Mark Graham - I LoveDust - Was it always your intention to be part of a collective/design boutique? not really it just kinda grew and grew, everyone here id family - What do you think is the best part of working collaboratively? working collaboratively! - What are the most important things in your studio? to have fiun and to , win at football, also to have the best music and make the nicest tea of teh day- we keep it simple no egos - Do you have a favourite piece of ILoveDust's work? If so, which one and why? hmmmm so hard i love Rides a magazine and the Eames pieces - Do you or team as a whole, have a dream client that you aspire to work for? hmmmm right now it would be someone really off like Rolls Royce - Who or what inspires you, from other artists to music to places? sounds so cheasy but so many things day today inspire, could be a sign for Veal chops or a Iced te packaging to a cool car or a shit book in oxfam - Do you have a favourite type media to work in? A particular pen or pencil? sharpie - What inspires you colour choices? Is is something you plan before or what feels right at the time? no we just kinda liek to make things pop and certain coors do that, or we go real monotone - If there was one thing you wish somebody would have told you before you set out to work as a designer, what would it be? Get printed proofs and a signature :) If there is anything else you would like to add or you could just send a few words, it would be hugely appreciated and you will be credited for everything that you say. work hard and work harder if your talented cool, if your a hard worker its much better, you can teach aesthetics, but you can;t teach hard work
Emma Kelly - Was it always your intention to work freelance? If yes, what was it that attracted you to being freelance? If no, what made you eventually choose to go freelance? I had a career change and made a giant leap of faith to become a full time illustrator. I always wanted to be an illustrator but trained and had a career as a graphic designer, I started to get more freelance work on the side and that made me decide to do it full time.
- Do feel being represented by an agent has been beneficial to your practice? Yes yes yes... so important, I know illustrators that get enough work and manage their own commissions by themselves but for me Handsome Frank (my agent) have been and continue to be amazing.
- What are the most important things in your studio? Light - I can work pretty much anywhere but light is the hardest thing to work without. Also a good chair and lightbox helps.
- Do you have a favourite piece of your own work? If so, which one and why? The school bus yard in New York, I love drawing it and it's a happy memory. - Do you have a dream client that you aspire to work for? More book publishers as I love book commissions, and more fashion magazine, would love Vogue, ELLE etc. I also enjoy corporate jobs, it's nice to be able to bring a creative, attractive slant to a subject that might otherwise be a bit dry and dull. - Who or what inspires you, from other artists to music to places? Who: Ed Ruscha, Patrick Caulfield, Herges, Maurice Sendak, Alexander Rodchenko, Bernd & Hillar Becher, David King, The Ghost School, Daniel Libeskind, Sam Mockabee, Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro, Margaret Calvert, Jan Tschisold, Eric Ravillious, Oliver Sachs and the Simpsons, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds What: Looking at structures and seeing or getting a clue of how they/it works and affect their relative context. Could be a human subject, a bicycle, a combination of letter shapes, a pair of shoes from any time or Stephensonʼs rocket etc. All great things to draw. - Do you have a favourite type media to work in? A particular pen or pencil? All work starts with a pencil, I love my nib pen but it takes a lot longer than rotring pen so time/commissions doesn't always allow for it. - What inspires you colour choices? How do you add colour to your drawings? The real object/subject matter usually inform my decisions and then I think about what to take out or leave in, there is alot to be said for white space. I do a watercolour/ink wash separately on the light box and then layer up in photoshop - gives me more flexibility. - If there was one thing you wish somebody would have told you before you set up freelance, what would it be? Learn to say no to a job when your instinct is telling you not to do it... you're usually right. Good clients are wonderful but Bad clients are plain evil! Otherwise I think it varies for each person how you go about things so really no one can tell you what's right and wrong etc in the world of freelance. - If there is anything else you would like to add or you could just send a few words, it would be hugely appreciated and you will be credited for everything that you say. Work, work, work will definitely get you somewhere as will networking, which sadly plays a ridiculously important part. “Itʼs all about who you know” – No kidding!
