Master of Trade Continued

Master of trade

This week we have been charged with choosing our favourite artist ( because thats an easy thing to decide!) and I have a few in mind. Ever since I've been little I have been brought up on monty python and Terry Gilliam's illustrations have always never failed to amuse me. He would be quite easy to research as well due to his notoriety in both the arts and in his acting career. 

(http://www.pinterest.com/anarodriguezdom/terry-gilliam/) 

Another big contender is an illustrator I follow on instagram called Deerjerk aka Bryn Perrott. Her woodcut prints are absolutely beautiful, and are really inspiring me recently in my own work outside of university. It's something I really want to give a go and maybe whilst researching her I can research the technique itself also. I love the versatility in her work, as she can be commissioned to do a beautiful, floral woodcut for a wedding and the next minute she's created a really cool interpretation of Spock. 

(http://deerjerk.tumblr.com/page/3)

Another artist That needs a mention is Egon Schiele. I have adored his work for so long, due to his surreal take on portraits whilst still capturing the person so perfectly. His portraits that are mainly simple line drawings are my personal favourite, his line work is so on point that it makes me completely envious that I will probably never have the talent that man had. 

(http://www.pinterest.com/alipourrafee/egon-schiele/) 

And finally, as another contemporary artist, I might choose Zachari Logan. His illustrates are so dream like and detailed. Surrealism is right up my street and his work achieves it in a really awesome way. He's become quite big in the modern day market he wants to dominate and his work actually spans a multitude of different mediums. From beautifully thought out illustrations to sculpture. Obviously I will focus mostly on his illustration and painting as it is his style in this field I find most inspiring.

(http://www.zachariloganart.com/current-projects.html) 

Writing a comission

In the illustration industry when you are given a commission there is usually a contract alongside it to protect you from legal action if things do not go as you planned. But to avoid it getting to that point there is a certain responsibility you have as an illustrator to collect all of the useful information you will need to complete the breif you are in charge of. (For example:deadlines, sizings, materials, the expected outcome ect...)    

Most importantly if there is some information you feel is missing, just ask for it! 

There are many ways of communicating with  client from face to face to old school written letters and everything in between. To me, the best way of communication is to talk face to face as there is no miscommunication problems due to any tone they feel is implied in a written form for example. Besides this the next best thing in terms of communication is talk on the phone if possible and after that, email is probably the most commonly used method in the industry and is a very quick and easy way to get answers. 

One of the main problems associated with emailing is sometimes emails get missed if there is a high volume coming in all the time and also as I stated before if there is a miscommunication due to not knowing what tone something is said in. 

Communication and understanding commissions

As an illustrator you need to be aware of what is happening in the world and how it could effect any commissions or briefs you are set. From politics to finance everything has an impact on the overall market for commerce. 

In terms of communication within a comission it's never truly straightforward as there will always be conflicting ideas and thoughts about what brief you have been set and it is your job as the illustrator to smooth these out and try to achieve what your customer wants from you. Which is why, if possible, you should always keep written confirmation and sign off points on the agreed agenda at all times. Through doing this  it will solidify the commission you have been handed and will ultimately keep you in the money as you have met all of the parties needs within the brief. 

A lot of time the commissions received will tend to be editorial and if you want the money you have to come forward with an interesting concept. For example whilst researching for this post, I came across an article in which an art director was talking about how he goes about commissioning an artist/ illustrator for a project that was for an article on supply chain management. Not necessarily the most exciting subject but this gave the artist he commissioned a challenge. 

(http://www.redhouselane.com/blog/how-commission-art-industry-illustration) 

As you can see the finished illustration is interesting and serves as a well thought out editorial to work alongside the article. Tony Beresford who wrote the article gave a list of tips at the end of his post: 

Know your subject – it's no good trying to illustrate something you don't understand.

Get the brief right – illustration is an art form and depending on the medium your illustrator is working in, changes at a later stage might mean a lot of work for them and a high cost for you.

Do your research – check out an illustrator’s portfolio and assess whether or not they're right for the job.

Check the details – illustrations can be quite complicated so take the time to visually proof them for mistakes – make sure they're just right.

Be digitally aware – you may wish to use the illustrations online or in tablet versions of your publications. Do they work in these spaces? Do you want to animate them in some way?

- See more at: http://www.redhouselane.com/blog/how-commission-art-industry-illustration#sthash.zYmqrvB7.dpuf

I think the bottom point is most important when looking for commissions in this modern industry as it is commonplace now that illustrators and graphic designers will have a comprehensive digital skill.

Branding

Branding is: 

The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product or business. 

It aims to establish a presence in a certain market that attracts customers. 

In terms of illustration, although your work speaks for itself to a certain extent , you must also make yourself a brand. To do this it all goes back to understanding your target market and their needs. 

Once you have gained this information you can begin to construct how you will portray yourself as a brand, from image to eventually your reputation. To eventually achieve the standing of having a good reputation there are various factors you must consider, such as: your work, Business name, a logo or a visual aid, website, how you address the customer ( voice) and how you choose to market yourself. 

( http://illustratorsunion.com )

Conceptual branding within illustration is basically where there is a whole theme or 'concept' behind the illustrated product you are putting out there. The one used as an example in the lecture was Kraken Rum and the whole branding behind it which I found really interesting and inspiring. In the same vein as this I thought of the drink brand Oddka.
The company have created a 2D illustrated character to represent their brand called Wit Oddoski.

(http://www.oddkadrinks.com/uk/)

(http://www.ifitshipitshere.com/wasabi-and-salty-caramel-popcorn-vodka-introducing-oddka-crazy-and-beautiful-flavored-vodkas-from-wyborowa/) 

He introduces you to the brand and is represented as a suave gentleman from the age of inventors who wishes to create weird and wonderful flavours of vodka. The colourful packaging of the different flavours of vodka works really well against the black and white illustration the defines the product. 

Although the brand don't go as in depth as Kraken for the whole of their branding the idea behind Oddka is still gong that extra bit further with their concept for a brand.  

SCREEM no more

Unfortunately, as I feared, there is simply not enough interest in this party from the fellow students. I feel as though we could have done with a little help from a student union but unfortunately one doesn't really exist anymore at this campus. we really really tired to make this work but people soon lost interest and we have had to throw the towel in. Something i've gained from this experience is, when given a task of this magnitude, get everything done as soon as possible or else there's no hope in achieving our objective. 

BOO :( 

SCREEM

To work alongside our lectures in this module, we have tried to make this party a brand in itself. 

Myself and a fellow student spent a day in the print room screen printing the finalised ticket designs onto paper for a really cool, underground kind of feel. 

The finished ticket looks really cool and It's actually really exciting to think that things are moving along.