I use Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Fresc almost exclusively. Sometimes I will jump into Illustrator if I absolutely have to vectorize something. But the majority of my work, including sketches, are done in Photoshop with brushes I made myself.

YES! They’re available at creativemarket.com/shaunaparmesan.

I have two different pieces of equipment that I use daily.

iPad Pro: I love it for working away from my desk. I rarely use it for full out client work, but I do use it for sketch work quite often and will finish my own work on it using either Adobe Fresco or Procreate.

I used to do all my sketches by hand in my sketchbook, but once I bought my iPad, I do the majority of them in Procreate or Fresco.

Wacom Cintiq: I use the Cintiq for cleaning up and finalizing work. Often I tend to step away from my desk to work, but when I’m at my desk, this is my go to tech.

I started freelancing right out of college in early 2011 (graduated December 2010), and I went full time in February 2013, after I was fired from an agency job that I had moved cities for. I decided I wanted to pursue full time freelance illustration and within a week had my first client and within six months I was signed by my first agent, who I parted ways with amicably a few years later.

Yes! I am repped by Chad W. Beckerman at The CAT Agency for picture books and publishing.

Domestika: Playful Hand Lettering for Children’s Books

I wish I had an answer. Some of it is pure luck, a lot of it is word of mouth, some is getting recommended by friends, and some is them just finding you. I’ve had jobs because friends were unable to take them on, I had others because friends recommended me, and others the client found my work through Instagram or Twitter.

Create the kind of work you want to get hired for. If people don’t know you can do a thing that you want to be making, then create a passion project/fake project around that subject and show them you can. Also check your ego, you have a lot of opportunities to learn and it’s okay to trust that you’re being lead in the right direction.

I am an extroverted introvert. I thrive on my own and if it weren’t for having my dog, I could go days without leaving my home. But when it is necessary I can extrovert for a short period. I will generally save up that energy for things such as live drawing events or conferences. But even at those events I go back to my hotel room and I will sit in silence for a while to recharge.

Teddy is my rescue pup. I adopted him in April 2013 from Florida Little Dog Rescue when I realized how lonely I was working from home. I said I wanted a dog that was small, fluffy, and that would cuddle. He wasn’t fluffy at the time, but he was small and cuddled and he’s been my best buddy ever since. You can see his little journey over at instagram.com/mister_teddy_bear.

I don’t know. He just is and I love my very good boi. Honestly, I ask him that a lot.

You sure can! Reach out to me at shauna@shaunalynn.com and fill out a project request form here: shaunalynn.com/workwithme.

I run workshops occasionally via zoom (usually about once a month) and I have a class on lettering available at theclubhouse.teachable.com. Currently I am also working on some Skillshare courses and will post when those are available.

Not at this time.

I spent a lot of time practicing, exposing myself to tons of different styles and finding bits and pieces of what I liked and finding ways to incorporate that into my own work.

I am still constantly studying and finding ways to push my work further.

My go-to set is Storybook Brushes for Procreate available on creative market.

I could go way into detail but I do go over this in my online course. To start though, just start learning to draw the alphabet and try drawing it in different styles from vintage references.

I graduated during the recession in 2010, so jobs were few and far between and they were mostly web design jobs. I was fortunate that I had been able to take on a six month post-grad internship at Brunet-García in Jacksonville, Florida, which helped to build my portfolio so that I had some experience when applying to entry level jobs. I definitely did not think it would take me almost 4-5 months to get a job after my internship, however, I was also working at the local ice rink and taking on additional hours there to make up for the time I was not employed in my field.

I assumed I would work in agency life until my mid-30s, freelance on the side, and then transition out. What I didn’t expect was two years into my profession, moving to Orlando and then getting fired three months after starting at an agency that sought me out. At that point I jumped into full-time freelance illustration. I had had a few freelance jobs that had stemmed from a poster for an event called The World of Foote that I worked on at my internship that made it into CommArts Typography Annual 2, so I had a very small list of clients and jumped into full-time freelance with the mindset that this was going to work and there was no other option.

I went through four years of university where I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in design and digital media. Outside of that I just take workshops that I find interesting, Skillshare classes, etc.

When I started in the industry, the lettering trend was still very new. The trend at the time was this very clean, Swiss style design, and over time it got more into the handmade culture that became popular among everyone. Overall in my work personally, it took about 5 years of working before I finally felt like I found my “voice” so to say in illustration. It’s like that Ira Glass quote. I knew what I liked, and I knew what was good, and I knew where I wanted my work to be, but my skills had to catch up. Now I’m solidly into my style and I do constantly work to push it further and keep it evolving.

In terms of the industry, I’ve watched the trends in just the last 7 years in lettering go from feeling hand made (looking like the medium, so a lot of chalk and texture), to super clean, to currently pretty and aesthetically beautiful work, and it’s starting to transition to more where I’m working which is legible but a little more whismsicle, a little more energy. And I can sort of see it continuing that as we keep growing as an industry.

But the current pretty trend I think is in response to how popular lettering got among Pinterest moms and blogs and became an “anyone can do this” trend. So the response was to take their skills to a higher level so they didn’t get lumped in with the “Pinterest style”.

New designers: Check your ego and listen. If you’re new, the best thing you can do is listen to the feedback you’re given, whether you agree with it or not. Seasoned designers have been in the industry longer than you have, and they know what works and what doesn’t.

Old Designers: Take time to play. You do the same thing day after day, burnout happens. The best thing you can do is set aside time to just play. Look at the new emerging trends, keep up with them so you stay ahead of the curve.

Creatives: See above. Make a side project, or find something you enjoy doing that you will allow yourself 20 minutes a day to do.

Making money. Honestly, the biggest thing is I always look like I’m busy because I am constantly pumping out personal work, but if you see a lot of personal work going on it means one of two things: I’m either neck deep in client work I can’t share and stuff I’ve already done isn’t live yet, OR I have absolutely no work and I’m filling my time and actively seeking client work.

Also comparison monsters. I’m working to limit my time on social media because I find myself comparing myself to all these other creatives which leads to a massive amount of creative block in which I sit and struggle for who knows how long. Comparing myself to the “how’d they get that client” and envy trap. Stepping away from social media and limiting my time on it is the best way for me to avoid that.

When I saw The Devil Wears Prada in high school. It was then that I said I wanted to be an illustrator for magazines. Then there was a brief period where I majored (for one semester) in classical voice and opera, when I realized that I wasn’t having fun there (I absolutely HATED practicing, and I was dealing with a lot of sinus issues that affected my voice) I switched to graphic design because I was jealous of the students walking around with their portfolios. I just couldn’t see myself singing for work for the rest of my life.

My parents and my friends. Without their love and support I wouldn’t be doing what I am now. My parents always told me to remain positive and send out positive energy to the universe and positive things would come back. That seems to resonate with my work because I have found that all my work is happy.

I did it in more of a non-traditional way. After I interned at BG, I got a job as an in-house designer for a local fashion house, and then from there moved to Orlando for a job at an ad agency. Things didn’t go as planned and I wasn’t working on the projects I was hired for, and then I got fired with no explanation and decided to wing it freelancing. I made a huge list of art directors and companies I would want to do work for and sent out emails and promos. It was sort of serendipitous because the week that I decided to freelance was the week I got my first freelance job for BrainJuicer. From there projects just continued to come. In that time I was also contacting different agents for representation, and June 2013, I signed with my first agent, and we amicably parted ways a few years later. At this point I’m winging it solo and making the transition into children’s illustration work while still continuing to letter.

Of course! Feel free to reach out at hello@shaunalynn.com.