Professional Practice Evaluation

During the past year, whilst completing this blog, I feel that I have learnt a lot about myself and my style. This blog has enabled me to take a step back and look objectively at my work and my interests and I now feel more sure within myself.

I enjoy researching and I feel that this is clear through the Professional Practice module. One area of interest that has really stood out to me has been my passion for illustration and design from the 1950's, which includes artists such as Mary Blair, Charley Harper, Paul Rand and Saul Bass. Though I enjoy design from this era, I would like to continue developing my knowledge of 1950's style, so that I am able to apply it to my own illustration work. My interest in the work of Saul Bass has also opened up the world of sequence titles to me, and I find myself searching for exquisitely produced titles. My favourites, that also have a 50's style, are those to the film "Catch Me If You Can". These titles are extremely clever and the images within it are made up of very simple shapes, which I feel is the direction my work is taking. Another is those to a TV series called "Mad Men", which is about an advertising firm in the early 1960's. These titles have a very graphic and simple style, but they are hugely effective in their message and this is the type of aesthetic I want my work to have.

I have been very lucky during ths time to have made contact with a recent Illustration graduate, from UCLAN, called Debbie Greenaway. I first saw her work at the New Blood exhibition in London, and I was drawn to her simple and fun work, and also the plush toys that she made. I have since been in constant contact with her and I feel that this has really helped me. I think that speaking with her has been very useful as, because she is a recent graduate, she has been able to offer advice about making a name for yourself within illustration, and how the toll of leaving university has effected what she has done in her first year away from education. Though I have not had a lot of responses to my emails and letters, I feel lucky to have been able to form a friendship with someone instead.

Thugh this blog was for the Professional Practice module, I would like to continue with the blog as I feel that it easily expresses who I am, through my work and through my interests.

Dwell 2: Tap Final Image

I've decided against putting any extra detail to this piece and have instead taken away one of the paint drops layers. I do like this piece but I think because I have been staring at it for so long, I can't really look at it objectively anymore. I feel that it is now finished.

Dwell 2: Tap Development

I would say that this image is almost finished and I do quite like it but I'm not sure if it really makes sense and I may have to add the cloud as I did in the original Dwell idea.

Dwell 2: Tap Development

Further development. I like the water section, with the transparent layer and the paint drops layers. I don't really know what to do with the tap and I also do not like the cup. I am wondering whether or not to replace it with a jug or just further develop the cup.

Dwell 2: Tap Development

A development of my tap and cup idea. The shape that comes down from the tap, meant to be the water, is actually the shape of Great Barrier Island in New Zealand which I guess you could say is the setting for the article. I do like this idea, but because of the unusual shape, I think that I may have to use a watercolour background the make the piece look more subtle.

Debbie Greenaway Response

DEBBIE:
Hello Leanne,

Just got in from work and so just got your email now. I am glad that they arrived safe and sound. royal mail didnt do too bad this time but they have been terrible before. Its nice to hear that you are so calm about your work. I think i was calm towards the end but i think that was mostly out of shock because i then realised that three years had gone all so quickly! i get and got my business cards from moo.com. check them out if you want to. i think i forgot to put one in your envelope. i normally get the slim ones - 100 for £10. the cards i am doing are going to be in PAD in preston and on etsy, also anywhere else i get them in! i need to expand into other shops and places now.

keep working hard for the next few days!

debbie x.

Debbie Greenaway Response

DEBBIE:
Hello Leanne,

I am good thanks for asking. I will go on facebook in a moment. i hate it and like it at the same time-its good for certain things and is a big distraction. Does all your work have to in for friday then, like all neat and presentable in portfolios etc? Do you have to have an exhibition set up by then as well? its not long to go. do you have anything planned for the weekend to celebrate or anything?

My illustration work is going ok. Just sorting out tidying up the website and designing some lions to screen-print onto cards for a gallery shop place. i just keep motor-ing on with it all.

have a good week. take care.

deb x.

