iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 29/09/2026

Have you checked out my new book yet? If so, I’d love to know what you think. Also, leave a comment if you’d be interested in a physical version. I have a few spare copies from the initial print run and may do another run if there’s enough demand.

Photo of a book titled First Commission, Proper Business.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 16/09/2026

You probably didn’t notice, but I’ve been keeping my head down for the last few months finishing a book I started in 2024 and working on improvements to Hireillo. The book is finally finished 🙌 It’s a business handbook for artists. 😉 shop.hireillo.com/l/proper-bus...

Illustration of a person drawing with a giant pencil next to bold text reading First Commission, Proper Business on a yellow background. Subtext mentions practical guides for illustrators, artists, and visual creatives.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 22/07/2026

Just got my copy of BLAG (Issue 09), which includes an article I wrote about freelance contracts! 🙌 Really happy with how it turned out. There’s something particularly nice about seeing your words properly printed on a page. How cool is @davidcousens.bsky.social's artwork!

A hand holding a paintbrush is shown on a colourful magazine cover with the text BLAG and Summer 2026 / Issue 09. Next to it is an open magazine with an illustration and article about freelance contracts.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 30/03/2026

Excited to share I’ve written an article for an upcoming issue of BLAG magazine. Thanks to Sam for the invite. It covers contracts, including outputs, revisions, scope creep, and kill fees. Looking forward to artwork by @davidcousens.bsky.social ❤️ Sharing a few shots from Issue Six. More soon!

A hand holds a green and gold magazine titled "BLAG" against a light green wall.

A hand holds open a magazine on an article featuring photos of street art, a decorated chair, and text about an art exhibition. The background is a plain light green wall.

A hand holds open a magazine featuring an article titled "Seeing is Believing: Sign-Painting for the Silver Screen," with text and images of vintage-style painted signs.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 25/02/2026

I’ve just updated my Ultimate Artist Contract Template and I’m really proud of how much stronger it is now. If you work with clients, this will make your life easier. Find out more about the updates here: www.hireillo.com/blog/a-stron...

Screenshot of an online product page for "The Ultimate Artist Contract Template," featuring an illustration of two hands shaking.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 16/02/2026

I wanted to chill for 10-minutes, so I thought I'd share a photo I took near Littlehampton a few months ago to encourage others to do the same. 🕊️

A rocky breakwater stretches into the sea under a cloudy sky, with sun rays breaking through. Pebbles cover the beach in the foreground. Black and white photo.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 13/02/2026

I love this piece by Trevin, too!

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 09/02/2026

My laptop case was looking a little worse for wear, so I treated it to a shiny new one! Which means cracking out a fresh batch of stickers. 😃 How many artists do you recognise and can name?

A hand holds a laptop covered in colorful cartoon and Halloween-themed stickers, with a café interior blurred in the background.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 29/01/2026

Talked comics, industry, and real life with @jasonpiperberg.bsky.social 👉 youtu.be/DJPJ5Z-g5WU Potential podcast: 300 DPI 🎙️ Thoughts?

Artist Jason Piperberg holds up two issues of the comic "Neighbor Necromancer," partially covering their face, with colourful art visible on the covers.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 21/01/2026

It’s been a minute since my last update, so here are a couple of photos taken by second-year student Poppy Frith of me reviewing portfolios at last week’s Industry Ready event at DMU. It was great to be invited back again this year and to check out the students’ work.

A bearded man points at a computer screen, guiding a person with reddish hair, in a busy college studio setting.

Two people sit indoors at desks having a conversation, with other people working in the background.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 06/10/2025

Over the weekend at Mil-D-Con, I watched actor Mark Williams (known for The Fast Show and Father Brown) participate in a Q&A session. He certainly doesn't suffer fools gladly, and it was delightful to watch. 🙂

Three-panel image of an older man with gray hair and glasses sitting on a blue armchair, holding a microphone, then standing and waving while leaving the stage.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 30/09/2025

Twelve 12x18-inch prints, and I'm out of matte black ink. They were fresh cartridges, yikes. 😱 ... Luckily, I have more ink arriving tomorrow.

