Portfolio Visit and Agent Meeting

For a couple of weeks prior I have been communicating with an agent via email and last Friday I managed to meet up with them over coffee to discuss my potential career with them hosting me.

I had previously forwarded this blog to them alongside my photography links as they also specialise in photography printing. Regretfully my personal website is still in the works so I was unable to link it through but luckily my blog contained enough information for them to grasp my style and way of working. I took my portfolio to the meeting and a separate folder on my ipad with my photography prints and talked them through the pieces including the methods and information behind each image. 

They took interest in my cover image and mini calender examples and talked about starting a commission based service involving taking elements and requests from the buyers and then drawing up their images in a similar style. The calender series was composed using 4 elements from an individual - favourite animal, colour, accessory and favourite fruit, we discussed how this could be adapted to suit a family in a series of small portraits or one long one. The same idea for my cover image but just taking random objects instead of a set of questions. 

We discussed the time each piece would require and I found myself considering things I'd previously not thought of, I worked out time allowances and methods which was beneficial as I realise these are very important things in terms of freelancing. I feel much better about my future in terms of becoming an illustrator knowing that these are things I can do, and with an agent helping me I'll find it much easier to branch outwards. 

It was also put forward the fact that they preferred to feature work in exhibitions which is great to hear as this gives the chance for people to see the work in person as opposed to seeing a shrunken jpeg on a random website. It feels more active and will allow more face to face chances in terms of acquiring work. 

Needless to say I'm looking forward to my future chances of work now! =]

Portfolio Review #1 FaBi Books and Artworks

I  had an informal meeting with my tutors yesterday in regards to the progress of our portfolios, I took thier advice and made adjustments to the layout and overall look before sending it off for its first review.

I was fortunate to get Thomas and Christopher of FaBi Books and Artworks, whom I had previously interviewed earlier this summer, to look it over for me. Thomas's interview on my blog can be found here 

"We both thought it was great - don't think you need to change anything, Chris thought it had a great urban design feel, very current and that you showed great how create your designs in a way they can be used in a few ways - me, I just thought it was great.. loved the designs and loved the layout thought it had a great flow.. there wasn't a single piece I thought - meh - I loved each one.So unfortunately we where useless to you as we loved it - Chris's only thing he would change he said would be possibly re-sizing some of the pieces he felt some where a little lost to the white on the page and felt they could have been showed larger.. but I kinda liked that who exhibit feel the pictures framed on the white page gave so I think it is a personal choice..
Really fab Emi you should be very very proud of it - your work is fantastic If you need anything else just let us know and thanks for letting us have a peek at your work it was very awesome"

Taking their thoughts on the layout regarding white space I have been considering what feel I'd prefer to give the work. Advice from my tutors was to separate two images that showed the design for a T-shirt and tote bag alongside a set of photographs showing them in this format - this was picked up on during this review in the first line. Thus I think the amendments were successful by giving them space to exhibit. 

I also changed the format for some images giving it an overall portrait layout which I believe has helped in the 'flow' mentioned above in Thomas's comments. I am much happier with the layout and appearance of my portfolio - I'm currently working towards getting an A4 box to use for personal meets and talks, for which I may be able to include one of my printed T-shirts and some of my zine work. 

Contact with Industry | Jade Phillips

Jade Phillips creates beautiful collages using the distortion of text and various other objects composing of natural and personal themes. Her work is spontaneous and interesting to behold and generally consists of vintage prints and objects. I'm particularly fond of her text pieces featuring young foxes in a uniquely imaginative form of media manipulation. 

 1. Your work is so unique and creative, using the text as a medium - especially the fox print ones! - how did you discover it?
I'm really fascinated with censorship, and creating new ideas out of destruction. I destroy all these books, and censor out letters…and in the end rather than something ugly, there’s something beautiful. That’s what I really love about it. It started out just messing around doodling in a book and it took off from there!

