Podcast: Charles Hively of 3x3

Recently, an interview with Charles Hively (from 3x3) was recommended to us in the form of a podcast on Escape From Illustration Island.

On the podcast, Charles goes through his background and experiences as a designer and illustrator, and goes on to talk about issues such as self promotion for illustrators, and how competitions can be a good way to get your work shown. 

Hively runs 3x3 magazine which is dedicated to contemporary illustration, and has an extensive design career spanning 40 years. On the podcast, he spoke about his background in design and all the different jobs he'd done, leaving us in no doubt he knew what he was talking about. As he is and rt director at the moment, a lot of his advice came from that perspective.

He went on to talk about self promotion for illustrators. What I thought was really interesting about this was that he compared the sort of self promo illustrators do to self promo photographers do. He mentioned that for every 10 emails he gets from photographers, he only gets 1 from an illustrator. I had never really thought about the fact that illustrators aren't the only freelancers sending their work to art directors, and you're almost in competition for their time in that case. Throughout the podcast he recommended that illustrators look at the sort of things that photographers to to promote their work, get work, an how they handle the business/money side of the work as they tend to be a bit more business orientated in his opinion.


Some of the his tips for promotion were:

• to not email out 1000's of the same email, just focus on people you really want to work with
• Hand write or personalise your mail to art directors; send them something unique and memorable
• In your portfolio, don't just pick your favourite piece of work; pick ones that solve a problem or answer the brief the best
• credit art directors you've worked with as it's a 3rd party endorsement
• constantly promote yourself, once a month or at least three times a year
• be prepared to spend some money doing this
• think with a business mind e.g. take someone to lunch and see it as an investment
• don't use a Christmas card as self promo

He said that a survey found that illustrators on average spent only $500 (~£315) a year on promo, and that it should be a lot more than that, which is really something I need to think about for the future.

He then went on to talk about websites, and again brought up the standard of photographers sites, and suggested illustrators take some pointers from them. The main points he made were: 

• that sites should be very easy to access and navigate, without things that take a while to load as art directors generally just don't have the time 
• don't be shy, list your clients and any awards you have won
• AD's will look for the weakest piece to know what's the least they can expect from you, and if there's even one really bad piece of work in there, they won't take the risk, so get rid of it

And finally, he spoke a little bit about money, and how illustrators shouldn't be afraid to negotiate for more money. He brought up the amount of money photographer can command, and made the point that as an illustrator you have to do the work of a whole team on a photo shoot. You have to decide the setting, what someones going to look like, the colours etc. and are creating something totally unique, so you shouldn't be afraid to ask a fair price for that.

 He also brought up the point that if we all demanded higher pay, it would raise standards for the industry. This is something I've hard a lot about in the recent months and is really something to think about.

Overall, I thought the podcast was really helpful and informative, and he gave a frank opinion on various matters which has given me a lot to think about, especially in the area of self promotion.

Hopes, Fears and Opportunities Part 2

So the end of our third year at uni is just around the corner, I can't believe it's gone so quickly!

At the end of last semester I wrote ‘Hopes, Fears and Opportunities (Part 1)’, reflecting on work I had done up until that point in third year, and stating my aims for the future. It’s been really interesting to look back at that piece of writing for the first time in about six months, and see if I’d actually achieved any of my aims, and how my thoughts and feelings have changed.

The aims I set myself for the rest of the year were to come up with a good brief for FMP that had lots of mileage and would hopefully improve the quality of my work and help me find a clearer direction and confidence in my way of working. Secondly, to work with other students again as I had a lot of fun earlier in third year making Christmas cards etc, and finally to build up my portfolio in order to get work when I leave.

