Conclusive Statement / Critical Evaluation

Having used this final module to help boost me into my career as an illustrator I found it useful to not only study self-promotional strategies, but also create a body of work that reflects this. To mirror this side of the module I have gone about devising a series of handmade correspondence cards and a string of portfolio prints that I hope to continue working with in the near future, as these will make great first steps into gaining professional based work and build up a style that works well for me.

This module has not been a breeze, and presented many challenges. However, I have managed to overcome and successfully juggle multiple projects.

In terms of the greetings card project the results have been good, especially   outcomes and productivity. I am glad to be able to look upon what I have produced and be proud of it. Having worked with a form of greeting card before I definitely think that this was a good path to go down and as a result I feel that I have built upon my previous work helping establish myself as a creator. I have pushed forwards using a new topic and quantity, of which I am pleased with both. However, I am still unaware of my strengths in this field, but like the previous project I feel that I have come away with a deeper set of skill and subject knowledge.

I still very much enjoy producing handmade work and think that this is a niche I am gaining a firmer grip on; the use of the hand stamper and the attention to detail that I can include within my work both excite me.

Throughout this project I have kept a steady eye on the time and have therefore triumphed with my time management! This is encouraging for me and has helped boost productivity on my part. Once more I have also found it helpful to keep track of my research and final outcomes using a blog, as a result complementing my sketchbooks nicely.

However, I would say that my weakness in this project has been, once more, not being able to knuckle down to a specific title for the project for some time, however, this is potentially a positive thing because of the time I have been able to spend easing myself into this.

I am pleased to a point with my final outcomes, I don’t think that they are overly exciting to look at, but I need to remember that I won’t always be producing work for myself, and I suppose that this is good way of looking at it, that sometimes what a client wants is just not fully your cup of tea. But perhaps I need to learn how to inject a little of my personality into the work. These are, after all, minimal hand made note/correspondence cards that get straight to the point, and I think that they do this effectively. Just like the Wish You Were Here cards I think that they stand out and at the same time blend in with the current market; what will set them apart is their theme, which is communicating to an audience a widely unknown ‘card’ topic.

With this work I not only plan on selling the cards at the summer show and in local hand made shops such as No Guts No Glory, I also hope to approach farm shops around the local area of where I am moving too. The nature of farm shops can be very handmade based and as a result my work should fit right in. I plan on keeping the card templates and thinking about new themes relating to where I will be living; rural life, animals, farms, etc.

To develop this project further I would include the title of the over all topic on the rear of the cards instead of the card title, for example, I would place ‘English Idioms’ instead of ‘She’s a Peach’, as this would encompass the card as part of a wider set. I would also think about perhaps stamping the inside with what that particular idiom means, so the description would read in the middle, although this may take away the broadness of the card topic.

When reflecting upon the steam stack portfolio print project  it has definitely been a positive one. I am very pleased with the outcomes and think that they will suit my portfolio greatly. Having not done anything specific for my portfolio for a while it has been nice to focus on something that I would like to produce because of the fact I think it will work well in context.
I feel that having produced these pieces of work that they have helped me reach a new level in my practice and a fresh way of building upon my direction of image making.

Because this project has included new ways of image making for me it has sparked enthusiasm and excitement and as a result helped produce productivity, especially once knowing how my images would turn out; I think that overlaying the watered ink was completely the best thing I could have done!

However, I think that I could definitely build upon what I have here, and if there were more time I would have pursued a Steam Liner image to complement the Paddle Steamer. I may well have also thought about applying these pieces to event posters as I think that they would be perfect for an indie music event, just like Methane Studios pioneer. I would have also thought about sending them off to Old Glory steam and vintage preservation magazine with the possibility of some artistry work from new clients as an outcome.

With this work and style I now have a grip of, I can think about producing work in this fashion for the local area of where I will be living to sell in farm shops. It would be great to see a series of vintage tractors, or farm animals done in this style, exciting prospects indeed.

For the future my plans are to work on a farm and get myself outside every day and gain a strong and steady income to support myself. I will of course illustrate part time while I’m in my infant professional stage. The idea is that I refresh myself from the same processes that I have been practicing for the past 3-4 years with the hope that this will re-ignite my first passion for the subject.