LEANNE:
Hi Debbie,

On Friday all the major project stuff has to be handed in but then we get a bit off time afterwards to sort out the exhibition stuff and also portfolios and business cards. I'm not as stressed out as I thought I would be abut now!

Also, today I got my little tooth and very own Robotington! :-D They are gorgeous, thank you so much, and also thank you for my little magnets. I'm looking forward to putting them pride of place somewhere in my room, though this will need a lot of careful consideration! I would love to be able to make something like them but I have never used a sewing machine in my life! I think I will have to put that on my list of things to learn!

Where will your screenprinted lions cards be shown? That's quite exciting!

Speak to you soon,
Leanne x

Debbie Greenaway Response

DEBBIE:
Evening Leanne,

How are you today? How is the work going? I am just about to update my blog and then check your updates and everyone else's. Just to let you know that I have posted your robotington and tooth. first class, so they should arrive tomorrow morning. Please let me know if you name him or if you ever get the chance to take him out and about please take a photo, or one of him in his new home etc. he has a facebook page if you would like to add him - Ro Botington. my boyfriend john set it up for him!

deb x.

LEANNE:
Hi Debbie,

I'm fine thank you. I'm very excited that the final deadline in on Friday, even though I am very worried that I don't have enough work. I have adding Ro Botington on Facebook :-) I am very excited to have my very own at my house, he is going to belong on the back of my door and maybe the occasional day trip out and about! How is your illustration work going?

Leanne x

----> See more about Debbie on this site: Sketchbooks in Schools

Dwell: Finished Piece

I think that I actually prefer this piece for the final image as it is very simple, which I think makes the message more effective so I am going to have to decide between the two final pieces.

Debbie Greenaway Response

I have just bought the above items from Debbie's Etsy site and I am really looking forward to getting them! I have wanted a Robotington plush toy since I saw a huge one she did at New Blood so yay!

LEANNE:
Hi Again,

Though that I'd quickly let you know that I've bought a Robotington and a little tooth on your etsy site, yay!

Leanne x

DEBBIE:
Hello Again Leanne,

Thank you so much for buying one! I really appreciate the support. I have just seen the etsy/paypal email. I am going to the post office tomorrow as have other things to send out as well so look out for a package on Wednesday at the earliest unless they send a snail out to post it! you know what royal mail can be like at times.

Take care and all the best.

debbie x.

Dwell: Finished Piece

I think this is very close to the final image for the Dwell article, though I hope to create two images for this article. I do prefer the brown house but I realise that it has no relation to New Zealand and I wonder how important this is. The article is about a self-sustaining bach in New Zealand, but I wonder if the country is just the backscape for the main theme of the article: the self-sustaining bach. I might try to create a development that incorporates some element of the country such as a tracing of the country that is faded into the background. To be honest, I prefer the 4th development in which there is also a brown house. I think it is the simplicity so I might look at this again to inform this piece. For instance, I think it will look a lot brighter with a white cloud with no layers.

Dwell: Rain Developments

I would say that I'm pretty much close to finishing this piece. I like the use of the paint drops in the background but I'm not sure if it looks to gloomy for this piece. I think I may need to do something else to the power button as it still doesn't quite stand out like I'd want it to but I do love my raindrops. After looking at the brown house development again, I think I prefer the darker colour as it makes more of an impact.

Dwell: Rain Developments

These images show the development process of the Dwell piece. I need to work a bit on the power symbol and I'm not too sure that I like the graph paper background. I may need a bit of something to make the plants stand out aswell. Overall though, I do like the simplicity of this idea.

Debbie Greenaway Response

For nearly a year, I have enjoyed a written friendship with Debbie and I feel very fortunate to have made such a friendly contact. I think the difference between being in contact with her and an established illustrator is that she is still finding her way and her style and this is much more interesting and useful to me than somebody who is already successful. I hope to stay in touch with her in the future.

LEANNE:
Hi Debbie,

Thank you again for your reply, I've updated it on my blog. I also forgot to say that I like your website. I have a very simple one with some old work which I hope to update when I leave. After the stress of these 3 years at university, I was contemplating doing something completely different but as the end is in sight, I am actually starting to enjoy illustration again.

