Illustrator Investigations - Jon Klassen - BAIL104

Who are they?

Jon Klassen (35) is an author, illustrator and animator from Ontario, Canada. His work has been published in 22 countries, 'I Want My Hat Back', and 'This Is Not My Hat' have together sold more than a million copies, & his books have spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times picture-book bestseller list [3].

Fields and Outlets

Klassen mainly focuses on illustrating his own books, and books for other writers. However, he has also done animation, concept art for films, and editorial illustrations for other companies. 

Outlets and Representation

He is currently being represented by a literacy agency, based in New York, called 'Writers House'. However Klassen also shares his work on many social media outlets including his website (tumblr), Twitter, and Instagram.

Visual Identity

I think that Klassen's illustrative style is very unique to him, as I haven't seen anyone else create work that has a simple composition, yet includes richly textured characters as he achieves in his work. His process involves working by hand, using coloured pencils, graphite, inks and paint, in which he then scans onto his computer to work with them digitally. This process gives him a sense of freedom and carelessness, so that he can create organic and messy textures on paper, and then tidy them up on photoshop. 

His work is full of textures and hidden details, which play with your senses. This all occurs on a plain background, which really emphasises, highlights & draws the eye to the focus of the page. His illustrations have a lovely transparency to them, and the organic, toned down colours make his books seem life-like, believable, and mature. This way of working makes a very instant connection to the reader, as children will end up using in the same materials as Klassen when they become inspired to make art of their own.

Prolificness

He does create a large quantity of work, and regularly shows his process on his Instagram & Twitter accounts. He is always working on a future project, and is releasing some more children's books in April this year. Jon Klassen has so far illustrated 17 books, 3 of which he wrote himself. 

Humour and Storytelling

Klassens illustrations are beautiful in the way that they exist on the page by themselves, and without the need for a decorative background. Many of his storytelling elements are shown through the slight movement of eyes, which he argues that are the key to all expression in his characters. His books also have a sinister element of humour, as characters get eaten and killed, but this is what makes his books so special, as they don't lie to the children - they show the brutal reality of life, but in a lighthearted manner.

Influence

I have only recently discovered Klassen's work, but I felt instantly inspired by his style, process and technique. I love his use of negative space, and the richness of his illustrations which really make his work unique and special. His work has also driven me to invest more time into working digitally, as I love the flexibility and freedom that Klassen gets from this process.

Breadth

Klassen has very much found his niche in the illustration world, however he is always experimenting and finding new ways to create different textures in his work. This is something that he will continue to do for the rest of his illustrative career, as I think that it is something that comes naturally from the way that we works and plays with materials.

Resources

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Klassen

[2] http://blog.picturebookmakers.com/post/152596041611/jon-klassen

[3] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/meet-jon-klassen-one-of-the-most-successful-canadian-authors-ever/article21051170/

[4] http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2189

[5] http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/childrens-book-illustrator-jon-klassen-and-the-hatless-bear-that-made-his-name-20160517-gowu74.html

[6] http://www.readbrightly.com/portraying-pax-qa-with-jon-klassen/

Illustrator Investigations - Holly Exley - BAIL104

Who are they?
Holly Exley is a modern watercolour artist, based in Essex, UK. Her beautiful illustrations range from food, drink, animals, people, plants and teacups. She studied illustration at Middlesex university, and graduated with her degree in 2010. She worked as a waitress to help with a steady income after graduating, but now works in illustration full time, selling some of her work through Etsy & completing commissions.

Fields and Outlets
Exley mainly gets commissions for editorial illustrations, but has also created art for books, stationary, advertising, and decorative prints.

Outlets and Representation
She used to be represented by the Association of Illustrators (AOI) in 2011, but soon decided that such commitment wasn't working for her. She wrote on her blog that after 2 months working with them, she felt like there was a loss of one-to-one communication between her and the client. Although she had high expectations that the agency would bring more opportunities to work with bigger clients, Holly ended up finding that she as able to achieve this working independently.
The blog post talking about working with an agent can be found here.

Holly shares her work on her website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blog, YouTube, Behance and sells some work on Etsy.

