Website Implementation

I have created one of each of the websites I have researched; a portfolio site (running on Cargo), a blog (running on Tumblr) and an illustration page on Facebook. Check it!

 http://cargocollective.com/charmainemcdonough

I use my Cargo site as a professional space to show my best work. I have not included any sketchbook images, development or anything but I have included a link on there to my blog so that if a client was interested more in how I work then they could see my stuff in a more casual way. This site is primarily for potential clients and I have tried to keep my images cohesive too so that when someone visits my website they know who I am as an illustrator and what they would get if they hired me.

I have recently changed my Cargo website, the banner and layout in particular, so that it compliments my artwork better. I have used the same colour scheme as a lot of my other self promo material and tried to incorporate some of the other aspects of my work/style such as the typography and patterns. 

http://www.facebook.com/charmainemcdonoughillustration

My Facebook illustration page is quite simple but I use it quite a lot. Its great for sharing artwork I am working on and getting some opinions. My work is shared between friends mostly but then other people can see it as it gets shared more. It has been surprising to see how far my work can get on a social media site and I was recently contacted about a commission through Facebook so I am definitely glad that I created the page!

http://charmainetheillustrator.tumblr.co.uk

I am really fond of my Tumblr page. I share all sorts on there, my finished work, my sketchbook images and my inspiration. Like Facebook, when things get ‘shared’ on Tumblr, they spread fast, reaching lots of people. Tumblr is also a great way of finding other artists and seeing what they are up to and what inspires them. The ability to ‘follow’ people is good too because you can keep up to date with what other illustrators are up to and with other things happening in the broader illustration community.

So, since writing this i have updated my Tumblr page...again! The pumpkins, although cool, have been on there for ages and i just feel that all of the work i have been producing doesn't really fit in with how my blog is looking. Now it looks like this...

I think it looks much better now but still needs some work. The patterns may be a little too 'in your face' and i need to get my own typography on there for the title. 

Website Research

The internet is a great way to get work out there, to be seen and meet new clients. However, the internet is flooded with artist’s new portfolio websites so it is important to stand out and create an effective self-promotional platform. Another good thing about having an online presence is the ability to connect to other people from all over the world; Social networking can be an effective means of meeting other artists as well as potential clients.

Portfolio Sites:

The most effective portfolio sites I have found are the simple ones. With white backgrounds, reminiscent of gallery spaces, and easy navigational tools, these sites focus solely on the artwork of the illustrator.

For example: 

Blogs:

Sites such as Blogger and Tumblr are great for artists to share their work and gain followers but in a less restrictive environment than a portfolio site. Blogs allow you to add artwork that may be not be finished yet, work you are doing for personal use or for collecting inspirational images from other artists. Although this wouldn’t be the primary site I would show a potential client, I recognise that it would be a great way to show thought processes etc and other things you may want to communicate to a client but wouldn’t necessarily be able to on a professional portfolio space.

Social Media Sites:

Websites like Facebook and Twitter are a great platform for meeting new people. Not only are friends on Facebook but also more and more professionals, agencies and artists are using these sites to communicate and, sometimes, talent scout. The ability to personalise these sites is greater now and it is an easy way to collate some images together.

A good thing about Facebook Pages for illustrators is the ability to leave comments on work etc. It’s a good way to see what people are responding to and what images they like: an easy way to do a bit of market research! Also these sites, as well as blogs, allow people to ‘share’ artwork and pages that acts like a ripple in that your work just grows and spreads, reaching people who you may not have been able to reach before.

Cargo Website Development

I have been constantly changing my cargo site recently, tweaking bits and pieces to get it looking how i want it! Sometimes it goes well and sometimes it doesn't, as i am not a master coder, but i think it is getting there. 

Took ages to get the banner to line up!

Used the CSS inspector to change the colour of the text, spacing and boundary boxes of the thumbnails.

I changed the margins of the thumbnails to make the images sit closer together but i don't really like it so i have changed it back.

I resized my thumbnails to capture better parts of the original images. 

Creative CV

To create a CV i would be happy to send to a client I needed my regular CV for all of the information. I used my old CV as a basis to make a template for my new CV.

There was alot of information that was not needed on my CV and i also needed to adapt some of it, such as the skills, to make them more appropriate for a creative CV.

When I could clearly see the information i needed i started to make some layout designs and templates.
I also did some research into other creative CV's, what information they included and how other artists have used the space with illustrations to promote themselves as best as possible. These are the examples that stood out the most for me on Pinterest:

I really like the illustration on this CV and the text is cool but I don't think there is enough information on it. No name?! 

I like how the illustration interacts with the text on this CV and the texture of the paper. The font is quite regular but apart from that i think it is quite good. 

Love the illustrations on this CV and it is one of very few i found on coloured paper. I like the typography and the use of symbols to identify the persons skill levels. 

Although this one looks a bit rough it is one of my favourites. It is all hand drawn which appeals to me because it is mainly how i work. The illustrations fit in nicely and work well to break up the page, shame it isn't a colour version. 

 Taking these into account, i started to place each of the separate elements of my CV into photoshop. I also made a new version of my treehouse illustration to put on it and used my own hand written text for the titles.

 First go...I centered the text but it created a lot of white spaces which were awkward to fill.

I like this version better than the first with the text aligned on the left but there are still alot of white spaces which are bugging me!

I decided to start again and created some simple block shapes on photoshop to help me arrange my CV. I changed the opacity of the shapes so that they didn't stand out too much and i really like the effect. I tried with the tree illustration on the left and the right to see which i preferred and i definitely think i prefer it on the left.
There were a few things to change after this but mainly lining things up more precisely and shortening some of the sentences. I am really happy with the outcome and although i know i will probably adapt it in the future i am pleased with how it looks for the moment.