Pro's and Con's : Two Job Roles.

Children's book illustration.

Pro's:

• The skills learned for and from children's book illustration are transferable (for example: drawing and painting can be skills used in many roles).
• For me, children's book illustration would be my dream job at the moment so it would be enjoyable to be doing it on a daily basis. 
• There's not really any set aesthetic to fit into as the styles of illustration are so diverse. 
• You can choose your own working hours. 
• You can arrange your time so that you are able to work on personal projects. 
• You have a choice of clients (however many) and what work you do so you can just be illustrating things which interest you. 
• There could be possibilities to travel and meet a broad range of new people at book events etc. 

Con's:

• Being a freelance children's book illustrator may mean that income is not so steady.
• Children's book illustration is a very competitive market and hard to become established (create a name for yourself. 
• It could be hard to find work if you are not well established or don't have many contacts within the industry. 
• It could be a lonely job, you only have yourself to rely on and gain ideas from. 
• Theres not a lot of structure so you have to be well organised work-wise. 

Teaching/Education. 

Pro's: 

• The income is a lot more steady and reliable. 
• There could be a certain amount of leeway in terms of working hours. 
• I already have some experience of working within education/with children.
• I enjoy working with children so i would still enjoy this job. 
• Depending on hours, you could still illustrate in your spare time. 
• If the teaching job was art based it would be more enjoyable and you can stay in touch with what is happening in the industry. 

Con's: 

• Although i like working with children, i don't think i would enjoy teaching as much as illustrating children's books. 
• Although teaching is more steady and reliable, it also means that you are stuck in one place with limited possibilities of travel etc. 
• There is a lot of paperwork and marking which comes with a job in education. Not fun. 
• Except public holidays you may not have much free time, especially as you may have to create lesson plans etc. 
• Could become tedious.

Notes- Jack Teagle lecture.

The visit from illustrator Jack Teagle was really cool. It answered alot of my questions and it was great to see what professional illustrators get up to!

Top Trumps!

Top Trumps- research

Jack Teagle

Jack Teagle is a freelance illustrator from the South-West. As well as illustration, he also creates comic books, paints and creates really cool toys.

Some of Jack Teagles influences include Gary Baseman, Gary Panter and Ryan Heshka. You can tell this from his work both aesthetically because of some of the lines styles/colour use and the fact that these three artists don't stick with one medium: They create all sorts of artwork, not limiting themselves creatively.
Across many mediums, Jack Teagles style remains similar. His love of screen-printing shows in his illustrations as he uses the same aesthetic , if not the same medium. He has described his paintings as being constructed in a similar way, " I paint backgrounds first and then work onto the foreground and characters, after this I add in the details." This is also the same for Jack's digital work, he uses layers in photoshop and limited colours to achieve similar outcomes. 

I really like Jack Teagle's use of humour in his work. Most of his fictional characters have animal or alien qualities and i admire how he manages to create a visual narrative for the character in one image.

Gemma Correll

Gemma Correll is a cartoonist, writer and illustrator. Most of her images are simple line drawings, alot in black and white but some are in colour (usually pastelle shades from a limited colour palette). Her main tools are pens and pencils and her main influences are everyday people (and pugs!).

I hadn't looked at Gemma Corrells work before and i must say, i am already a fan! Her images are full of humour and i love the characterisation she had brought to some seemingly boring objects.

As well as illustrating, Gemma Correll sews and creates badges of some of her playful images. 

Meg Hunt

Meg Hunt is an American illustrator who creates amazing detailed images. She does alot of repeat pattern prints but these are also very detailed and i love the use of colour within them. 

Style-wise, most of the line work in Meg Hunts illustrations is quite simple but the pattern within that creates some really interesting images. Meg Hunt uses digital mediums alot more in her work now, creating layers of various textures and breaking down images, using washes etc to create some really intriguing designs. 

SWOT Analysis

To better understand my personal and professional skills i completed three versions of a SWOT analysis to work out my Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. I did this for three different scenarios i could see myself in, beginning with the present and what i feel my skills are now. 

SWOT Analysis.

1. As I see myself now, an illustration student living in Plymouth:

(Internal)

Strengths- Time management, punctuality, presentation and organization of work.

Weaknesses- Could improve on fundamental drawing skills, digital skills, need to concentrate on creating professional-looking outcomes, I am highly over-critical.

(External)

Opportunities- Most of my opportunities come from college at the moment in the form of; art fairs, the technical facilities, good art supplies, help/feedback from tutors and peers, artist workshops (Jack Teagle), creative software, Design 2 Sell.