"I believe having a strong online presence and voice is so important for getting your work noticed" 

Visual Identity
Exley's style is a very modern twist on stereotypical watercolour art. She uses bright, bold colours, which represent the light and form of the subject perfectly. Her illustrations are realistic, and so make an interesting alternative to photographs on a page.

Although there are many other illustrators who work in watercolour, I feel like Exley's is slightly different in the way that she shows tone and shading. If you look closely at her work, the gradient between light and dark isn't shown as a smooth graduation, but is instead shown in block stages, like contours on a map - each section showing a different shade or colour.

In many of her images, she has said that she likes to emphasise an unusual blue hue, "for example, when I paint skin tone, I don't just see pink or brown, I see all of the colours of the rainbow - blue, purple, yellow, green - it's all there, you just have to look for it" [3]

Prolificness
As she is in the height of her career, Exley is always producing illustrations for clients & works on a very busy schedule. As I follow her on many of her social media outlets, it is not unusual for her to be working on a painting everyday.

Her extensive range of clients that she has worked with can be found here.

"Do what you love to do, do it well, work hard, work harder, be consistent, be consistently nice, and things will work out"

Humour & Storytelling
Exley's illustrations don't usually involve humorous content, but some of her illustrations tell a story, for example she painted a collection of objects that related to Beatrix Potter - this I can argue, tells a story about her life:

Influence
I discovered Holly through her Youtube channel, just before I started my illustration journey at university. Her modern and realistic watercolour paintings inspired me to pursue art at a degree level, and I'm sure will continue to inspire me as I try and find my own illustrative style.

I have always loved the unique qualities you can achieve with watercolour, and hope to experiment with it more during future projects - I'm sure Exley's style and approach will help me with this process.

Breadth
Exley has said that she now only works with watercolours as it gives her a quick way to render colourful, toned images, in comparison to more time consuming methods of acrylic or oil. She is however, always trying to improve her practice in the way that she shows light and shade hitting the object. She also feels like she is interested in colour and shape more than line, which is why painting in watercolour seems more natural than drawing in pen.

Resources
[1] https://www.behance.net/hollyexley
[2] http://www.hollyexley.com/Watercolour-Illustrator-About-Me
[3] https://www.cassart.co.uk/blog/watercolour_tips_holly_exley.htm
[4] http://www.creaturemag.com/artist-spotlight-holly-exley/
[5] http://hollyexley.blogspot.co.uk/p/about-me.html

Illustrator Investigations - Eric Carle - BAIL104 (Also relevant artist for BAIL201)

*Update November 2017* Eric Carle is a very relevant artist to look at for my BAIL201 narrative project. The way that I plan to render my final narrative (using textures and shapes), echoes Carle's practice very closely.

Who are they?

Eric Carle is 87 years old (born June 25th 1929), and is from Syracuse, New York. His first illustrated book, 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You see?', was published in 1967. Since then, he has illustrated over 70 books, his best known being 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' (1969), which has sold over 41 million copies in 62 different languages. 

Fields and Outlets

Carle mainly focuses on children's book illustrations, however did originally start by doing editorial illustrations for The New York Times. He got a job as a graphic designer in the promotion department in 1952, which was what lead him to his first book commission. Later he became the art director of an advertising agency.

Many of his most successful books were expanded into ranges of promotional products, such as toys and stationary for kids. He also founded ' The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art' in Amherst, Massachusetts (2002), which celebrates children's book illustrations [5]

Outlets and Representation

Many of Carle's books are published by 'Simon and Schuster' [3], and the licensing agency 'Joester Loria Group' are responsible for extending the brand of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' into a range of children's products [4]

Carle shares his work on is website, blog, and in his museum. 

Visual Identity

I think that Eric Carle's style is very unique to him, and is instantly recognisable. All of his books can instantly linked together due to his consistent visual identity. Although there are many artists that use paper college to create illustrations, I think Carle's is unique as he uses tissue paper which gives a lovely transparency when the layers overlap - this is something that I haven't seen elsewhere. Also his use of bright colours is something that is very unique, and although his characters aren't biologically perfect, but they are still recognisable and evoke imagination and creativity in children. 

