here are some pieces from year 2 I'm very pleased with

Work based learning

This year work based learning has been much for informative and fun compared to last year, I really feel I have learnt much more and feel I have got all that I can from the time tabled sessions - looking at forms and filling out blank ones was a refreshing way to get us to think about finance/invoices and copyright. It was great entering competitions and getting professional feedback, which will help me in the future. I feel I have kept on top of the work and hope I have created it to the best of my ability. Thank you Maria for your help this year.

TAX

In our final session of work based learning we looked at tax and national insurance. As freelance illustrators we are running a business, it helps to know about being a Tax applies very differently when bookkeeper, salesman, administrator and tax.being a self employed illustrator than it would if you were employed. this is a very scary topic for me but once broken down it seems quite managable

Copyright is a law that was made to protect people's creative work. It enables them to control where and how their work is shown.
What is covered?
Original work, literature, drama, music, sound recording, film and video, broadcasting, cable media, photographs, paintings.
In this session of WBL we looked at invoices and had a go at trying to fill out specific forms. I was confused about certain codes that needed to be on the form but then learned that the client will issue these codes.

this session was very helpful as copyright was a topic i had found daunting for a long time

Feedback from Buckland abbey

Hi Lisa

Thanks a lot for sending me the extra work, I hope your feeling a bit better. The crit went really well and they liked your design, but the said that they wanted something very spring based this time. They are interested in keeping your image for future events (I think it would be a perfect autumn events image) so its not a wasted effort. If you want to develop your idea for the deadline then go for a spring garden version and aim for an A-scale landscape format (although it doesn't say so in the brief they explained that they are working to a single template rather than the full range of templates identified in the NT corporate guidelines). I think that this is because they are not Graphic Designers so they have to stick to what they know.

I hope that this feedback is useful Lisa and it should be an extra email to include in your WBL project :-)

Best wishes


Phil

i am very pleased with this feedback, however feel i have too much work at the moment to make the changes they want. the stronger side of me thinks if they wanted these specifications they should have put them on the brief.

2nd competition

A second Buckland Abbey Competition has become available, which I was very excited to hear about. Given they liked my artwork in the previous competition I thought it would be a good opportunity to again get feedback from a highly thought of organization and to help get my name out there to local groups

Here is the final design I created for the Buckland Abbey estate.

I am very pleased with the outcome of this image; it expresses an autumnal harvest feel. It was created by drawing the Image by hand then scanning It Into the computer to add colour and texture. I feel I have responded to the brief well, showing a tranquil garden, showing clearly what the poster will be advertising and leaving room for text. I have sent the image and am now awaiting feedback.

getting the job

In this session of work based learning we discussed what would happen if we “got the job” we talked about questions we should ask if we were unsure about anything, for example:

When is the deadline (roughs and final)?

Is there a rejection fee?

What are the colour requirements?

Does the client have a method preference? E.g. watercolour, digital etc

What are the measurements?

Does the image need bleed?

What format would the client like the final image (PSD, Illustrator file)?

How is the image going to be used?

How much am I going to get paid?

Are there terms and conditions (image use, copyright)?

We really discussed what we should be aware of in terms of getting the commission and ensuring they are happy with the final outcome and continue to build a successful status.

Portfolio

In one of our sessions we discussed what should be in our portfolios and what should not

In the portfolio

·        12 pieces of excellent work

·        Work that is relevant to the market place

·        Versatility in your chosen sector - book covers showing various genre’s

·        Variation in sequence: single page spread & double page spreads

·        Clean portfolio sleeves

·        Work in context eg: editorial with text

·        Published work if possible

·        Size A3 or smaller – thick portfolio sleeves

                                             A3 – children’s books

                                             A4 – editorial

Not in portfolio

• Work that is weak
• Work that you cannot deliver
• Do not advertise work that you cannot create at home: for example-screen printing
• Sketches of your Gran cat etc
• Half finished work
• Life drawings

www.carbonmade.com and www.portfoliosfriend.com are two online portfolio sites where you can upload your work

This session of work based learning was very helpful in terms of informing me on what to put in my portfolio and where I can upload my portfolio to a website. Having a portfolio website works just as well as having your work on an agency website, however there are no agency fees or hassle. Before going to this session I would have never had thought to add variation of sequence to my portfolio – adding single and double page spreads to help present my work is new to me as I always understood that my work, when in a portfolio was to always be of the same dimensions.

advantages and disadvantages of having an agent

Advantages of having an agent:

• An agent will negotiate fees, discuss contracts, send invoices and chase payments.
• An agent will deal with the aspects of the industry (making phone calls, artwork changes, legal matters, meeting clients and promotion).
• More clients will get to see your work.
• Being alongside established illustrators can enhance your professional status.
• Your work could be seen overseas.
• An agent will be able to offer portfolio advice and give tips on current industry trends.
•  The agency will place your work online.
•  You will have more time to produce artwork.

Disadvantages of having an agent

• Agents will have a commission structure. The range being 25 -35%.
•  Agencies may have a large number of artists on their books. There may not be enough work for everyone.
• The agency may not allow you to have independent clients. Preferring all your commissions to come through their agency.
• You may not like the lack of control. You may prefer to deal with administration and clients yourself.
•  You need to communicate with your agent if you want to change your style of work.
• You may have to pay promotional costs (agency website, advertising material etc).
• Having an agent does not guarantee commissions!