2. Your gallery is fast expanding with so many textured and beautiful pieces - where do you get your resources from? A lot of my supplies I get from friends and family. For a while, friends would bring me zip-lock bags of old watches, calligraphy pens, old stamps, things like that. I even got some pretty good materials from strangers who knew I made art, and wanted to support it somehow. This one girl gave me a container of tiny springs and an old French book and told me they looked like things I could use. It was really touching, and I had no idea people even noticed my work like that, let alone wanted to help! My materials are really just a bunch of odds and ends. When I buy materials myself, like old foreign books, I usually buy them the local literacy council. 

3. Do you ever sketch an idea out before hand? What is your process of work? 
Yes, definitely! I actually have an old Russian book I use as a sketch book for working out new techniques and ideas, colorations. I usually just try to work out the coloring initially, then take the project out on the canvas.

4. Do you make work only for yourself? Do you do commission work? 

Most of the work I make, I make for myself. Currently I’m trying to get a commission from the local newspaper to do a large newspaper fox with their paper. I’ve done work for a band in New York, and sold a lot of my pieces, had showings, but typically I just make art for me. 

5. Your pieces are so fun and spontaneous yet appear so deep, especially the collages- is there a message behind them, an expression or mood? - or do you just go with the flow? 
It really depends on the piece. Many of them have meanings behind them, but the majority I make are spontaneous. I’ll just pick out my central focus for the piece, and then continue on from there. How a lot of them turn out just depends on what sort of materials I have at my disposal at the time.

6. Where do you gather your inspiration from? 
Nature and music! When I’m working on a new piece, I’ll put on one of my go-to albums. My favorite album to work to is Seabear’s “The Ghost That Carried Us Away” and I feel like subsequently, a lot of the moods found in my art reflect that. Most of my inspiration however, comes from nature. I live in Alaska surrounded by forest, and I think my work tends to show that sometimes…Especially with the foxes!

Seabear - Seashell

7. Could you describe your ideal work space for me? 
Deep in the woods in a tiny cabin filled with the smell of wood smoke and acrylic. I’d love to have a little quiet cabin I can work in some day, that’d definitely be the dream for me. But currently I have to make do with a shared studio space in town.

8. Your work features a lot of foxes, is there a reason behind this? A personal experience, preference - maybe you just love foxes? =] 
Foxes are my favorite animal, and I just find them to be very beautiful and graceful. I love their forms, the colors of their fur. I guess I sort of have this fascination with the way they move….Eventually I will move on though! Currently foxes are my muse. I’m thinking about working with hares eventually. :)

9. Your favourite colour? 
Green.

10. Do you have any advice for a budding illustrator interested in making a career out of illustration one day? 
Just keep on making work! The more you create the better. And get it out there as much as you can. Make postcards and send them to galleries, create prints, enter into shows! I wish you the best of luck!

Thankyou!

Contact with Industry | Abigail Larson

Abigail Larson is a popular artist among deviantart users, her style is uniquely refined, dark and inspiring. Her line work is rich and full of animation - she uses a well thought out balance of colour and texture within each piece. She uses a balance of traditional media including watercolour and digital work. I am a huge fan of her style - I love her stylistic use of line and Tim Burton-esque imagination. 

1. Your style is so unique and well refined - how did you discover it?

I get that question all the time! It's a difficult question to answer, because there wasn't a time where I decided to have a style. I spent most of my time drawing from observation, and I only developed a style after studying many other graphic designers, illustrators, and fine artists who had very distinctive styles. I studied 19th century illustrators, poster designs, typography, etc. and took what I liked about those styles and learned to incorporate those things into my own artwork, giving my own twist on them.

2. I love your vignette illustrations and banners - how do you come up with the designs for each one? Do you work from references/photos or is it all imaginatively based?

Thanks! In the beginning I would buy those cheap little copyright-free design books and re-design the banners in them and put my own creepy twist on them. Now, I just invent them after years of looking at ornate French-style frames and vintage poster banners. 

3. On average how long does it take you to complete a fully coloured piece with background? 

Colouring the images is what takes the longest time, so a fully colored piece would take me anywhere from 5 - 7 hours.

4. How would you describe your own perfect work environment?

I have it already! I'm surrounded by all my wonderful creepy things, my antique furniture, and all of my equipment.  

