Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Holley.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a child, I was always interested in creating detailed and engaging artwork with whatever material I could get my hands on. My family provided me with essential materials like paint, playdough, legos, crayons, markers, scissors, colored pencils, and graphite pencils to create to my heart’s content. I would experiment consistently with these various mediums, but my favorite was a regular number 2 pencil. Early on I began to teach myself advanced techniques that would set me apart from the average 7-year-old boy, I was focused on the small details, and form in my illustrations. In Elementary school, I excelled in art class and would often draw cars, animals, cartoon characters, and Marvel characters in the blank pages of my journals when I finished my classwork.
During my teenage years, I drastically improved my drawing skills, focusing on realism, smooth gradients, and detailed visual textures. For the first time, I would illustrate using Bic and Micron pens, which became my medium of choice. At this time, I began to plan the trajectory of my future. I started working as a commissioned artist and earned multiple awards in contests. But the greatest decision I made was forming the foundation of my business “Artistic Shadows.” My first action as a young proprietor was to create business cards, then I entered college at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2016 and honed in on my business mindset, leading to me learning how to scan, edit and create prints of my existing pieces using photoshop. Eventually, my family gifted me a Huion drawing tablet, and I slowly began creating even more engaging landscapes, vibrant portrait paintings, and 3D models of objects and human anatomy.
I put my business plan into action during the summer of 2017 and 2018. I participated as a vendor at the Holly Springs Artisan Market, where I sold various prints of my artwork under the Artistic Shadows brand and drew outside for the locals to view my process. At this time, I also launched my online business with the Etsy platform under the shop name ArtisticShadows98. Maintaining my business, holding the title of Art Club president at UNCP, working as a gallery assistant at the UNCP AD Gallery, and assistant art editor for The Aurochs Literary Magazine at UNCP challenged me to think critically and make mature decisions. These responsibilities were important and presented opportunities for myself and those around me.
In 2020 I earned my Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Art Studio with my primary studio area in digital art and secondary area in traditional drawing. Recently I’m focused on creating art for apparel/paper print, selling my work globally using print-on-demand services, creating social/web marketing assets for Artistic Shadows, increasing online engagement within my business, and pursuing a career where I can work on large projects with talented like-minded individuals.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
At the start of 2021, I began to create comic-style hip-hop-themed artwork and apparel that gained popularity among a younger audience. Implementing effective marketing strategies to keep online engagement with my audience consistent has been challenging. The social media shares I received by fan pages with large followings have contributed to my success this year, but just like any small business, there are days when online traffic is low and my artwork doesn’t reach the entirety of my audience.
Balancing my marketing role, constantly creating original artwork, searching for opportunities, and reaching out to social media influencers who may or may not assist me in my endeavors can be draining. But the greatest challenge I’ve faced this year has been defending my merchandise from theft. I normally check Etsy and Google to view artwork and designs by my competitors, to my surprise eventually I found multiple fraudulent sellers across Etsy, eBay, Amazon, and smaller shady websites selling exact copies of my apparel designs. These were blatantly counterfeit and even sold with my name and logo on the merchandise. Being the copyright owner of all my work with overwhelming evidence to prove ownership, I was able to successfully report and shut down these fraudulent accounts.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In the past, I’ve been typically well known for creating highly detailed animal illustrations and portraits using traditional pen and graphite mediums. But in recent years I’ve specialized in digital art, illustrating vibrant and engaging compositions that involve graphic design for poster print and apparel. I use my Huion drawing tablet, and Photoshop equivalents Clip Studio Paint, and Krita for my recent work. My style is constantly evolving, and I’ve abandoned realism for stylized comic visuals. After studying the style of my favorite comic artists such as Jim Lee, Jack Kirby, and Justin Richburg, I’ve honed in on the aesthetic I want to deliver. The artwork at Epic Games has also been a great inspiration in my growth as an artist. After meeting two artists at the company, I was inspired to step out of my comfort zone of 2D art and practice 3D modeling using the software Maya, Blender, and Zbrush.
I am proud of my unstoppable work ethic, I’m blessed with talent but it would mean nothing if I chose not to exert myself, every day and raise the bar. I love and respect my colleagues but as I’ve matured through the years, I noticed my hunger to learn, willingness to fail, and business mindset contrasts to the more nonchalant attitudes that I’ve encountered. Operating professionally, valuing myself, and making good use of the resources available have given me the edge I needed since I started planning my business in 2015, My name is important to me, as well as the impact and first-class experience that I provide to my loyal customers. Aside from my mindset, my razor-sharp attention to detail and strong foundational skills as an artist make me a fierce competitor.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Now that I am older, I see even greater value in the art that I create and what it means for someone else to watch me and be inspired. I’m simply never satisfied until the job is done right, and I’ve met my goal. I’ve grown to be aware of my surroundings and have seen close friends with great talent be discouraged to passionately pursue their careers. It cost nothing to encourage my friends, share their work, and offer my insight. I know how it feels to seek help, guidance, or opportunities and in return be neglected, but I’ve also received much love and support from amazing people along the way.
By isolating myself I’m able to have time for introspection. Being self-aware of my limits and weaknesses has allowed for positive progression in my career. A particular struggle that I’ve faced has been locking in and focusing on a consistent style or subject matter, I now think critically, put my ideas on paper as fast as possible, and expand from simple concepts to create engaging thematic bodies of work. I’ve found success by working in a more niche subject matter to deliver to my audience. My recent hip-hop comic apparel has been my best-selling series of work, shipping globally, and often worn at concerts by fans of the culture.
Pricing:
- $12.99-$24.99 Unisex Short Sleeve Shirts
- $34.99-$36.99 Unisex Sweat Shirts
- $9.99-$42.99 Poster Prints
- $3.50-$5.99 Stickers
- Commission Rate: $20-$25/hr
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://isaiahunc.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izaiah_holley/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isaiah.holley.98
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Art_Shadows_
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/artistic_shadows_98/?hl=en
Image Credits
Isaiah Holley
