End Of Module Evaluation

PPP Presentation

Industry report

Life's A Pitch

Applied

The applied illustration module gave me the chance to focus on children's book illustration and research the processes and applications for my illustrations. We looked into the industry trends surrounding or practice to see what was popular at the moment, sales trends and marketing. I also wanted to experiment more with the processes involved in applying my illustrations to products but ran out of time. I illustrated 6 pages of the book that could be used to pitch the book to a publisher and also mocked up some examples of products that could accompany the book such as bags and children's clothing.

I want to get this book finished, I came up with the story myself and I think it added more pressure to my illustrations, I was confident in the story and wanted to make sure I did it justice. On the plus side I am going to keep working on the book over summer and will have the time to experiment with a range of materials and techniques. I want to test out printing on a range of papers and try different book binding methods. I would also like to find out if their are any children's book fairs local enough for me get some copies printed and take them along to possibly sell or to just get some feedback. I found last year that the main changes to my practice happened over summer when I had the time to apply what I had learned throughout level 4. I want to make sure I stay on the front foot. I want to make sure I focus over the summer and try to tailor my practice to children's book illustration and learn more about the industry through networking and research.

Presentation prompts

Slide 1
- Hello
-My name is...
 - I am...

Slide 2
- I wanted to show a comparison between my final piece of work last year and one of my most recent.
- I think my work changed a lot over summer, when I had time to apply what I had learned through the year
- But it wasn't until we started on 504 that I where I wanted to focus my practice.

Slide 3
- In 504 I researched Neil Gaiman.. looked more at his ideas surrounding storytelling than his works
- made me change the way I think about my illustrations
- focus on narrative, communication and the effects on the viewer.

Slide 4
- I made this picture book to demonstrate his views on the negative view of escapism, chose not to use any words to try and tell they story entirely through illustration with only a quote at the start to add context.
- I became very interested in narrative illustration at this point. specifically children's books

Slide 5
- When we started responsive I tried to find briefs that we focussed on children's book illustration
- I wanted to learn more about the processes involved and what publishers are looking for
- I chose briefs that focus on different areas of children's book illustration.

Slide 6
- At the same time as responsive I started to research a range of children's book illustrator's on my PPP blog.
I looked at how they how they apply their illustrations to narratives, problem solve and approach narratives.
- I also looked for interviews where they talk about interactions with publishers and give advice on being a professional illustrator.

Slide 7
- Jon Klassen
- he says he treats illustrating children's books as problem solving
- That you can use symbols that the audience will recognise to tell the story the better they get the more of a range of symbols they have and they can tell more complicated stories with them.

Slide 8
- Probably my favourite children's book illustrator
- I read an interview talking about how he got his first book published by a Korean publisher
- He then went to work with non profit organisations in India

Slide 9
- The applied illustration module allowed me to concentrate on producing a children's book
- I did not have time to illustrate the entire book so I illustrated 6 pages that I though would work well to pitch the book to a publisher

Slide 10
- As well as the book itself I looked at appropriate products that could be sold alongside it
- I have mocked up these images to show how they look but would like to finish the book over summer and experiment with materials and processes like bookbinding.

Slide 11
- I have been trying to find information about how illustrators interact with authors, publishers and retailers.
- Amanda hall's website contains an FAQ section that is made up of interviews covering a wide range of topics related to professional practice.
- I found these interviews extremely useful and informative
- I would like to get some more hands on industry experience over summer.

Slide 12
- I think these are fairly self explanatory
- These are three things I want to learn more about
- Agents - understanding their role
- Production- the importance of knowledge of processes
- Collaboration- how collaboration with authors works

Slide 13
- What I want to do next year...
- Enter more competitions that are focussed on my practice and will help me to improve and learn new skills
- Attend and exhibit at book fairs and similar events
- Get in touch with publishers and possibly pitch my work
- Work with authors on children's books.

Slide 14

- This is where I am now
- Knackered
- I had a full head of hair at the beginning of the year
- I think my practice is much more focussed and I am starting to develop an understanding of the industry and where my practice fits into it.

