New approach

Today I have decided to set myself a task, as the photocopier on our floor now charges! 4p! I have decided to invest my time this week into making more of my own textures from a variety of sources. This may change my working method slightly as I usually have a desk full of black and white photocopies that I have collected, recycled and formed into new illustrations, now I may have to restrict myself and tighten up on my free photocopying attitude....

...I will also have to be sneaky and use the free photocopier from the Fountaintion course. :)

Final Major Project-Update

I have been working on my final major project for 7 weeks now, I have spent a lot of time on ideas and outcomes so far and I have decided to divide my remaining time on 'one day' projects, turning out images in a playful and experimental way, and my favourite way.

My images are to the theme of 'scandinavian', giving me an opportunity to use my style well, with shapes and pattern, and 'food', so I can focus on something special to me.

The aim for my images to become surface designs, for ceramics and textiles that I will make by hand.

*** Image update soon ***

Insect Brief

I recently had all my 3D objects photographed by a professional so I thought I would share my dragonfly project with you.

The brief was to create an illustrative response to one of the arthropods, the resulting creations will be used at a Big Saturday event in January 2012 were we would contribute.

I choose the dragonfly and wanted 'capture its beauty', I made dragonflies out of beads and suspended them in their own habitat with a tag that reads "I wish I could hold the moment of you flying by, your just a blur of colour if only I could freeze time" 


I also made a cushion with a beaded dragonfly sewn on.

 

Mandy Trolley/ Mando Manderin

 

Today I went to a talk by Mandy Trolley, I was told about it by the surface design tutor, Hazel Hewitt, as she thought it would help me with putting my designs onto surfaces.

She showed us a full range of textile products and her sketchbooks. Mandy uses a lot of embroidery and mixed fabric. Mandy's style involves mixing and playfully using a range of themes, bears eating fast food, framed dogs, ducks and scented gremlin creatures. She introduced us to Hot Bed Press, in Salford where she teaches workshops and where she learnt about of her techniques and Fab Lab in Manchester, which I have wanted to go for a while, this was really helpful to me as one of my fears during my 3rd year was not having access to the print room, now I know there is space out there. I was really jealous to hear about all the fancy equipment she was able to use as she studies embroidery at MMU and the programme where post-graduates can still use the facilities there up to a year after leaving.

After watching Mandy’s presentation and seeing her images I thought a lot into setting up a photography corner in my studio for photographing my 3D pieces, a simple while corner will do with some good lighting because now a have a professional camera I don’t need to make arrangements for somebody else to photograph my work. 

I also noticed her attention to branding her products, soft labels, packaging and stamping where ever necessary. I think packaging and labeling is things a definitely need to look into fro myself, boxes for my mugs and soft tags for cushions and bags. 

 I was mostly interested in her print workshops, some work that people have produced from these lessons are really inspiring.

Student - Designer.

 

Accountants                                                               

Today we had a visit from two accountants from all the way from across the street. The showed us a useful presentation and gave us advice for after uni and making our brand a business by:
1. Having a business plan
2. Manage cash flow

3. Research potential market

4. Research changes in market

They told us about Tax, NI  (to set aside 25% of income a side to cover all tax costs), VAT and PAYE. Types on accountants we will need as illustrators and their costs.

It was a lot to take in for one morning, lots of numbers and abbreviated words and tax codes, although it was all useful information and made me question whether I would want/need an accountant after uni.

 Student-Designer

That afternoon our tutor Ian had a follow on presentation guiding us for the transition from student to designer.
1. Safety in numbers (virtually/studio space)

2. Work with other artists, galleries and clients.

3. Be adaptable and versatile (new media/skills)

we are 310 blogspot.
”nobody will call you, you call them. Meet as many people as you can networking”

John Ferry – 7 C’s
Concept-Colour-Craftsmanship-Commitement-Contemporary style- Consistent-Confidence.

We were advised on how to work with an art director.
Make sure you are aware of everything before starting a job.
1. Size of image

2. Colour/ B&W

3. Print run- Context

4. Fee

5. Deadline

6. Time scale for roughs/feedback

7. Their contact info (all)

and while undertaking a job.

> Be realistic with deadlines

> Then stick to deadline

> Ask what they have in mind

> Work with them, not against them

> Be flexable, but not a push over

> Think as a team player

> Add notes to roughs

> Expect changed

>  Keep art directors informed (any problems)

Copyright.
*avoid signing all copyright to people, unless the money is right *

Licensing.
*send client notice of copyright after accepting job*

Fee’s.
Base fee on time scale, print run, exposure, profit of client, your want to work with image and going rate. Ian then gave us some rough guidelines for price listing work. Book cover and  advertising sound the best :)

Invoices.