Rik Lee - Was it always your intention to work freelance? If yes, what was it that attracted you to being freelance? If no, what made you eventually choose to go freelance? I always liked the idea of working freelance. I love the flexibility of being able to manage my own time. I work when it's suits me (unless, of course, i have impending deadlines!) If it's midnight and i feel inspired then i'll draw. Likewise, if the suns out and i'm not too busy i can go out and enjoy the day. I hate the repetition of working set hours. - Do you feel being represented by agent has been beneficial to your practice? Definitely. Having The Jacky Winter Group represent me has allowed me to access very high profile clients that i would not have been able to previously. Also being involved with an agency packed with such talented illustrators is really humbling. I think it's brought out the competitive spirit in me and made me lift my game. - What are the most important things in your studio? My eraser. Or maybe my coffee..? - Do you have a favourite piece of your own work? If so, which one and why? I don't really have a favourite piece as such. I have favourites, or works that i'm proud of for particular reasons. I'm always changing my mind though. - Do you have a dream client that you aspire to work for or a particularly person you'd like to design a tattoo for? There's a few big brands out there who i respect that i'd love to collaborate with. In terms of tattoo designs, i'd be flattered to design something for another artist whose work i dig. I enjoy designing tattoos for friends too, because y'know they're my friends. - Who or what inspires you, from other artists to music to places? Oh man, so many things inspire me! My friends, our lives, love, hate, music, travel... I find no shortage of inspiration out there. - What inspires you colour choices? Is is something you plan before or what feels right at the time? I just go for whatever i feel suits the specific piece i'm working on. For the tattoo designs I tend to work with more traditional colours, because i love traditional style tattoos and because those colour inks tend to hold best. - If there was one thing you wish somebody would have told you before you set up freelance, what would it be? I'd like to have learnt some basic business skills first. I really went in blind. I guess i didn't realise that i had to do everything myself. Drawing pictures is just one facet of the job. Administration, promotion, management... i do everything. I like the control, but it's a big work load. My career has been all trial and error (of which there's been quite a lot of error!) However, i've learnt so much. I'm able to give others business advice these days and help out which feels good. Jill Howarth - Do you wish you had started freelance illustration any earlier or do you think your career at Hasbro helped shape you? Well my career as an illustrator kind of evolved. I went to college for graphic design and worked at Hasbro as a designer/AD and have no regrets. I think it is an advantage to look at illustration from a design/problem solving point of view. My experience at Hasbro is irreplaceable. - In addition to self promotion, are you represented by an agent? - If yes, do you think it has been largely beneficial to your practice? If not, what is your opinion on agents? I used to have an agent, but she has not gotten me any work lately. I have done a lot of surface design, and that is not an area that she has connections too, so I have resorted to self-promo. Depending on your situation and needs, agents can be a great resource... they just have to be a good match for your work. I would be happy to have one if they could find me more work, haha. However, with the advent of social networking sites, etc. I don't think they are necessary as they used to be. There are so many avenues to getting your work out there, if you work very hard and are disciplined about it.
- What are the most important things in your studio? My laptop!! Wish I had a wacom, but maybe someday... - Do you have a favourite piece of your own work? If so, which one and why? Not really... by the time I'm done with something, I usually get tired of looking at it! But I guess I would say that the pieces I have done that involve hand-drawn type are probably my favorites in general. I feel that this is the illustration "niche" that is probably the best fit for my style. - Who or what inspires you, from other artists to music to places? I love to look at vintage children's books from the 1940's- 1960's as well as current art from illustrators such as J. Otto Seibold, Fred Blunt, Jannie Ho,Tad Carpenter, Rodney Allen Greenblat, Brad Renner, Jerrod Maruyama, Aurelie Guillerey, Vincent Mathy... there are so many great illustrators out there! - Do you have a favourite type media to work with? A particular pen or pencil? I sketch everything first, then scan it and redraw it in illustrator... a time consuming process to be sure. I don't consider myself to be a great drawer/sketcher, so I am not too particular about what I use. - What inspires you colour choices? Is is something you plan before or what feels right at the time? Usually, I have a vague idea of the palette beforehand and then it evolves from there. This is by far, the favorite part of the process for me. I love to work with color. - If there was one thing you wish somebody would have told you before you set up freelance, what would it be? Well, I guess the reality of working as a freelancer is that you have to be very disciplined, even and especially when you do not have work. Find your personal style and niche and get it out there... self promo is key and marketing your personal style is the best way to sell yourself. Even if you do not get work right away, you are adding to your portfolio and gaining experience. Owen Gildersleeve - Was it always your intention to work freelance? If yes, what was it that attracted you to being freelance? If no, what made you eventually choose to go freelance? Not initially. I studied graphic design at Brighton, so my first thoughts were to try and get work with a studio. After I graduated I went to New York for 3 months and managed to get a placement with the illustrator Mario Hugo. I worked with Mario for 3 days a week throughout my stay in the city, and this was the first time that I realised that I wanted to work as a freelance illustrator.