Industry Report Draft

For this report I have gathered interviews with a number of practitioners that I was unfortunately unable to interview myself as well as an interview I conducted with Joe Duffield, a local screen printer and longstanding member of Leeds's creative community. I started reading interviews with successful practitioners whose work inspires me such as Chris Haughton, Jon Klassen and Amanda Hall. When talking about the journey that has led them to where they are now they all highlight one key commission or project that acted as a catalyst for their career. Their paths vary greatly but they all feel that this moment came about almost by chance. In reading their back stories it seemed to me that they all put themselves in the position get their opportunity by concentrating on their practice, networking and being open to a range of opportunities even if they were not necessarily where they wanted their practice to go. The importance of this work ethic was reinforced to me when I spoke to Joe Duffield. When he first started his business he was "doing 15 or 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you want to go home at 6 and watch telly your not really putting the work in." he said that being self employed "keeps you on your toes", he told me that nearly all his clients are introduced to him through "word of mouth" and networking to the point that he no longer actively advertises the business. His clients come to him because of the quality of his work which means he needs to keep up his high standards at all times, one job done badly could have serious knock on effects for future business.

I asked Joe about how he communicates with his clients, which platforms are the most useful and what common issues he encounters. He talked about struggling to keep up with all the different social media platforms. Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are useful tools for maintaining an online presence but can add a time consuming extra process to running a business as well as making communication with clients and job scheduling more complicated. Joe told me that he has got rid of his business phone as 9 out of 10 calls were cold calls and that the most efficient form of communication was email. Emails allow all the information to be written down and organised in one place and can be refereed back to at a later date.  

Joe said that his clients are easy to work with, he mainly works for individuals. he mentioned that working for corporations can prolong the process create communication problems if the clients needs are being passed through several people before they get to him, or vice versa. The most common issue he comes across is people leaving jobs until the last minute leaving him with very tight deadlines. This often leads to Joe working into the night and putting in extra hours. he has to make sure that he does not sacrifice quality by agreeing to unrealistic deadlines. In this sense it is clear that Joe like Chris Haughton, Jon Klassen and Amanda hall, created their own luck by opening doors for themselves through hard work, confidence and adaptability.

[I have edited this post several times using Blogger. This version is my finished Industry Report]

Interview Reflection

Today I interviewed Joe Duffield who runs No Brand Print which is a screen printing company based on Mabgate in Leeds. He previously worked with a partner in a similar business called Dots Printhaus and before that White label clothing that specialised in small runs of clothing from a range of illustrators and clothing designers. I have known Joe for a number of years and have worked with him on a few projects in that time. Joe works with illustrators and other creatives regularly through his practice and has run a successful business for a number of years. He is well known in and around Leeds within the network of creatives. I thought he would be able to give me a good insight into turning creative processes into a viable business model and they challenges involved. I started out by asking him about networking and how he advertises his business. he said that he does little to no advertising and that his client base has built up through word of mouth. He says that your practice is the most important thing and that you are only as good as the work you produce. Doing a good job can lead to more work and new business in the future but doing a bad job can seriously damage your reputation. He says that being self employed "keeps you on your toes" as all the time you are working you are representing yourself and forming relationships that will determine how successful you are in future. When he talks about networking he is not talking about social media, no doubt Instagram can help you show your work to a bigger audience but a network of clients and practitioners will have a more direct impact on the success of your business. Joe is situated in an area of Leeds that has become a popular location for creative practitioners and feels that this has benefits, He knows lots of local artists and shop owners that provide work for each other and set up events that benefit them and the area as a whole.

I asked Joe what the main issues are when dealing with customers. He said he doesn't have too much trouble as he mostly deals with small businesses and individuals rather than corporations. He told me that working with corporations tends to prolong each stage of the process. Instead of dealing with one person information can be passed through a number of people making it easier for misunderstandings and mistakes to happen. It is also more complicated in terms of getting paid as you will have a complicated process and an accounting department to deal with instead of just sending an invoice to one person. One issue that is common to a large number of his customers is contacting him at the last minute to produce work with a very tight deadline. This often leads to him working late and putting in extra hours to get jobs done. This is something I need to get used to. We are set deadlines at college but they are designed to be enough time to get the work done. joe has to balance getting the job done in time, especially if it is for a specific event and making sure the work is completed to a high quality, rushing to get a job done could seem like the right thing to do to make the customer happy but if it is not up to your usual standard it could have an effect on your reputation and then your business.

Pricing is something I have always struggled with, it is a big issue for young creatives who are often encouraged to work for very little or even for free to benefit their portfolio. I worked for years creating spray paint murals and was often greeted with shocked expressions when quoting process to customers. Joe researched his competition when he started out and set his pricing according to his competitors. We talked about working out costs, wages and materials as a way to decide on what to charge. joe said this was difficult to do and as a result he had done it once when he started out and not changed it since, only upping his prices by 5% as costs went up.

