Two portfolio visits in one day.

I had another portfolio visit today with Matt Bray and Chris Madden at half past twelve whilst they were both on their lunch break. I went to Afflex palace for an hour after finishing my review at The Neighbourhood, jotted down some notes over a cup of chamomile and spiced apple tea, then headed over to meet the boys for a bite to eat.

Matt Bray is my 'guru'. This was a scheme set up by my tutors at university, where they paired each member of my class with a graduate, so that we would have a main point of contact for advice. I last saw Matt before Christmas back when I was working towards another big deadline. He said he remembered how lost I was, and how I told him that I wanted a change in direction and wasn't quite sure how I was going to go about it.
Today he told me that he was so happy to see that I had my head screwed on and had come so far since Christmas. He and Chris Madden were really excited by my work and seemed to like what I was doing.

I did all the talking (surprise surprise), and when I had finished what I had to say, I think I was actually a little surprised by myself because I was clear at putting across what it is I want to do. I told them about the voluntary work I was doing and the plans I have for my degree show, and the pair of them kept nodding and seemed to agree with what I had in mind. It really gave me confidence, and made me believe myself.
I took out the postcards I have had printed and told them about my business cards (because they haven't arrived yet) and I got positive comments on those too. I mentioned the idea of printing my work in a newspaper for the degree show in June, to include more of the 'Making of Photographs' and some writing to accompany them. Chris said that this was a great idea, and it would be like a professional scrapbook, and would really help to support my work.

Chris' overall summary to me was "I have never met you before, but I can tell that you have direction and you know exactly what to do." This was especially good to hear from someone I have never met before, because it means that I am managing to portray myself in a professional manner. He also said that he could tell from my portfolio, that I clearly wanted to progress and find jobs via my 3D work, and that the work experience pages would really help with this.

I mentioned that I would like to have a go at window displays and the guys came up with a good idea and suggested I head over to Fred Aldous art shop and ask if I can go and decorate their windows. Matt was also keen to take one of my postcards to show his boss to see if I could maybe go and dress their window too!!

Portfolio Review with Steve Swanborough at The Neighbourhood.

At 10am this morning, I headed to the Northern Quarter to go and meet a successful friend of mine who now works at The Neighbourhood. Steve Swanborough graduated from Stockport College two years ago now, and has managed to work his way to being a junior designer/animator for the creative studio. He was a very busy bee, so I really appreciated the time he spent looking through my work.

He said that by looking at my portfolio, he could clearly see that I had selected the pieces of work that best suited me and showed what I want/would like to do. The main worry I had with my portfolio was the amount of work that is in it. It has slowly become smaller because I have taken everything out that I thought wasn't up to standard, or didn't really reflect what I would like to do. Luckily, one of the things that Steve said about my portfolio, was that he could tell I hadn't just added 'page fillers' which is something he sees a lot of graduates do.

He also told me to take advantage of the fact we finish earlier than most other Universities, and think of it as a head start. Network before the show starts and put yourself out there before the rest of the graduate competition gets a chance! It was refreshing to hear from someone that they believe that you know what you are doing. Steve told me that it was good to know that I didn't just expect to have a job once I have a degree, and that I am fully aware I will have to work hard to get any attention from employers. He felt confident that I knew what to do after I have graduated.

Because Steve is an animator, he was looking for images in my portfolio that he thought he would be able to bring to life. He said that the small handmade 3D objects I made, such as the cardboard birds and hammers look really good to animators. So when I show my portfolio to anyone else, it may be a good idea to think about how some things could be animated and mention it to whoever I am showing it to.

And the main advice given to me from Steve, was to find work experience and look for internships, because that is the best way to get your foot in to the industry!

Portfolio review? A Business and prospects chat.

Yesterday afternoon I met up with Moni, a very successful, young Visual Merchandiser currently working for Pandora. Fresh from a company meeting, he took me over to a near by bar where we sat chatting for an hour or so.
Although there was the intention of having a portfolio review, for what I want to do, it was more relevant to have a long business chat.
He began by asking me why I was interested in Visual Merchandising and I told him that it really appeals to me because I want to do something active and creative, yet also linked to another huge personal interest; fashion.

To Moni, the main thing that got him to where he is now is passion. He mentioned this word to me several times during our discussion. He said that if I really want to pursue a career in this field I must be prepared to work hard for it and either work for free, or start at the bottom. This is something I knew I would have to do. I have never worked in fashion/retail before so in order to get a 'foot in the doorway', as he put it, I would need to find voluntary job opportunities or apply for a job at base level and spend time working my way up. He told me to just apply for any job that seems relevant, keep looking for opportunities and take them, most companies promote in house so you never know if it could lead on to something else. The important thing is to stay with a particular company for a year rather than 6 months if you plan to move on; it looks much better on the CV.
"It's all about experience" is what Moni kept repeating, and it's up to me how I intend to get that.