Four colorful retro movie posters with bold illustrations and dramatic titles partially overlapping on a cutting matt.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 25/09/2025

It's my forty-third birthday, yay! 🥳 Time doesn't half fly. Shown is a fun little gift my fantastic partner got me. 🙂 Now it's time for cake and lots of it! 😋

A small figurine of a dog wearing a hat sits calmly in a burning room at a table with a mug. The base says "THIS IS FINE".

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 24/09/2025

I'm sorry for the radio silence. I've been swamped and have been working on a top-secret project, while also trying to go to the gym more regularly. Here's a photo I took during a recent trip to London.

Tall modern office and apartment buildings with glass and metal facades, photographed from below against a partly cloudy sky.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 17/09/2025

I had an interesting chat with @mrtomfroese.bsky.social yesterday for his Thoughts on Illustration podcast. I'm looking forward to the episode, which I expect will be released sometime in October/November. 🎙️

Split image of two men: left man with a gray beard wearing a bird print shirt outdoors, right man with a short blond beard in a green plaid shirt holding a mug indoors.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 14/09/2025

Morgan is selling a few books I picked up on Kickstarter several years ago. They have been sitting on my shelf since then. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15732093...

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 06/09/2025

Stop doom-scrolling and enjoy nature. Maybe touch some grass? There's always tomorrow for work and social media. I took this photo of the ducks and birds at Bradgate Park near Leicester.

A shallow pond surrounded by grass and trees with several ducks and birds near the water's edge on a cloudy day.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 02/09/2025

It's nice to see that the State of Illustration is getting some coverage. 😃 Thank you downthetubes.net (John Freeman) and @dailycartoonist.bsky.social (Alan Gardner)! 🖖 #stateofillustration #weareillustrators #illosurvey 1. bit.ly/dtt-state7 2. bit.ly/tdc-state7

Screenshot of a report excerpt discussing illustrator income, featuring a chart about artist job satisfaction and an illustration of two people holding up signs.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 28/08/2025

That's me done emailing everyone who said they wanted to be told about the latest State of Illustration report. If you didn't get an email from me, please reach out or subscribe to my Gumroad list. I think I've earned the right to take a five-minute break. I might go for a walk. 😁 shop.hireillo.com

A LEGO minifigure sits on the rim of a speckled blue cup with a light beverage inside, next to a calculator and a stack of pink sticky notes on a cluttered desk.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 26/08/2025

Over the bank holiday weekend, I worked with four clients, helping them with their budgets and finding the right illustrators. It's a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but it's rewarding to connect people and help them earn a living.

Screenshot of a website called "hire an illustrator," displaying a search bar, category filters, and illustrated portfolio thumbnails from various artists.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 20/08/2025

The latest State of Illustration report is finally available! 🙌 I will be promoting it properly over the next few weeks, but I wanted to give my followers on my personal pages a heads-up before I start doing that. You can find the report at shop.hireillo.com/l/state-7

Cartoon of a large yellow robot chasing two people with documents. Text at bottom reads "State of Illustration 7th Edition".

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 18/08/2025

I thought I'd share a photo of my desk, as it's not looking horrendous at the moment. What does your workspace look like? Please feel free to post yours in my comments or tag it with #OnMyDesk via your account. 😉

Dual-monitor workspace with a tablet, keyboard, mouse, blue mouse pad, microphone, and several accessories on a wooden desk. One monitor displays creative software.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 15/08/2025

I know I'm going to get blowback for this, but business has been tricky for the last few years, and I need to get paid if I'm going to survive. I'm about to release the new State of Illustration report, and I won't be making the payment optional, unlike in previous years.

A person sits on the ground, holding an ornate picture frame around their head, with a bowl containing coins in front of them.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 12/08/2025

I've been keeping my head down while working on the State of Illustration report, which I incidentally finished the first draft of this morning. 🙌 To prove that I don't spend all my time in my hobbit hole, here's a photo of a Jackdaw I took recently. Tchack, tchack!