I asked Joe what advice he has for someone starting out in the creative industries. He said I should just concentrate on my work. Work hard and put in the hours. he talked about how his working days changed when he moved from working for someone else to working for himself. He talked about working 15 or 16 hour days, 7 days a week. he said that everything became exciting working for himself, even if it was just putting up a shelf in his new studio, we stopped going to the pub on a Friday and concentrated all his time on improving his practice and networking. Again he did not really see social media as the best way to network, instead he talked about making connections within the local creative community, connections that can bring work in, from collectives and provide services. He also said not to go around schmoozing, just to get involved and create connections that are mutually beneficial.

I asked him about communicating with clients and whether social media was beneficial. he said that he has missed out on jobs through not checking Facebook or Instagram messages regularly. These platforms can be useful to practitioners just starting out but keeping up with a range of different communication methods can be time consuming and cause confusion. having an online presence is useful but having to keep up with a number of platforms could end up being more work that it is worth. It was interesting that Joe said he had got rid of the work phone because nearly all the calls he received were cold calls. He said that emails are by far the best way to communicate with clients, all the information is written down and can be referred back to at any point. this is also true of social media but with email all the messages are kept in one place. He told me that phone can be difficult if you are working on a number of jobs at the same time and trying to jot down all the necessary information for the job, especially if it spans a number of calls.

Joe No Brand Interview

I have typed up sections of the interview that I thought were relevant to my practice.

How important is networking within the creative industries?

Networking's really important. I get nearly all my work from word of mouth. I get a bit through the website but even that comes from knowing people. being self employed keeps you on your toes, you are only as good as your last job. Your reputation is everything, we have lots of regulars and recommendations.

Your in the middle of it all here, aren't you? (arts quarter)

Yes, I have kind of got myself in a nice little situation, I know a lot of artists, shop owners and people that I get on well with. We do a good job and the work keeps coming in. We don't really advertise.

What are the common issues when dealing with clients?

usually the customers always wrong haha. Most of the customers are alright, I don't tend to work with many corporations, I mostly work with artists or bands. Working with corporations always takes longer, you have to deal with a number of people instead of just one. They always want thing s done straight away. people leaving things to the last minute is the most common issue. We often end up working late to meet deadlines because the we do a lot of work for bands and events, and the printing seems to be the last things they think of.

How do you price your work?

When we started out we looked at what our competitors were doing, figured out the average and tried to price ourselves just below that. A long time ago we worked out our prices by adding up materials, hourly rate and costs and I have stuck to that since, I think I have increased my prices by 5% over the years. Its difficult to add up all the costs so once we figured out a price we stuck with it. We are sometimes asked to price match other companies, sometimes I will, it depends on the job. I think people tend to try and haggle more with small businesses, I have noticed this at the last 3 businesses I have worked for.

What advice would you give to people starting out?

Concentrate on the work you're producing and do it well, network, but not Instagram. Work really hard and put the time in, if you're good at what you do people will come to you. When we started dots we were doing 15 or 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you want to go home at 6 and watch telly your not really putting the work in.

How do you communicate with clients?

It's all online. I lose some work through Facebook by not checking messages. I have got rid of the company phone, because 9 times out of ten its cold calls. Emails are the best for communicating with clients because its all written down in one place and can be referenced. With phone calls it can be hard to note down all the information, especially if you are working on multiple jobs at the same time. if I am working late and can't phone the client with emails I can look back and find the information I need, its just more organised that way.

Chris Haughton Again

I was looking through another interview with Chris Haughton, in this one he talks more about his journey and how he got his first book published. He also goes into detail about the fair trade work he does and how it has become part of his practice.

"It was always my dream to make a picture book, but I didnt have any confidence in my writing until that point. That was about 6 years ago and I took some time off, came up with a few ideas and just tried my luck by visiting the Bologna book fair and showing my ideas to publishers. I was particularly drawn to the foreign publishers actually as their books stalls seemed to be very creative and visual compared to the English language section. I emailed thirty publishers with my idea, in the end it was a Korean publisher who was most enthusiastic and published my first book (Little Owl Lost). I actually moved to Seoul for 6 months and finished it there. For 18 months the book was only in Korean, in fact even my name was written in korean characters and when i showed it to friends and family they didn’t believe that I had made it! I was worried that it would not be translated into English at all as it had been to the fairs twice without getting picked up, it is the fate of most Korean books even though they are so many fantastic ones. Eventually I found Walker/Candlewick when I came back to London and took it to them myself and have been working with them ever since. I am still working in fair trade and looking for more and more ways to bring the books and fair trade work together."

