:instagram.com/caricaturesbysteve
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-rampton-73052024/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@binarygod3373
