LAUIL602 Presentation Speaker Notes

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Kat Williams 255015

PP3 Presentation Notes

Slide Slide Content 1 Examples of work

Script Introduce self, talk about practice, elevator pitch.

2 Examples of work 3 Examples of work 4 7x7’’ Self portrait 5 7x7’’ Self portrait with Nov 2015 version

This is me, it’s based on this drawing I did at the start of first year… Hopefully I've improved since then(!)

6 Travelling Man Exhibition

In the Summer I took part in the group exhibition at Travelling Man, and it gave me an opportunity to start selling my work. I’ve spoken to the small press manager and I’d like to stock more things there in the future.

7 The Tab

I also contacted the Tab and they gave me some articles to illustrate, which gave me some editorial work for my portfolio.

8 Social media screenshots

I’m on a few different social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, but the most important one for illustrators, I think most people would agree, is Instagram.

9 Instagram screenshots

Earlier in the year I did some research into Instagram - the more I learnt, the more I got fed up with it - the algorithm is designed to favour large businesses and advertisers, while individual users’ posts get buried. It’s oversaturated and moves too quickly - things come and go like trends…

10 Michael Driver’s Instagram

Michael Driver spoke about ‘virality’ - he understands social media, he’s aware of trends and makes work about topical subjects in a bright, marketable style. It’s a bit like playing a game, and it’s working for him, but I don’t like it - I’m no good at it, and I don’t want to be a slave to trends on social media!

11 Instagram poll about development work

One of the agents at Hanbury said they prefer to see ‘curated’ instagram pages that serve as a portfolio.

Personally I like seeing illustrators show their progress, so I posted this poll. Bearing in mind that my followers are mostly other illustrators, the result might be different to what agents and commissioners might say, however…

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Kat Williams 255015

PP3 Presentation Notes

Slide Slide Content

Script

12 Quote from JN conversation

Speaking to former Illustration student Jack Newbert about my poll, he said in his experience working in concept art/comics, art directors like to see evidence of an illustrator's ability use the sketching/thumbnailing process. 'Sharing your sketch work demonstrates you have the skills to translate your ideas with accuracy and speed'.

13 Quote from JN conversation

We also discussed Instagram’s negative effects on the industry - people post their illustrations as if they’re casual and quick, which devalues the work and makes the job look effortless - people expect the finished product immediately without the time making roughs and sketches.

14 80/20 rule

So with these in mind, I concluded that while it’s important to be on Instagram, there’s no point spending too much time worrying about followers.

Ricky Richards spoke at Hanbury about the 80/20 rule, what 80% of your time results in 20% output, and how can you make 20% of your time result in 80% output?

Instead of liking hundreds of posts in the hope of getting noticed, spend that time networking, finding opportunities, contacting people, making good work and the social media following will take care of itself.

15 My website

As well as social media, I have a website

16 My website sections

I organised the work into sections to reflect different sides of my practice - illustration, drawing, sketchbook work

17 Examples of my drawings - ‘Is traditional drawing relevant in contemporary illustration?’

This year I’ve been thinking about where my work sits within contemporary illustration.

18 Illustrators documentary

This Italian documentary features interviews with some well-known illustrators including Olimpia Zagnoli. They all discussed digital techniques and said the future of illustration is digital…

19 Blink, BigActive

Echoed by the agents at Hanbury, who said they look for an illustrator’s ability to make quick, bright, eye-catching digital illustrations and moving images.

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Kat Williams 255015

PP3 Presentation Notes

Slide Slide Content

Script

20 Traditional illustration I came to the conclusion that traditional drawing still examples by definitely has a place in contemporary illustration, contemporary alongside digital work practitioners - Joe Gamble, Aiden Koch…

21 Laura Carlin

… talking to Laura Carlin was really encouraging. Her practice is very much about ways of communicating things through drawing and traditional media, texture and line.

22 The Drawing Year

I applied to The Drawing Year, a postgraduate course in Shoreditch - it’s really amazing, you spend the whole time drawing - I thought it would help me push and develop my practice

23 The Drawing Year Application requirements list

They asked for 10 drawings using traditional media, 10 ‘additional works’, and 2 full sketchbooks.

They wanted to see ‘how drawing relates to your 24 Examples of my drawings

everyday life’… ‘how drawing relates to your everyday life’ 25 Examples of my drawings

‘applicants with a sense of enquiry, imagination, urge to represent visual information on the page’

‘a sense of enquiry, imagination, urge to represent visual information on the page’

26 Examples of my drawings

‘what truly represents your practice and your interests’

‘what truly represents your practice and your interests’

27 Rejection email - do not give feedback

… so I spent the entire second semester making work that I felt answered this brief. I didn’t get in anyway! And they don’t give feedback, which is especially frustrating. (pause to allow time to read slide)

28 ‘you tried’

(pause)

I wasn’t too upset by it, I know I tried my best…

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Kat Williams 255015

PP3 Presentation Notes

Slide Slide Content

Script

29 Things I’ve applied to

…so instead I started looking for opportunities around Leeds. I applied to volunteer at Light Night, as well as sending my work off to things I found on Curator Space.

30 Yoke collective feedback

I got some feedback on my rejected applications, which was really helpful

31 Leeds Little Free Libraries

I’ve sent out a design for Leeds Little Free Libraries, and I’m just waiting to hear back from them

32 Sarah Gonnet

Sarah quote: never use the word ‘suffering’

Our mission statement

In the meantime, I’ve been talking to Sarah Gonnet, a writer and playwright, about making a children’s book about disability rights…

We want to see disabled children taking part in the same activities and adventures as any other children's book character. (pause to allow time to read slide)

33 Women’s rights in kids books

We’ve seen a lot of these books promoting women’s rights, but there still isn’t much about disabled kids that isn’t a story specifically about their disabilities.

34 Lizzy Stewart book

Lizzy Stewart talked about how the publishers wanted her to lighten the skin tone for the character on the front of this book, which is really terrible.

35 Knights Of mission statement

I researched publishers, and Knights Of work to promote diversity in the children’s book industry. They’re also accepting submissions, so I plan to contact them.

36 Dean Gray advice

I spoke to the illustrator Dean Gray and he gave me some advice about submitting work to publishers

37 Matt Buckingham sketchbooks

I met Matt Buckingham, and it was inspiring to see the energy and enthusiasm in his sketchbook - you can see he really loves his work.

(pause to allow time to read slide)

38 Aire Place

Therefore, I’ve been looking into studio spaces for next year such as Aire Place

39 Graduate studio opportunities

…and the graduate opportunities at Duke and Serf

40 Balm Road

I also briefly looked into empty office spaces to see whether we could get a group together and start up our own studio. For now the start up costs would be too much, but it’s something I’d definitely think about in the future.

41 Freelancer’s Summer In the meantime, to better prepare myself for Freelancing, School I’m applying for the Freelancers Summer School.

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Kat Williams 255015

PP3 Presentation Notes

Slide Slide Content 42 Fran Caballero screenshot

Script I’m feeling fairly confident about going freelance, I’ve realised that working a ‘normal’ job on the side is fine and that I should take it easy, not put too much pressure on myself.

43 Charlotte Ager quote I spoke to Charlotte Ager, a recent Illustration graduate who is already getting good clients. She made it sound like it ‘just happened’ with no effort, which I’m very skeptical about! Like on Instagram, I think people play it down and make it look effortless, but really success comes to people who keep up with it, are confident about their work, and work really, really hard.(pause to allow time to read slide) 44 Illustrators 2017 survey statistic

(pause to allow time to read slide)

This is a survey from 2017 about the illustration industry.

Illustration can be isolating, but it doesn’t have to be…

45 Photos!

The most valuable thing I’ve gained from this course is being surrounded by a creative network. Everyone is so supportive of each other, and we need to keep this up after leaving uni!