This playful quality is also added through die-cut shapes and sound buttons in his books, which add another dimension to his stories. The collage element in his illustrations also help to inspire children to create work similar to Carle's style - encouraging creativity and learning further.

Below is a video which shows his technique when creating his illustrations:

 

Prolificness

Eric Carle has created over 70 illustrated books in his lifetime (so far)! Although he doesn't create the volume of work as he used to, he still plays a role in children's book illustrations as his most recent book 'The Nonsense Show' was published in 2015. As his books are still popular to this day, I feel like he doesn't have to produce as much work, as he is still receiving royalties from the books and products. A list of all of his illustrated books can be found here.

Humour and Storytelling

Carle's work is very lighthearted and cheerful. Many of his books contain some humorous elements for children, but most importantly are themed around the love for nature - which is also an interest shared by children.

"Besides being beautiful and entertaining, his books always offer the child the opportunity to learn something, for their feelings and their inquisitiveness, for their creativity and their intellectual growth that, in addition to his beautiful artwork, makes the reading of his books such a stimulating and lasting experience" [1]

Influence

After working with collage and painted textures, it was after my first module when I made the connection to Eric Carle's work. Maybe it was a subconscious thing, because I felt like I was automatically drawn to including texture into my work, and I loved 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' when I was young. 

In terms of moving forward, I think I will continue to try and include texture in my work, and to also try and think about simplicity in terms of shapes and composition in my illustrations. Eric Carle is a very successful illustrator, which I'm sure inspires so many other inspiring illustrators all around the world - including myself. 

Breadth

I think that Carle's illustration style has stayed relatively consistent throughout all his books. From his very first illustration he made from The New York Times, to the illustrations made for his books, it is easy to see that he has remained consistent in his style, process & technique. 

Resources:

[1] Biography http://www.eric-carle.com/bio.html

[2] List of publications http://www.eric-carle.com/ECbooks.html#anchor584567

[3] http://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/authors/Eric-Carle/1056269
[4] http://joesterloriagroup.com/work/#/carle/
[5] Museum http://www.carlemuseum.org/
[6] Youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYG1tLt5GCQ

Online Resources - Website Comparisons - BAIL104

Shop/Marketplace

Etsy

Etsy Homepage

Example of an Etsy shop

- Etsy is a great way to sell your work on a well known platform, however there are no limitations to who can create an account, and so you are against a lot of competition.
- Etsy allows you to create a shop, which you can link to your other social media profiles. This can be great at leading your followers to your different outlets.
- Etsy can become very expensive, especially if you're a small business. They charge fees for each listing (which only lasts for 4 months, or until the item is sold), and also take a 3.5% commission from each sale. Therefore, you can only really make a good profit from the sales on Etsy, if you are selling enough to cover the costs. If you already have an established following of people who are after your work, then Etsy can work more effectively. It seems to be the case that other social media profiles such as Instagram and Facebook would play a very important role at sending potential customers across to your Etsy shop - rather than gaining the interest on Etsy alone.

Not On The High Street 

Homepage 

Example of an NOTHS shop

- Not On The High Street (NOTHS) does allow shops to work on a very popular website platform, but without the volume of competition that Etsy has.
- You need to apply to the team at NOTHS in order to be able to sell on their site. This means that although it isn't as simple as just 'signing up' on Etsy, the team only chooses the best companies/items to be on their site. This process allows for shops to sell their items without fierce competition from similar shops.
- Customers also have the reassurance that only the best businesses would have been picked to sell their items on the site.
- All orders are still fulfilled by you, giving you that responsibility and independence.
- NOTHS charges you a £199 joining fee, and then charges a 25% commission off each sale. However there is no monthly charge for each item listing like on Etsy, which does all add up very quickly.
- NOTHS is the UK's No1 curated marketplace & advertises for you.
- So although NOTHS seems to be more beneficial than Etsy, you need to have a more established business to keep up with the customers expectations, and you have to be approved in the first place.