5. How often do you sketch normally? Would you increase it if you could?

I sketch every day! Whenever a thought pops into my head, I make sure there is a sketchbook on hand, so I can scribble it out. I'd of course like to spend all my time sketching and painting, but there really isn't enough time in the day!

6. Your work is always so beautifully detailed and full of content, where do you take inspiration from?

I spend loads of time just going out and observing everything around me. I just about grew up in museums and antique shops, so I've always appreciated a space full of interesting things to look at, and I try to bring that into my artwork. It's kind of like hide and seek - the more I draw, the more there is to look at and find.

7. Do you ever experience artist block? If so how do you usually tackle it?

Any artist who claims they don't get artists block is just flat out lying. Seriously, no one can do something 24/7 and not get sick of it, or at least get stuck. When it hits me, I try to step back and wait it out by doing something completely different, such as all the cleaning I've been neglecting, or read or watch something. I'll also look through art books or go to galleries, museums, and concerts to feel inspired.

8. You're clearly both a talented traditional and digital artist, have you ever had any formal instruction in either?

Yes, I was classically trained in drawing and painting, but also learned typography, graphic design, photography, digital painting, and illustration in high school and college. I melded digital and traditional drawing because I love touching my drawing and paints, but I also love the finished, flat look of digital coloring.

9. I adore your circus inspired pieces, as a huge cirque fan myself - is there a particular troupe/show you enjoy?

You know, for all my love of the circus, I've never been to a circus! I really just enjoy fairs and burlesque shows. Having lived in a city there are endless opportunities to see the bizarre arts, and I enjoy every kind of street and stage performance. 

10. Do you have a favourite artist or book writer/film director?

Of course! I love Edward Gorey, Maurice Sendak, Arthur Rackham, tony DiTerlizzi, Gris Grimly, Kay Nielsen, and countless others. I of course love classic literature, and my favorite writers are the gothic poets and novelists such as Shelley, Stoker, and Bronte, as well as Poe and Lovecraft (of course!) For film I'm much more picky. I love Tim Burton and Guillermo Del Torro, but my favorite films are classic horror and suspense movies from the 30's - 70's

11. -And lastly! Do you have any advice for a budding illustrator aiming to enter the industry?

There is so much to tell aspiring illustrators, but the advice I give every artist is to not create art for everyone, but make art that you enjoy and have fun making, and practice like crazy every day. Create a style completely unique to you, and market it to companies you want to work for. Don't be shy, and don't give up! Reach out for every possible opportunity with potential clients and other creative people. It's a tough and competitive field, but it also changes constantly, so the opportunities are endless as long as you work hard at it, like anything in life! 

Thankyou!

Contact with Industry | Hellobaby

Hellobaby

www.Hellobaby.deviantart.com

Hellobaby is a very successful artist on deviantart.com - I became an art nouveau lover after becoming exposed to her work alongside other artists such as Alphonse Mucha. Hellobaby's work is always bursting with subtle time consuming detail and beauty that you find yourself required to study the image for several minutes at a time to allow full appreciation of her flawless skill. When I contacted her she was pleased to answer my questions so long as I asked nothing to personal, on her page she has a link to a huge FAQ document which I scanned beforehand to avoid asking anything she had previously answered - I found a lot of my original intended questions on it so I had to come up with even more abstract ones that wouldn't touch on her personal life. I have copied the questions from the FAQ that were relevant for me - and posted my actual questions and answers to her further below. 

How long have you been for drawing? And how many hours do you draw everyday?
-I drew when I was 3 or 4 years old but style which u see I draw now was 3-4 years ago. I try to spend at least 4 hours per day but actually there are always more than that (cause I want to improve more and more

Do you take any school of art? Do you think learning art during education (e.g. High School, College, Uni) is important?
-I learn myself. Example: you can see a lot of amazing artists from DA, I m sure you can learn a lot from them ^^. -I think it depends, school will help you learn basic but if you want to be better or improve, you need to work hard yourself.