A black bird with light eyes stands on a stone surface, looking directly at the camera, with a blurred grassy background.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 30/07/2025

The latest State of Illustration report is almost ready, hopefully in a week or two. My eyes and brain hate me! Seventeen pages done, twenty-five give or take, to go. If you'd like to be notified when it's finished, download the old version at stateofillustration.com

A computer screen displays a spreadsheet on the left and a digital document with colourful bar charts and percentages on the right.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 29/07/2025

I took this photo at Bradgate Park and the expressions on the faces of this derpy Fallow Deer doe and fawn just about sums up my mood today. 😐

Two deer stand among green ferns and trees in a forest setting, partially framed by leaves and the trunk of a large tree.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 28/07/2025

I'm slowly chipping away at the 2025 State of Illustration report. I think my brain is slightly frazzled, but the project is coming together. Art by Beach. ❤️

Cartoon-style illustration of a person with a large moustache and beret using a hammer and chisel on a rectangular object.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 22/07/2025

Is your web hosting or web-creation platform becoming unaffordable? I've been providing inexpensive, reliable hosting and support for years and am always happy to help you with setting everything up. 💻🧔🏻 Send me a DM to find out more.

Text reads: Is your web hosting or web-creation platform becoming unaffordable? I've been providing inexpensive, reliable hosting and support for years and am always happy to help you with setting everything up. Send me a DM to find out more.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 19/07/2025

I perused the Small Press Day tables at Forbidden Planet Leicester this morning, picked up a few goodies, and had a good, but brief, catch-up with Drew Summers. There's always a ton of interesting art and comics on display on SPD, and I always want to buy everything! Indy comic artists are cool. 🖖

A handmade zine titled "Dune" with googly eyes on a sandworm, placed on top of a flyer titled "Kappa" and surrounded by cartoon stickers.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 19/07/2025

We took half a day off yesterday and decided to visit Charnwood Museum. Because, why not? It was fun. 😄

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 17/07/2025

I took this photo several weeks ago at Nene Park. I got a good number of close-ups of the Heron, but I much preferred this wide shot of the habitat. I've muted the colour as I felt the lush greens were overwhelming to the point where the photo looked fake. It was a fabulously sunny day.

A heron stands in shallow water surrounded by tall grass and dense trees by the edge of a calm lake.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 11/07/2025

Is cover art more important than a book's content? I often buy based on cover art alone. Here are comics I'd buy without knowing their contents, though I know, for a fact, their stories are as captivating as their covers. Does the success of a book come down to more than its cover?

Three colourful comic book covers side by side: "After The Robot Apocalypse," "The Terminator," and "Starset Delivery," each featuring distinct illustrated characters and futuristic themes.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 10/07/2025

I've not posted any moon photos for a while. I took this one last night while the skies were clear, looking out of our back window in Leicester. I took it freehand with a Nikon D3200 (300mm lens) and removed some of the noise with Affinity Photo.

A full moon with visible surface details is shown against a black night sky.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 03/07/2025

New social avatar! "I Hate Mondays" by @matttimson.bsky.social. Matt has perfectly captured my grumpy side, probably because he understands what it means to be grumpy himself. 😘

Cartoon illustration of a serious-looking man with a beard and spiky hair typing on a laptop at a desk, set against a dark background.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 02/07/2025

If you need guidance or a boost, I have several portfolio review slots available this month. Sign up at shop.hireillo.com/l/review-wit...

A testimonial text by Timothy Banks praising Darren's illustration expertise is shown on a purple background, with Timothy’s photo in a yellow frame at the bottom right.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 26/06/2025

We've not had a TV License for decades and usually buy shows on iTunes or physical media. I was disappointed when Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl aired on the BBC last Christmas with no release in the UK. Yesterday, it was added to Netflix! I'm so happy! 😃

A penguin holding a police booking sign that reads "Feathers McGraw," with height listed as 3 ft and weight as 12 lbs, stands in front of a height chart.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 19/06/2025

A few of my favourite tees have started to disintegrate, and it's not a good look, so I've ordered a couple of these bad boys from the awesome @raid71.bsky.social! I can't wait to get my sweaty mitts on them.

