Hi, my name's Jameson Wilkins, for the past three years I've supported myself as a 2D artist for mobile/browser/independent games through freelance. I've been taking contracts since 2010 after graduating from Ringling College of Art and Design, and started working full time as of middle of 2012. It hasn't been easy, and for quite some time now I've been working on trying to get my name out and hopefully land a studio job as a 2D illustrator.
I've even done contracted artwork that is now prominently displayed as part of an interactive attraction at one of Orlando's largest theme parks (NDA prevents me from stating where, but it's not hard to guess). So I'd like to think that I have the skills required to land a job in the industry.
I've also released an indie game that was met with a decent amount of critical praise and has somewhere in the neighborhood of 50k downloads called "A Nation of Wind", which I developed on my own and then released for free.
I spend several hours of my work week hunting down any openings I can and sending them my portfolio and resume in between freelance, and I've been doing this for the better part of the past 3 years.
I'm looking for any and all suggestions on finding work in a studio environment. I've had numerous "near misses" (studio conducts 2-3 phone interviews or many promising email chains only to fall through in the last moment due to filling the position or funding issues or something) and would really love to hear any kind of help I possibly can. Portfolio critiques, suggested self-marketing avenues, or what have you. Bear in mind most of my work fits into the pixel/vector style associated with mobile/browser casual or independent gaming, so that's kind of what I'm looking to get into in terms of studios (places like Row Sham Bow or similar).
My portfolio is here: http://altpick.com/jamesonwilkins
You can click on the button on the top left of the screen labeled "portfolios" to change what sub-category you are looking at.
Thanks!