Threats- Facilities that do not work some times or are unavailable, problems with technology, financial restrictions, getting work in on time if it is digital as it takes me longer!

2. As I want to see myself in the future, a children’s book illustrator, perhaps living in London:

(Internal)

Strengths- Punctuality and time management, I am over-critical so I would only produce/show the best of my work, creating professional outcomes.

Weaknesses- Improve digital skills, industry knowledge, need a better ability to communicate ideas visually, need to network with other illustrators, need to define my style as an artist.

(External)

Opportunities- Sell work online, travel opportunities, meet other artists etc, get an agent who can help find opportunities!

Threats- Other illustrators(competition), the market or trend could change rapidly, freelance work is not very stable so financial problems could arise.

3. As a Plan B for the future, a costume designer/producer:

(Internal)

Strengths- time management, some knowledge from complimentary studies, ability to merge fashion with illustration skills.

Weaknesses- Not much industry knowledge, need to improve figurative drawing skills, experience in the field (work etc), would need contacts within the industry.

(External)

Opportunities- Local opportunities; Theatre Royal workshops and job opportunities, College; courses available to enhance learning, Broader opportunities; London, heart of the West End, great culture and more likely to gain contacts and work experience etc.

Threats- Only one really big theatre near by so not many opportunities locally, The market is alrealy flooded and full of top designers who work with the same directors (hard to make a name for yourself), sewing facilities etc.

Support Networks- Research and Analysis

Local Support Network:

Learning (College/Uni)

As a student, one of my main support networks is Plymouth College of Art. In terms of the illustration course, there is a specialised studio space and reference library available most of the time. There is also the advantage of having the illustration tutors there in person, or contactable by email, for support with work, advice and deadlines etc. Another good thing about the custom studio space is that all the students are gathered there together: peer support and critical feedback is really important.
As an institution, Plymouth College of Art provides support in many ways. It has many staff members who provide personal support (counsellors, finance officers) and a large number of tutors, lecturers and technicians with industry experience so they are able to provide technical information and guidance.

As students, we also have the benefit of visiting lecturers and artists who can provide excellent advice, insight and, in some cases, opportunities to work alongside them in a workshop (Suzie Templeton, Jack Teagle).
The facilities at college are brilliant and we are lucky to have them based so locally. However, if i were to move, or after graduating, this would become a broad support network. Although alumni still have links to the college, i feel that it is most useful because of it accessibility and so not the best broad support network really.


Broad Support Network:

Distance Learning
Learning in a broader sense is much different to the learning environment we have in college. Although you can still ask questions and get feedback, i don't think it would be quite as good as being able to talk to someone face to face for advice and ideas etc.

A big downside to distance learning, in my opinion, is the absence of the facilities. You have to find and fund all of the equipment and resources yourself which could make it quite expensive. Also, for art courses, i don't think it is as successful as a physical course because work has to be submitted digitally all of the time and it can lose it's haptic qualities, which is sometimes a big component of a piece of artwork.
There are, however, many good points about distance learning. There are endless lists of courses available online now with many resources to accompany them. There are opportunities to learn all sorts of new and applicable skills. For example, Skillshare.com is a great site full of creative courses and classes also with opportunities to post your work in their gallery.

Local Support Network:

Jobs/Careers
A job can serve as a very successful support network, whether it is due to who you work with or what you are doing. Some local creative jobs could include teaching or lecturing, art gallery curation, tattoo artist and art director. I would class them as local because they require your physical presence to achieve outcomes/work on a daily basis.

Working locally can yield possibilities to create a small community, making this support network even stronger. Living near your workplace also has many other benefits. Travel expenses are generally quite low and being so close to work means you can live somewhat stably, able to buy your home etc. Usually, having a local job means you are closer to your friends and family. These are two very important support networks, in my opinion, and (with Maslow's hierarchy of needs in mind) you need love, belongingness and relationships to be able to achieve more in work and in life.

Due to these points, I think that a local job is more likely to be my first career step after college because i will have other local support networks and it will enable me to gain experience before seeking broader work.


Broad Support Network:

Jobs/Careers
Creative work, in a broader sense, normally means freelance. Freelance artists usually get to choose what jobs they do when they want to do it. For example, comic book artists, book cover designers and other illustrators predominantly work by commission. Although these come with deadlines, there is still an element of freedom because you are working at your own pace, in your own way.

Being a freelance artist means you can choose to take on multiple clients, allowing you to make more money at one time: an important point for freelancers as it is a risky move to work alone and you are not always guaranteed work, therefore income is not as stable as having a local job.
Being a freelancer usually means a lot more travel, taking you away from local support networks (eg. family and friends) but also creating new broad support networks with clients, other artists and companies within the creative industry.