I really didn’t remember what goals I had specifically set myself until I read back over the piece of writing, but I think I’ve achieved each of them to a certain extent. In terms of my FMP, I really tried to go into it with just a strong subject matter in mind rather than any ideas of a final product, so that I knew whatever the outcome, I’d enjoy and find the subject matter interesting throughout. For this I chose space and underwater exploration as my subject matter, which I really knew very little about so it’s been really great being able to do lots of research; reading and watching documentaries etc., and learning all about these two worlds, and then trying to create images from them. I’ll leave the pros and cons of deciding to do this until my project evaluation, but choosing to do a project on space and underwater exploration definitely gave me a lot of mileage. Looking back at the work I’ve created too, I definitely think the project has helped me improve both the look of my work, and also my confidence in that particular way of working. I think I’ve become a bit quicker at working which has in turn meant that I’ve tried to put more into each image than I might have done at the start of the year; been a little more ambitious, although I think and hope there is still a lot more I can do to improve the quality of finish and ideas in my work.

As well as working on my FMP project, I’ve tried to take other opportunities for work that have come my way, which has been really positive, but I did mean I had less time to devote to my FMP project than I would have liked. For instance, I spent the first two weeks of FMP working on my Scarab animation with Tom for the Manchester Museum Bug Event. It was good to learn a bit more about animation and also how long it can take to do it, I think I underestimated the amount of work that goes into it so it was a bit of a challenge to get everything made for the animation in time! I also spent some time re-doing my Little White Lies ‘Super 8’ cover, to attempt my first portrait more in my own style than just drawing from a still like I’d done earlier. I’ve also recently done a poster for the next Draw North West event, and had a couple of editorial illustration commissions, so these were opportunities I really couldn’t pass up, and will hopefully be good for building up my portfolio in regards to getting more work in the future.

I’ve also tried to work with other students where possible. The Scarab animation was collaboration, and I’ve also worked with students making cards and running a stall to fund raise money for D&AD New Blood. A group of four of us (Matt, Jordan, Kris and I) have also joined forces to hopefully work on a collaborative project in the near future which I’m excited about, and will no doubt yield much better work than I could do on my own. I really hope to be able to work with other students again after we’ve finished, as the quality of work I’ve seen and the broad range of skills that people seem to have has been incredible, so I think it would be a missed opportunity to not try and work together in the future. Fingers crossed.

Although I haven’t had as many portfolio visits this semester as I did before Christmas, I think the trip down to London and the visits there were invaluable. Not just with the advice that was given (which was equally as good as from people here in Manchester) but more for the fact that it made the idea of trying to get work from down in London a bit less scary than it was before. Both the people we met down there and  the people we spoke to on the phone (an idea I think we were all devastated by to begin with) were generally really nice and approachable, so it made getting work seem more of a possibility than before.

Whilst in London we also had the opportunity to go and visit some galleries and exhibitions. The Pick MeUp graphic arts fair was a really good thing to go and see as it seemed really relevant to the type of work illustrators are producing and was a fantastic showcase, and is something I think we’d all love to be involved with in the future. Also going to meet ups like the Draw North West events has been really positive I think, as it’s a great way to talk to people and get advice about your work and getting work in the industry, and is something I’d definitely recommend and will continue to go to after I leave uni.  Makes you feel a bit more part of a group rather than just on your own...

Overall, I think when looking back at my work and aims from earlier in the year in comparison to know, I have achieved them to some extent, and I definitely think my work has improved, or my confidence and enjoyment in how I work has increased at least. I’ve worked on some interesting projects both in and out for uni and been able to work with other students. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep doing this after I leave.

My plans for the future are to hopefully keep producing work and work on my self-promotion to try and get a few more commissions. I really want to keep up the momentum of producing work and working with other people because I think it’s really vital to keep a presence and not disappear, which I’m sure it’s very easy to do especially when I get a day job. I think meeting with other illustrators and working on collaborations like the one a group of us have got planned, will help with this, and also entering competitions and creating your own work to sell would be a good idea. I really don’t want to lose links with uni either and would love to go back and help do stuff there in the future also. I’m pretty scared at the moment but I’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds....

Thanks everyone!

Jill Calder

Illustrator Jill Calder recently paid a visit to college to talk to us about her work and experiences as illustrator. She was really fantastic to listen to and went through a lot of aspects of working as a professional illustrator.

