Review of Promotional Materials

We all get a sneak peek into the things the current 3^rd years had produced during their FMP which are of promotional materials that are to promote their work to the public. We all had a good look at each student’s promotional items and picked our favourite 5 that we all individually and personally liked. Here are the 5 items that attracted my attention.

Badges. Janica Francisco.

The solid colours and the bold character designs is what caught my attention to the badges. The character illustration filled the entire space of the badge, making maximum use of the space. The simple colour choices that were chosen for each badge was ideal and by combining simple shading/tone, it doesn’t feel cluttered and complicated, which is good, otherwise adding in too much detail would end up defeating the purpose of simplicity, which is what I assume the student is going for when designing the illustration for such small badges. The size of the badge are of standard sizes, so overall everything about the badge is good. If the badge was any smaller than it is, the illustration might not be able to be as effective and it would be small to see it from a small distance.

I can see this being sold at online shops including events and conventions relating to art/comics/entertainment. In terms of longevity I highly assume that the badges would be used more of a decorative piece (pinned on bags/back pack, walls and on clothes), or perhaps being collected as a collection, so there will always be of some use.

Phone Case Illustration design. Ben Campbell.

The simple, yet complex illustration pattern/design is what caught my attention to this promotional piece. The design fits pretty well as an illustrative piece for a phone case. The simplicity of using black and white makes it more effective than if it were to be in colour. This can be seen to be sold on online shops, as well as in phone stores and perhaps, on social media to promote the product, such as Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. In terms of usage I can see it lasting for quite a while, as long as the phone is not dropped causing damage to the case. Outside of being a print on physical products, I can personally see this as a tattoo/body print. Although, there are more choices for this print to be used, such as t-shirts, bags, etc. and to be honest the marketing for it can be very broad for this type of illustration, which I think it is a good thing as it would help to expand and broaden out the marketing for it and public exposure of the work.

Illustration stickers. Keri Green.

Cute character illustrations and its charm is what caught my attention to the sticker set. The only place I can see this promotional piece is in book shops, perhaps bundled with a book, other than that I can’t think from the top of my head where else this could be sold, maybe online shops but I don’t think it’s enough to be sold on the web, but I could be wrong. In terms of usage and longevity, stickers don’t usually lasts that long in comparison to the other promotional items by others, but this depends on how it is being used by the customer, but in the end stickers generally don’t last that long.

Colours and design of the characters is what draws the most attention and it is effective, especially if this is all targeted towards young children. The design of the characters seems to try and capture the feel and warmth to bring happiness to children.

Business card. Janica Francisco.

The font and personal style/customisation and its layout is what caught my attention. A promotional piece to reveal to the customer about the artist’s social media pages and contact details which can be seen given to those who buys the products/prints in conventions. Business cards usually lasts as long as the customer holds on to it for future references and interests.

The business card kept its simplicity with a black background and clear text font, including logos of popular social media sites to attract attention towards the important information about the artist the customers would want to look into. As for the illustration that was chosen to represent the artist, I believe this was of a personal decision, though this can be changed if the artists wants to and I don’t see anything wrong with changing it as long as the side of the contact details remains clear.

Pencil Case. Emily Jaysep.

The simplicity of the illustration printed on a plain pencil case looks very nice in terms of quality and overall presentation. Its longevity would last a fair while, or perhaps, ages since it’s only to store equipment and it’s not made for practical purposes. Online shops, art stores and general book shops such as WH Smith and Waterstones is where I believe this can been seen to be sold to customers. Its design is simple, yet effective at the same time. The simplicity doesn’t need anything else and I think it is perfect the way it is. The cream colour mixed with the black outline of the illustration is more than enough to give it a nice, relaxing feel to it, rather than giving entirely new colours to the bear, that would otherwise conflicts with the overall simplicity between the pencil case and the drawing. 

Discussion on FMP Proposal and Ideas for Project.

I know that a lot of people are concerned about what they wanted to do for their Final Major Project in the third year, and that project is what will determine what you want to do for a career and artist. To me, whilst it’s something that I am looking forward to, will be the opportunity to express with my works what I want to do as an artist. I have a few ideas floating around, though I am not fixed on one idea to go forward just yet, as I want to be open minded on the things I could potentially do for FMP. There are three ideas I have in mind and they are of:

1. Re-imagining childhood drawings and their worlds.

Taking drawings I have done over the years that had led me to this point. These drawings can be of doodles, sketches, characters or anything I had done throughout my years of education and free time. Using these as a starting point or reference to re-imagine these drawings collectively to create an imaginary world together.