Beehive is a Gloucestershire based illustrator’s agency that was established in 1990.There don’t seem to be any restrictions in submitting work; all they ask is that the illustrator submits no more than 5 low resolution images to the email when contacting them. There are 135 illustrators shown on the website, this shows that it is a very popular agency with great results.

                                                                          Ellen Hopkins
                                                                              

The illustrators Agency has been established since 1996 and to be a member of the illustrators managed by this company you must:

• have a minimum of five years experience as a professional illustrator.
• work on computer or at the very least have the ability to transfer files digitally.
• have a commercially viable style of illustration that you’re comfortable with and consistent in.
• have the ability to interpret a brief, meet a deadline, work within a budget and converse with clients in a congenial manner

Jen Collier 

A reflection of the competition

When creating the artwork for the Buckland Abbey Poster competition I was really excited, I quite liked the outcome of the poster and thought it was successful, it is a watercolour painting with black ink detail. However when I asked how I was expected to submit the work, I was told to send it digitally. When I scanned the image (in order to send it) it distorted and became very grainy. The quality lessened, I therefore put it into Illustrator and made the background a solid colour and sent the image. However I felt the quality still wasn’t as good as the original and generally became quite disappointed. I wish I asked how to submit the work before I created it, as I probably would have thought differently about the materials. I personally feel it also would have been nice to hand in the hard copy of the work so the viewer could see clearly the colour and detail.

A mind map of illustration disciplines

Alongside researching areas of illustration that I have not looked at before I have also found two artists from disciplines I am very interested in:

Helen turner has been working as a freelance illustrator since graduating from Nottingham Trent University with a Ba Honours in Graphic Design in 2003.
She has created cards for Hallmark and Watermark and has regularly illustrated for Mizz and Bliss magazine. The combination of traditional techniques with digital software such as
Photoshop creates beautiful imagery full of character. Turner also uses interesting fabrics and textures in her work which aids in the bringing to life of her characters.

Yellena James grew up and attended art school in Sarajevo. At the age of 18 she moved to the U.S. and gained her BA in painting and graphic design at UCF. James mainly uses pens, inks, markers and acrylics to create intricate pieces transforming abstract forms and making them come to life. Her detailed arrangements of organic shapes and lines create a fresh and unique twist on floral designs.   

A brief reflection of session 3 – in this session we were asked to create a mind map of all the different disciplines of illustration and choose 2 that we haven’t researched before to look into – I found this session quite refreshing as it give me the opportunity to investigate areas which perhaps I thought were out of my skill range or didn’t capture my attention. I also put together some questions I would personally like to ask an established artist/illustrator - which i fully plan to do.

In the third session I began researching areas of illustration I have not looked at before, I started with Medical Illustration where I came across Peter Gardiner, I must say I found his work interesting however it has not changed my view overall – I still find it too strict for my style of work. The second discipline I researched was Fashion Illustration and found the work of Bobby Hillson – I fell in love with her work and really love the detail applied in her images. I have found that fashion illustration is a beautiful sub-topic of illustration and is definitely something I would like to research further, I am worried however that my skills would need to be improved for me to consider a route such as this.

Peter Gardiner is the Managing Director of Clinical Skills Ltd, a company set up to provide an illustrated portfolio of clinical skills procedures for educational and reference purposes.
Gardiner’s work has appeared regularly over the years in many UK nursing and medical publications he is also a co-author of the book, Surgical Procedures in Primary Care (Oxford University Press, 1995), which won First Prize in its category in the British Medical Association's Medical Book Competition in 1996

Bobby Hillson has been creating fashion illustrations throughout her career. She worked as a full time illustrator for vogue. In the 60’s she created her own childrens wear brand that was sold internationally and pieces from an early collection were acquired by the Bath Museum of Costume for permanent display.

Then in the late 70’s she returned to Saint Martin's where she had studied and set up the MA Fashion Course. She famously offered Alexander McQueen a place on the course when he made an unscheduled visit to the college
Hillson lives and works in London. She doesn’t have a website but can be contacted through www.fashionillustrationgallery.com
FIG was created to promote and sell original artworks made by artists who have worked as fashion illustrators
info from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/biographies/bobby-hillson

       http://www.medical-illustrator.co.uk/

Here is the artwork I created for the National Trust Christmas poster competition. I used watercolour paints and ink to create a contrast. I am very happy with the outcome of the poster. Silhouettes are something I would like to see more and more of in my work.

The second session of work based learning was a group interview with Ian Hankey – however my interview ended up being a one-one as the members of my group joined in with the group interview before. The tutorial was again getting me to consider work experience placements, where I basically told him my plans and how I will go about achieving them. I was also shown where to find the relevant forms to fill out as part of the coursework. Finally with Maria, I was told about various competitions which I could enter for experience – I was particularly interested in a National Trust Christmas poster competition, which I plan on entering.     



Year 2 Work Based Learning

In our first session of work based learning, we were primarily introduced to the brief and what would be expected of us throughout the project. We were asked to consider work placements we could embark on as part of our coursework. I was lucky enough to get some commissions over the summer which could be used as a freelance artist work experience. I personally would like to enter illustration competitions as I feel my commissions over summer weren’t always illustration based, I am also considering a work placement in a gallery/studio alongside an established artist.

The above image is a painting I did for a couple to commemorate their engagement.