> Send proper invoice 

> Include any job number that the client has gave you and short description

> Commissioners name 

> numbering system and date

> Only send invoice after work (give a few days) 

> Alteration fee?

> Keep all copies

> Keep a record in spreadsheet/book of outstanding balances

> Don't be afraid to call accounts department and chase payments, not client

 *it can take up to 3 months to get paid *

Agents.

We discussed pro's and con's. 

Pros 

1. More effective 

2. Jobs I wouldn't  necessarily get myself

3. Broader range- other countries

4. Secure higher fee

5. Clients may trust more/attract lazy clients

6. Do all leg work - invoice and chasing

7. Negotiate better   

Cons

1. Take 20-33% of commission 

2. Think of the money rather than brand

3. Misunderstanding due to not having direct contact with client

4. Confine you.

*Pros out number cons but I think that cost of handing over 20-33% of commission counts as 3 cons so then I am back to square 1!*

Promo 

Portfolio

- stick to guidelines
- take comments from visits

- make memorable

Create a client/wish list

Make appointments

- compare their commissioned images to your own first

- make 2/3 appointments per day

- be confident  

- don't be late

- samples, cards of leavables

Website

- update regularly

- links to blog etc 

- get listed on illustration sites/portals

Mail outs

- be selective 

- make noticeable/not spam

- mail chimp / PDF

Credit name

- ask for website to be displayed next to image, not just name

- put images on AOI site

- enter as many competitions 

- exhibit 

- agents

 

Poland 2011

Here is some of my trip to Poland...

Todays finds..

Unicorn Poop Cookies!
from http://www.instructables.com/id/Unicorn-Poop/

Button Mosaic Desk
from: http://luckypony.co.za/

Semester 1: Show

My space.

My zine collection.

Bug Project.

My personal project.

illustrations Digital Future

 Illustration has to be prepared for its digital future, digital is taking over many aspects of the design process, such as a source of research, designing and now presentation.

The age of the I-pad as portfolios and owning a whole library of books on your phone is here, but what does this mean for illustrators? Do we have update buttons too? I hope we wont be required to be up-to-date with technology to keep on par with other illustrations, or to be thought less of if you turn up to a visit with a original portfolio rather than an I-pad?

I do agree that with uploading images rather then printing as there is less stress about print quality and materials, but on the other hand I think that’s part of being in design, you are problem solving and inventing as you go. The more hands on the better I think, the same goes for the processes gone into creating the images, the quality is in the process.

Sometimes I think its getting harder to find current illustrators that inspire my taste in the current publications, I find a lot of digital and think they can have a bland look to them. I try and source the imperfect, hand made, playful and organic images to inspire me. I think digital technology will house mostly digital work.

I personally use a lot of crafts, so to present these in my portfolio I need to be digital, take a photograph and print it off, so I cannot be against digital, it helps in ways but I do not rely on it. To keep up with the industry I also have to keep myself published socially through Facebook, Flickr, twitter etc. I do appreciate social publishing as it can make connects with people quicker, can reach other countries that you and your portfolio may never get to and it is handy to be able to connect with your portfolio from wherever.

So to conclude, it’s inevitable, times and technology is changing, I accept that but I want to keep hold of some originality, keep hand made alive and not to rely on digital.

Hopes, Fears and Opportunites

 

Hopes, fears opportunities

At the start of this semester I wrote down my hopes, fears, opportunities and aims.

Hopes. I hoped that by the end of this semester I would feel more independent, through thinking and problem solving. I felt independent in some aspects but yet I felt I still needed reassurance from tutors that I was doing ok and that my work was liked, I feel I have a lack in confidence for my work.  I do feel I have made progress on this, at the start on the semester I felt confident, new year, new start, so I got stuck in and my first project, zine, was a great success. I didn’t feel that I had to keep the tutors updated with my progress as I had a clear view of what I wanted to produce, I aimed to produce and bind my own book, find materials and guidance from appropriate sources and I felt better showing the tutors my final piece, rather than stages so they saw it as and they seemed more surprised and I felt they had put in less help so I felt prouder.