It is interesting to hear about his first book not being picked up at first and him thinking it would never be translated into English. His books have done really well and its easy to assume that it was just an easy process fro him to get them published. It shows that you need to have confidence in your work and your ideas and that you have to be persistent. I am working on a book at the moment and when I am happy with it I think I should take it to some book fairs, even if it just to try and get some feedback.

"Yes, I have been working as a designer for fair trade for the last ten years, mainly for the company People Tree and mainly as a voluntary thing. I just used to just help out when I could and send them some drawings and ideas from time to time. The work that came back was so beautifully hand-made that it gave me the idea to some day go over and somehow work directly with the makers out there and see what else we could develop. In 2010, I finished my first children’s book (little owl lost) and had some time and a little money so I moved to India and Nepal and ended up staying there for 8 months (you might be able to spot a pattern here!). I worked with four different groups in Nepal, mainly through People Tree. I made little cotton toys in a womens shelter project called Mahaguthi.I developed other toys for people tree with another group called Dhukuti. People Tree introduced me to Kumbeshwar and when i saw their rugs being made I was totally hooked. They are so beautifully made. Not only that but KTS has such an inspiring history, it was set up as a non-profit by a family from the lowest caste who owned a successful business and wanted to help the rest of their caste out of poverty. It seemed like an amazing thing to team up with so I set up a social business called madebynode.com. We invited lots of artists last year to create rugs for the design museum in london. Oliver Jeffers, Jon Klassen, Geoff McFetridge and lots of really great artists got involved and it was a lot of fun."

Working with these non profit groups is obviously very import to Chris Haughton and makes him more enthusiastic about creating work, knowing that it is for a good cause and will help people in need. This seems to be a lesson in seeing where your work leads you, follow a path through to the end, get involved with projects that you think are good. From the illustrators I have looked at they all have one moment that changed their practice but they all have very different paths. I think it would be easy to form an idea of how the industry works and then not be willing to move from that path to embrace new possibilities and ideas. It is tricky because you need to have a clear idea of what you want to do but at the same time need to be open to find new paths and embrace new ideas.

Industry Trends

As I am interested in illustrating children's books I thought it would be a good idea to look at the current industry trends. Children's publishing is doing very well at the moment with its market share increasing in nearly all countries. The one notable country that is not following that trend is Australia in which children's publishing already makes up a larger portion of the market than anywhere else. That percentage has fallen slightly but could just be starting to level out to match the trends in other countries. In any case children's publishing is doing very well at the moment providing opportunities for my practice but also increased competition.

I looked at the books that are popular at the moment to try and spot trends emerging, big book shops such as Waterstones are very useful for this research as they give you the number of books in each category which can give you an indication of which genres are selling. Obviously their stock list does not cover the entire industry but a company that large that stocks a wide range of genres acts as a good sized sample group.

The trends I noticed where:

- Books about wizards, monsters and dragons were very popular, possibly due to recent film successes from The Hobbit and Harry Potter.

- Classic stories are being brought up to date, including technologies and modern trends to make them more accessible to their audience.

- Anniversary editions/ reissues of well known stories, often special additions that are well crafted, illustrated and come with added extras like hardcovers. These could represent a more adult market, children's stories that are aimed at adults that remember them and want a special edition as a collectors item.

Joe No Brand Questions

Ideas For Questions

How important is networking within the creative industries?

What would you say you have learned about dealing with clients? What are the common issues?

How do you avoid troubles with pricing and payment?

What were the surprises when you left education, what did you still you need to learn?

How do you advertise your business?

What advice would you give to people starting out?

What would you say are the common mistakes that illustrators make with application of their work?

has communication changed over the time you have been working?

How important is it to stay up to date with trends and technologies?