2. A-Z list of an imaginative world I create.

Create a world of my own and produce a list (A-Z) that are of characters, scenery, sequence, creatures or themes of that world.

3. Stand-alone and collective illustrations that shares the same universe.

Create a world of my own, and produce several illustrations that can work as a standalone piece individually, as well as being able to be part of a collective with other illustrations that can loosely create a story with one another together.

At this moment I am leaning towards my 3^rd idea of creating several illustrations that are standalone, yet can be part of a collective with other illustrations, such as character portraits, creatures, scenery or sequence, that draws up a loose story of its universe and its events. Although, I would probably go back to my drawings I had did in the past, at the time I considered it all as a hobby, to get some reference as to what I always liked to draw.

I have mixed feelings whether to approach the project as concept art, or as an illustrative project, because there are a few things that I liked from both, and things that I don’t like from the two.

First of all, I always had interests in concept art, and I had studied it in my previous university for a short time. I always thought that concept art was about designing cool characters, but that is what I thought in the past. After realising that concept art is much more than just producing fancy characters, it is more of a ‘design’ subject, and to break into the industry is really hard, considering you need to master the skills of anatomy, perspective, colour, etc. Majority of the concept art I had looked into (the higher tiers of concept art) are heavily influenced to semi realism in terms of style, in which I do not want to go towards.

I always wanted to do something illustrative, yet at the same time concept art, and I always wanted to pick a few things from it and apply it to illustrative works to paint, it’s more of a mixture between the two than being one or the other. With an art style I’m currently honing to improve, I want my art style to be my voice, a visual voice to welcome viewers to my world of imagination and characters, and that’s is what I like about digital illustration. This can open up opportunities to get some work sold as prints, which I do like about.

For concept art, the only thing I like from it is the presentation of artworks. The presentation of character portraits, as well as the graphic texts that are there to accommodate the illustration, is something I’m trying to work on at the moment, as it brings out that professional standard to showcase your artwork. This is more to do with online posting/web browsing, but it is noteworthy to know how to present at the right standard.

Judging from what I like about the two, I would want to blend my artistic style for illustrative outcomes with the professionalism of presentation from concept art for portfolios and online posting.

To clarify what I wanted to do, I will choose the 3^rd idea as my starting point. I always wanted to create my own world with characters that I can freely design, and sceneries I like to draw to feel fantastical and inspirational, its lore and its universe. This will most likely be my FMP, but this can change throughout the course of the project. 

Discussion - Fees and Pricing in Commissions/Prints

Price and fees are one of the things that I’m currently struggle with to get a grasp of, as I have not really sold prints, nor taking in commissions to produce work for customers/clients. In this session we discuss the topic of pricing commissions, which I do want to hear about as it will definitely give me an insight to help my understandings and knowledge for pricing artworks and to look into different areas of commissions such as book covers, magazine covers, posters, in-book illustrations, etc.

I find that a lot of the pricing for commissions varies a lot and that there are many factors that contributes it, such as deadline, working for national or international papers, companies and authors. Being commissioned by a large company with a high reputation would of course pay you more, whilst you would be paid less from a small business that is in the minority. A few hundred pounds for a commission seems alright to me, though there are those that can hit the £1000s bracket where a lot of artists wished to be paid for, and some of these I find are ridiculous amounts where it could equate to a year’s worth of salary. Like I said, this comes down from how big or famous the company or person that is commissioning you.

An in depth analysis to all the different types of commission work and their pricing had me thinking how much should I sell my work to customers. There will be a time where I would be out there selling my illustrations for exposure and gathering an audience/followers, and naming my prices can be difficult. Making your prints expensive can make people pass, while making them cheap will draw attention, but at the same time you won’t be making enough unless it was to be sold at a mass quantity in a short period of time to the consumers. I would want to name my prices for my prints at a fair amount, not too expensive, yet not too cheap, but as of now I’m not an established artist, just someone within the minority, I will just put the prices at a fair range, depending on the quality of the image.

The session has taught me to see what income illustrators/artists make for a living and it made me realise that there’s not really a fixed figure for a yearly salary, considering that artists work on many different projects over the years with different pays and contracts, so there could be a year where you would earn more than the usual, and there could be a year where you earned less, which is not far from the truth for all illustrators whose yearly salary are different over the years of profession. 

Talks and Discussion on FMP with 3rd Years

In this session it was mostly focused on the introduction to the FMP in the 3^rd Year and we all get to have an insight to what the current 3^rd Years have been doing for their projects. As groups we rotate to each 3^rd year who volunteered to discuss and present what they are currently doing, each offering their own perspectives, ideas and approach to their interests and potential outcomes.