One thing he did regret was not taking photographs of what he has done. He said that it is a good idea to be in the habit of recording my work and keeping a portfolio as evidence to show other employers. I will most certainly make sure I always have a camera!

Moni was extremely chatty and was more than willing to tell me all about his experience and how he moved from working out on the floor at French Connection, to then work alongside the Visual Merchandising team before becoming a VM himself. He has never done a creative degree; he just has a really good eye and knows what works and what doesn't.  The job at Pandora was brought to his attention after he left French Connection, and although he felt unsure about working with jewellery, he took on the challenge and really enjoys his job.

He told me to join the Manchester Fashion Network which I am currently doing as I am writing this post. There seems to be quite a few internship opportunities on there at the moment and they keep you updated with any other events that may be of use and interesting for those who want a career in the fashion/creative industry.

I have been offered a job as a manager at the company I work for at the moment. I asked Moni what he thought, because I have been sitting on the fence wondering whether it is too good an opportunity to turn down, or whether I should be looking for a job that suits what I want to do in the future. Because this job I have been offered is a foolproof fast track scheme to management, he said that it doesn't matter that it is in a restaurant, it looks good on your CV to say you have been a manager of some sort.
I think that managing others will not only give me more experience, but give me some extra confidence to throw myself at other highly responsible job roles. I am constantly looking for retail jobs and visual merchandising roles, so when it is meant to be it is meant to be.

I know that I am going to have to work my way through perhaps different companies and job roles to get to where i want to be, but I think I have some sort of plan and I'm feeling good!!!!!!!!

An unexpected meet.

I went in to town this morning to go and get myself some new art materials from Fred Aldous and then I went over to Selfridges to go and buy the iphone case I have been wanting and looking at online for the past few weeks. I got chatting the lovely girl at the till as per usual and told her what I was studying at University and that I wanted to eventually end up in visual Merchandising. Just as we finished our conversation, she told me that the guy who had been stood behind her moments before, was in fact the head of VM at that store. 

She waltzed me over to speak to him but I could only manage to hold his attention for five minutes because he said he had been working since half past 6 in the morning, that, and the fact his phone was constantly ringing in his pocket.

I just asked him how he got in to the visual merchandising role, and he told me that he had worked in retail/fashion stores whilst studying and that slowly worked his way up once he could work solid hours after he had graduated. Most of the other people he worked with had also worked in fashion stores too.

He also said that most of the VMs he knew had either art or arts/design degrees. In fact it sounded as though it was more popular for them to have a degree in design rather than any studies in fashion at all.

So at least I learnt a little something today:

1.Visual Merchandising offers some long and unsociable hours (I do this now in a job I'm not all that passionate about so I am sure I could deal with that if I can VM)

2. My degree in Illustration will definitely help

3. It helps to perhaps find a job lower down in the chain at a fashion retail store..

Some tasty advice from the professionals.

Ok, so it is fair to say that I lost my bearings a little bit last week. It has only just hit me how soon I finish University and how I need to start pulling all the strings together for my Final Project. I have gotten so caught up in making lots of 3D objects that I lost sight of what to actually do with them all.

The main worry for me is how to present my work for 'hand in' and what to do with my portfolio. I still want to include my flat collage illustration work as well as the 3d sets I have been creating. So who would be more perfect to ask than Lord Whitney?

So here is the incredibly helpful email I received back from Amy Lord:

"Hi Jadine,

Firstly don't panic! Your work looks lovely and you'll look back at this moment and be all like 'what the hell was I fretting about!' trust me!

I think photography is the key to presenting these things at uni and ready for life in the real world. As you will always need some sort of digital image if you are going to use them on the web or to send to people. 

With the subject being jeans it might be quite interesting to look at fashion photography as there are many different styles and you might be able to tie this research into your project I know levis adds have always been quite iconic it might be good to look at these they might spark a style. One suggestion would be to maybe collaborate with a photography student on this - i know that might be hard with everyone so busy at this time of year but they might want some more work for their portfolio too, maybe speak to the photography tutor they might know of someone. It is hard Bek really struggled with this at uni as it's impossible to be good at everything! Finding a photographer is the best bet, maybe even a 2nd year?!?

Another idea if you were thinking of staging an exhibition is to do exactly that and just stage one? All you need is a blank wall and you could set something up as if it was in an exhibition and photograph it? Or display it in a window? not sure where i'm going with this.... just thinking maybe think outside the box a bit...