Where do you get inspiration for your drawing & your character's costumes/background from? Do you use ref. or they are your own creation? Do you take it as a challenge to find new and unique ways to pattern your character's clothes?
-I image them myself cause I like challenge myself. Patterns were a result after practicing 4 years & I proud to say I didn't copy it. And background? Myself I think I m not good at background and still need to learn more more and more...I mean a lot.
-I don't like to use ref too (except sometimes I need to see ref for hard animals as tigers, lions and I see those photos from my sister...She has those), 
But sometimes when commissioners give me picture and said they want that, this, those, etc...I still try to keep the shape of clothes only and change it to my style (and thanks to all commissioners, they always let me free to do that. Aren't they awesome?)
-Yes, and I always try to create new patterns every time though not much people can see it cause my works are crazy =]


How long does it take you to draw one picture..?
- Sketch: usually few days (3-4 days) & colors (1-2 weeks and more if picture has more details)


Do you listen to anything while you draw, if so what kinds of things or music do you listen to and how does it affect your art?
-Honestly when I m drawing, I just like deaf. I pay all my effort for my drawing therefore music or non-music is fine for me =D. But sometimes for relaxing drawing, I do listen music like Yanni (omg, I love him), David Nueve, etc (they are pianist =].). I don't think music affect much to me. (But dont take it like I m not music person, I do love music so much)


Do you ever have artblock? If you have, how can you release from it?
-Lucky it never happens to me =]. But if you have artblock? Try to read novel or children books...I bet u will get tons ideas from them.


Do you prefer traditional or digital colors? Or a mix of everything? Which program you use?, and how you make it (the coloring and lineart there)?
-I love both but I m not good at CG and you can see in my works, a lot of backgrounds were added in photoshop (though they are just very simple tricks) then I will answer is: Mix them together. I use Photoshop CS2 and use them for some effect only (like add texture, bright/contrast, hue, etc). I don't use PS for coloring or lineart cause my PS skills suck.

The full FAQ can be found here: 

http://hellobaby.deviantart.com/journal/Ask-me-questions-230826301

1. What would be your ideal work space?

Any place has enough light for me to draw and not to crowded cause I can't draw in front of people or where it's too noisy =].

2. Your style is beautifully decorative and unique - how did you find it? /dreams/through practise/inspirations etc?

It was a result of many years practising dear, no dreams or anything else help - if we don't keep practising. They may give you inspirations but most important is you <3. not some or anything else.

3.Do you have any future plans to expand your illustrations further into clothing/animation/accessories - other creative outlets?

I don't have any future plans of it yet since I am too busy with my life at the moment

4. If you had to pick 3 pieces of key advice for yourself and othes what would they be?

Practising

Learning

and Listening

5. Your style is very recognisable; do you believe it is important for an illustrator to have a strong style?

Yes, since so many and many great artists are here, finding your own style is a challenge. If you don't have your style yet, make it as your target. If you already have it, make it more complicated.

6. What are the differences for you between commissioned and personal work? Do you create your personal work to get across a message or expression?

-Actually not much difference since I enjoy to draw, doesn't matter if it's commission or not. Some commissioners are very nice to let my imagination flow from their creative characters/concepts. Beside that, that hard thing is sometimes my works don't turn out as how the commissioner would want, some I may redo, some I will refund.

-Yes my personal works show what my heart wants to speak out.

7.[and lastly!] Do you have any advice for a budding illustrator who wishes to make a career out of illustration?

Keep drawing, practising and trying, dreams will come true for those who work hard. 

Myself I never expected to earn from drawing but after a few years it's helping me to pay the bills. Isn't it cool? =]

Thankyou!

Contact with Industry | Thomas James Birrell II

Thomas James Birrell II

http://thomas-birrell-illustrations.tumblr.com/

Thomas is a fairly new illustrator to the scene, he is based in Scotland and works in partnership with his partner Christopher for their joint firm, FaBi Books and Artworks. Thomas has already had successes including the publishing of two children's books - 'Jenni and Jonsey' and the 'Bramble Bush Gang' series, and a handful of theatre poster designs and promotions. Thomas's work is fresh and bright, it has the innocence of childhood and an overall friendly feel, as described on his page - Thomas's mission is to 'inspire, amuse and keep the inner child alive in everyone possible'.