Folksy & Big Cartel 

Example of a Folksy shop

Example of a Big Cartel shop

An alternative to Etsy and Not On The High Street would be Folksy or Big Cartel. Folksy and Big Cartel offer cheaper fees, but on the other hand, are not very well known. However, if you do have a large existing following of people who want to buy your products, then you could link the store to your other social media profiles & gain publicity/interest that way. 

It's about weighing up whether it is worth paying more, in order to be on a more widely recognised platform, or to spend time on social media elsewhere, and then link to your online store. Ultimately its all down to whether you have the time to maintain these stores, as well as your other social media commitments. 

If time is an issue, then RedBubble or Society6 fulfil the orders for you, but then you get less money & loose out on the responsibilities of fulfilling customer satisfaction. 

Below is a table that I created, comparing the pros and cons of each website:

Portfolio Site/Showcase

AOI 

Example of an artists portfolio

- The Association of Illustrators' website offers a professional and high-end platform to display your work.

- Although not free, you will receive discounted services through the AOI, such as portfolio advice and support.

- The AOI is a recognised platform for potential clients to find your work.

- The website is also made just for illustrators, and not any other creative disciplines.

- However it could be argued that the website lacks the 'personal touch', which you get from more 'social' sites such as Instagram: 

Instagram 

Example of an illustrator's Instagram page

- Instagram is free to sign up, and is solely made for sharing photos - whether it be illustrations or not.

- The laid back theme of the site allows followers to learn more about the artist. It is more personal, as you also get to see the process and behind the scenes of some work.

- Instagram is also a great way to link to your website/shops, so you are getting publicity for your other outlets. 

- It's not the most professional platform, but is an effective way of reaching large audiences, which could catch the eye of a potential client. 

So perhaps it would be a good idea to have both types of portfolios: one professional, and the other more social. This way you can reach all types of audiences, and benefit from them both - you would just have to keep the two updated, which would take more time. However, your profile on the AOI requires less maintenance than Instagram, as you would just upload main pieces of work, rather than small projects and images of work in progress. 

Online Resources - Website Categories - BAIL104

The first task of BAIL 104 was to categorise different websites into the grid provided:

Flickr https://www.flickr.com/

- Site not specifically for illustrators, but can be used to present work online

- Site is made with creativity in mind, most common purpose is photography portfolios

- Can be made into a more professional portfolio site, if the right content & information is added by the user

Association of Illustrators (AOI) http://www.theaoi.com/

- Very professional portfolio platform

- Need to be approved & have to pay in order to be shown on the site 

- Specifically aimed at illustrators & potential clients sourcing the perfect artist

- They produce 'Varoom' and portfolios, which showcase the illustrators on the site

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/

- More 'casual' portfolio platform
- Good way to communicate and learn from other illustrators
- A way to gain a fanbase/following
- Not made especially for illustrators, but artists usually make accounts dedicated just to their illustrations
- Can link to other websites and contact information

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/
- Very casual platform
- Although not designed to be a portfolio, illustrators can make a page to showcase their work in a more professional manner
- Easy sharing can be an effective way for spreading your work across large audiences
- Normally attracts smaller and more personal commissions, rather than work from big corporate businesses.

Folio http://www.folioart.co.uk/
- Illustrators agency that showcases artists work
- Professional platform
- Need to send in an application & need to be approved in order to be represented
- Good platform to be recognised & be picked up by big named clients

Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/
- Informal platform
- Good way to get your work around
- Effective way to gain a following, especially a young audience
- Perhaps wouldn't catch the eye of big businesses
- Free to sign up & personalise as you wish

Big Active http://www.bigactive.com/
- A collection of successful illustrators work is presented online
- A very 'high-end' following of clients, so would be a great way to get your work recognised
- Would have to be well known enough in order to be accepted
- Also specialises in graphic design & other creative disciplines
- Your work that you upload, would be re-posted by users & would spread across audiences that way

Pinterest https://uk.pinterest.com/
- Could be used as a portfolio, but not a very professional platform
- Would be a great way to get your work 'out there' & to gain a following
- Free to sign up, but design of page cannot be customised
- Would attract fans, rather than potential clients
- Opportunity to learn new skills and techniques
- Usually links to professional websites
- Not made just for illustration, more of a lifestyle website
- Good for inspiration & finding starting points