With your portfolio it will be hard as your piece will probably be a jumble of stuff- like ours- rather than neat finshed one sheet piece of work. Maybe think about creating some sort of mood board/layouts for a project showing the making and designing stages too? we always love seeing that side of thing but then with a nice finished photo. If you want to come over at some point we will have a bit of time i think at the start of May? is that too late?

Hope this helps, feel free to fire over any more questions or pics anytime!

Amy

x"

I have gone ahead spoken to the tutor who runs the commercial photography course at university and I have booked some studio time with a 1st year student in a couple of weeks. Sadly it is going to be quite close to my final deadline, but at least I can make sure everything is completely ready and maybe even think of some more ideas. I will have a little bit of time to tweak the images too if necessary. I have been looking at other designers photography work so that I can show the photography student what it is I want.

Image source: http://www.annalomax.com/#/project/creative-review-photography-annual/ [18.04.13]

This Creative Review cover by Anna Lomax is a perfect example to show how I want my work to look. I like the fact you can see the studio space behind. My images are quite crude so I don't mind people being able to see that perhaps there is a piece of string holding something up, or that the floor has a bit of paint on it etc..

Lord Whitney have also said that I can email some of my photographs over to them as soon as they are read. That way, they can let me know what they think and I can act upon any advice given before the deadline.

I have also taken them up on the offer of a portfolio visit in May. The girls have an exciting exhibition in Leeds called Mock and Roll, which will run until the 7th of May- Perfect timing! I can always go and see the show before going to visit their studio.

A dabble in the world of prop making.

For a few weeks in January, I took on some extra work, helping my classmate Sam walker in her new and exciting job as a prop maker. We were working on the set for a Channel 4 Period Drama that will be shown on television later in the year. I can not really give a lot of information away, but what I can say is that we were required to make three types of cotton bails. It was our job to make sure that we wrapped the bails correctly to represent which country they are supposed to be from, as well as make sure they look authentic, when in fact they are made internally of polystyrene (Real cotton bails would be extremely hard to manoeuver). We had to utilise the materials we were given, making sure we did not have any wastage, as well as constantly think about the time period in which the drama is set.

I was mainly helping Sam, who has in fact landed a job in prop making, but it still felt strange to be given so much responsibility in creating something we knew needed to be perfect. At first we were constantly wondering if what we were doing was 'right', but it was really just a case of trusting ourselves and thinking like the design students that we are; and the final bails looked great!

I also got to spend a day making some really dirty and old looking net curtains. I rolled fabric around in puddles, rubbed it in to the gravel with my shoes, and hacked at it with a pair of scissors. What better way to spend your day?! The weather stayed clear which was fortunate because we had to work outside, but the sun was shining and I had so much fun.

Learning from Lord Whitney.

Third image taken by Betty Lawless for Leeds Inspired. Check out her other amazing work on her website:http://www.bettylawless.co.uk/

I went to spend my last day working with Lord whitney on 'The old Clock shop' on the 22nd of February, I chauffeured the cardboard clocks over to The Nation of Shopkeepers, Applied some clock faces to the interior wall they had created, and went on the hunt for a lovely blue Military style jacket (in the most amazing shop I have ever stepped foot in!) with Kate, their fabulous assistant.
The jacket was for the performers, who would also wear a large headpiece made to look like bird. If you managed to walk past the window at the right time, you would have seen an actor dressed as a cuckoo, appear from the doors of a huge clock in the centre of the window display, with bird puppets in their hands.

Here I am in a world of costume. 

In my element!

It was really good to see the final stages of the installation, It made me realise how many small yet important things there are left to do when you hit the home run. Things like lighting, cleaning, wall fixtures, and maybe another lick of paint where needed.
Most of the work will also need to be done in a studio, so you have to produce all of the elements before you can actually go in to the window itself. That's why you must always have a plan and be constantly thinking about how everything is going to work when you move it in to the window space.

Amy Lord told me that the main thing you need to get used to when working in windows, is that you almost have to think backwards, because you are of course going to need to apply your elements to the glass and at the front of the window before working your way back. Otherwise you obstruct any entry back in to the space to make adjustments. It is also important to get all the DIY done too before you even begin to decorate the space. It is important to make sure that everything is secure and that you have all the wood, nails, bolts, lights etc in place before you can start thinking about all the 'fancy stuff'.

