GETTING STARTED
- Evaluate what you have to offer - Unique strengths and skills, and weaknesses to work on
- Be critical and honest - consistently produce what you're offering to potential clients
- ADAPT; be flexible with time
- Consider benefits of exposure and portfolio, charity, ethics, morals, different markets etc, over finance sometimes (when applicable)
- Be aware of pricing, rights, copyright
- Work out who you want to contact and how
Editorial, books, posters, packaging, leaflets, greeting cards, wallpapers, typography, reports, internal magazines, educational/decorative material
DIGITAL
Apps, screen savers, animations, digital rendering, concept art, films
GROUP TASK
List, from A-Z, Illustration based careers you can think of
A - Animator, Agent
B - Books
C - Concept Artist
D - Art Director
E - Editorial
F - Freelancer
G - Graphic Artist, Designer
I - In House
L - Visiting Lecturer
M - Marketing Illustrator
R - Researcher
S - Sketch Artist, Screen Printer
T - Typographer, Tattooist
SO NOW YOU HAVE DIRECTION, WHAT NEXT?
- Strengths and weaknesses
- How you will develop strengths and heal weaknesses?
- Need any particular specialist skills? Such as specific software knowledge and experience?
- How will you learn this? (There are classes on things like that)
SKILLS
General, Essential:
- Creativity
- Willpower
- Technical skills
- Confidence in colour use
- Understanding of materials and uses
- Visualisation of use of skills and idea generation
- Knowledge of Typography
- Knowledge of digital work like scanning, position, resolution, scaling, file formats, bleeds etc
Specialist:
- Digital
- Book Binding
- Pattern/decorative
- Narrative
Personal:
- Gathering inspiration
- Organisation
- Time management
- Ambition and drive
- Self critical
- Pleasant and good communicator
- Confidence
- Focus
- Perseverence
- Efficient
- Energy (Staying healthy), motivation
Transferable:
- Drawing
- Painting
- Colour Theory
- Understanding things like anatomy, perspective
- Creativity
- Time management
- Communication, written and spoken
- Negotiating
- Confronting issues such as late payments (*Note, make sure on contracts I add "payment expected within 30 days of delivery - exceeding this will incur an additional fee")
Business:
- Team Player
- Adaptability
- Flexible
- Fair
- Knowledge of rules such as copyright, contracts etc
- Knowing how to do your finances - tax returns, incoming, insurance, outgoing, costs etc
- Keeping up to date with payments and correspondence
- Preparing and using invoices, contracts etc
- Marketing and promotional strategies
- Networking
- Time management and organisation
WHERE WILL YOU WORK?
Home, rented space, rented desk, collaborative space?
SHOWING YOUR WORK
Portfolio
'An artist's portfolio is a showcase of an artist's intended style and practice and usually their best and most appropriate work
Things to consider
- Whether sketchbook pages are appropriate
- A3/A4
- Box, bound together in a box, loose pages, printed book, booklet
- Create brand identity with consistent/similar typefaces and layouts
Benefits of personal practice
- Develop skills and ideas throughout all of your work
- Adds to portfolio
- Fills gaps between commissions/commercial work