Gabrielle Emanuel and E B Lewis

Gabrielle Emanuel

I found this article by Gabrielle Emanuel talking about cultural differences that change the meaning of stories and illustrations. Simple things like references to plants and animals that are not native to the culture can have unintended effects on the audience. She talks about children in mali not knowing whether blueberries or bears where real or just existed in fantasy. Perhaps more importantly ideas of what is appropriate change massively and it is important to understand the beliefs and moral codes of different cultures, for example in West Africa knees are considered to be a private part of the body and should be covered up.

"Why is she showing her knees? Everyone in this West African country knows knees are a private body part. We fixed the illustrations.
But, of course, these children's books weren't written with any of Mali's millions of children in mind."


While in Mali Gabrielle Emanuel decided they needed a children's book that was familiar to them. She wrote a story based on photographs she took and illustrations she made by tracing the photos. A year later when she was back in America she was introduced to E B Lewis, an award winning illustrator who was going to illustrate her book. He taught her a lot about illustration and the connection between writer and illustrator.

Both E B Lewis' quotes and the conclusions Gabrielle Emanuel draws from her interactions with him are both informative and inspiring. E B Lewis' understanding of his role in the storytelling process and the importance of that role are demonstrated by the way he talks about his work.

"Almost as soon as I scooted into the booth, he told me there was one theme that connected all the books he illustrates, "and it's emotion."

Enter E.B. Lewis.
"His arrival promptly ripped apart my long-held perception that a book's illustrations and words were nearly inseparable. I'd always imagined they were born together or, at least, in close collaboration.
With a chuckle, Lewis set me straight: "I don't think about the author at all. They had their opportunity to play in their sandbox, and now this is my turn to play."

"Immediately, I noticed that he spoke as an author as much as an artist.
He talked about "writing" the images. He said he spends time thinking about the punctuation in his paintings. A comma is an element that gives the child's eyes a little visual break. An exclamation mark helps indicate the drama of the scene. Lewis talked about this in a matter-of-fact manner: "This visual language is actually a language, and I don't look at it as illustration."
It made me realize that a picture book is a story told in two languages: one that kids are learning, and the other that they're fluent in."

"First, color contrast. "Look at this one where she's pounding millet," he said, pulling out our book. The page is full of greens and oranges. "Then you turn the page and you go to these blues. So blue and orange are a direct contrast." This is almost like varying the inflection in your voice as you read aloud."

"In addition to learning what Lewis is doing, I also learned what he wasn't not doing.
He was not repeating the text. "That's already told. Why would I tell it again?" He flips to the last page of our story. The illustration is a panoramic view of a village at dusk. Everything feels quiet. Lewis admitted, "The text doesn't suggest any of that."

"Also, "you can never compete with a child's imagination," Lewis said. "Their imagination is going to be far greater than anything you can ever paint." This often means not depicting the most fundamental parts of a story.
As I listened to Lewis, I started to realize that we were both tiptoeing along a balance beam, trying to figure out just how much to give kids in order to inspire their own confidence. Confidence to trust their imagination. Confidence to see the written word as theirs to own."

I love this article, the dialogue between them, the planning of the book and the analysis of the theories she was being introduced to. The idea of not repeating the text is really important, I always try to show emotion through the characters in my work, to use the characters to add to the text not just act out what has already been said but I think it is something I should think about more, try to keep it in mind through the entire process of illustrating a narrative. I think it is important to concentrate on the subtleties of the story, trying to suggest ideas to the audience. I want to create illustrations that bring the viewers into the process, to create a connection between the narrative and the imagination. As E B Lewis says,  "you can never compete with a child's imagination," I want my illustrations to be the starting point of a process, to engage with peoples imaginations.

Amanda Hall 3

"Q - What advice do you have for someone who has written and illustrated a children’s book for the first time and is looking to publish it?

A - The world of publishing is very competitive and, especially now, in a state of uncertainty due to many factors, such as the global recession and the undercutting and closure of bookshops due to the rise of on-line retailers like Amazon. Emerging alternative technologies to printed books are another complication. Many publishers are uncertain of the future themselves and are therefore much less inclined to take market risks, as they might lose large amounts of money. However, they are in the business of making and selling books, so are also constantly searching for the right products and trends.  My advice, to give yourself the best chance to get through this barrage of negativity, would be to observe and understand the market you are trying to enter as clearly as possible before approaching them with your ideas. One way to get some insight into publishing might be by participating in a writer’s and/or illustrator’s group or organisation. I have added some suggestions on this in the section other sources of advice, as well as some useful books that are full of better advice than I can outline here. In addition, go and have a look around with your own eyes at what’s selling in bookshops and on the internet. Research the number of pages, target age group, text length per page and ratio of text to pictures of the market you are aiming for to get as clear a picture as you can.

