I am starting to understand what kind of work I am interested in, particularly in regards to media and tone of voice. For example, I've almost abandoned the heavily digital stuff that I was more into in first year. I also have some interest in self-publishing, for example the zines I have made and the proposal we did for Sad Mag. I also have the beginnings of an online social media presence- which at a glance looks good but I haven't found that I get much from it- in terms of work. Having 3000 instagram followers is fine but if they're all, e.g. teenage girls, then not much in terms of commissions will come from it*. Still, I don't want to just have an online presence for the £££, and it's a fun experience and I have begun to get to know other illustrators through it.
*except the multiple requests to make something for someone else's zine and not see any profit from it
Where should I be?
I think by this point I should be more decided on where I want to be. I have a vague idea of going into publishing/ editorial but don't have much work that fits that context to use in my portfolio- which I think I should. By now I also wonder if I should have started to make more contacts (beyond being casual acquaintances with other illustrators) and begin to think about my visual identity.
Where do I want to be?
At this point I am picturing myself in publishing and editorial, with a small focus of personal self published side projects- if anything just to keep me sane. Since doing my work for OUIL505 I am also beginning to become interested in children's books, though don't plan on making it my entire practice. Looking at illustrators like Laura Carlin this does seem achievable.
One of my main focuses over the next year is also to gain more knowledge of industry, specifically publishing/ editorial- how people get work, how they get commissioned, how agents work.
How am I going to get there? What do I need to do?
I need to make contacts- not just other illustrators but also publishers, art directors and agents. I need to get together a solid portfolio with relevant pieces, though I think having personal projects in there is important too. I also need to work on my visual/ online identity and just keep working on improving myself as an illustrator!
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Feedback / notes from the tutorial
- Collaboration may well be an important part of my practice and I should discuss that
- Agents are useful and you can have more than one for different locations / types of illustration. Go international, dream big
- Identify who/ what I want to work for
- Business cards will be good for the end of year show
- The presentation is like a pitch of myself
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