From Student To Practitioner Advice

Having already emailed a number of professional illustrators based around the topic of the transition period from being a student to becoming a partitioner and what there advice was for me last time around, i only gained three replies from at least 10 emails sent. therefore i have devised a new email that specifically asks them to tell me of their experiences. Not in a threatening way of course, just more to the point. At the end of this email i have also included my website and tumblr address for them to become more interactive and in theory more likely to reply. here it is below:

Hello… My name is Nathan and I am a third year illustration student studying down at Plymouth College of Art in the United Kingdom. I am emailing you not only because I am a fan of your works, but also to find out how you went about getting where you are today. I am about to graduate from my course and go through that transition period from being a student to a practitioner. I gather you must have gone through this phase at some point in your life and I was hoping if you’d give me a glimmer of your experience, for example whether you had a part time job to tie you over whilst illustration work was starting to pick up, or whether it was full of client based work right form the start. It’d be interesting for me to know your thoughts on how you became ‘established’ within your field and how you went about it. I realize that this is going to take up a chunk of your time and for that I am very grateful. In the mean time here is my website / Tumblr:

www.cargocollective.com/nathanjeffriesillustration 

www.nathanjeffriesillustration.tumblr.com 

I look forward to hearing from you, Nathan Jeffries.

here are the illustrators/companies that i sent out to last time:

• Methane Studios
• The Head Of State
• Gary Kroman
• Richard 'French' Sayer
• Jason Kernevich
• No Guts No Glory
• Relix
• UK Greetings
• The Church of London/YCN
• Maria Taylor
• Roger Dean

I will send out to these again if i didn't get a reply from them previously. I am also aiming to send this email out to illustrators that i have discovered since:

• Guy McKinley
• Ken Taylor
• Gary Redford
• Sarah Kelly
• Patrick Morgan
• Alan McGowan
• Maltings Partnership
• The Art Market

I thought it'd be worth while including the response i did get from No Guts No Glory, and Maria Taylor as these are a great help and an example of what i'm looking for in reply.

Hey Nath, Hope you're well!  Sorry for the late reply dude, we've been pretty flat out!  Berlin was incredible - you HAVE to go if you ever get a chance, such a beautiful and creative City. You're definitely doing the right thing by sending emails out and gathering research. With regards to how people see your portfolio, the first thing you need to do is get one set up.  I'd really strongle advise that you set up a clean website to show your best work, and as you're wanting to shake off the 'being a student', think about what work you want to include and what you want to discard. You can make some good portfolios on cargo collective, or using wordpress etc - I'd also advise buying your own domain name (nathanjeffriesillustration.com - or similar). Keeping a blog also helps, as a way to regularly post about work you like and things you're working on.  Sometimes, it'll do you a world of good to write about an artists you like (say Philip Harris has made a new zine for example) and if you link them and let them know, chances are they're re-promote that to their followers etc. Once this is set up, you yourself will be able to see what direction you think you'd like to head in as you'd have selected the work that you deem as your best work. Once you have a web portfolio, you can contact clients and talk confidently about the work that you are producing, because you can back it up with actual images to show them.  Then, the person you are emailing can get back to you with feedback on how to adapt/submit your work etc. If you'd like to arrange an appointment with some one, just email them explaining a little about your self, your work, previous clients etc (in a  nice friendly, but well constructed way) and explain, even in a couple sentences, about what it is that you'd like to talk to them about.  That way they have enough information to get back to you with an answer.   With regards to the money side of things, every shop you stock with will differ in their approach.  generally 35-45% seems to be a going commission rate, depending on whether the product is brought on wholesale or sale and return. With regards to commissioned work, this also totally depends from artist to artists.  People like Philip Harris charge hourly (at £10 per hour - select a price that you think fits you) and they'll think about how long a job would take before quoting a customer.  Once the quote is given, that's the price, unless the customer want's anything else done.  If it takes longer, thats your fault for not weighing it up right, but it it takes less time...result! If you're starting out, work cheaper for a while, so that you're more likely to get work and built a client list, but also so that you can find your feet and get used to how long jobs will take etc. Phil, for example, has become very efficient, so he can judge how long a job will take.  It might take a new illustrator longer to come up with ideas, or produce a piece that they're happy with. With Payment, it's up to you whether you ask for payment up front, or upon completion, it'll probably vary from client to client, and had obvious pros and cons for each party. It's up to you whether you include research and conceptual time into your fee. I hope this helps dude?  Sorry for the late reply, wanted to give a proper reply!  

Cheers, Nath

Hello Nathan, The transition from student to practitioner was pretty quick. I worked in house for a while and then went freelance.... I went to the Princes Trust and received a grant to buy a computer and software. The Princes Trust also provided great networking events and short courses.I did have another job for a while (teaching aerobics).I then taught illustration evening courses and then taught on the illustration degree course part-time. My personality preferred to work freelance....and perhaps if I get to a stage where I cannot afford to pay bills I would work part-time again. I would say that as an illustrator starting out you will need to have a part-time job along side freelancing (unless you are a secret millionaire).It also helps your sanity to see people and network. The only tip I could give you is " Work like a dog!, don't think about it.....just get on with it!  Hope that helps abit? Warm Wishes Maria  

I have replies!! I have received responses from Patrick Morgan, Gary Redford, and Robin Howlett, how exciting!

