Where I am now Me as a professional Feel like I’m finally seeing the area of illustration: I like Motifs and objects • • • • •
Food, nature Shape Colour Texture Hand and digital
I don’t like! • •
Scenes Book illustration
2 sides of me 1 side of me -‐ merchandise, stationery, product range and packaging Other side -‐ food waste, animals -‐ tackling societal issues -‐ Educational aspect of my work Link 2 -‐ merchandise to engage people in educational projects Future plans Immediate future Mexico! End of uni adventure Natural England Brief -‐ Ingleborough Possibility for merchandising -‐
Setting up a shop and creating range of merchandise
In the pipleline -‐ will continue after uni so will have paid commission/project work to engage with -‐ May lead to a new bid generating more work in other geographical areas -‐ And other companies -‐ Yorkshire water -‐ present it as an idea they buy to help market their area
Building connections • • -‐
Try get a job in creative industry while working freelance while I build myself up. Looked at Hallmark, paper rose etc try make connections with large card companies to get an idea of how a company works commercially
Long term ambitions Develop editorial experiences Freelance Have my own stationery brand What the course has given me What I’ve got out of it Resources People -‐ making connections -‐ Getting advice -‐ Branding and professionalism More confidence in self, abilities and my work loosened up -‐ in year 1 only used fine liners -‐ was banned -‐ hated it at the time, didn’t use 1st year well enough. Can now see in year 3 how important 1st year is to get me out of my comfort zone Regular peer reviews and crits to use to gain ideas and honest advice from people I trust and respect Help my progression and aid thoughts when I’m having difficulties Bank of good people to approach if/ when stuck Importance of sketch book now -‐ -‐ -‐ -‐ -‐ -‐
blog post develop of process s-‐ important to document stages visual language sketch book for me to use and understand -‐ inform me and my work, not to tick a box use it to experiment, think and visually research and take part the brief vital part of illustrative process -‐ overlapping, random -‐ bring in old sketch books
Physical / space Ability to experiment -‐ hand an ddigital Concrete experience
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Live briefs o Competitions o Magazine Editorial skills o MilkX = shown me I can tackle this type of work successfully Product design Thought bubble o Applied for table
Personal attributes and skills Digital skills -‐ speed and ability improved Confidence in using mixed media and digital o
Photoshop -‐ foundation, shocking! Now know how to fix what I’d done!
Wish I’d had better digital skills earlier on -‐ not forced to use it as were re mark making o o
Confidence in ability in broad area now Ability to connect brief to my ideas and expand them to give wide scope to project
See importance of research o o o o
Dig in to the subject, get primary data, ask questions, get out there Supported year 2 and 3 COP -‐ evidenced by dissertation mark Better at conveying ideas through writing -‐ don’t feel stupid anymore ‘ does this sound smart enough’ Take a broader picture -‐ explore every avenue -‐ need to see whole picture -‐ dyslexic brain!
Awareness of learning style and impact this has on work -‐ dyslexia Diagnosis -‐ best thing that happened to me! It all makes sense now. o o o o o
Positive -‐ whole picture Negative -‐ procrastinate! Massive turn around this year re confidence in ability Gone from failing draft feedback, getting dyslexia diagnosis to getting massive mark in dissertation -‐ has proved that I can tackle anything and dyslexia doesn’t mean I am stupid! Had to step out of comfort bubble in all areas -‐ meeting people, talking, researching, writing etc. -‐ all areas I have improved over year 3
Time management and organisation
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Realistic expectations of self Easy to empty head and make quick progress Managed to work on multiple modules at once -‐ but not been easy o prefer to have 1 focus at a time o need to channel my efforts in to 1 thing o If time had allowed I may have taken different approaches -‐ been able to take more time and effort o Having to tick along background info -‐ e.g. ppp -‐ I know it’s important, but its not the most important thing now! Can still improve my IT organisation!
Branding -‐ done or doing -‐ making connections -‐ keep a dialogue going • • • • •
Online presence Ppp pack Social media Web site -‐ sketch book section Making contact and creating networks o Who contacted § Food mags -‐ art directors § Agency -‐ § Other illustrators • What I’ve done with their feedback