'Inselparadies' by William Edmonds

I bought this zine by William Edmonds from the village bookstore in town. I was drawn to it because of the simplicity of media and the fluidity of line in his painting and drawing. I think the combination of ink/watercolour and coloured pencil is really understated but beautiful, and adds this naive sketchy quality to the work. Buying this has made me think about how recently I have been overcomplicating my media processes, as I feel final pieces need to have a sense of finish to them. I now realise however that leaving media in its raw form and letting it speak for itself provides a greater sense of spontaneity and the handmade. This year, so far, I have been wanting to further develop my drawing ability and style and I think working in a similar way to this illustrator to create more simple understated imagery in terms of media could be a good way of helping with this. 

Study Task 2

PUBLISHING AND BOOK DESIGN

EDITORIAL AND REPORTAGE

I think that my current practice identifies most effectively with these two creative industries. This may be due to the context in which our college briefs situate themselves, but also partially fuelled by my own personal ambitions as I enjoy creating images that are largely research based in their production and highlight relevant/current issues. I do, however, sometimes feel that my work may be too symbolic and abstract to be effective within creative industries that focus on communication to a large audience. 

RETAIL AND MERCHANDISE

OBJECT AND ENVIRONMENT

Recently, towards the end of Level 5, and beginning of this academic year I have had a growing interest in illustrative products, concerning homeware, ceramics and clothing. I am inspired by illustrators such as bfgf that have created their own art brands, and generate income through selling products such as cushions, rugs, ceramics - as well as paintings and prints. I would like my practice to progress into these creative industries as I feel that producing illustrative objects would be enjoyable for me, as well as a good source of income; however I do think that committing my practice entirely to generating this kind of work would be frustrating in its lack of intellectuality and social relevance. 

Lilian Martinez (owner), setting up a bfgf pop up. 

Seminar: Creative Industries

KEY POINTS

• We are part of the tertiary sector of the economy - the service industry. This contains the 'intangible', people who do things for other people e.g. entertainment, restaurants. 
• The creative industries : 'a set of service enterprises that engage in economic activities originating in individual skill, creativity and talent, and which furthermore have the potential for wealth and job creation' 
• 69% of design businesses are based outside of London.
• 59% of design companies employ fewer than 5 people - lots of small companies working together. 
• 3 main types of companies working within the creative industries:
• Design studios/Consultancies/Agencies
• In house creative 
• Freelance practitioner
• In house - 
• Its like a regular job: fixed wage, holidays ect. - stability. 
• Freelance - 
• Greater risk, running your own business, you can get ripped off. 
• BUT, it can have greater pay offs if you are successful. 
• Plus there are people to protect you e.g. AOI - Association of Illustrators. 

Lecture : Who are you, why are you here?

KEY POINTS

• Just because you are studying illustration, does not mean you have to be an illustrator. We change, evolve and learn new things as humans. 
• You are not a caterpillar that will evolve into a butterfly. You will be a pig, a horse, a fish...
• You are a valuable resource. 
• The 'fokker' effect - identify those who you see as influential and have some level of synergy with your current practice. Tell them, ask them, challenge them. 
• HOW? : social media, meetings, friends/family, letters, mailers, telephone, blogs, alumni. 
• What you do now can only help you!

Task : Student competitions and awards - What do they promise to do for us?

D&AD

• D&AD celebrates and nurtures outstanding work in the design and advertising industry each year with its international creative awards.
• As well as the Professional Awards, D&AD aims to cultivate new talent, ensuring the next generation of creatives gets off to a flying start. 

YCN

• The YCN Student Awards exist to stimulate, elevate and celebrate the freshest creative thinking around the world.

I think looking at what these competitions and awards claim to offer for us as students is a really valuable exercise. It is worth considering that even if you are not successful within the awards their aim is still to 'nurture' and 'stimulate' talent - therefore they should still be available to support and feedback.  

Lecture: Creative industries

KEY POINTS :

INDUSTRY AND ART EDUCATION

• There is a disparity/gap between art eduction and industry. 
• Art eduction is not adequately preparing students to meet the creative industry's needs. 
• BUT, students can work to advance the creative industries - not just meet their needs e.g. start own businesses and companies. 
• Art education and working in industry are not and should not be the same experiences. 
• There should be a symbiotic relationship between art colleges and industry. 