I was also thinking of doing a Masters but next year, possibly in typography or design and art direction. I have a job already at Habitat in the Trafford Centre and it definitely distracts you from what you want to do but I always tell myself "This is not my career!" That makes me feel a bit better when I miss all my weekend :-)

I could really see you doing children's books as I think that context would perfectly fit your style. I really look forward to seeing your work on your blog.

Hopefully I will speak to you soon,
Leanne x x x

DEBBIE:

Hello Leanne,

How are you? Thank you for your reply to let me know that you got the answers etc and have read through them. I had never done anything like that before so it was struggle to think about things. Then after I had sent it off, I just kept thinking that i could have maybe answered the questions better or had more to say.

My final year of university was very hard for me, I super stressed myself out with what i wanted to do with the projects and I had just moved to different place which was quite unsettling in the end but i managed to create some good work with a lot of help and support. All i can say is try and enjoy as much as you can and do whatever work you can fit into the time that is left. If you need any help there is always some kind of support at university whether this be from tutors, different tutors, different tutors in different departments, friends, family and just people in general. Make sure you have some 'me' time as well but not too much, just enough to give yourself a break and time to relax or think about things.

To expand a bit more about me and illustration, throughout university, I wanted to go on to do a masters afterwards, either in children's books or printmaking or maybe just illustration but felt that i needed a break. a break as i said to enjoy illustration just for me. I found a job asap and so have worked in a cafe whilst fitting in illustration/craft/print stuff in the spare time that i get. some weeks are good and some weeks are not so good. i struggle to organise myself but now i am getting into a routine with it. i would like to find a better job, for example, less hours for more pay so i have more free time for illustration but job hunting is very difficult and very time consuming at the moment. i am getting there slowly and maybe i will end up doing a masters, most probably now in children's books in about two years or so. i am looking at applying for AA2A over summer and hopefully I will be able to print once again on a more regular basis. More details about AA2A can be found here http://www.aa2a.org/introduction .

I hope the last stretch of university goes well. Please stay in touch.

all the best

debbie x.

Dwell: Colour Schemes

Here are some of the possible colour schemes for my Dwell piece. I wanted blue and green in it so that it looks "earthy" and natural. I think that I prefer the bottom colour scheme as it contains blue and green but also not too bright that it would overshadow the imagery.

Debbie Greenaway Response

DEBBIE:
Hello Leanne,

I have attached my answers in a Word document. If you need me to expand on any of my answers, please email me and I will try and answer them asap. Sorry that I was not quicker with these questions.

Hope everything is ok.

debbie greenaway

WORD DOCUMENT:
What made you want to be an illustrator?
I am not sure of when I first heard the word illustration or if I ever understood what the word meant. I think we must have used the word in a lesson of history during high school. I never liked history and picked Geography because I liked drawing the pictures about what we were learning. I remember drawing about glaciers and the different types of farming. So I suppose I think I first wanted to be an illustrator when I didn’t even know what an illustrator was or did. When I was younger, people used to see me drawing then ask me to draw certain things and I suppose that is what an illustrator does, draws and creates illustration for a significant reason or purpose. I think it is easier to draw something in response to something you have been asked to do. Other than that, I have always liked drawing.

2) Who are your main style influences?
I would have to say my main influences are Oliver Jeffers, Sara Fanelli, Shaun Tan, Calef Brown, Simone Lia, Edward Gorey, Donna Wilson and Raymond Briggs…I have just reread the question and seen that it says ‘style influences’ so I would still say the same people, though I would say that I admire anyone who uses colour as the moment! I look at many illustrators, artists, creative people’s work, websites, books, magazines and I bet there are loads more people I could name. I have recently discovered Marc Boutavant. I have seen his work in the Guardian and he has illustrated several children’s books. Style is one of them words that I do not like to use. I feel I do not have a style though I suppose I can see that there is one developing when I look through my sketchbook. It is a very difficult word, ‘style’.