A fabulous photographer called Betty Lawless documented a lot of the work going on both at the LW studio and of the final installation. Here is the image she uploaded to instagram, it shows a perfect action shot of the final window display:

Check out BettyLawless on instagram @ https://instagr-am.appspot.com/u/bettylawless/

This monday evening Lord Whitney gathered all the volunteers together in a pub in leeds. We sat chatting over a bowl of chips, cheese and salsa (very tasty!) and a glass of rose wine. They thanked us for our help and handed over a card and some flyers for us to keep. It was really good to see everyone again, I have met some lovely people and I will look forward to seeing them again, which I'm sure I will-  a trip to the chinese buffet with a few of the other volunteers has already been mentioned.

Lorraine Owen from The Organisation

Lorraine, an Illustration agent from 'The organisation', came in to speak to us last Monday (18th February. It was very generous of her to come and spend some of her time talking to us and giving  us very clear and knowledgable advice about the working industry.

She told us about the benefits of having our own agent. I have always been quite naive about the 'business side' of things, and never really knew how you would go about finding an agent, or what you would necessarily need one for. I guess what I found most important, was that she said by having an agent, it almost suggests that you have already been pre-selected, therefore you are professional and reliable.

It also seems as though it would be a good idea to have an agent if you want to work solely as a commercial illustrator, but do not necessarily know how to advertise yourself or set a price for the work that you do. Lorraine said that one of the benefits of having an agent, is that you are able to 'stick at what you know and do best'- that way someone else can do the rest of the hard work for you.

Although her expertise lie in Children's book illustration, she still had an overall idea of what most clients want to see within an illustration portfolio. 

Key themes she said to include in every portfolio are:

Finance

Travel

Maps

Black and White

Beauty

and The Human Figure/ Characters.

It is also a good idea to include as much subject matter as possible, so that clients can see that you are capable of representing anything, rather than having a whole series of Cats throughout your portfolio, and then someone needing parrots. A portfolio can be tailored to suit whoever it is you are going to visit, and you can also make everything look as though it has already been used. For example, if you think an illustration could work as a magazine cover, then go ahead and make it look as though it has been used as one already! 

Although I still want to build on my illustration work, I also spoke to Lorraine about seeking more active, creative roles in areas such as visual merchandising and window displays. She liked the work I had to offer in my portfolio so said to keep building on that, and it terms of finding a job to suit my own needs, it would be best to look for work experience and constantly be adding everything to my portfolio and CV.

Camilla Engman

Image can be found on Camilla Engman's website: http://www.camillaengman.com/

Just before my visit to New York, I had contacted Camilla Engman via email, and when I returned I had received an email from her with a response to my question as well as a helpful tip!
I asked Camilla if there was any particularly motivating advice she had received that she could pass on to me, and how to promote myself successfully. I wanted to know if there were any particular 'No Go's'

On 11 Nov 2012, at 14:21, Camilla Engman wrote:

Hi Jadine,

Sorry for the very late answer!

I have a degree in graphic design, we had of course classes in painting, nude sketching, sketching perspective, colour practice, etching, photographing and so on but we didn't have any classes in illustration. When I started to work after my degree I started as a Graphic designer, and I used myself when I needed an illustrator. I was a good enough graphic designer but better as an illustrator and also my interest laid there, in the pictures not in the typhography. So all I've done is putting up a website and later on a blog, beeing active in different kinds of illustration happenings on the web - like Illustration Friday (which was much smaller back then) - and saying yes to almost everything that sounded fun. Now I don't have as much time but I still try to say yes to the things that sounds fun. I think my only advice is to be true, not to force yourself in to a way of illustrating - your illustrator-voice will soon show itself. It might not be the one you want but it will always shine through :) Be brave. If you copy others just do it for training, do not put it on the web or sell it, it can and will backfire. You can find anyting on internet but everyone can also find you.

Good luck with your future!

Camilla 

Copying others for training seems to be reoccurring advice given, as I have been told this by my tutors in the past, as well as Andre Da Loba. If you like how an illustrator works or how they use colour then why not experiment with something similar yourself, it is always good to be inspired. And as for her point about forcing my way in to a way of illustrating, I understand exactly what she means because I have experienced this recently. I look at similar illustrators work because I admire their techniques, but when I explore a similar working method, I do not want my work to be the same. I can not change the way I do things and so I need to apply these new techniques to the way I naturally draw.

The fact that Camilla had trained as a graphic designer reminded me of some of what charles Hively had to say when we visited his home in Brooklyn,

"I have just returned from New York and I spoke to Charles Hively the design director for 3X3 and he was saying how illustrators have no idea about business and how its the graphic designers and photographers who know how to set a price and promote themselves, so I wonder whether your background in a different discipline has perhaps helped in that respect?"

I have to say thank you again to Camilla Engman for taking the time to speak to me!