Here is what they had to say in response to my email:

Patrick:

Hi Nathan,Sorry I'm planning 2 shows in london so really busy at the moment.Illustration is super tough and with people with so many similar styles you need an agent to represent you to help you get them first jobs.I looked the site. Well done, but dont think of just one style these days people dont mind various techniques it keep it fun for you too.Good luckPatrick ps exhibition dates on my site soon or twitter so come along...good luck.

Gary:

Hi Nathan Thanks for your email, yes its a good idea to have another steady means of income when you first start out, it will also help with funding some self promotion  i had a look at your tumblr, its nice work, i would recommend sending samples of your work to newspapers and magazines and also to take a page in contact illustration and have a look at the discussion boards on AOI theres lots of advice and help on there Good Luck !  Gary

Robin:

Hi Nathan Well done for being proactive; but I'm not sure you're going to want to hear what I've got to say… Illustration has become a very tough career.  It is starting to swing around (for me anyway), but the plethora of cheap (some of it very good) photography and illustration available on line has done a lot to put people like us out of a job.  I'm luckier than most, as illustration is a "part-time" job for me.   I studied at Kingston, actually majoring in animation, but couldn't get work in that field as there was nothing about back then.  So I took a job as a visualizer for an ad agency.  From there I built up all my designer skills until I ended up running agencies.  So, first and foremost I am a designer.  The illustration came along when, aged about 45 I sold my agency and went freelance.  My illustration was varied back then – I'd take anything.  After about a year, it became clear that my folio was developing an art deco trend – so I put up a new website, claiming to be an art deco specialist.  It worked wonders, and the work is now all deco.  I have really busy times (the past few months have been good) but I also have very dry times, where I certainly could not live on the money that comes in from illustration alone.   I am lucky, because I supplement my designer income with my illustration.  And that's the trick really – you must find yourself a source of regular income, that gives you the flexibility to do the commissions when they do come in.  With luck, it will grow and one day you might even be able to give up the day job completely.   But you have chosen a tough profession my friend.  If I had one piece of advice it would be SPECIALISE.  Set your site up so that your specialism is really clear to the art directors AND the spiders, (KEYWORDS ARE SO IMPORTANT) then your phone will ring.  Don't just be "an illustrator", because you will be just another one of thousands.   Be flexible, never drop a deadline, be prepared to take some right shit from the clients (they are all better illustrators than you, don't forget) know when to stick up for your vision and when to meekly say "yes, you're right, why didn't I see that?"   My very best wishes to you and I hope that your voyage starts off with a fair wind behind you!   Kindest regards,  Robin Howlett

So far, i think that it's relatively clear from what i've read that it's important to start out with a part time job to go along side your work to bring in a constant flow of cash to keep yourself afloat. Following this, i think it best to define my practice even more from simply illustration, but to actually name my work, eg, 'printer', or specialist 'water working digital artist'... we'll see what comes about.

Alan has replied!:

Hi Nathan Getting started is never easy and probably less so than when I did back in the 1980's. Still you have to try. Advice - make sure people know about your work; publicise yourself; go and see people in magazines, newspapers , publishers etc; have something tangible to leave with them (postcard or printout etc). Keep doing what you believe in and hopefully you will find other people that believe in you too. Keep your overheads low (I worked from a bedroom for years). I've nearly always done a bit of teaching, so to that extent I have had part-time jobs, and that does help the cash situation - just avoid the "other" job taking up so much time that it totally dominates. Just try and get out and get some experience, the challenge is there to be met! Good luck Alan

Letter Heading

I think that it's important to encourage written response between clients. It's a dying form of communication with the likes of email, etc. I am aware that a lot of businesses do inform clients using written letters and it's something i would like to pursue in my own practice. I plan to conduct necessary tasks using a typewriter, just to give that personal, hand-typed touch. But what would make this even greater would be to use paper with pre-printed letter-headings. Below are a couple of my favorite examples of letter headings within a creative practice, both found in a book titled 'Letter Heads and Business Cards' edited by Chris Forges from 1999.

The first example has been produced by the design company 'Intro' for their client 'Upsidedown'. I have picked out this because of it's imagery to the top right hand side of the letter, something i wish to include in my own work, and just the simplicity of the address/company name layout. this too would be useful to me in my own version because it would reflect the simplicity of my work.

The second example i have chosen is by the design company 'Pentagram' and for their client Celia Keyworth. Again, i find this design so simple and something i could, once more, use to reflect my own practice. 

Here are a few design of my own:

With the first example here, i wanted to include the title of my practice across the top, creating a distinct starting point for the rest of the letter. To the right i felt it important to place the image associated with the rest of my self-promotion, and below, my working address. It would be interesting to see what the image would look like from the left hand-side of the page...

From the left the image looks a bit displaced and i no longer think that the title of my practice is necessary in this form, especially here where the address repeats it underneath...