Broad work could change and form a local support network if you moved to London/New York for example. Although these places are broad to me now, moving there would make them local physically and the larger illustration industry would be alot more accessible.

Support Networks- Task 2

Comparison of two support networks,  one local and one broad.

Local Jobs-
(Eg. Teaching, Art galleries-curation, mural artist, reportage, art director, tattoo artist, printmaking)
Pros:

• You may live closer to friends and family
• Easy transport and less travel expenses
• You are almost guaranteed work (stability)
• Facilities are mostly provided
• Help/advice from tutors etc. 
• Settle down, own house, family etc. 

Cons: 

• You can't travel much, tied to one place
• Repetitive work
• Dead end job? May have to do it for financial reasons 
• Boredom and circumstances could lead to depression etc. 
• Less free time

Freelance Jobs-

(Eg. Book cover/comic book design, concept art, costume design, editorial, children's books) 

Pros:

• Always working on something different- new experiences etc. 
• Lots of travel, see new places
• Able to visit a wide range of exhibitions and galleries
• Meet new people
• More independent
• Choose where you work and when
• Make more money as you can take on as many clients as you like
• Freedom

Cons:

• No guaranteed work
• Not close to family and friends (homesickness) 
• Less support
• No guaranteed or steady income
• Risky
• Facilities needs, have to fund yourself
• Could lead to depression (from financial strain etc) 

Comparison. 

The main points of having a local job is that you can stay closer to home, receive more support and build up funds and eventually a portfolio which is transferable when you want to take the plunge and become a freelance illustrator. As students, i imagine we would have a local job first, or a part time job, to support ourselves financially. 

In a local job you would be working to make a name for a company, and most of your creative efforts may not be seen in a broader sense. Freelance illustration provides opportunities to self promote yourself and your work, building a solid fan base and a portfolio of work which you choose to do. 

Resource Searching- Task 3

Analysis of three illustration resources.

1. Deviant Art.
I am not overly familiar with Deviant Art myself, but after the presentations today i think that it might be something i may look into. The speed and distance at which images etc. can be shared/seen is amazing and i think Deviant Art could be a great place to showcase some artwork and hopefully get it seen by the right people!
The ability to give feedback is also an interesting aspect of the website and the social side of it can be a good way of beginning to build up a fan base.
On the other hand, Deviant Art is so big now that your artwork could get lost amongst the masses already out there and i worry that any images put on there may lose their artistic integrity through the sheer volume of illustration there already.
As far as self promotion goes, i don't really think that this site works as well as others (Illustration Age, for example) as it is not so professional in aesthetics or the way in which artwork is shared.
However, as a learning resource and support network i think it could be very useful. It is seemingly easy to collate images on Deviant Art and build an archive of other artists work for research/reference and also users can learn more skills through the tutorials which are available.
Deviant Art can provide illustrators with a way to showcase themselves as an artist and how they work/where they get their influences from. I think it would be useful alongside another, perhaps more professional, online portfolio space.

2. Illustration Age.
Illustration Age is more of a sophisticated website where illustrators can showcase their work. It provides an online portfolio for new creative and inspiring illustrators. Potential clients can find illustrators both by name and by what style they work with which makes it a successful means of finding freelance work suited to that particular illustrator.
Not only is Illustration Age an effective portfolio sight but its marketplace shop creates another outlet for illustrators and, i think, it widens the parameters in terms of audience as it may not just be potential clients who wish to purchase pieces of artwork (especially as many of the shop links are to the artists personal selling pages on sites like etsy etc).
The main focus of this website is not on gaining a fan base or sharing the artwork but providing illustrators with a free online gallery of their work and a breadth of resources ranging from photoshop brushes, insightful podcasts and various other forms of advice and links to other helpful websites.
I would definitely think about using Illustration Age in the future, when i have a good body of work, to showcase myself as an illustrator and to learn from the extensive resources available.

3. Illustration Mundo.
Illustration Mundo is similar to Illustration Age in that they both effectively showcase the new works of aspiring and inspiring artists. It is clean and easy to look through the work of the different illustrators. Illustration Mundo, however, has more of a social outlook with links to facebook, twitter, pinterest etc.
So, as well as being a great portfolio space for illustrators, Illustration Mundo is a large community space for the artist members, providing a creative support network. There is an area of the website where ou can seek the advice of professional/experienced illustrators and art directors etc. which i think could be incredibly useful even now.
There is also a blog on Illustration Mundo which again emphasises the communal feel of the site, and a news feed which is useful to illustrators especially because it is important to know about what is new and what is happening in the illustration world.
I would consider using Illustration Mundo to promote my work in the future because i think it would be good not only to showcase my work in a professional manner but also to gain advice, tips and use the resources which are available. Also, the site is headed by Nate Williams and i really like his illustrative work!