There was a diversity of different approaches to their project, where many pursued their own personal interests while others go down the route relating towards the commercial/graphical aspect, and it was interesting to hear their own take and what they had done so far to advance their FMP.

It was a good session to hear what the 3^rd years are currently doing in order for us to be aware of the situation when the time comes for me and fellow classmates to be in their shoes next year. While it is early to say what we want to do for 3^rd year, I do know what I wanted to do and to pursue, so between now and then will be the time of preparation to gather and to look into what I want to do in the 3^rd year. I will be following and to continue my pursuit of my personal interests in digital illustration for my FMP.

Life of an Artist - Fumio Obata

Sometimes I ever wondered about the past and journeys of those who taught me in my education, and their steps to become who they are now as a person and illustrator. Fumio Obata, a tutor and author, who is currently teaching me, explained his origins and the paths that had led him to where he is now, a pictorial storyteller and mentor.

It was interesting to hear the stories of his early life as a graduate and his beginnings to pursue a career in storytelling. He told us his first visual influence was Japanese manga and anime, which is of no surprise considering he is Japanese and was brought up and lived in Tokyo in his early life, manga and anime are a part of Japanese culture, and is now currently booming in terms of popularity around world for its entertainment and pop culture.

Came to England in 1991, Fumio was originally going to London, but decided to go to Glasgow for his studies instead (1997-1999), personally saying that he finds the area more interesting. He told us he needed to change his style after his application to get into RCA (Royal College of Art) was rejected, and felt challenged, which he then proceed to find his own stylistic identity and exploring different mediums in his practices. His interests within illustration was composition and movement, and the themes he said he would often use was to combine Japanese and European aesthetics in sequential.

He told us that over the years he had to adapt to the changes in terms of processes when digital medium/tools was beginning to become a requirement to produce the works of illustrations.

His first publication was in 2010 through personal contact. Contacts are important as it can lead you to a host of various networks of illustrators and artists from around the world, which I agree is true, having a network of national or international friends and contacts can help spread you identity as an artist, as well as exposure. The more, the better chance.

His recent publication was in 2014, a graphic novel titled ‘Just So Happens”, which I actually seen in shops such as Waterstones. I had a quick read at the time of discovering it and it was strange to see and read a book that was produced by a tutor who is currently teaching me in my studies. It actually made me smile. He has been teaching for a few years now, as well as working on other projects, though we all don’t know how long he would continue to teach.

Just So Happens. 2014. Fumio Obata. 

In the end he told us of his future plans, and that was to return to Japan as an author. It is understandable that after being here in the UK for so long, creating stories and teaching outside of his home country, that he will return to Japan one day in his later years after making a name of himself in the publishing and creative industry. Discovering his journey from the very beginning to the present had offered some insight of the potential paths that I may undertake in a similar fashion: adapting, artist exposure and making connections with others. While his time of exposure back then is now vastly different compared to my generation, I think many young people who are seeking something similar in the art/creative industry like me should be happy that we are living in a time where we all have the technology and the accessibility to resources and tools that will benefit us. Fumio said that if he was in my generation lifetime, things would be very, very different compared to what he had experienced. He was once in our shoes, graduating and pursuing what he wanted, and he achieved that. Someday we will do the same, being in his shoes as an illustrator or author in our later years. 

Stephen Cooper - Concept Artist

Concept Art is one of the few interests I have, and in this session Concept Artist Steven Cooper was a guest lecture to talk about some of his client works (Doctor Who, Paddington, Silent Hill: Origins) personal works, life as a concept artist, as well as responding to general questions regarding about the subject.

This session was very, very useful and interesting as I get to have a small insight into how a concept artist work, dealing with exposure and client work, including to know Stephen’s personal opinions, influences and advice.

After his presentation that consists a body of client works as well as some personal projects, I personally sat down with him and discussed about my interest in concept art and to share my experiences of learning in the past in my previous university, where I had studied Game Art Design in De Montfort University.

I discussed my experiences where I find it difficult, as a whole, to study Concept Art, where you need the skills of both 3D Game Production and Visual Design. I asked this whether it is necessary that, despite being a 2D illustrator, you need the skills as a 3D modeller to get into concept art, considering I myself is not keen in 3D modelling and it is too technical for me. Stephen explained that it is not that necessary, however it would give you an advantage over some who doesn’t know much of 3D modelling, and told me that gaining those skills is a plus to your employability within the industry of concept art. He told me that you can still get into Concept art without knowing 3D modelling, though basic knowledge is required just in case you would ever need to use one, which he explained earlier in his presentation, that he needs to self-teach on using 3D modelling software he needs to use, such as Maya and ZBrush to produce some client work. His opinion makes it all clear to me and that it is not a necessary requirement to get into concept art, though this makes me more wary that some, if not most companies are on the lookout for those who has both 3D and 2D skills, which can put those in an advantage over those who don’t have both, like me.

After the discussion I made it relate to one of questions that I want to ask, and that is:

Would you consider Concept Art the hardest subject within the field of Illustration?

Stephen agrees that concept art is, in some way, hard in comparison to other subjects in art and design, primarily because you would need to stay at top in being creative and motivated all the time, regardless whether the project you are doing is enjoyable or not. He said the design element is what keeps things challenging and you would need to think and produce new designs, which can be difficult especially if there is a strict time constraint on the project’s idea phase. You would need to know how to draw anything and don’t expect to draw your favourite things all the time, since the brief from the client could be of anything. If you can’t then maybe concept art is not the right choice, and would prefer to go to a more general digital illustration pathway, if creating illustrations is your thing.

Taking into account of what he said in response, which leads to my second question:

Did you work on multiple projects simultaneously?

No. Stephen said he didn’t and would personally prefer to work and focus on one project at a time, as he said his director assumes he has undivided attention and knowing he can handle the work, otherwise, working on another project without the director knowing would stir some problems, also taking into account Stephen would need to keep things confidential of both projects between the two companies. Plus it would personally conflicts Stephen’s working hours, as there is more work to do.

Did you have to self-teach to learn new software outside of work?

Yes. He said that a lot of companies does not provide any tutorial or training if a particular software skill is required. He reflects back to my first question, where he tells me that knowing some of the software is a plus to your employability, which I think he is correct. This had me reflecting back when I first acquired Photoshop a few years ago, knowing that I would need to self-teach myself, considering there’s no classes that teach you the ways of digital painting, unless you go to a specific art school/college. He said it is handy knowing a few extra things, but if it is something that you would definitely be using, you would need to teach yourself.

As an artist is it better to be well rounded in everything, rather than sticking to the things you like to do? Such as drawing specific characters, environments, etc.

Yes. Cooper said it is better to be well rounded than sticking to what you can do, as it will narrow down your opportunities. He personally say that sticking to one thing is somewhat generally not a good idea, but you do get artists who are recognised or well known for drawing the one subject or theme that they like to do, whether its character portraits or sci-fi robots, which is not a bad idea if it is successful, but overall he personally says that it is better to know your way round rather than boxing in on yourself. Sure it will make you recognisable in a way to be known as an artist who draws this or that, but drawing your favourite things all the time could somewhat hinder your job opportunities and skill.

It was nice to have discussions and debates on several topics with Stephen and was given small tutorials in Photoshop including some advice in painting surface materials. This session has been very good and was well engaged in discussing relevant topics relating to my own interests with Stephen Cooper and I may contact him via email for future references/purposes. 

Work Placement and Career Advice pt.3 - Interviews

This final session of Career Advice regarding on the preparations for a job interview is useful. I had written down notes just in case if I ever need to recap on a few things that I need to remind myself, such as preparing my own questions and to know some knowledge about the company I wanted to get into.

While I know some knowledge of preparation, there were a few things I did not know about, such as cases of set ups from the interviewers to test you to see if you are capable to respond in a specific manner, though from what I heard, some of the cases are somewhat bizarre and unfair to the applicants and only to be told afterwards they did not get the job just because they did not respond in a specific manner, such as the case, which I see as unfair, where the interviewer was ‘interrupted’ and he needs to talk to a colleague outside the room for 15 minutes, while the person who is getting interviewed patiently waited, until the interviewer comes back to resume.

The part where he talked outside for 15 mins was a set up in a way to get that person who is being interviewed to tell the interviewer that she’s here for the interview, not to have time wasted, as a response, though clearly that did not happened, hence the job offer was rejected.

As I heard the story about this case, it seems unfair, because you wouldn’t expect to get up and kindly confront the interviewer to stop talking and resume the interview, my initial response would be to sit quietly and patiently wait for the interviewer to return, how would anyone know this was actually a set-up, and to go out to tell the interviewer that you are here for the interview seems rude, as the talk between those two could be important or confidential and not want you to know about.

This is something new I had learnt from this session on interviews and now I am more aware that the company or the interviewers that I would apply in the future might play some tricks or set-up to throw you off guard. Some can be surprising, while some may seem unfair and feel one-sided.