PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Contents Bio My Process Inspiration P.M.P F.M.P Branding Logo The Website Social Media Shop Markets We made it Promo materials CV Career Plan List of figures
Bio From as far back as I can remember, illustrated stories have been something I’ve always produced. Armed with a plethora of strange backstories, my illustrations celebrate the weird and wonderful aspects of society that not everyone deems beautiful.
MY PROCESS I have always been a great lover of the humble pencil. I realised early that my work is strongest when I embrace graphite smudges and keep my leads sharp.
Throughout my degree, I have taught myself to use adobe photoshop in order to add colour to my traditional pencil illustrations. This allowed me to dramatically speed up my process, which in the commercial market is incredibly important.
Collecting as much visual research as possible when starting a project, my initial thumbnails inform my characters, location and feel of the final images. Once this development process is completed, the final images emerge almost organically.
Working exclusively in narrative, I specialise in creating characters who each have an odd little backstory. Most of my illustrations are created for the children’s horror genre, with a strong footing in the weird and macabre.
Inspiration From a very early age, books and television have been a huge source of inspiration. Being a writer as well as an Illustrator, I’m always researching new and exciting books being published. The growing trend in illustrated books for older readers is very exciting as it means that the scary and tense imagery I create won’t have to be compromised for a younger audience. Although niche, the 8-12 childrens horror genre fits my style of work perfectly.
Book illustrators such as Brett Helquist and Shaun Tan are obvious sources of inspiration, however the 3D worlds created by LAIKA Studios also influence my work, as they highlight how artists can create entire worlds from their fingertips. Their incredible attention to detail is something I strive to achieve.
I’ve also found that my love of history and trips to museums often provides me with little narratives or inpsiration that could fuel my creative practice. I’m a strong believer in observational drawing and it’s refreshing to draw from life when so many of my illustrations come from my imagination.
Pre
My pre major project focused on a self-produced zine entitled “Hallowzine�. As the title suggests it brought together a number of final pieces which celebrated the strange holiday. I wanted to focus on developing my visual language in this project so I created a number of different characters and outcomes. As well as the zine, I produced a range of merchandise for Halloween; including hand bound notebooks and stickers. After developing a love for bookbinding in my second year, I will be creating a range of stationary and sketchbook design post-graduation. The sheer number of contemporary illustrators who have multiple skills, separate to their usual working style grows every day and to keep up with this, I need to produce a range of work and products to stay relevant.
Major Project
Final
Major Project For my Final Project at university, I created what I had always wanted to – a self published childrens novel which I authored and Illustrated. Working on creating tense, yet subtle illustrations for each chapter of my novel, the Major Project really allowed me to refine my sequential abilities. The interior illustrations are all in black and white. There’s a mix of spots, full pages and double spreads to carry the narrative. Although a long story, almost every page has an illustration. In the 8 – 12 childrens genre, illustrated books follow a similar pattern; notably ‘Unfortunately the Milk’ by Neil Gaiman.”
I wanted to have my final outcomes printed and bound to show off the hard work that went into the images and narrative. I hand bound two books for the project, really pushing my bookbinding skills to create a professional final product.
online presence
Instagram is currently my favourite place to showcase my work, mainly because the format encourages uploads of works in progress. By using Instagram I have found a new energy and motivation to create work, even if only to keep up with the artists I�m following.
Twitter is still something I’m getting used to, however I relish the opportunity to talk with other illustrators so freely.
My tumblr is still a big part of my online presence. This site is better for finals and ongoing projects as it allows the user to upload numerous images at once.
While social media is intended to be more of a personal thing, it’s important to maintain a certain level of professionalism online because your pages are often where potential clients first see your work. It is not cost effective to send out self promotional items to australia when you live in the UK but an aussie art director may be linked to your instagram account and commission you through that.
THE WEBSITE
The website is perhaps the most important string to an illustrators bow. It was important to me to keep my website very simple and easy to use. Although technical flairs can make a site interesting, I want potential clients to be able to navigate my page easily.
My online portfolio contains a selection of my strongest pieces photographed to a high standard, showing the diversity of my work. Learning to create the site was very exciting and the skills I learned enabled me to go on to create the website for our graduate show.