For instance, she spoke about what it was like being represented by an agency (or two) and how that has helped with the business side of things as well as providing interesting projects to work on. She gave really good advice on the money issue, and as most of us leaving uni at the moment probably won't be represented by an agency when starting out, it was good to hear how a working illustrator deals with getting paid. The main point she made was to not let people mess you around with money, and that illustrators are providing a service and deserve to be paid for it, so I think it probably gave us all a bit more confidence when we might have to chase payments in the future.

She also spoke about how it can be a positive to have a more interesting looking portfolio to show prospective clients. She had had a couple hand made in bright colours and decorated to get people's attention. This isn't really something I'd thought about with my portfolio, as I generally didn't think I'd be showing many people a physical portfolio hat often, so mine is just a standard looking one. It could be something to think about in the future, especially if you have to leave it with someone to look at; I suppose a personalised folio could make the work stand out if you're not there to talk about it yourself.

 Jill went on to show u some of her work and how she worked on a project start to finish. She stressed the importance of drawing, and spoke about drawing anywhere, and on anything. Whether it be a sketch book, scrap of paper, or even an ipad, it all has its uses and doing a quick sketch of something when you're out and about, could then help inform or be part of a new piece of work. I though this was really interesting to see, especially as I have done much drawing or sketching from life very recently. My own work is quite precise I suppose and I use a lot of straight lines and grids to make shapes etc., so seeing Jill's sketches actually made me want to do a bit more drawing, and not worry to much about how it looks, as its just another way of gathering information.

She made a couple of suggestions for a good way to work, and these were both 'be silly' and 'be serious'. This made me think of what must be a quote I'd heard someone say once, which was about the best people to work with are people who take their work seriously, but not themselves. And I think that it's similar to what Jill was saying about illustration, which was to take the job seriously and always try and do a good job, but also don't be afraid to have fun and be silly and playful with your work, when appropriate of course. Inject a bit of your own personality and sense of humour into the work, whilst still doing a good, professional job. I thought that was really good advice, because it not only makes the work more interesting to look at, but I suppose it would also make the work more enjoyable and fun to create. I think I could really do with taking this bit of advice on board and being a bit looser and more playful in my work. Although last time I added a sense of humour to my work *cough* mother Teresa card *cough*, people did not get it....oh well!

Over all the lecture was really interesting and funny, I could have listened to her for hours! She made some really good points and gave me some stuff to think about in relation to my own work. And it's always good to her another persons experiences and advice, as it helps answer some questions and give you more confidence in your own ideas. 

And I also have a collection of envelope inside patterns scanned in. Go team. 

Cheers Jill!

 

From Student to Designer....

Yesterday, we had a day of talk on the subject of money, and how to make the transition from student to professional designer over the next few months. In the morning, two accountants came in and gave a presentation on how to setup our own business or become self employed, as well as paying taxes and book keeping, and other things like having a good business structure.

Later on, Ian gave a talk on being a freelance illustrator specifically, so this included info on working with art directors, copyright and licensing issues, fees, pro and cons of having an agent, etc.It was really good to get a basic knowledge of some of the stuff we should be aware of when we try and get commissions in the future, and how to deal with some of the legal issues that might arise.

He also spoke a little bit about self promotion and different ways of doing it, with mail outs, emails, phone calls etc., and of course online portfolio's. So on that note, here's mine . It needs some improvement but it'll suffice until I have time to sort it.

Finally, here is a link to an interesting article on pricing from illustrator/typographer Jessica Hische; definitely opens your eyes to the complexities of pricing your work....

Hopes, Fears and Opportunities (pt 1)

At the start of this semester at uni, we were asked to write down and think about our hopes and fears for the forthcoming year and also to think about our overall aims, and any opportunities we could take advantage of.