Hi Jadine,
It's ok to publish our conversation on you blog. Feel free to change the text so it is understandable :)

In the beginning I was influensed by my graphic design prices, and also I worked more towards advertising agencies. After a while I got an agent in the US and they gave me assingments and told me the price. And I guess as stupid as many illustrators are in this way, I was just happy to get an assignment in another country/in the US/for a well known magazine. After a while I got used to it. I've heard somewhere, I have no idea if it is true, that an illustrator now has the same fee (?) as an illustrator had back in the 50's. Illustrating for magazines and books are very very bad payed. So let your stomache keep the size as it has now when you are a student ;)
After all that, I'll have to say that I've been able to live on my work for over 10 years and I wouldn't like to change my career choices so far.

Warmest regards,
Camilla

Charles Hively

During my visit to New York, I was also invited along to Charles Hively's house in Brooklyn. Hively is the design director and publisher of the 3x3 magazine which he describes as "the first magazine devoted entirely to the art of contemporary illustration. Published in the United States and distributed worldwide, we are interested in what’s shaping international illustration." - Hively. 

The 3x3 magazine studio was part of a living room full of books, and 2 girls remained busy at their desks working, as he sat and spoke to my group.


Hively was focused on illustration as a business and told us that we are entrepreneurs the moment we graduate. He said that illustration students are rarely aware of how to be successful after graduating or how to make a business, and that as people, they are usually timid and shy.

If we want to be hired, then we need to be CONFIDENT and PROMOTE ourselves endlessly.



He also made an interesting comparison between illustrators and photographers, in terms of how much money each makes. Photographers know what price to charge when approached by a client and so the amount stated has to be agreed upon because there is no real variation amongst the different photographers. This does not happen within the illustration industry and many will take a job for a lot less money than they should; and why?

'Because they love what they do and they want others to like it too.'

We can't just do anything for any price and definitely not for the companies who have tons of money. Don't just give it away.



I have taken some great advice from Charles Hively and many of the points he makes are a cruel reality, although I did find his view on websites and promotion a little narrow. Perhaps this could be a difference in culture or job role as he is of course a design director. He said that a website should only contain final images and no information about yourself or the work, and so I asked, "Are you solely interested by the look of an image rather than the reason behind it?".  I wanted to know whether he hired any illustrators because of the way that the think or perhaps because their personal interests reflect the job he needs them for. He was very quick to respond by telling me that he is not concerned with why or how you have done something and that he just picks whatever he likes the look of.


It was hard for me to come to terms with this statement because I am writing my journal surrounding the argument of illustrators lacking content in their work. Yet it seems as though this is really not important to some art directors whatsoever.

I have always spoken about my belief that an illustrator can be recognised and hired because of how their mind works and the unique voice that they use, and Andre Da Loba was the essence of this notion.



"Illustration is more about the way you think than the way that you do things"- Andre Da loba

NY

So much to blog about after an amazing visit to New York, Manhattan.
It's Fun To Stay At The YMCA

I have just recovered from a thrilling and exhausting trip to New York with the rest of my illustration/surface design group. After a 17 hour journey from Stockport in Manchester, we finally arrived at JFK incredibly excited for the week ahead. As we approached the bridge over to Manhattan, we could see the oh so famous view of the skyline ahead. The YMCA on 63rd Street was our first stop so that we could drop of our luggage before heading out to explore. 

Communal showers and toilets were a temporary shock, though we didn't dwell on the hostel facilities for too long as we stepped out in to the city and realised we were surrounded by gigantic buildings and the blissful central park which was just around the corner.

On tuesday the 6th of November we took the subway over to Brooklyn to visit Andre Da loba's studio. We could never have hoped for more! He welcomed us in to the building and let us view the current exhibition at ground floor level before taking us through a 'secret route' via a huge lift, to the 2nd floor where we could go and see his actual studio space. We were given permission to explore thoroughly picking up objects and rifling through papers, before we were led up to the top floor where we were joined by Oliver Jeffers, and Andre Da Loba held a mini show for us. He passed around some of his 3D creations whilst explaining the stories behind them and amongst this he unintentionally provided us with some really useful advice.

Left: Me    Second  left: Oliver Jeffers   Second from right: Bryony Hopkins    Right: Andre Da Loba

Many of his illustrations used stereotypes, which he told us were useful because people will always recognise them and be able to relate to them, it's also fun to play around with ideological charachters, they don't always have to serve for much.

He spoke about how 'it's all about the story' and how you must always be willing to fail. When referring to some of his illustrations he said, 'most of these things are failures. It's a big part of being an illustrator.'