Also find out who publishes the kind of book you are creating. Look at publishers’ websites to see what they publish, as you can often order their catalogue via the website or by ringing their switchboard.

You’ll find that many of the larger publishing houses are segmented into different imprints specialising in books for different markets. It’s really important to find the right imprint, which will have its own name – for example, MacMillan Publishers Ltd has several imprints, including Campbell Books and Young Picador. MacMillan is the parent company.

Through your research, try to assess realistically whether your story might be of interest to your chosen publisher. Is it at the standard they publish already, and is it akin to some of their other books?

If, after your research and feedback from honest friends and colleagues, you feel confident that your work might get a favourable response from a publisher you’ve identified, look them up in the Writer’s & Artist’s Yearbook – see Other Sources of Advice. You’ll probably be able to find out whether the publisher is willing to see unsolicited manuscripts MSS. If they are unwilling, it’s a complete waste of time to send anything and your next best approach might be to find an Illustration Agent. If you can’t find out elsewhere, you could try ringing the publisher’s switchboard. If they confirm that they are willing to see unsolicited MSS, find out the name and role of the person you should send your package to."

I am interesting in illustrating children's books and found this section of Amanda hall's website with questions related specifically to getting a book published. Her answer starts off with some negative points but then quickly moves in to useful advice and links to organisations and books that provide information and guidance for illustrators and authors. In the interview she talks about the best ways to approach authors and the pro's and con's of being able to contact publishers worldwide. Technology means that we can now communicate with publishers all over the globe rather than being limited by our location or forced to move to find work. the downside is that publishers are now inundated with work and have had to make it harder to contact them directly. the level of competition has gone up and it is important to know the right ways to contact publishers and how to present your work to them. She mentions that if publishers like your work they will often keep a file of it that they can refer to when a job comes up that would suit your practice so if you do not hear back straight away it does not mean that you have wasted your time. She suggests getting in touch after a certain amount of time just to check that they have successfully received your work, this may even lead to you getting some feedback.

Amanda Hall 2

"In terms of what you could expect from them if you were taken on (what they do for their commission) – they can offer you wider visibility within the industry, I believe that advertising/  design clients are more likely to consider an illustrator’s work if it is being introduced by an agent, they will also generally be able to negotiate better contracts – terms and money as well as hopefully take the hassle out of jobs if difficulties arise. There are no guarantees of regular work though – agents are chasing work like the rest of us. I have an illustrator friend who was represented by a top London illustration agency and got a lot of lovely, well paid jobs, but also had long periods with nothing coming through, she began to explore other markets as a result, although the agency work picked up again eventually. I hope that’s helpful, it can be very difficult to get established in doing the kind of illustration work you find satisfying, as well as making a living. I think that you would gain something from approaching some agents. Good luck!"

This another quote from Amanda Hall's FAQ pages, in this interview she discusses the role of agents within the industry. She mentions in a earlier answer that she was given a list of agents by The Association of Illustrators when she was a member. Associations like these can provide benefits, information and help for practitioners. She talks about agents being picky when selecting which illustrators to represent and that a lot of firms reduced their numbers because of the recession so finding an agent could potentially prove difficult. Having an agent is no guarantee of regular work but can help you to gain wider visibility within the industry and remove a lot of stress involving communicating with clients, negotiating price and getting paid. I think a lot of companies will be more comfortable with hiring an illustrator through their agent, they add a level of professionalism that is not necessarily familiar to many creative practitioners. Agents will charge you a fee for their services, usually around 10-15% of the money you make on commissions you got through them. This obviously has an effect on your income but it is offset by agents negotiating better contracts for you.

Amanda Hall

Amanda Hall's website has a very detailed FAQ section that is made up of interviews and contains a large amount of information regarding the processes involved in professional illustration. I have found her site very useful when working on other projects this year especially in regards to applied illustration. She offers advice on interacting with publishers and how her practice developed from leaving education up to the present.

"Q - How did you make the transition from student to professional?

A - It was quite a shock for me, going from being at college with a room full of other students to working alone all the time, although it was less distracting and I probably got more done. It took a long time to learn how to be disciplined enough to keep my head down and also to build strategies to compensate for working alone and avoid feeling isolated.