I also wrote that I hope I would progress ideas faster, I felt I needed to plan my steps for generating ideas for future reference, I would get stuck on having the right idea with lots of meaning then I would run out of time, I think I need to accept that I can work backwards, just playing around in either the print-room or with elements that I have already sourced can create an idea, I don’t need to have a rough sketch to follow like some. I think this hope I am still working on, I have produced quicker turn arounds this semester but I think that’s mainly due to the fact my projects have been craft related, I craft quicker than I illustrate. I feel less pressure to crafting, even when my illustrations are destined for crafts I find I can make them illustrations quicker, maybe because I understand the context and purpose.

Fears. I feared that I wouldn’t gain enough confidence to keep up with this years demands, such as portfolio visits and creating contacts with the industry. I don’t understand why I have this doubt in myself, I feel immature that I need constant reassurance but I do feel that this has improved, this fear hasn’t totally gone but I think its ok to want to try harder. It keeps me checking on the current industry and stops me from being too comfortable with my style and too confident, I think maybe its just my personality and its mainly personality that will make or brake a job and I believe that having a couscous personality helps people relate and make me more likeable.

I also feared for my time management skills, as I wrote in my ‘hopes’ I can spend too long on a stage to create an idea and not have enough time to perfect or produce. This semester I have bought an academic diary, with lots of writing space, and I record deadlines and important notes in every calendar I own, be it on my phone or wall, so, I am fully aware of how much time I have so I have no excuse. I have also set plans for each stage, research, ideas and production. But what buts me off is when we are working on multiple projects are tend to get wrapped up in one and ignore the other, this is something I have to mentally organize to prepare myself for the industry after studies, because hopefully I will be in high demand that I have to juggle a few things.

Opportunities

I wrote in this section ‘opportunities-take them all’, as I see this year I will have the best opportunities for my future then maybe I could set up on my own.

I also wrote that I wanted to make the most of the facilities, especially the print-making room as I don’t know if I will have access to tools for of that standard anytime soon and they are important to my work, also the photocopier, that sounds simple but I like the effects a photocopier can produce to a standard scanner and it helps me create a range of textures, so I will make sure I file and have multiples of my photocopier textures.

For my final opportunity I wrote that I wanted to learn and experience the vinyl cutter, I achieved this in my first project, zine, I used the vinyl cutter for my title and as I had a few difficulties with the material I achieved this opportunity multiple times. I also wanted to learn more about the InDesign programme, have a better understanding for its use and features, I can also say that I achieved this, firstly for my zine project, I just InDesign for my book layout and how to print double sided, I also used InDesign to produce a PDF portfolio file for future contacts.

Aims

I wrote a list of aims to be achieved by the end of this semester:

Strong portfolio- I currently have a finished and up to date portfolio and it has received positive feedback from my portfolio visits.

Website- I have now the proud owner of www.emma-thorpe.co.uk. It is currently under construction but I have a clear plan for its look and can advertise it on all my promotional products

Future plan from illustration- I have a better understanding of my future from illustration, I don’t think I could have a set plan as I would need to already have a set job and that’s isn’t what I am aiming for. I have a better understanding of the surface design industry and feel that is my future.

Studio space- I cant say I have a studio space, I have space in my house that I like to call my studio, it has all my required things and my name on the door but it isn’t the professional studio space I require, I am currently still looking but I am in planning to collaborate with a friend.

I am going to continue with this and write further hopes, fears, opportunities for semester two and beyond into the industry.

Portfolio Visit - Stewart Price

 Today I had portfolio visit with Stewart Price from Thoughtful. I went feeling really nervous, even though his talk had already prepared me for a portfolio visit in the industry.

I took along my portfolio and my 3d work (as they have not been photographed yet) to give him an idea about me. My main aim for this meeting was to experience speaking to someone from the industry through face-to-face contact, I have mainly used email up to now. Stewart was very welcoming, ensured me that it was a casual meeting.   

Stewart seemed really pleased with my work, I was only expecting comments for layout and portfolio style but he seemed really taken by my illustrations. He mentioned that I had a clear style and market for the future and understanding myself now will be very beneficial for me. He did ask a few questions for examples of what I should expect in a real meeting, these weren’t surprise questions, Stewart had kindly warned me before hand through email.

The only criticism Stewart had for my portfolio layout was that he would like to see double page spreads for each project, especially if a page could be the illustration in its context. I was already playing around with this idea before the meeting but now it has been mentioned I know that it would better for my portfolio.  