My hopes for this year and beyond were to be able to get a job or commissions, to be more confident in my way of working, and to also improve and build on my skills. Overall I don’t think I’ve done too badly with these so far. As far as jobs are concerned, I was lucky enough to be picked to illustrate a children’s book, and I’m currently working on a window installation that I was approached about due to someone seeing my work, so although these aren’t paid jobs, they are a little bit more challenging and high profile (for lack of a better word) than things I’ve done in the past.

I think I have become a little bit more confident in my ways of working, and this kind of goes hand in hand with improving my skills. I think that the children’s book definitely helped with this as it was something I had never tried before, both in terms of the concept of creating and designing a book aimed at children, and also in terms of my working method. I can honestly say I was really not confident that my children’s illustrations would work out when I began, but just thought I would give it a go anyway. I tried a new method of cut paper and digital work for the book, which I think helped improve my skills a bit, and also improved my confidence as I felt that I was able to make the imagery for a different audience, but not go too far away from my usual way of working.

This made me think that all of us as illustrators are probably able to stretch in different directions quite easily without completely changing our work. I think ‘diversification’ might be word of the year at the moment.

Also, going to portfolio visits, and coming runner up in the MASI competition also makes me feel a bit more confident in my work; it’s good to have other people’s views on it rather than just from inside the uni bubble I guess!

My fears for the year were that I wouldn’t get any work, that I would lose motivation, and that my work won’t find a clear aim or direction. I think that these fears still stand and I’ll probably have to wait and see at the end of the year as to whether they will happen or not.  I think that portfolio visits and contact with industry professionals is a step in the right direction when it comes to getting work, so is actually creating more new work. But I think that keeping up motivation and finding a clear direction will probably come with finding a project/subject matter that I’m really interested in, or a way of working that is exciting. I think this could be a real aim for the final major project. Picking a project that is genuinely interesting and something I think I could do an extended body of work on will be really important and will hopefully be both motivating and, if successful, will help me find a direction for my work (or if unsuccessful, at least I’ll know what I don’t want to do!).  

The opportunities that I wanted to take advantage of this year were to enter student competitions, to take advantage of college facilities, to work with other students, and to visit some shows/exhibitions.  Overall I think that I have had a good go at taking these opportunities. I entered the Manchester and Salford Illustrated competition which worked out quite well, and I definitely got to meet a few new people through it, and also submitted a couple of pieces for the V&A illustration awards, as well as working on my Little White Lies cover for the D&AD competition next year.

I’ve made a start at using some more of the college’s facilities; screen printing for example. I’ve been able to do screen printing a couple of times this term, which is twice more than last year! I really like doing it and the Christmas cards we printed in particular, worked out really well. Maybe having a go at using the vinyl cutter, or trying other forms of printing could be things I could aim to do next semester.

I’ve definitely been able to work with other students this year. For instance, I’m currently working on an animation collaboration with Tom Mathieson from moving image for my bugs project, and also worked with Matt Bray on a short brief where we made a 3D birdhouse (complete with beak and wings!). It was also a lot of fun to work as a group on printing the Christmas cards we designed to raise money for D&AD. Hopefully this will continue into next year and beyond as I really enjoy working with others and I think the results are generally more exciting.

As far as going to shows and exhibitions, I think this is something I could improve on next semester. Mostly down to lack of time and location of exhibitions, I haven’t been to as many as I would have liked. I did manage to go to the Leeds Thought BubbleFestival, which was really interesting; the MASI exhibition, the BLAB night, and a quick look around the studios at AWOL studios in Manchester. I think I need to do a bit more research into this aspect for next year.

My aims for the year were to create a good portfolio, to get some portfolio visits with industry, and to have some work published. I’m quite glad that I’ve achieved these to some extent. I think my portfolio will hopefully improve as the year progresses, but so far feedback has been generally positive so hopefully it’s on it way. I’ve managed to have 6 portfolio visits so far which I’m quite pleased with, as thinking back to the start of September, I was really nervous about this and had no idea how to go about it! And these have been quite helpful, and have given me a bit more of a sense of what designers are looking for, and has also familiarised me with some of the agencies in Manchester and the people that work there. I think this makes it just a bit less intimidating for if I want to make contact again in the future.

Overall, for the final semester, I think that I need to firstly come up with a good proposal for my final major project. I think finding something I’m really interested in will hopefully keep me motivated and make me produce better work. I’m looking forward to working on a longer project, and will hopefully have some good pieces for the final show next year. I’m also hoping to work with other students even more, because I think it’s good to combine skills and work with people who are as interested in a project as you are, and it’s also more fun!  Hopefully it will all come together and I will have improved my portfolio and worked on some good projects that will help set me up for when I leave. Fingers crossed.

HUGS Book Update

So, over the past 3-4 weeks I've been working none stop to complete the children's book I have been designing and illustrating for the charity Helping Uganda Schools. The book is called 'Christmas in Uganda' and does exactly what it says on the tin! It tells the story of some animals in Uganda that learn about Christmas and the story behind it, and all profits from the sale of the book will be going to charity.

I was kindly invited in last Wednesday to see the designers involved with getting to book to print; TaylorO'brien. The book was going to print that day, and they talked me through any changes that had made, in the typesetting in particular (I'm thinking orphans and widows here!), and also learnt a bit about how projects are prepared for print and the different kind of print methods used. I definitely learnt a lot and appreciated the opportunity to go in and see how they worked!

I've posted a couple of preview pics of some of the artwork from the book below for you to see (there will be slight changes to the type on the final cover), and I'll post some more pics of the book in print when I get my hands on a copy!

Finally, and importantly, there is going to be a launch for the book on Wednesday 23rd November, at 7pm at the Britannia Hotel, Dialstone Lane in Stockport, so you are all invited to come down! The book will be on sale for £7 I believe, with all profits going to the charity, but even if you don't want to purchase a book, come down anyway and say hi! Would definitely appreciate the support! I'll post about it again closer to the time, but for now, take a butchers below, and spread the word!

 

1,2,3

 (Just found this post in my drafts from back in May, must have totally forgotten to post it! unless I did and can't find it....anywhere here it is, better late than never!)


I've posted below 3 pieces of advice that I have heard or been given this year.

1.  "...if you want to go further in your own work then sometimes shutting out what others have done gives you more of a fresh approach in your thinking and it also means less chance of being too overly influenced by someone’s else’s work that you end up subconsciously creating something that’s a bit too close to their vision." - Scott Balmer



This was a nice piece of advice Scott gave me when I sent him a few questions. It definitely makes sense and is something I really should take on board. I do spend a lot of time looking at the work of other people, and I think a lot of the things I do end up being a bad mix of loads of stuff I've seen rather than something of my own. I find it really hard to get something out of my head once I've seen it and it usually ends making an appearance in my work in a rather substandard fashion. I tend to avoid drawing as i think it looks really bad, so I usually end up jumping straight on the computer and making something that has no real basis to it. I think this is such a ridiculous way of working for an illustrator! I really need to sit down without looking at other peoples work, work on my drawing and develop that through to a final piece instead of starting on the computer and just chancing that something make come out of it. I'm hardly ever happy with my final pieces because I can see how I've tried to work like someone else and it hasn't worked out. Definitely need to sort this out!



2.  "Use the internet to your advantage. Share your ideas with other people and collaborate with them." - Dan Matutina 



This a piece of advice I'm starting to see the benefit of already. There are so many sites and networking applications at our disposal as illustrators, many of them free. They can be a great way to promote your own work and meet other designers. I think we've all taken a step in the right direction just by creating a blog, but there are a few other sites/platforms I think I could benefit from using, for example facebook, tumblr, behance, etc. Signing up to twitter has been really interesting for me also. I don't post many personal tweets but its great place to post links to my blog, and is cool for informally chatting to other illustrators who are on there; of which there are many. Only recently I heard of a charity exhibition opportunity via twitter, and as able to share it with other people in the class as something for us to get involved with, so I really do think this is a great piece of advice, and probably an opportunity missed if we don't take advantage of what we can do via the internet.