Handsome Frank http://handsomefrank.com/
- Illustration agency
- Would have to be accepted in order to be represented & to have work shown online
- Small portfolios of artists work
- Would attract future clients
- Blog sits within website, which highlights recent works

Behance https://www.behance.net/
- Online portfolio website
- Would be a more professional online portfolio when compared to traditional social media sites (this one is more specialised)
- Free to sign up
- Easy communication with other illustrators
- Not specifically just for illustration, as it is for all creative disciples
- Support networks & opportunities to learn new skills

Twitter https://twitter.com/
- Social platform
- Enables fans to keep in touch
- Allows you to build a social network
- You can upload photos of work, but would most likely link to your website/online portfolio
- Could help to attract future clients by posting recent work
- Could easily reach large audiences through re-tweets and likes

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/
- Acts as an online CV & would present your skills and experience to employers
- Maybe not suited well to illustrators, as it showcases all subject areas & specialities
- Could lead to a support network

Illustration Friday http://illustrationfriday.com/
- Weekly illustration challenges/competitions
- Free to sign up
- Blog integrated in site, which highlights weekly winners
- Great way to meet similar people, gain a following & to learn new skills
- Links to your website/social media, rather than uploading onto the site
- Online community
- Opportunity to advertise on the site (paid)

Blogger https://www.blogger.com/
- Website is for all blog types, but you can freely personalise the look of your blog to fit your work
- Free to create an account
- Slightly limited with the presentation of your work
- Could attract fanbase & clients
- Allows you to see other people's work & processes

It's Nice That http://www.itsnicethat.com/
- Online blog/news feed that features upcoming illustrators, graphic designers, photographers, and artists
- You have to be discovered by the team that runs the website, in order to be featured in one of their articles
- You can submit your own work, by using the online form, which helps your chances at being noticed by the team
- Focuses on certain projects, rather than all work done by an artist
- Interviews with artists allow you to lean new things
- Publish 'Printed Pages' which includes examples of work from illustrators/graphic designers (published twice a year)
- Would be a great platform to be noticed by clients & to gain a fanbase

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/
- Website only has videos
- Would be better suited for animators, as they would be able to post their final pieces
- However, illustrators can upload videos showing their process, and discussing relevant topics. For example Holly Exley creates videos all about illustration
- Would be a great way to gain a following, which would then be interested in buying your work
- Could link to your other social media websites
- Could attract the attention of clients
- Learn new techniques and processes
- Allows creative discussion in the comments & creates an online community

Skillshare https://www.skillshare.com/
- Online classes which allow you to learn new skills
- Free to get started
- Not just art-based classes, so it's not specific to just illustration
- You can upload an online portfolio to show others what you have made as a result of the classes
- Online community

Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/
- Way to sell your own handmade products
- Free to sign up & to customise your profile
- Can link to other social media
- Online community of other creative people
- Etsy does charge a monthly listing fee & takes a fee when a sale is made
- Can build up a reputation through reviews

RedBubble https://www.redbubble.com/ Society6 https://society6.com/
- Upload your designs & orders are made and fulfilled by the company on your behalf
- Free to sign up & to create a profile
- The company takes a percentage of the sale. You just get paid for providing the design

BigCartel https://www.bigcartel.com/
- Allows you to create a platform for an online store
- You have to pay for a 'plan' which is proportionate to the amount of listings you have (charged monthly)
- All orders are made and fulfilled by you
- Allows you to have the support from the company, rather than being solo with your own personal website shop
- Online community
- Doesn't take a fee from any sales

Not On The Highstreet http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/
- All orders are fulfilled by yourself
- UK based
- Really useful & well known platform to get your work recognised
- Have to be approved to be able to sell on the site
- One-off joining fee (It costs £199 £238.80 including VAT) to join, and you pay a 25% commission (plus VAT on each sale) [1]

