Personal and Professional Practice: November 2015

John suggested that perhaps my India project could be expanded and that I should definitely be more ambitious, why not contact publishers? An India travel guide? Research publishers! Contact them and ask them questions about what they would be interested in seeing in a book about India by an illustrator... what can the fact I am an illustrator add to a book? (A lot!) but think USP!

John also suggested keeping a record of a wish list in general.. this way you can think about what it would take to make them happen and soon enough you may have done them!

Give the reader/viewer/observer MORE! Think about senses! Touch, smell, taste, sound not just sight in order to give an Indian experience told through my experience.

Also when regarding contacting and visiting artists, think about artists for COP such as Polly Morgan, contact her and ask her advice and her opinions - for example on if taxidermy is one form of human dominance over animals in a negative way? Or if she sees it as an expression and celebration in a respectful way of the animal, or a respectful way of confronting the relationship between humans and animals?

Patrick also gave me a lot of feedback about my India reportage project. He reminded me that Laura Carlin would have created the illustrations for her book 10 Days in Tokyo, within the 10 days she was in Tokyo... unlike me, who will be creating the majority of the work in retrospect. So with this in mind I will definitely not be doing 14 Days in India!

Patrick suggested it was crucial to give myself a mission statement for my India project in order to give my work direction. Obviously I want to include colour, pattern and people as these aspects are what I am extremely passionate about. But he reminded me of how important it was to break out of the square of the page! To work on separate pieces of paper, using interesting and cool stock. Using mixed media, found objects and printing! Think hidden collage and texture. Think something to excite and engage the reader, fold outs, flaps, things to engage with! Also what can lead the reader onto the next page, cut outs? One continuous line spanning through the book? Colour? e.g. red leading onto next page? Think India- layers, clutter, disorganized, friendly, people of all ages, colour, rush e.g. traffic vs relaxed rules on the road! Juxtapositions.

Think themes... organise your photographs into themes! Edit them. What would look good black and white? What has great colour? What could you screen print black and white then add colour?

My India project must be intriguing - using media and the content - think layout, perspective and cropping... looking through my sketchbook work it was disappointing to see how safe I'd stayed. He was not a fan, and neither was I, that a lot of my work stayed firmly in the centre of the page and did not venture off the page.

3D- overwhelm the observer - scent! suggestions like, tea time! and masala chai tea bag hanging.

Indian Mixed Media

-Fine art book-

We thought a fine art type of book would be really cool as it would be 3D and full of the chaos of India conveyed through print, materials and illustrations.

Photographs could be photocopied onto cool stock...

...organised into themes such as faces and places

...black and white and then colourised by hand

Prints and drawing and stitching onto material.

Loose paper, newspaper - experimenting!

Check if you have any Indian newspapers. - Checked and my mum had them and shes thrown them in the bin.

EXPERIMENT WITH PRINT - START NOW - there is a print room drop in tomorrow so if I prepare some lino cuts tonight I can do them tomorrow.

ESTUDIO PPP - to catch up! They will be putting up their presentations on estudio soon so once its up read them and write reactions to them on my PPP blog!

Your own website. Buy domain name?

Portfolio - digital and physical portfolio

BE BRAVE IN REDUCTION - don't be scared of taking things away. Practice with negative space in your work!

I discussed my project pack and business card design etc with Patrick as my pack last year was far too girly as I wanted some edge particularly to do with 'wasps' and to add some juxtaposition and intrigue... he recommended Angela Carter for inspiration...

Angela Carter - wasps, anthropomorphic, 'A Night at the Circus'.

CONTACT PEOPLE STARTING NOW

Publishers!

Agents!

Ask questions related to your projects!

PRINTING - 14-19th Dec the print room should be empty!

BERLIN TRIP IN XMAS HOLS

Similar but much shorter project to India - reportage brief... but this time a collaboration with another illustration student - research psycho geography - collect things, map your way. draw a line and draw what you find/your experiences along the way.

BLOGGING. MAKE TIME EVERY DAY DEDICATED TO PPP BLOG. (6am-7am?)

Feedback on PPP Blog...

So far... not ideal...

POSTS NOT JUST LINKS ALICE!
POST WHAT YOU LOVE.

Describe why you love it, why you hate it, why it inspires you and how it informs your work!

For example my Magpie page on my Tumblr, but with description and analysis!

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/tagged/magpie

Agencies!

Today we had a presentation about agencies which I found really helpful as it described their pro's and cons as well as giving a brief description on what they do.

I think agencies definitely sound like a good idea particularly when starting to deal with contacts and getting your name out.
www.prospects.ac.uk
^use this to aid research!

Amanda Hall's blog was recommended to us as a good example of how to structure and use our own blogs... http://www.amandahall-illustration.com/
Her email address is... ah@amandahall-illustration.com

Agency Pro's

Get you business.
You give them the authority to do this^
Organise everything.
Confident and professional with clients.
Security - deals with orders/invoice/payment.
Promotion.
Advice,

Agency Con's

The 'middleman' feeling.
Contacts are harder to make.
Fees - But their getting you the work!

List of Agencies to research:

Louise Chappel and Becky Bolton went with Jacky Winter.
Sue Doeksen's views on agencies.
oneluckyhelen.com
mullanillustration.com
Directory of Illustration
Plum Pudding
Handsome Frank
CIA - Central Illustration
Lemonade Illustration
Amanda Hall Illustration
Handsome Frank
The AOI
Jelly London

GIVE THE AGENCIES SOMETHING TO FIGHT FOR YOU!

Competitive... so what can you give them?

Lets see this in your portfolio! - digital and practical.

Once you have an agent, never mention money to others!

Only the work they find you should get 30% - Give nothing until they give you the job!

Always read the contract - Read terms and conditions!

Thursday 19 November 2015

MASTERS RESEARCH

http://search.arts.ac.uk/s/search.html?collection=courses&query=illustration&profile=_default&f.Course+level%7Cl=Postgraduate

http://www.rca.ac.uk/schools/

http://www.rca.ac.uk/schools/school-of-communication/visual_communication/ma-description/

http://www.rca.ac.uk/studying-at-the-rca/apply/applications-2016-17/

http://www.rca.ac.uk/studying-at-the-rca/apply/open-days/

http://www.adg.org/

http://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/whats-on

http://www.anthropologie.com/uk/en/category/christmas+decor/christmas-readyingthehome-deckthehalls.jsp?cm_sp=TOPNAV-_-CHRISTMAS-_-READYINGTHEHOME-DECKTHEHALLS#/

http://www.postgraduatesearch.com/pgs/pgs_browse.pg_design?p_qual=masters&p_bcat=illustration&p_bloc=uk&p_stdy=study&page_no=2

Saw this book in uni today and I like it and I might buy it...

Good inspiration for sketchbook ideas to keep experimenting with different media and techniques.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sketchbooks-Hidden-Designers-Illustrators-Creatives/dp/1780670222

Thought Bubble Zine

Info about thought bubble

Insert blog post (tumblr) about cop zine