Sunday, 12 February 2017
Illustration Portfolios - BAIL104
Holly Exley
Her website on first impressions, is very clean, clear and organised. It is made using 'Cargo', which specialises in online portfolios, which has allowed Exley to create a professional site to display and organise her work:
Her website on first impressions, is very clean, clear and organised. It is made using 'Cargo', which specialises in online portfolios, which has allowed Exley to create a professional site to display and organise her work:
When you click on one of the categories it allows you to view her illustrations up close, and then click through to see her other work in the same album:
It also has links to her other social media accounts, which help to distribute interest onto all platforms, including her Etsy shop and YouTube channel.
This website is full of beautiful moving images that are all presented in a grid, and all play in a loop:
All of the tabs are coloured to match his colour palette, so his website stays consistent throughout. All of his images are big enough to see the detail, but not too big as you can still view 2 side-by-side.
The website appears to have been created from scratch, rather than on a website building platform.
Fryer's website instantly makes a direct connection to the style of her work. The coloured, patterned background and illustrated banner all link together to give the website a really professional appearance:
Images can be viewed up close, and are also supplied with a small piece of writing, which gives them context. However the website itself doesn't function as well as it could, but it does serve its basic purpose.
Scobie's website is instantly colourful, clean and easy to navigate. The home page is full of her work, which makes it attractive and easy to get a feel of the artist's style and process:
The website allows you to click on the squares to bring the images up closer, and to read a bit about them. You can also find links to her other social media accounts in the top navigation bar. This website was also made on Cargo Collective.
His website takes a more interactive approach, as it asks you to click on each of the characters to read more about that project:
Although instantly fun and captivating, it does become a little tricky to easily find the information you're looking for. The website was created using Cargo.
Her website is beautiful in the way that it instantly draws your eye & shows you an instant idea on the work that Lee does. The clean white background add emphasis to the coloured illustrations, and the website functions perfectly, allowing you to view her projects in more detail:
I love how Corell's website perfectly reflects her style of work, as when your mouse hovers over the images on the home page, they turn red:
The style of the website is consistent throughout, easy to navigate, and it has a very professional feel to it. The website was designed by 'pensandpencilsandpens'.
This website has a beautiful layout, with moving displays of work, and clear information of the artist:
Illustrations can be read about with context and information on the brief, which gives it a very personal touch.
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My Favourite Illustration Portfolio
Choosing a favourite out of the 8 illustration portfolios that I researched is very hard, as I like each one for different reasons. Perhaps if I had to choose an absolute favourite, I think that it would have to be Somang Lee's website, because it is so beautiful, simple, clean & functional. Instantly you are greeted by a bright and colourful full page illustration, which immediately gives you a feel of the artist. The backgrounds and tabs are minimalistic, yet function perfectly when navigating through the site. The fading transitions and smooth scrolling gives you a very satisfying user experience, which as a whole leaves you with a very good impression Lee's work ethic, personality and perfectionism. The website appears to have been made professionally, rather than on a website building platform, which is why I think her portfolio stands out from the rest.
However, there are so many other things about the other illustrator portfolios that I looked at that are equally as successful. For example there are 3 other websites that come in very close second place: *in no particular order*
- Lorna Scobie - The thing I love about her website is how her work is presented, and how the bright colours that she uses in her work are carried throughout the site. Also she gives you more in depth information about each piece when it is clicked on, which is very informative and useful. The images are all excellent quality and well presented, so the details of her work can be appreciated. All of her social media outlets are also linked on the site, which allows for her to spread the following of people across all platforms. This website was made using Cargo Collective.
- Gemma Corell - The thing that stood out to me was her 'mouse responsive' front page, which was really effective & also echoed the theme of her work. I do think her site is also successful in the way that it is jam packed with loads of information about her, and her practice. Although her site was made professionally, I think the way that her work itself is presented is less successful than the ones made on Cargo. I feel like the images could have been presented bigger, and perhaps with some more context.
- Sandra Dieckmann - Her site has a really personal feel to it, as you are instantly greeted with a picture of the artist, adorned with text about her, and her work. Dieckmann's illustrations are on a slide bar on the top, which automatically plays on loop, allowing for viewers to preview some of her work while browsing her site. Although I think some of the pages are a bit unfinished, I would argue that it is maybe more successful than Gemma Corell's, as her illustrations can be viewed up close, and are written about in full. I also love her different tabs which categorise the nature of her work, which also link to her other social media accounts. This site looks like it was also made professionally.
Illustration Role Model - BAIL104
My illustration role model is Holly Exley, as she is the perfect example of being able to earn a living from her work without having an agent. She also highlights the importance and effectiveness of social media, and how it is the key to becoming a successful and well known illustrator.
Exley has only been doing illustration for 6-7 years after graduating from university, but in this short amount of time she has already gained a very impressive client list that includes: The Wall Street Journal, Universal Music, Marks and Spencers, Tesco Magazine, Westfields, and many more well known businesses. She has achieved all of this without the help of an agency, as she feels like such a partnership caused a hindrance for communication between her and the client. Exley discussed this topic on her blog, as she was represented by the AOI for 2 months, but noticed that she lost the power and one-to-one communication between her and the company commissioning her work, and so decided to leave. Instead she has found it more effective to self-promote her work on social media, which has proved to be very successful. Therefore she is he perfect role model for upcoming inspiring illustrators, as she demonstrates how effective and essential social media is when wanting to do illustration full time.