It was also reassuring to hear that he is a believer of illustrators ideas being more valuable that the way the produce a piece of work and he told us that we need to be confident and find where we are in the world. We shouldn't think we're not good enough; someone has to get the job....so why not me?

And finally...

'Mash things together in a way that you understand the world. Train and train until it becomes second nature, just like a footballer does'

Guru Meeting

Last Monday I stayed late after University to meet up with some of the old illustration and surface design graduates to discuss what they have done since leaving university. I spent a long time talking to Matt Bray who was incredibly helpful, giving me advice on how to use my final year at university wisely as well as giving me a list of events and opportunities that I really shouldn't miss. He told me that attending New Blood at then end of the year is an absolute must,because it is a chance to be proud and 'show off' what you can do and is ultimately where his book 'Bear have you been?' was noticed by someone he is now doing some work for.
He also said to stay in touch with other friends on my course because ultimately they are additions to my contact list, and provide options for collaborations. Matt himself is now part of a group called Foursight, with three other illustrators who all graduated from Stockport college last year.
I also have a list of printers and companies to use when printing my work on to products and making business cards etc, ones that have been given the Matt Bray seal of approval!

"About

We are a collective of four Manchester-based illustrators, who have joined forces to change the world… or just make some cool stuff.

We each have a different approach to illustration and design and by working together we want to learn from each other and hopefully create something a little bit amazing (at least that’s the plan)

We are Dominique Byron, Jordan O’Brien, Matt Bray and Kris Sale. 

This blog is a place for us to share what we’re up to, as well as other’s work that we’re into."

Source:http://wearefoursight.tumblr.com/about

I feel lucky to already know Matt in such a way that I feel comfortable talking to him as a friend and I have his contact details, so in the future if I need more help and advice, I will hopefully be able to speak to him once again and he can share his pearls of wisdom.

A visit from Jill Calder

Image Source: http://www.friendandjohnson.com/#p=artist/jill_calder/overview

Jill calder, a very successful illustrator from Fife, Scotland, came to our college yesterday to talk to us about her experience in the industry and give us some advice on how to approach illustration as a business. She certainly knows what she's talking about with 20 years in the job.

She first went to 'The Scotsman' Newspaper with her huge portfolio of work and visited the art department there, which she described as "chaos". She managed to get a job and received her first ever payment for illustrating an article on dyslexia, which was £65.

"I thought it was a fortune at the time".

It was reassuring to hear Jill say that she had no idea about what to get paid for quite some time, "People can see that you are good and understand what you do, but not necessarily think about paying you for it". She told us that there was a lesson to be learnt and that you can be passionate, but you must not let people "muck you around" because after all it is a business. I am providing a creative service and that is my job. It has given me confidence to believe that I deserve to be paid, and there is no harm in expecting a payment if illustration is going to be my career, at least people will take me seriously.

When Jill spoke about her studio space, I felt as though she had the exact environment I have always wanted. I enjoy being in the small villages of Yorkshire with friendly neighbours greeting me in the mornings and the view of the countryside out of the window. She described her hometown as a "thriving music and culture scene" and told us that passers by would often tap on the window of her ground floor studio and give her a wave. It seems as though you don't have to give up everything that is precious to you in order to have a career, Jill Calder seems to have both.

One interesting comment Jill made (and the top tip for me) was how she has her own reference material in order to remind her of how she would draw something. "I've kept every single sketchbook I've ever had".

I am a hoarder; there is no hiding it. I can't seem to throw anything away and I have a huge box of textures from, magazines, different types of paper, fabrics etc. As well as draws full of pens and crayons and random objects that have caught my eye just before throwing them in the bin. Yet one thing I hadn't thought of was keeping a collection of observational drawings, I know that I have many, but what I am going to do now is compile them all in to a folder. Jill gave an example of how she might have to produce a new illustration of a man holding a newspaper, but can't remember how to draw a hand holding something. She can look through this collection of observational drawings and look at how to draw that hand shape, and more importantly, remind her of how she would draw that hand.

"Go back to basics and draw. It is important. You could start with something like that and then apply your illustrative style. With observational line drawing, you can get something that you can't with a model."

Contact with industry- Amelia's magazine.

Image source left: http://www.misterrob.co.uk/?page_id=1020

Image source right: http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/

I have been aware of Amelia's Magazine for a few years now and it seems like a great opportunity to get some of my work out there and be viewed in context amongst other working illustrators. Names such as Rob Ryan and Emma block have contributed to the magazines.