3.  "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts" - someone clever



Originally by Aristotle but adopted by uni, this quote was on a hand out of composition principles given to us not long ago. In the context of design it's their way of telling us about how simplifying an image down and making it less crowded can really help the composition and look of a piece. I always try and think about this when coming up with an idea, and seeing as though I'm quite partial to minimalist film posters and alike, I always seem to find myself doing the opposite. I think sometimes my ideas are a bit weak and I try and compensate by adding more elements, either in the form of bits of imagery, or more textures or marks. I think I probably convince myself that adding more stuff will solve the problem, but obviously if the idea isn't sound then it's not really going to make any difference. I do this as I'm going along also so I end up deviating from what I originally wanted to do,and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Oddly enough I think that on the flip side, I sometimes make things too simple and they end up being a bit boring, or not easy to understand. I'm definitely aiming to create a piece that has both a strong idea, and a strong efficient visual that includes just the vital elements without any added extras. That's the plan anyway...

Things I have learnt... #2

So after completing my editorial illustration a couple of weeks ago, we were asked about things we had learnt from the project and which aspects we thought were successful, so I've posted my answers below along with the image I did. 

Things I have learnt....

It doesn't have to be literal for people to understand. - We did a bit of work on metaphors before the project  began, and whilst doing the editorial I was worried that any metaphors or interpretations I used might have been too many degrees away for people to understand. So it was about trying to find the balance between not being completely literal and just drawing a picture of something that is obvious or is described in the text, but also not being too far away from the essence of the article. I also learnt that maybe readers aren't looking for an image that they completely get, but just something that sparks an interest and makes them want to read the article.

Successful aspects....

I think the overall look of the piece came together quite well. I was a bit worried about drawing the figure as I tend to shy away from it, but I think keeping it quite simple worked quite well. There are bits that I think could be improved but I'm quite happy with how the colours and textures came together also.

I think the idea of the game and the polygraph read outs came together quite well, as I like the idea that there a couple of different layers to it, both cheating the game and the readouts, but also how it developed into being in his head; in his mind.

I think I could improve on the shape of the figure and how his brain fits into the line of his head, it jars just slightly for me.

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Things I have learnt...

Im running a bit late with this, but a few weeks ago after coming to the end of our studio work on the competition briefs (mine being the James and the Giant Peach cover), we were asked to fill in a little sheet about our motivations and things we have learnt. I've posted mine below.

What motivates me :

Looking at the work of others and hoping to come up with something as good myself. - I spend a lot of time looking through other peoples work and trying to pick out which things I like about it. I think sometimes when on a piece constantly, you can get to close to it and lose a bit of perspective. I think stepping back and having a quick look around at some different work helps me to make decisions about my own work, and often gives me something to aim for. I always have the feeling that I could do better with my work, and although you want to feel happy with it, I think it's probably good that I want to do better because it means I'm constantly looking for ways to improve.

Things I have learnt :

1. Always push things a step further, as you can always go back.

- This something that I've learnt during the book cover module. I think there came a point where I'd thought I'd probably finished, and then someone would say 'take it further' or 'try this' and after taking their advice I think the piece got better, and even if something didn't work at least I'd given it a try and wasn't left wondering if it could have been better had I tried it. If that makes sense. 

2. Start work earlier as it gives more time for playing and editing.

- For the book cover project, I think it was the first time I actually finished before the deadline and had had he chance to play around and make some edits because of the extra time. I usually spend a lot of time thinking about what I want to do but not actually doing it because I'm worried that it's going to go wrong and not work out. I did spend a few days just staring at my roughs and wondering what to do, but there came a point where I just got on the computer and put together the majority of my front cover in literally a couple of hours. I usually put things off because I'm worried I'm going to waste loads of time putting something together for it not to work out. Particularly because I don't feel I've really found a way of working that I'm comfortable with / produces the results I want. 

But as the main parts of the cover came together quickly, it mean't I had more time to add bits and build it up, and it gave me more confidence to just get stuck in earlier because even though it might go wrong; it also might go right.

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