1. Your work is always so vibrant and detailed - do you work from photographs, life experiences or imagination?
All three. At the very least I will always have Photographic reference although a lot of my works (such as childrens books) require a lot of imagination.

2. How many briefs/projects do you generally work on at a time?
I prefer to really focus all my attention on the one project at a time though with deadlines that is not always possible.There is always a pile of work waiting to be done so I will either push back less important projects or bump up others but either way I like to give my full attention to the client or commission I am currently working on.

3. How long do you usually take to finish a piece? Does this effect your commission rate keeping up with deadlines? 
Anything from three days to three months though with childrens books a little longer.I can take a week on an A4 piece then a few days on A2, it just depends on when I feel I am finished and happy with the end result. (Although commissions often have deadlines so I aim to use the entire allotted/quoted time and get it perfect as opposed to rushing.) This way i do not overcharge for time not used. I prefer to ask a fair price for the time and work involved.

4. Your commisioned work often revolves around theartre, musicals and tv shows - is this a personal passion? 
It is indeed a personal passion but also an area in which I receive a lot of work. Word of mouth is great advertisement and the theater has a strong community eager to enlist the help of an artist/illustrator that specializes in that area.

5. What was your first paid job like? How did you feel upon recieving the request?
My first paid job was a learning curve to say the least. Inexperienced as I was I offered to lend my artistic services to an acquaintance for use with merchandising for his music career.I was just honored to be asked as my work would be used with a record label. Though the artwork would be used through his label I did not request a contract but worked through the acquaintance. I received a low initial payment but the promise of royalties was never forthcoming despite the popularity and good sales of the merchandise itself. I now know better and would encourage anyone to get deals in writing before doing any work.

6. You used to create unique bags and clothing - do you continue with this in your own time? Professionally? Do you intend to expand further in the future in art forms other than illustration?
Other commitments have put the Bags and clothing on the back burner for the time being while I focus on the illustration though they are something I fully intend on coming back to. I appreciate all forms of art and crafts and like to expand and experiment with them all during my free time though my current work is taking centre stage for now.

7. I've noticed, as stated in the information section of your work, that you use a combination of inks and pencil within your pieces 

- have you worked with any other materials? Do you ever work digitally? 

Though I now prefer to work traditionally, college and university encouraged digital artwork and for a long time that is the course I took typically working with a tablet. It got to the point that I found it alien to work on paper and I was reminded by someone dear of the merits of traditional artwork. I worked with inks and got to the point where I could match and surpass my digital work so that is now my preferred method. I have tried my hand at other medium such as pastels, watercolour, acrylics etc but inks are my forte and remain my preference though I always scan the finished piece and often enhance or alter it digitally.

8. Do you have a favourite piece of work? Why?

My favourite piece of work is the illustrations I did for Christopher Farrell's children's book 'Cecil Stays Here'. It was a new style for me using mixed media and was just so vibrant and finished I scarcely believed It was my own work. I thoroughly enjoyed the research and development that comes with character design and it was great to work with the writer to create something that was an amalgamation of two minds. We are both very proud of the end result.

9. Do you have any advice for a budding illustrator, who would like to make a career out of making pictures one day?
Work outside your comfort zone. Draw things you would never normally draw and you will cover a much larger client base. I personally have a think tank with hundreds of random words written on. As often as I can I take two or three words and draw a piece based on the words. It is a good way to get a varied portfolio. Also, the lnie of work requires a lot of working for yourself, so you must be committed and if not don't be afraid to ask for help. If you cant encourage yourself, have someone close by make sure you meet your deadlines.

Thankyou!

 

Contact with Industry | Helen Musselwhite

Helen Musselwhite 

www.helenmusselwhite.com

I came across Helen Musselwhite's work about a year ago, her use of paper, layers, pattern and colour really appealed to me - although her way of working is unfamiliar to my own I took inspiration from her use of pattern and texture when creating my own pieces. When I emailed her to request if she had the time available to answer some questions she kindly sent me an faq page she had created and a PDF explaining her working methods. I've posted them below.

Who/what are your influences?