Resource Searching- Task 2

Comparison of two Portfolio/Showcase websites- Illustration Mundo vs Illustration Web.


Illustration Mundo.

Illustration Mundo is a free to join illustrator database. It makes illustrators easy to find and provides a kind of support network for the artists involved too. Illustration Mundo is a very social site, with links to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and many more. There is also a Community Space on the website with an updated blog/news feed and the 'Ask A Pro' section which is a collection of illustration related questions answered by top illustrators, art directors and designers etc. There is also a link to letterplayground.com, a more casual site specifically for people to submit their own hand drawn alphabet letters.

Illustration Web.

Illustration Web describes themselves as talent spotters for illustrators. They provide expertise/resources to help clients find the right illustrator for their needs. It is this which, i think, makes it much different from Illustration Mundo. This site feels more professional and like it was created purely for prospective clients and doesn't have much of a social feel to it. 

You can search Illustration Web for illustrators by style alone, again showing how maybe they are more interested in the work rather than the artist themselves. It also means that it is relatively easy for people to find the kind of illustrator they need fot a specific job. This website is a great way to showcase your work for potential clients if you want the aid of Illustration Web who seem to me to act like an agent but without the fees!

Resource Searching- Task 1

In out group we have researched a broad range of resources which are available online.

Portfolio Site/Showcase: These can include anything from Flickr, which is quite a personal, low-key way of showcasing yourself as an artist to the Cargo Collective, with which you can build your own website, making it a professional space to show your work, potentially for clients etc.
Other websites like this include; Deviant Art, Drawn and Quarterly, Illustration Web, Dripbook and Illustration Mundo.

Social/Professional Network: These are great sites for keeping in contact with fellow illustrators. Some are more casual than others, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and some have more of a professional feel like Linkedin. All of these social networking sites provide effective platforms for artists to showcase their work to clients as well as fans and the sharing aspect of these sites provides an opportunity to share their work really quickly and really far. Other social/professional network sites include; Pinterest, Illustration Mundo, Illustration Friday and Hi Fructose.

Blog/News Feed: These allow you to update content as it is created or upon reflection. This also allows you to keep an archive of work which can be left or continued. Most blogs and news feeds exist (creatively speaking) for people to showcase what they make and things/people that influence them. Most other websites have a blog inbuilt which is updated with work and events etc. Some blog/news feed sites include; Blogger, Tumblr, Varoom (acts like a printed blog).

Support Network/Learning Resource: These sites promote learning in one way or another and act as a  resource for people to gather material and information. These could include sites like Wikipedia where you source information but do not necessarily post anything. Other websites with reference content include; Nobrow, Amelias Magazine, Comic Book Resource, Web Comic Marketing, Creative Uncut, Skill Share and Illustration Age.

Shop/Marketplace: The internet is a vast, easy place to market your work. Illustrators can create their own webstores on sites like Etsy and Ebay, whereby you pay a small fee to sell items etc. You can also sell images etc on sites like Society6 where they print the work for you and send it to the buyer. Other shop/marketplace sites include; Deviant Art, Ape On The Moon, Fantagraphics, Make It Then Tell Everybody, Lost and Taken and also Kickstarter which enables creative people to generate funding for projects to launch artwork etc.

Analysis of an illustrator.

Oliver Jeffers is an illustrator, painter and picture book maker from Belfast, Ireland. His practice of making picturebooks is different to many other illustrators because he introduces the drawing, character and story at the same time. Jeffers lets the images inform the words and makes artistic stories rather than books with images and text. He explains better himself:
"...a great advantage of both writing and illustrating stories, as someone who just writes comes up with the entire manuscript before it is considered visually and much more potential for interaction has gone."
Oliver Jeffers' style of illustration has a minimalist aesthetic and previously he only used watercolours. Jeffers' newest works use a wider range of materials, creating more dynamic and textural books.

"The art for this book was made from all sorts of stuff. Some watercolour, some bits from old books, some gouache, a little amount of technology, some acrylic and even a bit of house paint. I think there is some oil paint on one page. But i think that might have been an accident."
From: The Heart In The Bottle.

Oliver Jeffers is constantly pushing the creative boundaries of picture books but initially they all begin with a single idea. This single idea is usually in the form of some sort of sketch/drawing and to realise it's full potential, Jeffers draws it out in a sketchbook extensively, exploring it visually but also adding creative narrative where he sees fit, forming an early story. Once he has a basic plot, Jeffers works with his editor to get the right format (32 page children's book) and the layout is agreed on. Next he creates black and white line are of all of the illustrations before transferring them onto watercolour paper.

Then comes alot of experimentation with colour and materials and eventually the finished artworks for an amazing illustrated children's book.

Oliver Jeffers has proven that you don't necessarily have to stick to one genre of illustration (and if you do then you don't have to do it conventionally). As well as figurative painting, he has had many editorial commissions (from companies such as Kinder and Starbucks)








as well as creating illustrations for posters and album covers. Oliver Jeffers has shown that once you have great visual communication skills you can transfer them to almost any type of creative practice.

Two Disciplines of Illustration Analysis.

1. Children's Book Illustration.

The market for children's book illustration is a very competitive one. Most of the work is freelance and most children's book illustrators have a n agent unless they happen to have an amazing portfolio which speaks for them.
The styles within this area are diverse due to the amount of artists there are and their individuality which they bring to their work.

 One of the most important things about being an illustrator for children's books is having the ability to communicate visually and create a compelling story/narrative with images. Many children's book illustrators also write their own stories to go with them which, i think, creates a really strong link between the text and the images. This also means that deadlines are in your hands mostly and you have the opportunity to change ideas/concepts throughout.
Children's books are becoming more about their collectability and quality of images now due to the people buying the books: adults. Although the target audience is primarily children, it is undoubtably the parents who choose and purchase the books which maybe has an effect on some of the styles of children's book illustration.

2. Fashion Illustration.

A fashion illustrator's main role is to take the work of a fashion designer and create images which advertise their product and sometimes themselves. A fashion illustrator has more creative leeway, i think, than some as they are not constrained by body proportions etc. that fashion designers must adhere to.
Fashion illustration can appear in many places but mostly can be seen editorially, in advertisements, in fashion shows and sometimes within mainstream fashion (shops) on the clothing itself.
Understandably most fashion illustrators have different styles they work with because they are individuals. However, in the fashion illustration industry there is a clear aesthetic in the images which is beautiful watercolour images, with soft lines, some in ink. The figures are quite exaggerated, sometimes with more emphasis on the model than the clothes. David Downton, an internationally know fashion illustrator took most of his inspiration from the models both backstage and on the runway of the Paris Haute Couture shows and his style is representative of this genre of illustration.

A slightly different style of fashion illustration is Laura Laine's more whimsical images. She focuses on the line and texture of the garments she illustrates instead of the physicality of the clothing itself. Her drawings clearly cross the line between fashion and illustration and are instantly recognisable when used editorially.

Mind Map

Task One: The World Is Your Oyster.
Although it was really difficult at first, I made a mindmap of what i consider to be my skills, style,  inspriation (artists) and other things about myself.

Illustration Job Role: Fashion Illustrator.

There is a difference between fashion illustration and fashion design which sometimes gets lost. Designers create fashion and trends whereas illustrators reproduce these fashions creatively.
Fashion illustrations are mainly used editorially, in magazines, advertisements, posters and sometimes in mainstream clothing as a design itself.

This cover from Vogue is an illustration by fashion illustrator  David Downton. He designed many images for Vogue  and was his main platform for showcasing his artwork.

Product-wise, David Downton has had his famous Twiggy image reproduced on a range of bags from M&S. 

Sabiene Piper- this is an example of fashion illustration being used in a magazine (Elle). The style is quite similar to David Downton. It seems that within this job role it can be quite difficult to find our own unique style. 

Anna Kiper.

 Research: 2 Fashion Illustrators.

Laura Laine.

Laura Laine is a Helsinki based fashion illustrator and works freelance for companies such as; Vogue, Elle, The NewYorker, Gap and The Telegraph.

Laura Laines style is instantly recognisable. Her illustrations clearly breach the divide between fashion and illustration.

As well as editorial work, Laura Laine has had some of her designs printed on clothing in H&M, showing that the lines of fashion and illustration are constantly being blurred. 

 Sarah Hankinson.

Sarah Hankinson is an Australian fashion illustrator who mainly produces work for magazines such as; Harper’s Bazaar Magazine, Maybelline New York-Austraila and US Target. She also co-founded the Windsor Workshop: a studio space in the south of Melbourne. She is represented by The Illusttration Room. 

Sarahs designs have also been used on t-shirts and yardage prints for fashion houses. 

Sarah was commissioned to create artwork on the walls of the Habbots Store.