I emailed Amelia herself on the 19th of April completely unaware of the fact she was in hospital with her newborn child!! (There is a beautiful photograph of her and her baby bump up on the homepage of the Amelia's Magazine Website now.) I was amazed to get this reply;

"Hi Jadine

I am currently in hospital with my newborn and so don't really have time. Can I suggest you start contributing to the website when I am back up and running as I am more likely to find time to answer student questions from contributors. Thanks!
Amelia"

I really appreciate Amelia emailing me back when she must be really busy right now, but I guess that just shows her dedication to her job. The magazine's she produces offer open briefs for illustrators, the most successful ones are published in to a themed magazine to be viewed as a collection.

I am definitely going to start contributing to the website in the near future and hopefully I will get some of my work published in a magazine, I know that a student in her final year at Stockport has managed to do so already.

Contact with industry- Sarah Beetson

Image Source: http://www.sarahbeetson.com/pages/a005.html

I emailed Sarah Beetson after seeing some of her work at 'Pick Me Up' down in London last month, It appears as though she is a very busy woman with a lot of students asking her questions she will not have time to answer. She was very helpful and replied to my email with a list of resources for me to read through including lots of interviews in the hope that I could find any answers I was looking for.

“Hi there Jadine,

Thank you so much for your interest in my work.

I get about 20 student study requests per month - which is so wonderful and I am incredibly thankful that my work inspires you! Unfortunately I don't have the time to answer every question individually, so I have compiled this resource list in the hope you will be able to find all your answers.

I would be delighted if you could email me a copy of your project once completed?

Happy researching and all the very best of luck with your project!

Sarah Beetson x”

Questions I wanted to ask her were:

You have managed to turn yourself in to a brand and you have an impressive C-V working for names such as Stella Mc Cartney, How did you go about marketing yourself after graduating from Falmouth College Of Arts in 2002?

And do you have any advice for graduates looking to follow in your footsteps?

What are your views in the current illustration Industry?...I found answers to my questions instantly

“Q11. From your experience in the arts, what advice could you offer people looking to get to where you are today?

Be prepared to work your pants off! You need 110% talent AND 110% persistence – you will have to go out and find your place in the world and it’ll take a lot of originally presented emails, mail outs, phone calls, grant applications, job applications, knocking on doors – even just to get 5 mins of somebody’s time who might potentially be able to help you. Don’t expect offers to fall in your lap upon graduation because they most likely won’t! But if you are talented and you put in the hard graft, you will eventually get there. It takes a lot of time and energy but I think it’s well worth it to eventually be living the dream!”

“Q7. In your career, what steps do you plan on taking to reach your goal?

I have been illustrating now for almost 10 years, so I believe 
I have reached a comfortable point that I’d like to continue to build on. As an illustrator I am fairly established, but as an artist I am still emerging, so I will continue to exhibit in Australia and to tour my work overseas as much as possible. My boyfriend has almost completed a new studio building for me next to our house on the farm in Queensland, which will enable me to create works of a much larger scale. In 2012, I am hoping to full-fill a long-held dream of spending a summer
 residency in Coney Island, New York – where I have gained much inspiration for my work over the years. I would like to compare some of the signage, the history of the area and the tourism over the years with my current hometown of The Gold Coast (Australia). This will depend on securing funding in order to do so.”

“Q3. How do you feel about your industry today?

I think the illustration industry has been enjoying immense popularity for the past 5 or 6 years. When I graduated in 2002, it seemed not so many design agencies, magazines and advertisements were using illustration, but since then there has been a massive resurgence on everything from packaging to window displays to fabric print. I hope that it continues to flourish.
”

Interview source: http://creativespotlights.com/2011/06/26/sarah-beetson-interview/ [21.04.2012]

The main themes I found from her answers in interviews are to work hard and be ambitious. But hey, tell me something I don’t know.

It’s just great to read about the journey of someone so successful. She hasn’t been afraid to move around the world or go out literally hunting for job opportunities. I think it is important for me to stay active after graduating and make sure I keep busy constantly approaching companies in the hope that one will be interested. Who knows what could happen, but it certainly won’t be anything exciting unless I get out there and persistently email, phone, and visit potential clients.

There is always more to do, even when you are as established as Sarah Beetson.

Ross Von Rosenberg- Contact with industry.

I have spoken to Ross Von Rosenberg via email many years ago now, in order to find out about the ideas behind his paintings and the materials he used, and his reply was was friendly and helpful. I have stayed interested in all of his work over the years, watching him adapt to many areas of design, and viewing the new works he uploads on to his website.

I recently emailed him again with a few questions, with the hope that he would have the time to reply, and once again he did with the same enthusiasm.

First of all, Although I initally became aware of you because of your paintings, you do produce a lot of work using digital technologies. Does this provide an easier working method for you in terms of the time it would take to produce a piece? And would you say the digital images you produce help to provide more work for you?