3) What outside interests do you have?
I can’t quite decide what my outside interests are as everything I think of seems to be linked with illustration in some way or another. I work at a café in order to support myself but whilst at work or away from it, I am always thinking of what I could be drawing or what I should or could be doing illustration wise. I am always on the hunt for characters; I can’t help but look at people and think about what they would look like as a lion. I am continually trying to learn the guitar and have been doing so on and off for the past four years. I like to bake sweet things, cakes, buns and biscuits. I go to the cinema whenever I can but this is usually to watch cartoons/animations etc. I like visiting parks, galleries and just nice places in general that have plenty of things to look at and draw. I usually carry a camera round with me. I try to see my friends as often as I can. I quite like swimming. I seem to switch off completely when swimming. I love growing and collecting cacti. I have ten at the moment and one foster cactus.

4) How have you found getting work as an illustrator since leaving university and what ways do you promote yourself in order to gain commissions?
Since I left university, I haven’t actively seeked any illustration work. It has just found me and I have had one what I would call proper illustration job/commission since leaving university and have had a couple of enquiries about my work. Promotional wise, during university in my second year, I started a blog and then during third year, I opened an etsy shop. Upon leaving university, I didn’t have a website set up and have just set one up this week. It is very much a work in progress. I continue to keep my blog. I have never done a mail out or anything that resembles promotion except have business cards to give to people. I am aware that having a website and doing promotion mail outs are very important but I find it hard to know what to promote at the moment, as I feel I am still experimenting and developing my work. Illustration is what I really want to do full-time but I think after leaving university, I kind of decided to have a bit of time out to enjoy illustration just for me, while I find out what it is about it that I want to do. Also, as my boyfriend is studying for his PhD, it was up to me to get a job to make sure we are and were financially secure. Thinking about it, I do promote my work but maybe more as a fine artist would. I take part in group exhibitions (mainly print, etching/screen-prints), I look for competitions or projects to enter/be a part of such as contributing work to a zine. It is difficult as a single person to do everything all at once, all of the time and so for the moment I look for group things to do in order to promote my work if that makes sense. Some of my work is in PAD in Preston. Plus, I often have a market stall at Christmas and I would like to do this on a more regular basis. I would also like to have work in more than one shop/gallery. My work is to feature in the AOI Images 33 Annual and exhibition and I have a piece of work in the Mailmeart book.

5) How would you like your work to progress in the future?
I would like to give more colour to my work, either through use of traditional methods such as painting, collage or printmaking or by colouring them in digitally. I would like to create more finished pieces of work. Ones that have a background as many of my characters live and float around in a white space. One day I would like to write a complete story and illustrate it from start to finish. I draw quite a lot of animal or inanimate object characters and sometimes it does get quite repetitive. Therefore, I think I would like my work to feature people in it in the future as well as backgrounds in full proper stories. The to-do list is very long!

6) If you were not an illustrator, what would you want to be?
If I wasn’t an illustrator I think I would like to be either a long distance runner or sprinter, run my own tea shop/art shop/gallery place, an hairdresser or a snooker player.

7) Do you think that you will always be an illustrator or do you have another career path in mind?
I think I will always be an illustrator, a creative drawing person. I have always drawn and can’t imagine not drawing. Even when I am angry or frustrated with my ideas, or when the café job annoys me, drawing always makes me feel better. I have often thought about being an art teacher, a technician of sorts, workshop helper, art therapist or something else creative and probably may end up doing something like one of these jobs alongside being an illustrator.

8) What context do you think best suits your work? (i.e. editorial, children's books, book covers, etc.)
I think the context that suits my work best would be children’s books. Maybe it would work in an editorial context if I was to research and create some ‘mock-up’ illustrations for articles that appear in an educational or parenting magazine. I also feel that my work would work in maybe a design context such as surface pattern, for ceramics or textiles. It is something I am working on at the moment. Since leaving university, I have been thinking about learning animation or maybe doing a masters in children’s books in a couple of years time.