My influences are many and varied:

The British countryside and its flora and fauna

William Morris and The Arts and Crafts Movement

Edward Bawden

Robert Tavener

The pen and ink drawings of Andy Warhol

Traditional Japanese decoration/pattern

1970's textile design

Indian Minature paintings

The list goes on and on..........

Can I buy a piece of artwork?

Yes you can!

You can get in touch with me here helenmusselwhite@gmail.com let me know the artworks you like and I'll tell you the various sizes and prices or visit my Etsy shop. 

Where do you create your art?

I work from a studio in my home. It was a dining room but now is filled to the brim with work related things (much to the disgust of my gent as he has just a couple of shelves and is allowed on the Mac occasionally!!) Our dog is definitely NOT allowed in as he likes the taste of paper a bit too much......

What is your favourite paper stock?

I love all paper!

Watercolour paper is a favourite because of its many textures and weights and I've recently started to paint it in a solid colour with a dry brush to add texture and variety. I love an art shop and am always on the lookout for new paper stocks.

What is the process you use to start yout work, do you sketch? Or just use the paper?

My pieces usually start with some words and a really quick thumbnail sketch which I enlarge as I find the first sketch captures some spontaneity which is hard to replicate again.

I use tracing paper to work out the layers and to transfer the line drawing onto the reverse of the paper. I usually know how I want a piece to look in my head before I start so the process is quite controlled, although the piece will sometimes change and evolve as I work on it.

I have a bank of characters which crop up fairly often in my self initiated work. 

How long does an artwork take to make?

The truth is I don't really know I don't sit down and time myself to the minute! I get very carried away when I'm working and quite often lose track of time..... 

But the smallest size of framed artwork takes around an hour if it's a repeat design, a larger piece could take up to 40hrs or more!

Process of work

From concept drawings to final artwork around 40 – 50 hrs

I never really time myself as I’m usually working on at least 2 projects at the same time. 

The cutting and then placement/gluing takes time as the client will have seen a photo of the 

final artwork before I glue so I have to replicate that precisely.

There are lots of layers in my work so before its glued down sudden movement or an unexpected sneeze can be catastrophic!

I start each piece with a rough thumbnail sketch which I enlarge to around 150% of the print

size. 

Then I trace the layout and draw the elements in more detail. Next is working out the number of layers which I then trace separately. 

Then I trace each layer in reverse and onto 

the reverse of the paper so the pencil lines wont be seen.

Then comes the cutting which is done mostly with a scalpel, sometimes a small pair of embroidery scissors, needless to say I get through an awful amount of scalpel blades!

Then I add height to the layers using mount board and foam board which I glue to the reverse of the elements, then finally I glue all the layers elements together.

When designing the illustration for the Stylist cover I looked back at some of my self initiated artworks from the last couple of years that were based around the story of Sleeping Beauty and took some of the colours and feel of these, after discussions with Clare/Adriano I added a pop of red colour and some key characters/elements of other fairytales that were relevant to the brief.

Brambles/thorns also played a big part in the design becoming the frame for the piece and growing up through the Stylist logo.

I was really very excited to read Clares' initial email inviting my to illustrate the cover of Stylist and it was a bit of a no brainer what my answer would be!

As I worked I emailed photos of my progress to the design team and we worked together making minor adjustments until we were happy with the outcome. They were really clear from the outset what they were looking for from me so it was a great project to work on. not to mention the fact that Stylist is such a well read and distributed magazine.

It makes my heart skip a beat thinking that my illustration will be on the cover and I can't wait to see it in print.

Contact with Industry | Trish Grantham

Trish Grantham

www.trishgrantham.com/

Trish Grantham is a successfully self taught painter from the Northwest. Her work captures the imagination of many through playful characters, effective backgrounds and bold strokes, she uses a variety of media's including acrylic paint and wood panels. The use of simple line and stylized characters appear animated and wholly original within a world of their own completely left open for interpretation. 

I'm really glad I was able to contact Trish as she was one of my earliest influences back during my college graphics course - I based a project on her works as suggested by my tutor at the time and found it really enjoyable. Her work is so imaginative and fun.

“The discovery of personal expression through art has been a huge force in my recent life,” 

Trish Grantham

Brooks Running - "Dream"

Commission work for the Beijing Olympics.