Hi everyone!
It's another attempt at something different today. :D
Below are just some of my thoughts on what working as a commissioned artist looks like from my point of view. I hesitate to call them tips cause I still have a lot to learn, they are more my thoughts on what these few years have taught me.
I mostly work for authors, musicians and particulars so this is what I know about. I have not worked in contracts with larger companies and haven't much pursued it so far, so I can't speak much about that side of it. Because I cover a lot of stuff, I'm mostly talking about the basics. If there's interest for a topic in particular I can write more about it in another post.
Also, this was going to be one post only but I feel it's too long so I've chopped it in two parts.
Here we go...
Are you ready to work?
For me, you're ready to work when someone is ready to pay for your work. That doesn't mean you don't have to improve anymore when you get your first job -one should never stop improving- but there is no point in waiting until you're at the level you want.
The skill level you want to reach now is much lower than the level you'll want to reach in 5 years, and that is much lower than the level you'll want to reach in 10 years. That said, try to be as objective as possible with your own art and set your rates accordingly.
If you're in doubt or feel like you're too green for your first job, reach out to your artist friends or even one you admire (if they're too big they may be too busy) and ask them a few questions. You'd be surprised how open other artists can be about their journey and how often you do get a reply.
How about getting jobs then?
Post. Online.
You really need an online presence.
Unless you're in a rush you don't have to do anything else. If the art is good and talks to people they will ask you to create for them.
People see your art, people like your art. A tiny percentage of those people are up to pay for your art, so you gotta make sure they can find it.
Below is a more in-depth look at how you can you start making a name for yourself online.
Social media
Get to Instagram. If you put a lot of dedication, you can increase your followers quickly. You can also make contacts that will teach you how to get the most of IG. This is, I think, the best place nowadays for artists to grow an audience.
It hasn't given me a lot of work, and when it has it was poor quality work more times than not. But it works to get people behind your art, and sadly, in the current world numbers are necessary at least to an extent. Plus, you could have a better time than me getting jobs there.
Get to Twitter. It's a bit of a jungle over there, but it's also a better platform to create or be part of a community. Find artists that you can relate to and interact, learn from them especially if they are a higher level than you. If you end up with a lot of followers all the power to you, but it may take longer.
Get to DeviantArt. Although I'm not so sure about this one's future... But still nowadays I get work from DeviantArt, some of the communities there are still very active and it's still a better site to showcase your art than mobile apps.
There's also Behance if you're more of a graphic designer. Personally I feel it's not for me, but has super high quality professional work either way. Better for company oriented types.
As an art site, ArtStation has the greatest amount of insanely talented professional artists of all. It can get depressing if you're in an art block or other down times but also is an amazing source of inspiration. Also, there seems to be very little communication going on and smaller artists don't get a lot of views.
I'm very happy if I get 20 likes over there, but I still enjoy the place.
There are many more art sites or social media, these are just the ones that work best for me. I know people who make a very good living only on Facebook, so it may be worth trying that, especially if you're a book cover designer.
Other options include smaller art communities if they adjust to your niche audience. Get to know the community and you can go from there. TL;DR find people who like what you like and present your related art to them.
Your portfolio
Get your own website if you can afford the cost. You can create a portfolio somewhat easily with any decent Wordpress template and it will give you a place to send potential clients to that has no-one else's logo, name or else. Also, if you can, pick a company that will give you a free email address so that you can have a 
You're selling a product, so the more professional it looks the more seriously people will take you. Imagine going to shop at Amazon and the URL is www.yahoo.com/amazon/. :D
If you're planning to work for larger companies, create a good PDF portfolio to send. There are a lot of examples you can pick inspiration from in the web. Personalize your portfolio for the company you're sending it to. Eg: don't send portraits of Lionel Messi to the Call of Duty developers, send those to the FIFA developers.
No matter what, post online and get your name out. Google tends to like links so try to link to your art or site when you post elsewhere. Link from your IG to your Twitter, from there to DeviantArt, to your portfolio website etc; keep your presence interconnected.
You should be in enough networks that your potential client should at least have one of those apps or frequent one of those places so that they can find your work.
*And this is where I'll cut it for today, the next part is more about the money side of things
Was this tone deaf, helpful or even wanted at all? Too short? Too long?
I'm not so sure about this one, let me know...
If you have more or different experiences please let me know, I'm here to learn too and all input is welcome.
Part two coming soon...
If you enjoy my art, you can also find me in other sites:
Instagram
YouTube
ArtStation
DeviantArt
Behance
Facebook
Twitter
Makersplace
Prints and more