- Was becoming part of the Evening Tweed collective a business decision or initially an oppurtunity to produce fun work with friends? Definitely to create fun work with friends! We all shared a house in Brighton, and decided to start a website up together to showcase the work we'd been doing together and individually. We had no idea that the website would get the attention that it has, so it's all been very exciting for us.
- Do you feel that being represented by an agent has been beneficial to your practice? It's been a great help actually. My main reason for having an agent is to help me deal with the admin side of my work, as this used to take up way to much of my time. Now I can focus solely on the creative side of things which is brilliant. It has also been nice to have my work shared with agencies and studios that I wouldn't necessarily be able to get in touch with myself.
- What are the most important things in your studio? Sharing a space with good people, having a nice amount of space to spread out, and being able to leave my work when I go home in the evenings.
- Do you have a favourite piece of your own work? If so, which one and why? If I had to pick one piece I'd probably say the Video Game Piracy illustration that I created for Wired last year. This was a a lot of fun to make, but also very time-consuming, so I was pleased when it all came together.
- Do you photograph your own work? i.e. The Guardian pop-up revolution piece etc. Yes generally I do. Some of my more recent advertising jobs have required the illustrations to be professionally photographed, but if I can get away with doing it myself then I will.
- Who or what inspires you, from other artists to music to places? There's so many things that inspire me that it's hard to pick out just a few. I love the tactile artworks of Cy Twombly and Anselm Kiefer, as well as the photography of Thomas Demand. I'm also a big fan of seeing and playing live music, and this is allows me to have a nice break from the art world. Place-wise, I recently went to Iceland and found this to be a beautiful and hugely inspirational country. Thoroughly recommended!
- Do you have a favourite type media to work in? A particular pen or pencil? A certain type of paper? I'm really not very picky about my materials, I just tend to use whatever I can lay my hands on.
- What inspires your colour choices? Is is something you plan before or what feels right at the time? Things develop quite naturally as each illustration progresses, so I tend to pick my colours as I go, and often try out a range of variations until I get to the final choice.
- If there was one thing you wish somebody would have told you before you set up freelance, what would it be? To make sure to have some separation between your work life and social life, and to keep your receipts! Rudi De Wet - Was it always your intention to work freelance? If yes, what was it that attracted you to being freelance? - If no, what made you eventually choose to go freelance? No not at all. It just kind of went in that direction. I was applying for agency work when I was in Australia and everyone I spoke to said I should go on my own. Eventually I gathered enough courage together and then I did... so far it's been a challenge but at the same time very rewarding! - Do you feel being represented by an agent has been beneficial to your practice? - Yes very much. The Jacky Winter Group has been really amazing with me. I obviously had to work at things and be patient, but lately things have picked up with them. They are also really good dealing with the admin side of things, and help a lot when there are complications with clients/budgets etc. It's a good feeling knowing that they have my back incase something gets complicated. - What are the most important things in your studio? - Quite a few things actually. A good chair. My wacom. My iMac. My scanner. And then of course pencils, paper and rotring pens! I would then also have to include my espresso machine... good music... good documentaries... the list goes on! - Do you have a favourite piece of your own work? If so, which one and why? - It's hard for me to have a favourite piece because usually my current job is my favourite (or my least favourite!) but then once I've finished with it I am usually over it and thinking about something else. I find it interesting to see which pieces other people like because they pick ones that are sometimes the ones I liked the least! - Do you have a dream client that you aspire to work for? - So far almost all my clients have been 'dream' clients because most of them have been really great to work with. I really hope this continues. I would however love to do more environmental artwork.