Reverting back to the first mock, but this time without the title of practice. This looks a lot cleaner and therefore more professional this way... but perhaps a bit too cramped all in one corner...

This is a lot better, i think we're getting somewhere with this one; clean, and simple, Ideal. I would like to see what this looks like with the design central...

With the design central i think that it looks excellent, my only concern is that it may feel like it's imposing on the remainder of the space because it's not at the sides... I may well have to have a re-think.

Ok, so, here is the revised edition. The practice name is central under the image which i think works very professionally. I have re-moved the address back to the right hand side. I do however think that upon reflection it's a little too high and should potentially be in line with the sending address.

This is a better example of a professional letter head in my opinion. This is my final outcome and one that i shall use.

Tumblr

Tumblr has been around for a while as a site used for blogging, and is well used by an array for creatives, from poets and photographers, to illustrators and fine artists, and the nice thing about Tumblr is that it's not just aimed at creatives, so there is opportunity for 'normal poeple' to view the work you're displaying.

Personally i have chosen to start a Tumblr because i enjoy working with a blog and updating people on what i'm producing. Compared to Blogger and other such sites, Tumblr comes across as clean and fresh which ultimately gives that professional appeal and feel.

Here is the address for my Tumblr blog site:

http://www.nathanjeffriesillustration.tumblr.com/

Cargo Collective

With the thought of being able to create and manage my own website being possibly a little too much at this stage of the illustration career, i have opted to run with Cargo Collective. Cargo Collective are an 'invite only' web hosting service and in a nut shell have done all of the hard bits for you in terms of web design, therefore all i have to do is upload my work etc... Cargo has a few competitors however, and Hotglue being one of them offers a very similar service, but in my opinion doesn't come across as flush and professional. (just check out maddypethick.hotglue.me  as an example (Its nothing against Maddy, but the layout is not to my taste)).
There are a number of testimonials for the Cargo hosting site, these include laurajayneweeks.com , ryansalter.com and benchallen.com all of which have just graduated and seem to be getting on very well with the site.

Incidently the cargo collective site is http://www.cargocollective.com

Because Cargo have an invite only i had to apply to them for web space, and this is how i did went about it:

Greetings Cargo Collective,
I am a 3rd year BA Hons Illustration degree student about to embark upon the real world. For this i will be needing a website and having been recommended your services i think that you and i would make a great team, and therefore would greatly appreciate a handful of your web space.

Many thanks,
Nathan Jeffries.

I had an almost immediate reply from them which was brilliant seeing as they say it will take up to 48 hours:

Hello and thanks for your interest in the Cargo project. Here's an activation link:http://cargocollective.com/start/new/369329
Since you are about to get acquainted with Cargo for the first time we can imagine you may have a few questions or comments, with which we're glad to help via http://support.cargocollective.com.

Collectively yours,The Cargo team 

With that i was then able to develop my web space and was stumped with a long list of design styles to choose from:

I eventually chose Mondrain and then was given access conformation via another email form them:

Hi Nathan,

Your site was created successfully and is located at
http://cargocollective.com/nathanjeffriesillustration

Edit your site here: http://cargocollective.com/nathanjeffriesillustration/admin
Your login name is: jeffriesillustration

Good luck!
The Cargo Team 

And so, my current website address is as follows-

http://www.cargocollective.com/nathanjeffriesillustration 

I have uploaded parts of my current portfolio and included a statement about my practice and myself. The statement is this:

To illustrate is diversity from my day-to-day life on the farm on which I work and live. Having studied a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration at Plymouth College of Art I produce handmade greetings cards featuring warm themes that differ from the norm. I also work digitally and keep up to date with the ever-evolving illustration scene by producing prints that incorporate topics I find interesting such as vehicles, music and animals. 

My vision is to be able to reach a point in my illustration career where I can not only say that I have worked along side the best in the business, but also give guidance to upcoming illustrators and designers who wish for it. 

Postcard

It has been asked that we choose 3 images that will potentially feature on a promotional postcard that will almost act as a business card for the end of year show. Narrowing it down to one was tough for myself, so i am glad that our tutor had that job. Below are my three images:

From these the decision was made that the postcard should feature the 'Wish You Were Here' sofa, and here is the printed outcome:

I am happy with this, because before they did not look professional when i printed and hand painted all of the James and Dave (Lets Go Digging) ones for the Illustration Bureau. But these will not get sold, just handed out like a business card. I will have 50 of these for the show.

Business Cards

Starting my body of self promotional work off with the business card. Definitely the most popular self promotion method by far ranging across every kind of business... which means that designs vary! Below are a few that have inspired me in my bid to create my very own business card. I have picked these because i also think that they are strong examples of each type of business card out there (please note that this research corresponds with my self-promotional sketchbook):

Here are my potential images that id like to include on my design:

Here is my final outcome with clipped corners: