Publishing/Editorial

I am starting to think more about where my work would suitably fit in to the illustration industry. At the moment I have a lot of experience with publishing briefs and I would say that this is the main thing my practice revolves around right now. However, moving forward I would like to try out more editorial work. I feel like I haven't taken all the opportunities I could have done so far regarding my choice of briefs. Because I enjoy working with narrative I always choose story-based briefs, but stepping out of my comfort zone to work around a theme found in an article also sounds like something I would really enjoy. I like the idea of being able to focus my work on a topic, researching and exploring it as I go along, then moving on to something else. My aim for this year and next is to tackle more of these kind of briefs, to fully explore the full potential of my practice.

Study Task - Industry Research Presentation

1. Consider where your practice currently stands and what your ambitions are for it's future.

At the moment my practice contains shape driven, textured imagery. I want to take this into working on more publishing briefs, composition and content of imagery. Want to focus on more narrative as I like working from literature and stories.

2. The creative professionals you have identified to date, their work and the influence they may have on the development of your practice.

Blink Art
Little White Lies
Nobrow Press/Flying Eye Books
Popshot Magazine
Central Illustration Agency
The Artworks Illustration Agency
The Folio Society
Penguin

Little White Lies - Timba Smits (The Carol Issue)
Popshot Magazine - Thomas Danthony (Adventure Issue)
Flying Eye Books - Owen Davey

3. Who you intend to approach for an interview and why? What will your line of questioning be? How will this inform your practice?

I intent to approach either Jon or Tom from Handsome Frank Illustration Agency. They house some of my favourite illustrators including Helen Musselwhite, Paul Blow and Thomas Danthony.
Questions would be around what they think makes a good illustrator and how they choose who to represent, also the qualities within an illustration which make it successful.
My aim is to make some useful connections and gain advice from people who are experienced in the field.

NEST Launch

Me and Shelly went to see our collaboration buddy Erin at the Nest launch today. It is really nice to start integrating a bit more with the other courses, this year has felt much more relaxed in getting to know other people from other areas of creative practice, especially Graphic Design - I think the responsive module has helped with this but also maybe because last year it was daunting enough to meet so many new people on the course, let alone more people from outside Illustration/block 1 in Liberty Park.

Visiting Lecturer - Kristyna Baczynski

https://uk.pinterest.com/sw255328/aesthetic/

The biggest piece of advice I took from the guest lecture with Kristyna Baczynski was to say yes, I sometimes overthink decisions too much - whereas if you just say yes to opportunity then you can try out a variety of experiences, hopefully some of which will lead to bigger and better things.

Setting restrictions

Something that also resonated with me was the way Kristyna talked about setting restrictions for yourself within a piece of work, whether that be with colour/frame/etc. I definitely find it easier to work to a clear brief, so thinking about this for yourself even if it is not necessarily a requirement at the start of a project could help to produce something that is effective and communicates well.

Who to Contact? Initial Ideas

People I may want to interview -

Publishers - find people involved with..

• The Folio Society - Art Director, Sheri Gee or House of Illustration Colin McKenzie
• Penguin Random House - Jim Stoddart, art director
• Nobrow Press
• Little White Lies
• Popshot Magazine

Agencies

• Central Illustration Agency - Benjamin Cox or Tess Redburn
• Handsome Frank Illustration agency - Jon or Tom
• Blink Art - Helen Parker, head of Illustration
• The Artworks Illustration Agency - Stephanie Alexander-Jinks, Lucy Scherer or Alex Gardner

Practitioners I admire

• Lisa Perrin
• Lizzy Stewart
• Laura Carlin
• Jim Kay - try to contact through old tutor