"WE MADE IT"
I created the group show’s website, showcasing each illustrators work. I also made the group’s facebook page and a fundraising page that will launch nearer the time.
London grad show This year a much smaller group than normal are putting on the graduate illustration show in London. Because of this I have taken on a major role in curating the exhibition. From creating the website, to organising fundraising events and helping choose a venue, this experience has given me a great insight into planning an exhibition. Because of the greatly reduced number of students wanting to be a part of it, we have decided to create more of a pop up shop than a gallery opening and therefore are looking into creating our own zines, postcards and products to sell at the opening.
“All Soul’d Out” fundraising event
71a Gallery where we will exhibit in July
PROMotion Self promotion is one of my favourite aspects of being an illustrator. It’s incredibly important to be proactive by contacting clients directly. By sending out “mailers” which include business cards, postcards and prints, the client can see that you have really put the effort into creating your brand. In such a digital age, an email can sit there unnoticed, whereas a tangible piece of art can make much more of an impact. For my handmade notebooks and sticker sets, my focus will be on distributing these through quirky and independent shops, such as m.a.d.e in Cirencester. I will be focusing on approaching shops to sell my products through after graduation as I am currently unable to focus my time on mass producing objects for sale.
Business cards are a very useful way to pass on your details to prospective clients. Their small size means that they aren’t a nuisance to carry round and makes them easy to store.
editorial/commissions In my second year, I was commissioned to produce editorial illustrations for Bournemouth University’s ‘Nerve Magazine’. It was a monthtly job that I fit around my degree work. Although my work has changed quite a lot since then, it still remains a great personal achievement to be published in a magazine. The quick turnaround was great for speeding up my work, however I don’t think editorial is sometihng I’m keen on pursuing post graduaton.
I was also commissioned by AUB Photgraphy’s fundraising team to produce a range of brownie drawings. These were great fun to draw and the one day deadline forced me to work quickly and efficiently. When narrative takes such a long time to complete, it’s satisfying to produce work with such a quick turnaround.
CAREER PLAN - A.k.a maths My ultimate career goal is to write and illustrate my own stories. I will be approaching the publishing houses Quirk Books and Bloomsbury. These companies are quite different in terms of size and range of illustrators, but both have featured artists who work similarly to me; namely Chris Riddell and Dave McKean. I be targeting the art directors, David Mann (Bloomsbury) and Timothy O’Donnell (Quirk Books). I will be sending out self promotion packs to the afore mentioned clients and online illustration companies such as Ohh Deer and Illustration Friday. Illustrated magazines are becoming more popular and I will be approaching ‘Ink & Arrows Magazine’ and ‘Stew Magazine’ to potentially be featured within their publications. By doing this, I open myself up to the possibility of bringing in new commissions via exposure of my illustrations. Alongside self-promotion, I will be participating in the Bristol Comic and Zine fair in October, selling my illustrations as well as zines and stickers. This will give me a great chance to network with other illustrators and potential clients. It’s important to me to keep a constant dialogue with the people who are buying and looking at my work. As stated earlier, I will be approaching independent shops where I can sell my handmade notebooks, sketchbooks and other gifts. as well as setting up an online shop using etsy or bigcartel, I will be approaching Made in Cirencester, Here Shop in Bristol and Gosh Comics in London to sell my work.
makes my brain hurt Self-publishing can be an expensive line of work so it’s important for me to work out costs for this. There are printing, material and labour costs to think about. In order to print a 20 page zine for example, I need to consider how much profit I can make. Specifications: -20 page zine ---- 100 copies -A5 Portrait -Matte paper (cartridge) -Full colour -Saddle stitch Now at a printers, this would cost from £120 to £330. The more copies of the zine published, the cheaper it turns out to be so it is always best to order more. This is a big range and obviously it is best to shop around. Although a company has a certain level of precision and colour quality, it can be expensive. To make the same zine myself, I would need 2000 sheets of paper, access to a decent printer, staples and some willpower. An estimate of the costs are: -2000 sheets of 120gsm paper -Staples -Printing ink costs
- £67.50 (0.03 for each sheet) - £0.02 - £60 (roughly)
So if these estimates are correct, it would cost me £127.50 to print and bind 100 copies of the zine. Obviously hand binding each zine is going to take a long time, but as I enjoy bookbinding, this wouldn’t be an issue. It seems that for self publishing, making the entire book myself makes more financial sense. Each book would work out costing £1.27 so if I sold each zine for £6, I would make £4.73 profit. If I chose the printer option and it was the highest price of £330, each copy would work out costing £3.30 and I would only have a £2.70 profit.