STUDENT COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS

• The limited submission guidelines leave the judging to be purely subjective, as they do not require the student to evidence knowledge or motive enquiry but simply provide images of their final outcome. 
• "Judges look for eye-catching solutions"
• In contrast - it is said judges look for 'real insight rather than execution' 
• Is their bias - surrounding names or colleges on the submission?
• Student competitions and awards have been called 'beauty pageants' 
• The positives, however, is that they provide - exposure, placements, prize money (sometimes) and the opportunity for networking. 

Big Heads : Rob Hodgson

KEY POINTS:

• His is time split between working for a company called ustudio, producing illustrative products, and then his own freelance work - it is interesting how this has a created a cross-over between these two practices.
• This is something I would potentially like to do, as I am too interested in the relationship between illustration and product, but would also like to maintain a freelance practice involving more editorial briefs. 
• I really liked how he spoke about process and media playing a primary role in the developement of his work, and how he likes to play around with non-traditional combinations of media and using materials in new inventive ways e.g. holographic paper. 
• The key point that really resonated with me is a quote he had taken from the person who created the nintendo characters - which is, if you find it fun/think its fun yourself, then its most likely someone else will too. 
• Its always comforting to think that you can just produce work that excites you and you will be able to find an audience to fund this creative practice to the point which your simply doing what you love as job - but fundamentally thats why I am here. 

Study Task 1

5 things I've learnt so far on the programme:

• How to use digital applications such as indesign, photoshop and illustrator to a higher standard, as well as new skills such as animation. 
• The necessary components to consider in order to create a satisfying image - shape line, colour, composition, media.  
• My own personal preferences and aspirations within illustration as a practice. 
• The relevance and importance of research and theory to a successful practice. 
• How to effectively analyse and reflect upon my own work and the work of others. 

5 things you want to learn more about:

• Illustration and product - ceramics, clothing and homeware. 
• How to successfully run your own buisness (art brand). 
• More about the different opportunities there exists for an illustrator within the creative industries - becoming a tutor, inhouse, freelance. 
• How to promote my work/get a job. 
• Where does my work fit in to professional contexts.  

5 things you think are your strengths:

• Creating simple and graphic images that focus upon shape, texture and composition. 
• Evaluating and reflecting upon my own work and the work of others with relevance to my practice. 
• I think I am quite a self-motivated and self-sufficient student. 
• Using critical feedback as a method in which to develop and shape my final outcomes within a brief. 
• Identifying things I need and want to progress within my practice. 

5 things I want to improve:

• An ability to initiate and successfully collaborate with others. 
• My limited understanding of typography. 
• My confidence in approaching others and presenting my work within a professional context. 
• The range of skills and understanding I have across different medias - I would like to branch out and start learning how to print on to fabric, create illustrative ceramics, create/use embroidery within my practice, and develop my drawing style. 
• As always, my time management skills. 

5 practitioners that demonstrate your interest in illustration:

BfGf

Bfgf is an art brand created by Lilian Martinez based out of Los Angeles, LA . Her work is inspired by 'transcendent experiences, internet, snacks and both tropical and desert landscapes', and exists across a range of different media and products - tshirts, jumpers, cushions, blankets, ceramics and paintings. Creating an art brand in which my work exists across a range of different products, such as homeware and clothing, is something I would potentially like to achieve in the future of my practice. 

Charlotte Mei 


Charlotte Mei is an illustrator and designer based out of London. Her work primarily consists of gouache painting, ceramics and sculpture. I really like her simple, bold and occasionally naive drawing style, as well as her playful approach to her work - especially within her ceramics.  

David Lemm 

David Lemm is an illustrator and designer. His work often derives from concepts based upon experimental mapping and gridding of his surroundings, whether this be within an architectural or natural context. I really enjoy the contrast between the systematic and structural nature of these diagrams, with the illustrative nature of his use of texture, colour and shape. 

Anthony Zinonos

Anthony Zinonos is a collage artist and illustrator working out of Oakland, USA. His unique collage style uses a combination of found images and cut paper, and has a strong focus on form and composition. I find it really interesting and inspiring how he continually manages to adapt his work to a range of different editorial and commercial contexts. It helps me to understand how my more simplistic and shape based collage aesthetic could fit into this side of the creative industries. 

Jake Hollings 

Jake Hollings is an illustrator, living and working in London. I really enjoy his simple shape based aesthetic, as well as the naive and playful quality of his drawings. An interesting part of his practice is how he manages to maintain a similar aesthetic across a range of different media - such as digital print and collage - which is something I need to achieve in my own work. 

Identify 5 websites/online resources that demonstrate your areas of interest within the creative industries:

http://www.itsnicethat.com/

  https://tictail.com/

http://cargocollective.com/

https://slowdownstudio.com/

https://paom.com/