LEANNE:
Hi Debbie,

Thank you so much for your reply. It is fantastic and really informative. I particularly liked that you said once you left university, you just wanted to enjoy illustration for you, as this is something that I would like to do, as the stress of university has taken the fun out of it for me. I also look forward to seeing your work in the AOI images book. Even though I have nearly finished my course, I would really enjoy keeping in touch if that would be okay with you.

Hope your are okay,
Leanne x x x

Debbie Greenaway Response

LEANNE:
Hi Debbie,

I hope that you are well. I know that you are always very busy but I was hoping that, if possible, you could respond to my previous email by Thursday? If you can't, I completely understand, it's just my deadline for everything, including the blog, is on Friday. I would really really appreciate if you can do this but don't worry if you can't.

Thanks :-) Leanne x

DEBBIE:
Hello Leanne,

I have attached my answers in a Word document. If you need me to expand on any of my answers, please email me and I will try and answer them asap. Sorry that I was not quicker with these questions.

Hope everything is ok.

debbie greenaway

Dwell: Rain Idea

Here's a new idea. It's a lot simpler than the rest and hopefully makes more sense. The rain is powering the house and making the plants grow. I tried to make each little image look like small symbols or logos, as I feel that this style would look good with the theme of the environment and nature.

Dwell: Tap Idea

This is a quick idea of an image for the Dwell article, in which a Bach is self-sufficient. The cloud feeds the tap which then becomes a drink, showing the process of the water. I want to show something that is clearer in delivering the "recycle" theme.

Elle: Final Image

This is very close to the final image though I may reduce the stroke size of the bow. I decided against arms and legs as I like the simple look when it is made up of shapes but I also don't want to spoil the image with inferior limbs. Seeing as I have never ever illustrated people before, I am very pleased the results, particularly the hair. The image looks brighter in Illustrator than it does on here though. Also, I may add a background of some sorts.

Elle: Couple Developments

Leg or no legs? That is the question.

Elle: Couple Developments

I've added a neck and a transparent layer to represent the woman disappearing but I don't really like it as I don't feel that the illustration has to show her dying but her connection to her first love. Even though I have added a neck, I'm not sure if I want to add any arms or legs as I don't want to spoil the image and I'd like to keep it quite graphic and simple.

Elle: Couple Developments

It's coming along! Even just adding a small bit of colour for the lips really makes a difference. I can't believe at one point I considered not even putting hair!

Elle: Hair Developments

I think I may have got the hair! Finally! I have used a wavy line so that the hair doesn't look so flat and boring. I was a bit worried about the woman's hair and how it goes from a straight line to a wavy line but I think I like that quirky little detail.

Elle: Hair Ideas

Ideas for hair for the man. I am finding this quite difficult but I do like these two ideas. The little curl at the top is quite quirky but I would still need to incorporate a texture so that it looks more natural I think.

Elle: Couple Developments

I'm finding adding the hair extremely difficult. I've never created people before so this is new to me but I don't want it to look too cartoony. This is going to take a while!

Elle: Couple Developments

I have changed the coloured layer with a brown outline that is over the top of the body texture. I think that I prefer this one as it is a little more graphic, but I think it will all depend on how all the elements work together.

Elle: Couple Developments

I am trying to make my couple for the Elle idea look more sophisticated but I do not want to directly copy the images I created for the Nylon article. I have created a layer for the bodies but it is the same colour as the body texture. I think that I like this as it is more subtle than using a darker colour. They eyes also have a brown layer. I think I need to add some features, such as hair and lips to the faces, but I think this will be difficult as I do not want the features to dominate the face.

Elle: More Colour Schemes

Some more colour schemes. These ones are more natural and have brown tones, which I think I prefer as compared to the lighter colour schemes.

Elle: Possible Colour Schemes

Here are some possible colour schemes for the Elle article. Due to the sad tone of the article, I wanted subdued colours, but also warming and reassuring. These colour schemes are based on Autumn colours, but because the nature of the article is so touchy, I am unsure as to which direction I should head.

Palm Tree Final Development

This is the almost-final image without the paint drops background. I'm not sure which one I prefer. I also think that I now prefer the image of Malaysia that is pink.

