Portfolio visit with Fig Taylor.

     In February(ish) of this year I had the opportunity for a portfolio consultation session with Fig Taylor; author of the book "How to Create a Portfolio and Get Hired". After around twelve seconds she handed back my portfolio and told me that if I wanted a job in illustration I needed to use colour in my work.

     She was right of course; how often does one see a black and white Children's book or newspaper editorial these days? Not very, that's how often.
     Colour reproduction is incredibly cheap these days and if a business bloke is going to throw his business money at something, he will of course want all the sides and condiments thrown in, whether they are necessary or not.

     The fact is however, I don't like using colour in my work; I like making marks. I spend hours trying to perfect the quality of line in my work so that it looks and feels organic and further hours implementing the simplest of marks: dots, into an arrangement that itself represents tone, texture and form. This, at least right now, is all I'm interested in.

     It was toward the end of this consultation with Fig Taylor that I realised two things:
One - I have no desire to be a freelance illustrator.
Two - I like to have control over how I work, which is probably clear from the above. Suggestions are fine, instructions; not so much.

Portfolio visit with Dayjob.

     While in London last week we had the pleasure of meeting up with some of the folks of Dayjob collective in their studio, which may or may not have been in Peckham (results were inconclusive).

     As graduates from just two years ago they really knew what they were on about in terms of what to expect after uni and their honesty made them incredibly easy to relate to. While we were there we had the opportunity to nosy about their studio space, sit on cushions shaped like foodstuffs and have a good old fashioned Q&A.

      Afterwards we had the opportunity to flash our portfolios at them and get some insightful feedback; peer-to-peer.

     On viewing my portfolio, without prompt, they were quick to pick up on the influence of tattoos; despite the fact I was convinced the images I'd selected were illustration-y.
     Not only that, but of the images in my portfolio, they preferred the weirder, less constrained images that were more personal to myself and my style, going on to state that I should just do what I do rather than altering my working methods in an attempt to achieve 'illustration'. This of course was music to my ears, and upon the retrieval of a book of drawings of mythical creatures that my work had brought to their minds, I could tell they understood my intentions through my work, and weren't just being nice.

     To hear from what were essentially strangers (of the knowledgeable and well-rounded sort, mind) that the work I had enjoyed producing the most, was also the most intriguing and "best work" to them, left me feeling rather chuffed with myself.
      I must be doing summet right. 

Contact with Practitioners.

     As part of the contact with practitioners part of PDP, I decided that I would have a go at aiming high and sent an email with a short few questions to tattooer/illustrator Liam Sparkes.

     Questions were mostly concerned with his career path; from designing flyers to making tattoos, and how he progressed from one to the next.

     Unfortunately, since he's a busy chap these days: travelling allover the world and what not, I 
haven't received a reply.

     Fortunately however, I recently found a Russian website "SABRA" that has interviews with tattoo artists such as Scott Move, Maxime Buchi and, luckily for me: Liam Sparkes. The questions posed by the interviewers at SABRA are not too dissimilar from my own, so in a way I suppose I've gained some of the insight I wanted.

     If you fancy, click the image. That's were these interviews can be found:

Portfolio visit in the pipeline.

     I've emailed a pdf version of my portfolio to Kris Sale as he has kindly agreed to have a look through it and give it a good old critique.
     I'm looking forward to getting some feedback.

Portfolio visit with Ben Jones.

     I met up with illustrator Ben Jones the other day with my newly assembled portfolio and asked him to have a look through it with his eyes. He kindly obliged and gave me some really helpful and positive feedback (which was quite nice) as well as some useful advice on pursuing a career in illustration and a general chinwag.

     All-in-all it was a rather insightful evening.