Q - How did you get into the industry?


A - After I left Cambridge Art School I moved to London to look for work. I had already illustrated a pack of Happy Family cards for Dinosaur to be sold in National Trust shops. It was great to have that in my folio to show that I could see a job through, as well as my student projects which included a series of drawings for Old Mother Hubbard. I rang round lots of publishers and made appointments, which you could still do fairly easily then. I had done a bit of work experience while still at college, at the ‘Part Works’ company Orbis in Covent Garden, and then went on to work for an ex-tutor in a graphic design studio near Tottenham Court Road. I also worked for a typographer/designer I was put in contact with and who designed books for ELTA OUP – part of Oxford University Press –  from his studio in Clapham. I worked there on and off for a few years and would get odd bits of illustration for the OUP books to take home and do on a freelance basis – that gave me a start. My ‘Old Mother Hubbard’ pictures were spotted by a man in an antiquarian bookshop in Covent Garden who made me an appointment to see someone at Aurum Press. They commissioned me to illustrate the rest of the book, so I was of launched like that. Looking back it was all a bit haphazard."

I keep reading interviews with successful practitioners where they isolate a turning point or a single project that kick started their professional practice. They often talk about it as being quite lucky but I think it has more to do with putting yourself in the position to grab these opportunities, being willing to take part in projects that you may not see as central to your practice but that can act as a stepping stone to what you want to achieve by introducing your work to a larger audience or making a connection with a person or company that may lead to more work in the future.

Q" - Are websites such as childrensillustrators.com worth it?  They are so huge!

A - It can be worthwhile, as a site like that is going to get a lot of visitors, especially if you haven’t yet got enough work to create your own website, or you could put some of your work on a website like childrensillustrators.com as a showcase in addition to having your own site. Obviously these sites cost, so you’ll need to weigh it up. However, you can of course offset any charges against tax, as long as you have a receipt."

This is an interesting question. I would like to look more at the costs and rewards of using sites like these. It is a way to get your work seen by a very large pre existing audience and an audience that is specific to your needs as an illustrator (people looking for illustrators to commission). it is quite a daunting step to have your work showcased alongside other professionals but it would be a huge confidence boost if you did receive jobs through this process knowing you were chosen. The cost is obviously the biggest drawback of using these sights and it would be hard to know what the rewards were likely to be before joining. You would need to make a decision about whether your work was up to a standard you felt happy with, a standard that you felt represented you and your practice. It would be interesting to talk to other illustrators that have used these sites and see what their view was and whether the process was successful and cost effective.

Starting Preparation For Presentation

I have just read the brief again to try and clarify the focus of my presentation and have tried to pull out key points from the brief to act as a starting point for my preparation.

Reflection on BOTH PPP and Responsive!!

Who am I:

- As a learner

- As an illustrator

How have my aims and ambitions changed over the course of the year.

Identify:

- Creative concerns

- Personal Aims

- Professional Ambitions

I ma going to decide what I think are the most important changes to myself and my practice this year then break these themes down into more detailed reflections on when and why I have made these changes. I want to create a framework for my presentation that I can build on using examples of work from myself and practitioners that have influenced me, Specific experiences that have changed my perspective about my work and the direction I am going. I want to talk about the methodology of successful practitioners and their journey from university to where they are now. I feel a bit lost at this point so think I should work on a structure for my presentation.

Introduction

Narrative

Focus (children's books)

Concerns

Influence

Direction

Aims

Next year

Slide Planning

Last year I used 20 slides for a 10 minute presentation that seemed to work quite well. I am going to plan this presentation the same way and make adjustments if I think it will help the flow of the presentation.

1- Quick introduction and background

2- Practice moving towards narrative

3- How this move has changed how I view my work

4- Changes in development

5- Focussing on children's books

6- Examples of my work and thought process

7- Change in approach to my work

8- Creative concerns surrounding children's books

9- Industry concerns

10- Chris Haughton- work

11- Chris Haughton- Methods and practice

12- Jon Klassen- work

13 Jon Klassen- Methods and practice

14- Goals - illustrating children's books

15- 16- Learn more about:

-Process

-Production

-Collaboration

-Publishers

- Agents etc

17- next year

- enter more competitions

-speak to more people within the industry

18- Become more involved through

-book fairs

-retailers

-practitioners

etc

19- summary

20- finish