Palm Tree Final Development

I don't think that this image is far from being finished. I have added text, which is rub-on letters that have been scanned in. It is the title of the article and the type is quite small but I don't think that it needs to be big as it would overpower the image. I am still unsure about the unusual shape but when it will appear next to the article text, the text could be manipulated around the shape so that there is not an unusual amount of white space. I think something more can be done to the arrow leaf so that it stands out more. I'm not sure if I need the paint drops behind the image but I felt I needed a background of some kind.

Palm Tree Developments

Two variations of the palm tree development. I have created a layer for the Malaysia image. One is a pink layer that just peeps around a white shape and the other is the opposite way round, though you are now able to see the envelope texture that I have used. I'm not sure which one I like.

Palm Tree Development

Palm tree development. I have incorporated type and another image into this piece but it is an unusual shape and I'm not sure that I like it. Even though at the beginning of this brief, I wanted to create images that were unusual in their layout, I realise now that images that fit within a given space are appealing because it is what people are used to and looks harmonious. I don't think I like the font that I have chosen either.

Fake ID: 01.05.09

"Fake I.D. was founded in 1999 by Yvan Martinez and Joshua Trees.

Fake I.D. is an independent graphic design practice that develops projects for cultural contexts (exhibitions, games, performances, publications, social media, websites, and workshops). Fake I.D. initiates collaborations between artists, brands, and institutions, and works with companies to expand the cultural dimension of their communications through the origination, motivation and support of thought-provoking activities and productions.

Currently in its tenth year, Fake I.D. has produced a diverse range of work, recognized in numerous books and magazines, including commissions from Aiwa, Anthropologie, COLORS, Emigre, The Face, Giant Robot, GLBT Historical Society, Harmony Korine, IdN, MTV, Nike, Sony, Urban Outfitters, Venice Biennale, Wieden+Kennedy, and Zune Arts, among others.

Martinez and Trees have shown their work at international venues including La Panaderia in Mexico City, Ynglingagatan 1 in Stockholm, Galleri Christian Nagel in Cologne, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, American Fine Arts in New York and the Venice Biennale. Fake I.D.'s work is featured in the permanent collections of Design Museum in London, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Museum of Modern Art in New York. They have lectured and taught workshops at California College of Art, Centro Culturale Candiani, Dutch Art Institute, Fabrica, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, London College of Communication, UCLA, and the Valand School of Fine Art.

Trees is an associate lecturer at the London College of Communication, and adjunct faculty at Art Center College of Design. Additionally, Trees and Martinez are visiting faculty at the San Francisco Art Institute."

Fake I.D. are an independent graphic design company from the US, made up of Joshua Trees and Yvan Martinez. They are now in their 10th year. Their lecture is about language, contractions, speech and writing.

Burger chef: created a revolutionary menu concept in which a toy was added to children's meals. These were known as a "fun meal".

The 4th wall: The 4th wall is an invisible barrier between the audience and the performer. Ernie Kovaks was the first performer to "break the 4th wall" and would play about the the concept of the show.

Placa: this word means insignia of order. It is the sign of a gang. Also known as bario calligraphy, which is writing on walls.

LSTN: language, sound, text, noise.

Joshua Trees began his career by carrying out an undergraduate degree in Graphic Design and a masters in New Genres, which was a mix of conceptual, social and performance. Where the line between art and life blur.

Yvan Martinez grew up in Venzuela and did an undergraduate degree and a masters degree in mathematics. After working within this profession for a few years, he moved to San Francisco, where he met Joshua, and began making art.

They have to draw a line between commercial and independent work but it's always the same approach. They find it important to create work, even if nobody asks for it, and I get the feeling that they do not create art for money, they do it because they enjoy it.

In all honesty, I did not like this lecture. I didn't understand who they were or what they were talking about. Although I think it was good that they decided to give a lecture on their independent work, they should have at least gave an introduction to their commercial work so we knew who they were, as I, personally, had never heard of them until today.

Visit their website: FAKE ID