Professional practice by Samantha Davies

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION WORKING PROCESS INSPIRATION SELF PROMOTION EXHIBITIONS FUTURE LINKS

1-2 3-8 11-16 19-24 25-26 27-28 31-32

INTRODUCTION My w ork is inspired by my memories and surroundings. Personal experiences influence my story making and image creation. Grow ing up in the Somerset countryside has inspired a passion for nature, a theme that features often throughout my w ork. From a young age I created both stories and images, how ever only in the last few years I have begun to intertw ine both interests. I use a variety of mediums to create my imagery, from coloured pencils to a variety of paints and occassionaly I dable w ith collage. I also use Photoshop as a means of arranging and creating interesting and playful compositions to best display my illustrations.

WORKING PROCESS Often I hear artists and creatives speak of a blank piece of paper as a daunting prospect, but personally I can't relate to this idea. A blank piece of paper is exciting, because I am free to doodle and scribble and create whatever I w ish. At the start of a new project or image I find creating character designs is usually my first step. I don't necessarily use sketchbooks for this, if a character leaps into my head, I just use any scrap of paper to quickly document the design. I then keep these sketches in a folder or later tuck them into a sketchbook to catalogue that idea. A s I create the characters, I imagine myself as each one. What I w ould w ear, how I w ould act, how I w ould feel, where w ould I go as that character.

These initial questions allow me to place my characters in situations. From these ideas I start to establish a story; to give each sketch a grounding and a purpose. I produce a w ide selection of sketches for a project, each w ith their own slight differences, how ever when it comes to selecting a final character to progress w ith, I look back through my initial draw ings, pick apart those ideas to then form my final character. I find this stage of my illustration process the most exciting. Not only do I improve w ith each design, practising facial expressions and poses, but this is the stage allow s a storyline to develop.

WORKING PROCESS Next I begin to add colour to the character designs. The sketches are the bones of the character, but to flesh out a design I add colour. When creating my characters I often find I get attached to several sketches. It is at this point I often find it hard to decide which to continue w ith. By adding colour it often makes this decision making easier. Colour brings my sketches to life and by playing w ith colour palettes I can see which character w ould suite the project. I initially add colour digitally. Using tools on Photoshop, I can easily change the hue and saturation to finally achieve the colours I feel best suite each design. Although I love the use of colour in illustrations, I find this stage of my process one of the most difficult. I can often get overwhelmed by colour. By using the digital painting method it gives me control over this process as I am able to quickly see which colour combinations w ork and which do not. 5

Depending on how much time I have for an image, I often finish at this stage. I simply apply textures using Photoshop brushes and tools to create a similar finish to a painted final image. How ever If time allow s I can move onto my favourite part of my illustration process, painting! Not only do I prefer the finished result to that of my digitally coloured images, but I also find the process very relaxing and theraputic. I use a variety of different paints, whichever I feel w ill give me the desired finish, although in recent projects I have used gouache paint. W ith gouache I am able to ahieve soft natural colours asw ell as a chalky finish. I use textured papers which creates a tactile quality. Using gouache also means that I can later w ork into the paint w ith coloured pencils adding character details and further textures and marks. I have recently completed this stage separately from the painted w ork. I found that I became too precious of the paint and felt nervous w orking into it. By creating the marks and details separately it means that I can be rough w ith

both the paint and the mark making, w ithout losing any key details. I then arrange the pencil and paint layers digitally. This also means that I can change the line colour on Photoshop, once again helping me control how bright or saturated my colours are.

WORKING PROCESS Throughout this whole process as the character develops so does the narrative. Once I am happy w ith the painted character and can visualise the final personality I move onto rough thumbnails of the compositions. I keep sketching out ideas of interesting compositions, the narrative often changes throughout the thumbnail process. Then when I have decided on the compositions, I start painting and draw ing all of the elements, characters, backgrounds objects etc. I make each element separetely which allow s me to later change the composition if needs be. I scan in the paintings and draw ings and arrange the imagery digitally using Photoshop. I then move the layers around to create the best possible composition. My w orking process can be quite long, how ever each stage allow s me to develop my ideas fully. I allow myself time to make decisions about the w ork I am creating. 7

My process has developed so that I am able to have more control over stages that I am unsure about, such as colour choice and creating composition. After each part of my image making progress is complete I can analyse how an image is coming together, both bettering and imrpoving the next image I make. I am constantly learning, and altough it takes a long time to create an image, I feel each step is valuable in furthering my professional practice.

“

IF YOU HEAR A VOICE WITHIN YOU SAY "YOU CANNOT PAINT," THEN BY ALL MEANS PAINT, AND THAT VOICE WILL BE SILENCED.

”

VINCENT VAN GOGH

INSPIRATION A s my w ork is focused mainly around children's picture book illustration I find it helpful to have a collection of picture books on my shelf. This is where I find my inspiration. If I feel myself struggling to come up w ith ideas for new projects, characters or compositions I go to my book shelf. Being able to see what other artists and writers are capable of encourages and inspires me. I access other picture books so that I am able to analyse and understand what makes an effective illustration and how imagery can be used to dynamically convey information and stories to young people. Having a selection of current children's picture books also allow s me to keep up to date w ith illustration trends and stories. Not only do my books inspire me visually they also keep me motivated. My books remind me of my goal to eventually have one of my own books published. 12

INSPIRATION There are many different influences from various areas of art that have inspired me throughout my journey as an illustrator, how ever I have selected a few illustrators that have pushed my practice forw ard. A s I mentioned previously children's picture books have encouraged me to keep progressing w ith my aspiration of become a picture book illustrator. I have analysed and learnt from each book I have read, how ever I w ould say that the follow ing artists have been my foremost influences.

JULIA SARDA (TOP)

Julia Sarda is one of my main influences. Her w ork is so exciting. She perfectly combines colour and texture creating rich imagery making her character designs and w orlds feel real and believable. She has a great sense of light and dark and creates interesting moods to suite the narrative. Sarda has previously w orked as a concept artist and character designer for clients such as Disney. These positions have given Sarda knowledge on how to best create exciting and vivid imagery, suitable for both young and older readers. 13

ISABELLE ARSENAULT (BOTTOM)

Isabelle Arsenault w orks w ith a variety of different materials to create her illustrations, from paints to coloured pencils and collage. She judges which medium to use on how to best illustrate each image. This allow s her to create interesting textural detail, as w ell as adding variety, keeping the view er excited. She does this is such a soft and delicate w ay. The use of limited colour palettes brings together the differing materials. During second year I painted the majority of my images, but I found after looking at w ork from artists such as Julia Sarda and Isabelle Arsenault, my images lacked texture which made them look quite flat. I found that Sarda creates textures and then later applies them digitally to her draw ings. During the beginning of third year I began applying coloured pencil marks directly to my painted imagery, I w as happy w ith the finish, how ever I felt uncomfortable draw ing immediately onto something that took so long to create. I have now started making marks separately and then later apply them digitally to the paint layers, which has freed up both my painting and draw ing. From analysing Sarda's illustration practice I w as able to improve and further my own. 14

INSPIRATION

JONNY DUDDLE (RIGHT)

Jonny creates bright, colourful, digitally painted imagery. His characters are playful and full of life. Jonny has not only created Children's picture book illustrations and stories, but has also w orked for A ardman animation studios, developing characters for the film The P irates! In An Adventure W ith Scientists. He has a w onderful sense of humour which is mirrored in his imagery. His whimsical style captivates young audiences as w ell as adults. Jonny uses overexaggerated characteristics, shapes and compositons to express his humourous ideas. I find character development is the most exciting part of my image making process, I am able to use my imagination, how ever introducing humour into my images is something I find difficult. His w ork reminds me that humour is an important part of the story tellng process. 15

OLIVER JEFFERS (BOTTOM LEFT)

Often I find myself overcomplicating my imagery, I try to cram in as much information as possible, when perhaps it isn't needed. Oliver Jeffers, I feel, has achieved the right balance. His imagery and characters are simplistic, but by no means dull. He uses interesting pastel colour palettes and a variety of different mediums to best illustrate his amusing stories. When creating my own w ork I often keep in mind that sometimes less is more.

SARAH OGILVIE (RIGHT)

I can often be overprotective when it comes to creating final imagery. I get too precious and nervous about making a mistake. Sara Ogilvie has a lovely freedom to her w ork. She creates rough marks which gives a natural quality to her characters. From looking at her w ork I realised I needed to free up my marks which in tern w ould add movement to my imagery. Her illustrations have a mischievous humour that make me smile whenever I read her books. I have learnt from Ogilvie that I need to loosen my ilustratve style and remember to keep having fun w ith the image making processs. 16

“

CREATIVITY IS ALLOWING YOURSELF TO MAKE MISTAKES. ART IS KNOWING WHICH ONES TO KEEP.

”SCOTT ADAMS

SELF PROMOTION ONLINE PRESENCE Having an online presence is vital when trying to promote myself. Artists are using this tool to quckly, cheaply and efficiently promote and netw ork w ith mass audiences. I therefore decided to create a w ebsite, Tw itter, Facebook page, Tumblr blog and Society 6 shop. These platforms allow my w ork to stretch out to people that under normal circumstances w ould probably not get to see my w ork. Another great feature is that all of the pages can link to one another, making it easier for people to see more of my w ork. Each site has it's own benefits, how ever I can personalise each one so that my online portfolio is consistent. I have used the same hand written font and self portrait logo on each w ebpage to clearly show that all of the content belongs to me. 19

WEBSITE I used Moonfruit to create my w ebsite. This meant that I could completely personalise the look and feel of my w ebpage. I w anted to keep it simple and clean to best present my colourful portfolio, how ever I still w anted to incoporate my personality and playful nature, I didn't w ant to make the experience too serious. In doing so I created hand written buttons to access each page. I w ill primarily use my w ebsite for final imagery, how ever I also have a sketchbook page to show samples of w orking progress. People are able to contact me directly through my w ebsite asw ell as visit my other w ebpages.

BLOG Here I am able to regularly update my w ork in progress. I am also able to connect and contact other artists. Once again my other w ebpages are also clearly shown at the side so that people can access more of my w ork. T WITTER Here I am able to netw ork w ith other artists and people. I can not only showcase new w ork and w ork in progress, but also update follow ers on my thoughts, opinions and occassional ramblings. I have been using it as more casual w ay of promoting myself. So far I have had quite a good response. Cath Kidston commented and favourited one of my images. Tw itter allow s me to reach a vast and fast expanding audience.

FACEBOOK Once again I am able to reach a vast audience. I use Facebook regularly and update my current progress. I am also able to see the reach that each of my posts receives.

SELF PROMOTION SOCIETY 6 SHOP Although I am primarily interested in children's picture book illustration I feel as though my illustrations can also be successfully applied to products. By using Society 6 I only have to upload the images in the correct sizes which w ill then make them available on several different products that can be purchased. It is so easy and simple to use. I still retain all the rights to my w ork and I am able to set the profits I make for each sale, on several of the items. I think it is useful to have a platform that allow s people to access physical copies of my w ork. Society 6 can also be used to promote myself, expanding my audience further. I do eventually plan on expanding this area of my w ork. I w ant to get invloved w ith Etsy, so that I can sell hand made and personalised items. 21

SELF PROMOTION Although the majority of my self promotion is online I felt I needed a means of physical promotion. After creating the shop I started thinking about possible merchandise that I could easily create and hand out. Objects that w ould not only promote my w ebpages, but also as a memento to remind people of my presence. I created business cards, badges w ith promotional cards and bookmarks. All of the merchandise show my w ebsite information. The business cards show my Tw itter, w ebsite and e-mail address. I w anted to create items that I could easily carry around and hand out to people and possible clients. I felt the bookmarks w ere also a nice idea as I w ant to create books! For each item I thought it w ould be a good idea to just have cropped elements of existing images in hope that people w ill venture onto my w ebpages to have a look at the full version. 23

EXHIBITIONS At the beginning of the year myself and a few members of the course exhibited at the SIX gallery in Boscombe. The exhibition w as centred around the w ord explore. Each person responded to the theme differently, the image below w as my contribution. The exhibition w as open for a w eek. in this time w e held a silent auction, allow ing members of the public to purchase our pieces.

The exhibition allow ed us to experience first hand, the setup and running of a gallery. We w ere able to talk to people about our w ork and this w as another great w ay of promoting myself. Altogether it w as an enjoyable event and it w as a valuable experience. It opened my eyes to the possibilty of w orking in a gallery again.

FUTURE

my illustrative career w ith courses or possibly to go travelling. I have been asked by a costume designer I find the question, "What are you going to do now?" to create patterned prints for a series of vintage inspired dresses. We hope to then go on to proto be a daunting one. Firslty I plan on producing mote and sell these pieces. These are all short term more w ork for the up and coming High Noon show in London, where I w ill be exhibiting and promoting plans, how ever I eventually w ish to start teaching. myself alongside my fellow coursemates. I hope that I alw ays admired my art teachers throughout my education. They encouraged me to further my artistic this event w ill spur some interest in my w ork, career and have helped me become more confident in how ever if nothing comes from this it is not the myself. I w ant to be able to do this for others. For end of the w orld, it w ill be a valuable experience, a chance for me to show off my illustrations and a this I aim to further my studying to receive a postgraduate certificate in education. Although the future great w ay to complete my degree. doesn't look positive for teaching art in schools, I I w ill then be leaving Bournemouth at the end of A ugust, where I w ill then be returning to Somer- w ould instead be happy teaching courses for either set. Thinking realistically at this point I w ill have to children or adults. Alongside these aspirations I still get a part time job to raise funds to either rent a w ish to continue creating children's book illustrahouse, a studio or tow ards furthering my illustrative tions and promoting this area of my w ork. I hope to one day have a book published, and w ith continual career w ith courses or possibly to go travelling. hard w ork I feel this is possible.

“

THE MORE THAT YOU READ, THE MORE THINGS YOU WILL KNOW. THE MORE THAT YOU LEARN, THE MORE PLACES YOU'LL GO.

”

DR. SEUSS

LINKS skdavies-illustration.com WEBSITE @manthakaydavies T WITTER FACEBOOK facebook.com/samanthakaydaviesillustration mantha-kay-davies.tumblr.com BLOG society6.com/samanthakaydavies SHOP mantha.kay.davies@hotmail.co.uk E-MAIL