- Who or what inspires you, from other artists to music to places? - It's a cliché but I am inspired by things I see everyday. I love any sort of handmade street signage. There are too many amazing creatives for me out there to be completely inspired by one. I am very inspired by all the amazing work my friends do. Going to the beach for a surf helps clear my head and gives me some exercise. And then of course traveling is always a great source of inspiration. - Do you have a favourite type media to work in? A particular pen or pencil? - At this stage I have always done roughs with different kinds of pencils and either inked it up directly with the rotring pen or digitally with my wacom tablet. I would definitely like to explore other techniques and media. I am very interested in moving back to more hand made work. - What inspires you colour choices? Is is something you plan before or what feels right at the time? Depending on the job, I might have been given colours work with, but in general it is a very intuitive process. Almost everything I do is based on feeling. And whenever I ignore my feeling about something it almost always turns out bad. - If there was one thing you wish somebody would have told you before you set up freelance, what would it be? - I think there are a lot of things that I knew and that I am still learning over and over again. I think the most important things are always be friendly, be professional (especially with emails etc.) I am immediately put off by people that I work with if they practice bad email etiquette. Be prepared to work hard. Work on self motivated jobs, take part in exhibitions and take on pro bono ones that you want to get involved with, only work for free if it's something you REALLY want to do. You can say no to work if you don't want to do it because you're the boss. And make sure you charge what you deserve when the job is supposed to pay. Always over deliver. Get a good accountant. Make sure you keep your admin up to date. And remember to have fun. If there is anything else you would like to add or you could just send a few words, it would be hugely appreciated and you will be credited for everything that you say. The best advice with most things is just go out there and do it, it sounds so lame but most of the time you'll be surprised with the results. Billie Jean it's really important that you explore the potential in your work and most of all, enjoy making your work. Don't just have the set college projects in your portfolio. A lot of students these days, don't ever make any selfinitiated work. I'm not great at promoting my work and on the rare occasions when I've had any publicity, it's usually the people I've worked for who've pimped it around. Nick Deakin keep churning out work, keep at it, whether it be sketches on a napkin, self initated projects, painting, plasticine models, anything, and get it online, if you have a website then get it on there, if not then flickr, tumblr etc are fantastic places to show work, and work in progress. Shout about it, post links etc on design forums, email editors. I really do feel there is no need to spend much if any money promoting yourself these days, having said that you could make a project out of a mailer, make a poster or something that folds out, something interesting to receive, it doesn't have to look like you have spent a lot of money on it, you are just starting out so why should it?! editors also like to think they are getting the fresh new talent. Yeap keep making things, so when somebody drops by your site you have loads of stuff going on, and your work will be developing all the time. Keep it fresh!!!
Nicolas Tual I'm not sure that there's any good advices about doing your portfolio as I know potential clients have different needs. Some would say that they prefer to receive a 5 pages pdf and others would prefer a 50 pages hard portfolio. What I'm trying to do is sending first a digital portfolio with 10 of my best works and explaining who I am, what I do, and what I want to do. I always personalize my pdf for each client/agency, that make them think that I made this portfolio just for them and that I did not blind-sended a hundred pdfs to random art-directors. When it comes to face-to-face interviews, I always make sure I have both a digital portfolio and a hard portfolio to present. I guess people love to have something solid between their hands. And I bring along a few goodies with me such as mini-books, stickers, posters or whatever... Keaton Henson well i dont know how useful i can be as i personally believe art at uni to be counter-productive, i think the best way to develop a portfolio is to fill it with client work, when i left school i just started working for anyone that would let me, its important to develop a personal style and have your work out there in the world before you begin to sell yourself commercially, just dont let your uni lecturers try and mould you in any way, there is absolutely nothing anyone can teach you about drawing in your personal style, that comes with just being alive and absorbing the things youve grown up with. promotion wise i'd say meeting people is always good, but never underestimate the power of the internet, and email people as you have me, most other people aren't as misanthropic as me and are often willing to help.