I’m more of a learner than a teacher, but I have 20 years experience as an illustrator and a freelancer in the creative industry. i love sharing those experiences.

in the meantime, i’ll keep learning every day.

Mentorship : Mentoring can be a fantastic resource for any creative professional, whether they’re straight out of school or midway through their career. It’s impossible to predict the conversations that come up, the brainstorming that can be done or the self-analysis (for mentee and mentor!) that can be achieved. I currently mentor as part of The AOI’s annual mentorship program, keep an eye on TheAOI.com for updates. I am also open to private mentoring or answering the occasional question! If you’re interested then please do email me.

Consultancy : If you’re a business looking to commission illustration for the first time, inexperienced of working with illustrators or looking to broaden your knowledge of the illustration industry in any way, then I am available and ready to talk illustration with you. I love it, it’s what I know and I am always keen to support the illustration community however possible, you know what to do… email me.

Ben O'Brien 02/12/2022 Ben O'Brien 02/12/2022

YouTube Video : The Illustrators Guide

In conversation with illustration agent James Hughes and Ben the Illustrator, discussing creative careers, industry surveys and self-promotion.

Ben O'Brien 30/11/2022 Ben O'Brien 30/11/2022

Finding Your Place

With all the flowing and fluidity of a 21st century career, how do you ensure you don't float out to sea, what could you do for an anchor when you need to some stability?

Ben O'Brien 21/10/2022 Ben O'Brien 21/10/2022

Double Trouble?

Twice in my career I have ended up managing two completely separate illustration portfolios, sometimes successfully, sometimes less so! Here I offer up my experiences and some advice on how an illustrator can (successfully) do the same!

Ben O'Brien 01/10/2022 Ben O'Brien 01/10/2022

The Annual Illustrators Survey

The Annual Illustrators Survey ran from 2017 - 2020, taking a break during the pandemic. It will be returning this year, in the meantime here’s your chance to see the results from the 2019 - 2020 survey, supported by The AOI, Adobe, Cassarts and Survey Monkey.