An orange T-shirt featuring a cartoon graphic of Snoopy with a bored expression, standing and facing sideways. The shirt is laid flat on a wooden floor.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 16/06/2025

While cleaning out storage, I found a 2002 DVD-R with my only hand-drawn animation, “The Great Ape Escape.” If I were to redo it now, I believe my skills would be much improved since I was 18, but who knows?

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 09/06/2025

I also took these a few minutes earlier.

A bright orange sun sets over a calm sea, reflecting on wet sand and shallow water with scattered rocks in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky.

The sun sets over a calm sea, casting a golden reflection on the water and illuminating the rocky shoreline in the foreground.

A sunset over a beach with a wooden groyne extending toward the sea, reflecting light on the wet sand and calm water.

A sunset over a rocky beach with wooden groynes extending from the shore into the calm sea under a partly cloudy sky.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 09/06/2025

I'm trying to decide which of these sunset shots at Hunstanton I like the most. Which would you pick? A, B, C, or D?

The sun sets over a calm sea with its reflection on the water and a sandy shoreline in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky.

The sun sets over a calm sea, casting a golden reflection on wet sand and shallow water under a partly cloudy sky.

A sunset over a calm sea with orange and yellow tones reflecting on wet sand and shallow water near the shore.

Sunset over a calm sea with the sun reflecting on wet sand and shallow water; rocks and a small jetty are visible in the foreground.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 08/06/2025

A bit of light reading for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Four comic books—Absolute Superman, The Crow, Spider-Man & Wolverine, and The Flash—are laid out overlapping on a flat surface.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 06/06/2025

Sometimes, you need to chill and make new friends. Meet Mr. Black-Headed Gull, who was very happy to have his photo taken. 🙂

A seagull with a black head is flying against a clear blue sky, wings fully outstretched.

A black-headed gull is flying over the sea with its wings spread, against a blurred background of sky and water.

A white airplane flies across a clear blue sky, leaving two long, white contrails behind it.

A black-headed gull stands on dry grass, facing left, with its dark head, white body, and red legs clearly visible.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 03/06/2025

I'm compiling questions for an illustrator interview and would appreciate suggestions! I'm also working on the Hireillo newsletter, which is challenging due to the wealth of amazing artwork available. 😵‍💫

A grid of various illustrated book covers, each featuring different artistic styles, titles, and author names, displayed against a colorful background.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 02/06/2025

This photo is brilliant! Happy Pride Month, everybody! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Two men pose and smile in front of a church sign that reads, "God says homosexuality is in." One of them holds the letter "S" removed from the sign.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 28/05/2025

I chatted with the art students at SCAD yesterday, and as always, it was a pleasure. We covered many topics, including contracts, professionalism, marketing, and social media. They seemed like a good bunch, and I can't wait to see what they do with their qualifications once they finish their course.

Eight people stand in a row in a modern classroom with computers and a large digital screen displaying a website in the background.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 27/05/2025

OMG! Video editing is overwhelming, and I've barely started on this one! 😵‍💫 What's melting your brain today?

A video editing software interface shows a bearded man speaking in a video clip, with English subtitles visible and multiple clips and editing tools on the screen.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 26/05/2025

Illustrator Steve Stone made me an awesome new social avatar, and I'm totally loving it! 😂 If you want to see more of their work, check out hireillo.com/dbh

Character design sheet showing sketches and a colored illustration of a bearded man in a red hoodie, with “Darren Di Lieto Character Design Development” text at the bottom.

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Darren Di Lieto @darrendilieto.com · 07/05/2025

I took this photo at Beacon Hill a while ago and felt like resharing it. I really like how the rock juts out of the soil and grass. 😀

Rocky outcrop with patches of grass in the foreground, overlooking distant fields and a line of trees under a cloudy sky.

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