As well as self-publishing, my goal is to be picked up by established publishers. In terms of pricing, it’s important to know what the standard for book commissions are. According to a lecture with the Association of Illustrators, the price for books are as follows: Full Book - £3000 - £5000 (Advance, based on picture books) Book cover - £400 - £1000 (Paperbacks are better paid than hardbacks usually) Book commissions are also often paid with royalties, and if I am lucky enough to write and illustrate my own books, then 100% of the royalties would go to me. However the reality is often that the book won’t sell enough copies to earn any more than the original advance. The ‘Illustrators guide to Law and Business Practice’ says a good rule is to work out your minimum acceptable hourly rate and multiply it by the number of hours you think the book will take. There can be exceptions to the rule, including a larger advance or a lower price. for a book cover if the publishing house is a small business; however these estimates are pretty accurate.
clients to approach Contact details
company
What they do
Quirk Books
Small UK Publishers who have worked with Rnasom Riggs
Timothy O’Donnell Art Director 215 Church St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Bloomsbury
Publishing giant who has worked with Chris Riddell & other creepy artists.
Have a Y.A publishing section to contact loomsburySparkUK@ bloomsbury.com
Ink & Arrows magazine
Magazine which features illustrators and gives the chance to feature on the cover
Email submissions to inkandarrowsteam@ gmail.com
Stew Magazine
Magazine for kids aged 8-12. Offer the chance to publish illustrated stories and poetry
Email to be considered: editorial@stewmagazine. co.uk
Tiny Pencil
Anthology celebrating works made with pencil
Email submit@tinypencil.com
ACCEPTANCE OF COMMISSION To:. ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... I AM PLEASED TO ACCEPT YOUR COMMISSION FOR ARTWORK AS FOLLOWS: Title/Subject: ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... Commissioned By: ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Delivery Dates: ................................................................................................................................................................................................... Fee: £.................................................................................................................... Plus VAT: ............................................................................ Expenses: £........................................................................................................... Plus VAT: ............................................................................. TERMS OF COPYRIGHT LICENCE TO BE GRANTED Customer: ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ Use:: ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Area covered by Licence:: .................................................................................................................................................................................. Duration: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. Exclusive/Non Exclusive: .................................................................................................................................................................................... Special Terms (if any) :........................................................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The Standard Terms and Conditions for this commission and for the later licencing of any rights are shown on the back of this page. Please look them over, as well as the above form and let me know immediately if you have any objection or queries. Otherwise it will be understood that you have accepted them.
Illustrators signature: .......................................................................................... Date:..............................................
FIGURES http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1psXODEdghU/UjX0p1e60xI/AAAAAAAASf4/PB9QDmld-po/s1600/FTM+illustration+2.jpg https://bigfriendco.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Boxtrolls-Enderle-Cheesebridge-600x450.jpg http://www.artistpartners.com/portfolios/david_roberts/bw/large/david_roberts_bw_bears_of_england_001.jpg http://media.creativebloq.futurecdn.net/sites/creativebloq.com/files/images/2014/02/wild-spread.jpg http://meanwhilecomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Abenjami1.jpg http://yoshink.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/shaun-tan-07.jpg http://props.handheldmuseum.com/Z_Img/Coraline/Coraline_01.jpg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e5/c7/d3/e5c7d3b98a8710860ddbe45350de99d1.jpg http://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/emilyhughes-main.jpg https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=brett+helquist&espv=2&biw=1904&bih=885&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig0eX1o6_MAhUjYJoKHcAYDAsQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=brett+helquist+a+series+of+unfortunate+events&imgrc=dbP12zsdx8d9sM%3A