Connecting with clients in your local area is an excellent way to cultivate long-lasting relationships and create valuable opportunities for your illustration and surface design work. Leveraging your local network allows you to meet businesses, clients, and buyers face-to-face. So, how can you tap into your local network for your surface design or illustration business?
![](https://clairemakesthings.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Cover-Blog-1200-%C3%97-628-px-1-1024x536.png)
In this article, I share my own experiences building up a local network of clients as an illustrator. I talk in-depth about networking opportunities, local communities, how to share your work, and more. Additionally, I give practical tips on how to get started right away, and build your network as an illustrator or surface designer effectively. You can read the entire article on the Sketch Design Repeat blog:
Read the blog post on Sketch Design Repeat: Finding Local Clients as a Surface Designer
![](https://clairemakesthings.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/greeting-cards-art-fair-claire-van-kuijck-1024x576.jpg)
Related article: EMBRACING COLLABORATION: HOW TO CREATE WITH OTHER ILLUSTRATORS
![](https://clairemakesthings.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/hxuXPHvOPa6LiFT0JhhPnvshqcz7PCph4fMpBOX4j_g.png)
Together with a team of surface pattern designers, illustrators and more I regularly write articles for the Sketch Design Repeat blog. It has been a joy to talk about my experiences in the world of illustration with the team and share that with others too. Here are a few other articles I wrote in the past year:
• 5 Ways to Make Space For Your Creativity
• The Magic of Time Blocking for Artists
• 5 Marketing Tips for Surface Designers
• Brushes in Procreate: Streamline Your Surface Design Process
![](https://clairemakesthings.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/sketch-design-repeat-finding-local-clients-header-1-683x1024-1.jpg)