Folksy https://folksy.com/
- 'UK equivalent of Etsy' [1]
- Smaller platform, but just suited for handmade items (no manufactured or vintage items)
- 15p per item, or unlimited listings for £45, with a 6% (plus VAT) commission on each sale
- Would need to build up other social media profiles, in order to drive traffic to these sites

Tiger Print http://www.tigerprint.uk.com/ Ohh Deer https://ohhdeer.com/
- Professional network which sources illustrators to create work to sell
- These companies work with well known clients, so is a great way to get your work out there
- They would also promote these products, which would bring publicity back to you - further your client base and following
- Very limited illustrators and artists working with them

[1] https://www.theguardian.com.money/2015/feb/05/make-money-from-hobby

Final Editorial Illustration - BAIL102

It's hand in day! Here is my finalised editorial illustration:

Evaluation:

List the positive aspects of your STAGE ONE experience – explain how have these progressed and influenced your STAGE TWO work and by continuation your FINAL OUTCOME.

I think that during stage 1, I was able to create a big variety of work, experimenting with different styles, techniques, and processes. This is what I had found particularly valuable for when moving forward in stage 2. However, perhaps what was most valuable for me was the mindset that the ‘reduced imagery work’ gave me. I found out that creating an image is one thing, but to be able to reduce down and to eliminate what isn’t important, is what was most valuable. 
The piece of advice that really got my ideas developing, was to jump straight in with rendering my designs. This way I was given a more instant indication to whether the idea would be successful or not, rather than just playing around with colourless sketches.

These skills came into action when making my final illustration for my article, as I kept reminding myself to get rid of the elements that weren’t adding anything to the final image. This also helped me to think about simplicity in terms of colours and detail, so that I would add just enough, without it becoming too overpowering as a finished editorial illustration, accompanied with text. 

What feedback did you receive from your PEER/SELF ASSESSMENT and GROUP TUTORIALS? How has this been applied to your project work?
Other thing which stood out to me in my feedback, was to make the most important elements of the image really bold and to stand out. For example the swimmer inside the timer wasn’t obvious enough, so that lead me into making it bolder and more of a focus than it was before. It was these little adjustments which helped my final image to become as successful as they can be.

How might the FINAL OUTCOME be developed further? What would you continue given another week? 

Although I am really happy with how my final illustrations came out, I would have liked to have more time with experimenting with the background. Despite the plain background working well with my illustrations (as it helps them to stand out), it would have been nice to experiment with different options & ways to make it perhaps a bit more interesting. Maybe even after trying different designs I would go back to a plain backdrop, but the process of experimentation would have been interesting, and could have sparked a different thought path. 

* Full and complete evaluation in sketchbook *

Experience Reflection - Interior Design - BAIS300

What was the experience/workshop/session?
For my first interdisciplinary experience workshop, I took part in a short workshop which introduced me to the basics of interior design.

The first session was spent discussing photoshoots and what equipment is required. We were then put into groups and were left to work out what we wanted to create for a photoshoot. The following week was a test run, and then the final shoot was the week after that.

Group mood-board (click to enlarge)

How do you feel about the process?
If I was completely honest I was a little disappointed with the whole experience. Firstly I had signed up to learn about interior design, however when it came to planning for the photoshoot, the tutor said that it didn't have to be of an interior - which I thought was quite pointless. Because of this I found like everyone wanted to do different things, so when it came to working in groups, it was hard to settle on a group idea. This perhaps limited how successful we all were, as if we were set limitations to create something within interior design (as expected), then I think time could have been spent just concentrating in that field, rather than considering other options.

Furthermore, I feel like we were left to our own devices, rather than being taught some new skills - which was a bit disheartening when I had expectations to learn something new.

How will you apply this in the future?
Although I didn't learn many new skills, I did build on my team work and basic photoshoot skills, which would come in handy in many different situations.

What would you like to build on?
I would have liked to learn more about photoshoots specific to interior design. Also to work with natural lighting, rather than studio lights.

How could this relate to Gods & Monsters?
I could create a photoshoot using a model/image of my monster in the real world.

Sadly I wasn't able to attend the last session due to illness, but below is what my group created: