Professional Practice - Marina Todorova

MARINA TODOROVA Professional Practice

a : 81 Withermoor Rd., Winton, Bournemouth, BH9 2NX w : www.marinamuun.com e : hello@marinamuun.com t : +44 7568 160 103

INTRODUCTION Upon starting the BA illustration course I did not have a clear idea of what it meant exactly to be an illustrator. I feel I joined the course for all the right reasons – I liked to draw, it made me happy and I wanted to get better at it! Looking back at that time now I can see how much I have developed and grown professionally and as a person.

I still love to draw, in fact I enjoy drawing much more now than I did back then - partly because over the period of this course I have developed essential skills and the confidence, but also because now I have a better idea of what my work is about. By learning more about what I enjoy drawing I have also learned what is important to me.

INSPIRATION Over the course of this year I began getting more and more interested in depicting the world around me rather than gravitating towards the kind of more escapist work I was making in the past. The things I now look to for inspiration are mostly things in my environment. I have learned the importance of drawing from real life in order to feed my imagination. There are also things in life you could never make up! It helps me develop my own personal visual language and also helps prevent me from getting lost in the internet space and keeps me focused on my practice. This has caused me to take a closer look at my life and reinvent it in my images, therefore reinventing myself as a person, hopefully for the better. Illustration is now not just something I study at university but an integral part of my life that will continue to change and develop over the course of my career.

What I love about it is that to me it is neither a career nor a hobby, it is now both. François-RenÊ de Chateaubriand worded it perfectly when he said : A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.

That is very much how I feel about my practice and I think one of my biggest achievements over the course of my studies is that I no longer make a distinction between my personal and my professional work.

Having undergone this transformation I feel there is much more maturity in my work now and I feel more confident about future opportunities and what I could apply it to in the industry. Working with traditional materials and in a more hands on approach has helped me develop a more sincere relationship to my work.

NEGOTIATED PRACTICE For the Negotiated Practice unit I explored narrative illustration in the form of a short story book.

I learned a lot about composition and creating sequential images, which is an essential skill for an illustrator to have even if it is not a main focus . Encountering and overcoming some difficulties along the way made me appreciate all the different aspects that need to be considered when working in the book format.

In hindsight I appreciate that it was quite an ambitious project, but I definitely feel more confident about my work and producing sequential images than I did before.

EXTENDED MAJOR PROJECT. During the Extended Major Project I had the opportunity to try my hand at many different things among which a real life commission for a vinyl record sleeve, a self published zine, a two person exhibition in Germany and a mural painting for Mother Advertising Agency in London. Each of these things contributed in some way to my professional development. I learned about artwork presentation, drawing in public and collaborating with other artists.

These events and commissions helped boost my confidence and also gave me some insight into the process of interacting with clients, negotiating prices, organization and meeting deadlines. Knowing that I have some experience with real life commissions makes me more confident about taking on projects in the future.

NAKED This was a project realised independently by a few of my coursemates and me.

We set our own theme, found our own space and set up our own show exhibiting our work, for the local community to enjoy. It was a good experience and a nice warm-up to our fast approaching graduation show!

Aside from all that I have been exploring the theme of objects in our environment and how we relate to them. What fascinated me about this theme is how loaded with meaning objects are and what an important role they play in our lives.

In the body of work I produced I explored both of those aspects. Looking at everyday objects has helped me ground my work and has also opened my eyes to the richness and the inspiration waiting around every corner. Basing my work in reality has shown me the importance of communicating a message in a still image rather than just making a pretty picture.

They are something that we identify with and build our persona around. They are an intrinsic part of our lives and at times can also be quite magical.

I like to exploit this sentimental feeling and build fantastical narratives around them. I drew things I have touched and things that have touched me.

SELF PROMOTION Self-promotion is an integral part of any illustrator’s career. It is an invaluable tool for reaching out to people and potential clients. A good online presence is a vital instrument in an illustrators toolbox and its essential that it portrays him or her as they want to be seen by the client. It should play to the illustrator’s strengths and emphasize his or her skills.

Other outlets such as twitter and tumblr are great social platforms to complement your public profile.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS As a part of my professional practice I have created a set of postcards to send out to publishers and clients and some business cards to give out at events and meetings. Despite of it’s size designing a good business card requires thoughtful consideration. I designed my business card to be simple and clean with one strong graphic image on one side and all my contact details on the other. Having a good strong image on one side of your business card is important as it acts as a quick snapshot of your portfolio .

ONLINE PRESENCE

Having a recognizable but simple website is essential as art directors and potential clients are usually very busy and only spend a few minutes before they make up their mind whether to commission and illustrator. Keeping this in mind I used a simple Cargo theme and customized it to suit the aesthetic of my work.