Yes, I use digital technology almost every time I create something. Of course for my graphic design profession the applications are self evident, but when painting I do as well. For example when I need to make a stencil that is something that I will create in the computer. Also often I will collage my own photography into a piece, which is of course shot digitally. Also often times, when painting, I work from an existing reference photo or photos, and I often will work out my pieces composition of the dominant visual elements in the computer prior to go to going to canvas as I found it saves loads of time rather than just starting a painting blind (at least in the style I often work in now) only to get half way done an realize the composition or balance doesn't work and you have to paint things out and start over. So yes digital technologies help me immensely.

As an illustrator I mainly work for a specific brief and drawing for the sake of drawing doesn't necessarily happen so much anymore. It has been a huge discussion point at university recently, and we feel as though illustrators have lost their own ideas and opinions within their work, simply because we're already given somebody else's idea and we then make it 'look pretty'. What are your thoughts on this? And do you think that portraying your own opinions contributes to creating your own brand?

To your second question, I do think the demands of client work is breeding out originality in art a bit and definitely in design. I think as a creator it is important to have a sense of self, and visual style and opinions that constitute your brand as an artist. I think if we don't hold that dear to at least some degree then we will all be turned into, for lack of a better term 'art robots' that lack personality. One thing I think is important, is that you may now work for a specific brief for paying work, that you still need to do art for the sake of itself and for your personal expression on your own. This will not only help you develop your technical skills but it will help you find your voice, and once you find that voice you can start working that voice into your pay work, and make it your brand, that then people will not pay you just for your technical skills but they pay for you because you are you, if that makes sense. I say always try and make the client bend to you at least a little, by bringing them that unique sensibility that your voice brings to your work that they can only get from you. The more you will be able to do this the more freedom you will gain not just in your personal work but in your client work.

Have you ever adapted your work to a completely new environment for example, window displays?

Yes in my design job I work in retail POP so the designs have to modular in order to work in several different formats. As for my paintings, no. They are what they are.

Finally, what do you think about the current design industry? Do you think it is more competitive than it has ever been and do you feel as though everything is beginning to look the same?

I do feel the current design industry is as competitive as ever in certain aspects. Mainly that more people are getting into design as a career, and as digital technologies advance the computer is beginning level the playing field for people that have truly great visual talents and sensibilities versus people that do not but know how to use programs like photo shop well. I also think this competitiveness kind of cheapens what we do to the client cause as these technologies become more and more consumer friendly there tends to be a growing thought that, 'well I know how to use photo shop, I can be a designer, that all there is to it.' Which is complete BS but that is the perception often. As to the second part, I do think this effect and other are contributing to a broad 'sameness' in the design industry. With the amount of visual media on the internet today more and more clients I think are out there looking at existing visual communications and styles that worked before, and then come to people like us with a print out and say I want something like that. And we will do it, because hey, we get paid money for it.

There was a really interesting article in Spin magazine about the recycling of genres of music as the decades have worn on, starting from the early 1900s. It's interesting to see how genre recycling really begins to balloon as you work up to the modern era. A good example of this is how some one like Amy Winehouse was essentially doing a modern spin on old motown soul music of the 50s and 60s, or how a band like Mumford and Sons is basically doing a kind of power pop mash up of bluegrass and 60s folk. I bring this up because I think it is the natural effect of the more stuff out in the world the more things influence and or rub off on each other. It is the great difficult question for the modern artist and that I think of as painter or designer everyday. What out there is truly original, and how can I do something that will be truly groundbreaking? Not that there is anything wrong with homage, put into the blender and packaged in a new way, especially if it is coming from a place of honest love and sincerity and is not just tossed out as a gimmick. For example I enjoy those musicians I list above, because I believe they take (or took) their craft very seriously and that their work comes from a genuine place.

But yeah, a good example of sameness is to look at movie posters these days. All horror movies posters look a certain way. If you are a quirky indie film your poster has to have some kind of simple illustrative handcrafted look to it that screams 'INDIE!' But yes I do think things are beginning to look more and more the same, and it is a shame.

Anyway, I hope that I answered your questions effectively, and feel free to ask me anything else that pops in your head, I'm always glad to help. I hope your career is going well, and remember, always try and make time to do art for yourself, find your voice, cause in the world of ridiculous client demands, at least for me, getting to do my art for it's own sake, helps me find my sanity as well lol. Take care Jadine, and stay in touch.

A huge thank you is due to Ross Von Rosenberg for taking time to answer my questions with such in depth responses, I couldn't possibly have wished for more!