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!
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