Exley works from home, and in between completing work for clients, she sells a few items on her Etsy store & uploads regular videos on her YouTube channel. It was her videos that she posted online which led me to discovering her work, and from there I followed her on Instagram, and then researched into her further. This shows how effective having many social media accounts can be, as one leads to the other, and they all add up to more publicity & sales at the end.
Her work inspires me as I feel like Exley has been able to make herself stand out from the crowd. It is very easy to start doing work just like other artists and illustrators, and in her situation, there are loads of people creating watercolour illustrations. However, Exley's style adds a modern twist, and contemporary feel to the traditional watercolour paintings that you normally see. In order to be successful, you need to stand out, be different & to bring something new and exciting to the illustration world - this will ultimately attract the attention of potential clients. Not only this, but it is perhaps as important to promote yourself, and the best way to do this (as demonstrated by Exley), is to be active on a variety of social media sites. This will help gain a following of all types of people, and the links between the sites will ultimately bring you more interest and sales on your online shop, and more commissions from big named companies.
Exley has only been doing illustration for 6-7 years after graduating from university, but in this short amount of time she has already gained a very impressive client list that includes: The Wall Street Journal, Universal Music, Marks and Spencers, Tesco Magazine, Westfields, and many more well known businesses. She has achieved all of this without the help of an agency, as she feels like such a partnership caused a hindrance for communication between her and the client. Exley discussed this topic on her blog, as she was represented by the AOI for 2 months, but noticed that she lost the power and one-to-one communication between her and the company commissioning her work, and so decided to leave. Instead she has found it more effective to self-promote her work on social media, which has proved to be very successful. Therefore she is he perfect role model for upcoming inspiring illustrators, as she demonstrates how effective and essential social media is when wanting to do illustration full time.
Exley works from home, and in between completing work for clients, she sells a few items on her Etsy store & uploads regular videos on her YouTube channel. It was her videos that she posted online which led me to discovering her work, and from there I followed her on Instagram, and then researched into her further. This shows how effective having many social media accounts can be, as one leads to the other, and they all add up to more publicity & sales at the end.
Her work inspires me as I feel like Exley has been able to make herself stand out from the crowd. It is very easy to start doing work just like other artists and illustrators, and in her situation, there are loads of people creating watercolour illustrations. However, Exley's style adds a modern twist, and contemporary feel to the traditional watercolour paintings that you normally see. In order to be successful, you need to stand out, be different & to bring something new and exciting to the illustration world - this will ultimately attract the attention of potential clients. Not only this, but it is perhaps as important to promote yourself, and the best way to do this (as demonstrated by Exley), is to be active on a variety of social media sites. This will help gain a following of all types of people, and the links between the sites will ultimately bring you more interest and sales on your online shop, and more commissions from big named companies.
Illustrator Comparisons - Carle vs Klassen - BAIL104
When comparing the work of Jon Klassen to Eric Carle, it is clear to see that they are in fact both quite similar. Both of their illustrative styles try to include high levels of texture and mark making into their images, but they do this by using different techniques. Carle has been working in children's book illustration for much longer, and so uses processes that are very 'hands on' and somewhat traditional in comparison to Klassen's digital work. They both use materials such as paint and pencils, and also both have a lovely 'transparency' to their work. Carle uses pieces of painted tissue paper, which he cuts and assembles by hand. Whereas Klassen works by hand, but then scans the textures onto his computer so that he can re-work, tidy, and compose them together. This digital element to Klassen's work just comes naturally with doing illustration in the modern world. The ease of the assistance of programmes such as Photoshop, enable Klassen to have much more flexibility when playing around with different colours, compositions, and materials. It could be argued therefore that Klassen's work is a more modern take on the traditional illustrations of Carle's.
The most obvious difference between the two illustrators work is the use of colour. Carle uses a very bright & bold colour palette, which works perfectly with his fun and cheerful stories. Klassen on the other hand uses more muted tones, which are more earthy and natural. This more 'true to life' representation of the world could be likened to his raw sense of humour when it comes to certain characters being killed or eaten at the end of his stories. So although the themes of their stories are quite different (one is very cheerful and fun, and the other has a more 'sinister', humorous tone), Carle and Klassen do share many similarities when it comes to the use of texture & plain negative space in their illustrations.
The most obvious difference between the two illustrators work is the use of colour. Carle uses a very bright & bold colour palette, which works perfectly with his fun and cheerful stories. Klassen on the other hand uses more muted tones, which are more earthy and natural. This more 'true to life' representation of the world could be likened to his raw sense of humour when it comes to certain characters being killed or eaten at the end of his stories. So although the themes of their stories are quite different (one is very cheerful and fun, and the other has a more 'sinister', humorous tone), Carle and Klassen do share many similarities when it comes to the use of texture & plain negative space in their illustrations.
Eric Carle
Jon Klassen
Saturday, 11 February 2017
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
Friday, 10 February 2017
Illustrator Investigations - Holly Exley - BAIL104
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]
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.
[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
Thursday, 9 February 2017
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]
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
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