WEBSITE Since I launched my new website at the beginning of last term I have been approached by a number of people for various commissions and magazine features. It has taught me that once your work is out there you also have to be ready for the potential commissions it might generate! At times it has been a bit overwhelming, juggling my university project with the extracurricular projects I have been working on, but I believe this is how it is in real life too and the earlier one gets used to it the better!

BLOG I have chosen TUMBLR as the platform for my blog. What I like about tumblr us that people can share your work around and that’s an easy way to reach out to more people.

My blog is a place where I share my new work and also some behind the scenes images – works in progress, sketches and sometimes personal things that may be of interest to people who follow my work such as attending Pick me up, or other exhibitions I have been to. Although I focus mainly on my practice I like to occasionally add something more personal and engaging. I think that is really important in order to help people create a more complete idea of me in their heads and see me as a real person they can interact with! I try to update my blog as regularly as I can, while at the same time maintaining the quality of the content. This shows potential clients that I am reliable and have a steady workflow.

NEWSLETTER In order to keep people up to date on current projects in a more concise and professional manner I have also set up a newsletter sign up field on my website.

I plan on sending out quarterly newsletters to people who sign up!

TWITTER Twitter is not only a great place for networking but also an easy way to keep updated on what is happening in the creative world, and also reach out to the community in a time of need! It can be a great resource for information and support. The immediacy and the constant flow of information makes it a well suited platform to people’s busy schedules.

SHOP In addition to my website I created my own online shop at BigCartel where I sell zines and prints of my work. This is a great and easy way for artsits, illustrators and makers of all sorts to make an additional income by selling their products. So far it has been doing really well and I plan on investing more time in it after graduation!

PORTFOLIO Having an online portfolio should not overshadow the importance of having a well designed printed portfolio – this is a good way to show clients the quality and finish of your work in tis printed form and your attention to detail and the type of work you can deliver. For my own portfolio I have chosen The Prat portfolio book, which is nice and simple and professional, does not distract the eye from my work yet gives off a nice professional impression.

AOI As a recent graduate I do not have the extensive knowledge or intuition of longer practicing professionals about such things as pricing and contracts. This is why I thought it might be wise to join the AOI at least for a year to help smoothen my transition into the professional world. So far it has been really helpful, and I do keep going back to consult their database.

PRESS Through my website and blog I have also been contacted by a different publications across the world interested in featuring my work. My blog has also been featured by TUMBLR on their Spotlight Page which has lead to dramatic increase of traffic to my website.

NETWORKING Attending the launch networking event at Mother and the Trampery made me realize how important it is to socialize with professionals from other creative fields as well as more entrepreneurial ones. It was an excellent place to get fresh feedback and find opportunities for future collaborations & exchange contact details.

Trying out new processes and ways of working has been an important part of my development this year . what is has brought to my work ‌.

PICK ME UP Pick me up is a great event to attend for any creative, but it was especially crucial for me as a student as I got to see how leading people in the industry present themselves. It was a great opportunity to stop and talk to people about their work & see lots of inspiring work!

COMPETITIONS During my year out, apart from working in a gallery and doing my personal work, in order to stay productive I took part in competitions and collaborative projects. In the beginning of last year I took part in a competition to desing a beermat. This was run by Inkygoodness - a “platform for new and emerging talent to showcase work alongside established artists “. My design was short listed an recently featured in a nexhibition at the Coningsby Gallery in London.

Although it seemed like something of little importance at the time and just a fun thing to do it showed me the importance if taking advantage of opportunites like these.

FUTURE PLANS Having the opportunity to study at AUCB has been a very positive experience.

Working in such a vibrant environment in the past 3 years has been a catalyst to my creative development, but it is time to move on and make plans for the future! Although I feel I have made the most of this course I know I still have a lot to learn. Whether that will happen day to day as I start working or by undertaking a postgraduate level course I am not yet sure! Either way I look forward to whatever opportunities lie ahead of me.

EXHIBITIONS

2013 April 29th - May 4th - Beermat Characters, Conignsby Gallery, London, UK (group exhibition) 2013 April 12-14th - NAKED, Open Space Gallery, Bournemouth, UK (group exhibition) 2013 February 18th - 30th - 36 Mountains, Montpellier, France & Zagreb, Croatia (group exhibition) 2013 February 2nd - March 23rd - TORPOR, ArtFarty Gallery, Cologne, Germany (group exhibition) 2012 January 21th - Feb 25 - Rampenlicht, Stattbad Wedding, Berlin (group exhibition) 2011 June 3 -10th - Temporary insanity, Hip Hip Atelier, Sofia, Bulgaria (solo exhibition) 2011 February 21st - Dreambox, Lighthouse, Bournemouth, UK (group exhibition) 2010 November 24th - Bespoke, Boscanova, Bournemouth, UK (group exhibition) 2010 July 11th - Drawgasmic, Saint Louis, MO, USA (group exhibition)