
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
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Ohnmar Win is a UK based illustrator with a passion for food illustration, travel and hand lettering. After graduating with a degree in Advertising and Design a rather long time ago she pursued a editorial illustration career with a large helping of greetings cards whilst freelancing at Tigerprint.
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
3M ago
Over the past decade, my creative journey has taken me from illustration to teaching, and my brand has evolved in ways I never anticipated. When I first created my website 10 years ago after an 8-year break to raise my children, I had no grand plan. I used Squarespace’s free platform, uploaded a handful of images I’d made during an online course, and hand-lettered a logo in about an hour. It was simple, functional, and very much focused on my work as an illustrator.
At the time, I didn’t think much about branding. My website was essentially a portfolio of my food illustrations, which dominate ..read more
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
8M ago
It's been almost two years since I wrote my last blog post where I shared a few stats about my income, so it's definitely time for an update. I believe in being transparent and realistic about what I share, as a teacher, illustrator and artist. Many people, especially those just starting out on this career path, are keen to learn about the financial aspects of an art career. This information is often hard to find as I don't think enough illustrators talk about their income. My intention is not to brag or show off, but rather to shed light on an often overlooked aspect of our industry ..read more
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
9M ago
I was surprised but also delighted when a client representing two prestigious hotels reached out to me, having seen my 'Tinned Fish' illustration and felt it was the perfect stylistic fit for their luxury afternoon tea menus. The Sanderson and Saint Martins Lane, both stylish venues in London, needed illustrated elements to make their English afternoon tea occasion extra special.
This unexpected opportunity arose from an illustration created using loose watercolour with Procreate details, including lettering on a separate layer. It had been on my portfolio website for four years and listed o ..read more
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
2y ago
How long does it take to get going as a professional illustrator? Well, in my case, 25 years! The first ‘phase’ starting after graduating and then second ‘phase’ starting after a 8 year hiatus to bring up my two kids.
Honesty is really important to me and having been in the industry for over two decades I have ample experience to draw from. I think people who are starting out in illustration or contemplating it as a career deserve a realistic look at what it's like to build an art business. What I’m presenting is a candid timeframe of my career from my humble life as stay at home mum to ..read more
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
2y ago
I LOVE using masking fluid. Once it’s dry it can be peeled off, revealing the untouched white paper underneath. It’s a bit like magic!
I first encountered this medium during my college days and since then have had a great relationship with it. I’ve just launched a Skillshare class on using this medium, which includes more in-depth tips and fun projects.
When I started filling a little moleskine sketchbook with masking fluid experiments, I got a deluge of comments and questions asking what my secrets were, as many just couldn't get their masking fluid to behave. Their paper was often tor ..read more
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
2y ago
From day one of embarking on this career, I wanted to live comfortably using the income from my art and illustration. Your definition of comfortable and my definition may be different, but I think many of us aspire to have a sustainable and successful art career. I’ve been earning a six-figure income for several years, consistently increasing my earnings each year since I set up my art business seven years ago.
I wanted to write a blog post about my income as it’s important to me as a teacher to be very candid and realistic with what I share. I know that many people are interested in th ..read more
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
2y ago
This August marks six years since I released my first Skillshare class as a teacher. Like many other teachers on the platform, I was a student first, way back in 2014. I’d been a stay-at-home mum for eight years, and my Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator skills were very rusty.
The first classes I took were on hand lettering and character design, which was an odd mixture, but it actually led to finding my style with food illustration. That's the other side of my business—as well as a teacher, I’m a food illustrator for major brands all over the world.
My first class as a teacher came in l ..read more
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
2y ago
Starting in July, I'm going to be taking what I'm calling a 'semi sabbatical,’ when I will not be taking on any client work. I will finish a Skillshare class that I postponed from this spring and do enough to keep my business ticking along quietly. This semi sabbatical will last until the end of this year and will likely involve a small loss in income as a result. I have factored in this aspect, but will have enough passive income to tide me over.
Photography by Nat Aubry
I made this post because so many of us feel bombarded by idealized representations of others' lives on social media ..read more
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
3y ago
I started my 21st sketchbook which I dedicated specially to wild flowers, allowing me to explore ways of adding more depth and textural interest in my botanicals. I filled this class during the Covid lockdown of Spring 2020. I would take long (socially distanced) walks with my daughter in the spring sunshine noting all the blooms that were coming into season, as part of her home learning. The daily outings awakened my curiosity and compelled me to start chronicling the wildflowers we saw. In some ways it was a reaction to the lockdown we were under, using what freedom of movement we had to exp ..read more
Ohn Mar Win Illustration
3y ago
Myself and Victoria Johnson had dreamed about an in person art event for a while so when the opportunity presented itself we knew a retreat would allow us to channel our collective teaching and art business experience into a course that would help fellow creatives. As a creator and teacher of online classes the week long art retreat in Le Marche Italy was wonderfully immersive on many levels.
Many of us work alone from home, learning online. Being present and able to discuss the concept of embracing happy accidents and simply diving in without knowing the outcome was refreshing for bot ..read more