I think Stewart enjoyed that I brought my 3d elements as well as visuals, he seemed to enjoy looking at them closely and that they were tangible. I felt my ‘Peggy pegs’ went down well and Stewart suggested that they would be nice in an animation, which I am already planning so that's nice to hear that someone seems and enjoys them as much as I do.

So overall it was a pleasant and beneficial experience, and I appreciated Stewart's time with me and I look forward to showing him my work in a few months time.

Graphic Guru

Recently I have been keeping in contacting with my graphic guru- Ben Jones. 
Ben is an ex-student from my illustration course and has had 3 years experience of the industry. 

I have been keeping in contact with him through email and odd meetings around the college, Ben now helps teach as Stockport.

I have been asking Ben’s advice on printmaking and to see if there is are secrets to the technique. 


Ben uses a combination of lino printing, screen printing and mono printing to emphasize shape and form. His work is similar to mine through technique and style. I admire the idea process behind each piece of work, he has clearly thought of a rough plan and took it to the print room and played around with it. His work really reflects the enjoyment for the print making process and his passion to try new, along with combing techniques with confidence.

Ben has been very helpful in sharing some of his processing and providing me with advice. He has encouraged me to experiment with making textures in the print room and then collage with them, combining both my techniques. I also want to introduce linocuts and screen printing to my work.

I have recently seen his work on a greeting cards selling at the Whitworth gallery, Manchester, and felt very proud to be his guru student.

Website Design

Since my last post on website design I have moved forward from a Cargo site, I am now the proud owner of www.emma-thorpe.co.uk with Wordpress. 

Its is currently under construction because I am still learning how to use it but I felt that I could have more freedom with layout then with a cargo site. 

My aim is to have:

1. An 'enter page' by click on an image.
2. Simple layout with large thumbnails of my work, when click it takes you to the large image on a page with a short description of the project.
3. My contact details
4. My own logo/header

For the future I may want a 'shop' link for my products, either linked to my Etsy shop or my own set up shop.

Tatty Devine team with Rob Ryan

Jewellers Tatty Devine have teamed up with Rob Ryan to create a card and brooch to celebrate 10 years of bag designer Mimi. "we've created a special leather version of our Lady & Dog brooch. The brooch's silhouette is is based on Mimi Berry and her rescued lurcher, Dora, and comes mounted on a 10th birthday card by Rob Ryan."

 

Creative Review

We have had two 'Creative Review' meetings so far. We put forward a book, article, film and exhibition and to talk a little about them.

The first film I took with me was What's eating Gilbert Grape, one of my favourite films! Not usually a well-known film and I only acknowledged it because we got it free with a newspaper one day and on the cover was a young Johnny Depp and a very young Leonardo DiCaprio. “Centered around the Grape family Ellen and Amy and their two brothers Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Gilbert (Johnny Depp), along with their morbidly obese widowed mother Bonnie Grape.”
A few from the group recognized the film or took note of it.

I thought it was very beneficial listening to the group share films, as I didn’t recognize any of them so took note and later purchased them to watch. I bought:

• Amile (2001)
• Big Fish (2004)
• Pans Labyrinth (2006)
• The Science of Sleep (2006)
• The Life Aquatic (2010)

I really enjoyed watching them! Except ‘The Life Aquatic’, I found it really boring. I liked how they all had a serial and unusual style to them and they were really relaxing to watch.

After ordering them of Amazon, the website generated a recommended list of films I may like. One was ‘Everything is illuminated’ (2005) with Elijah Wood, so I also bought that. It was the best out of them all, loved it and I took it to the next creative review session as my recommended film. “Jonathan Foer (Elijah Wood) as, a young American Jewish man, goes on a quest to find the woman who saved his grandfather during the Holocaust in a small Ukrainian town called Trachimbrod that was wiped off the map when the Nazis liquidated Eastern European. His guides are a cranky grandfather; his deranged Border collie named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.; and his over-enthusiastic grandson, Alex,”

I also recommended The Big-Ass Book of Home Décor by designer Mark Montano as my book, one of my many books I own home décor and surface design at the moment, but this book is a little different, its designs are more modern and bold then most and it doesn’t want to be the usual, pretty, perfect book. ”Perfection is overrated”. (Mark Montano)

 The British Ceramics Biennial, Stoke-on-Trent was my current exhibition, I went on the 9^th November, It has been my best exhibition to date and I had to share the experience with the group. (For further details see blog post)