Extended Practice: thoughts on editorial

I haven't worked on the editorial project for a couple of weeks due to illness/ trying to get the publication for Thoughtbubble done (which I haven't blogged about......)

Had a quick discussion with Ben and established:

• it isn't so necessary to be restrictive at this point in regards to timing, formats etc. It's more important to make something good to show, and to enjoy what I make. If I spend time honing those skills in by the end of the project I'll (hopefully) be able to make an editorial in a short amount of time!
• personal stories are what I'm better at and can result in images that are more interesting but also successful (as shown in the difference between the first two editorials I did)
• try some spot illustrations!!
• it's not really worth mocking up editorials into their texts... the art directors know what editorial looks like and it might be more useful to not assign an image so distinctly to one publication/ story. Having it open in your portfolio gives it a bit more scope.
• other publications worth looking at: Boston Globe, LA Times, The Lancet, New Scientist

Extended Practice: Folio Society Book Illustration Prize 2017 vs other projects

I’m not completely sure if this is a brief I want to undertake, I have identified it as something that will be good as someone who is interested in publishing but as I’m also doing Penguin I am question how helpful/ relevant it will be, and whether engaging in a personal or different area project would be more beneficial, as well as standing my portfolio out from other graduates, many of who will have done this one. It would make more sense to do Folio Society before Penguin because of deadlines but I have more personal interest in the books/ range for Penguin.

In place of it I could:

• do a similar brief with a book / collection I have more interest in (but this would not have the benefit of being a live/ possible to win brief)
• do something else?
•  I have been vaguely considering a short fashion based brief, because I like to draw figures and would like to challenge what I see as the established fashion illustration norm. After thinking about this I saw that Dadu Shin did a similar project though I'd be keen to do it in a different manner.

Extended Practice: first three briefs

and the benefits of self contained and one-a-week briefs:

Extended Practice: editorial 02

Last week's editorial response had taken a lot more time than anticipated so I challenged myself to a stricter one day rule. I also had more practical reasons for that too, as I had other work due. The piece I chose this week was The Guardian's Life Is Too Short To Not Walk Out Of The Theatre (14/10/16)

• I picked a less serious topic this week so I felt this gave me some scope to work in a  looser, more experimental way- less concern for sensitivity.
• I don't have many strong feelings for this piece, it's not the most innovative in idea but I think the visuals are fun, maybe not beautiful or well done but probably enough to garner attention. 
• Because I had set myself such a strict time deadline I rushed my colour ideas, and settled for something that might not work in an editorial setting as it is less of a spot but not much of a grand stand alone piece. Also the figures and shading merge into one another without a colour to pick it out.

Extended Practice: rationale update

• I want to work on my painting, because I would like to improve the quality of my images (this means I will be able to market them)
• I want to work on my animation skills/ gif making skills, because I can see digital interfaces and animation becoming a bigger part of editorial (and other areas of) illustration, and this will give me an advantage in my portfolio as technology progresses. It's also fun.
• I want to understand self publishing because it's something I can see as part of my personal practice, and this will help me do it the right way, but potentially (without being incredibly commercial about it) monetise my less commercial work.
• I want to develop my visual language because I am always keen to keep evolving, and defer away from trends and derivative imagery. 
• I want to figure out digital media in a way that suits me because I am yet to find it, and this will help me work in a way that might be more convenient when convenience is needed.

• I need to work on my editorial skills because it's a big part of what I envision myself doing, and I lack the quick problem solving and turnover of this.
• I need to work on my book cover/ layout skills because working with wording and lettering is something I have struggled with, but will potentially be very necessary.
• I need to figure out InDesign because the technical things do come up, and are an added bonus as a working creative to offer to people.
• I need to understand the contexts of my work and get them there, because I'm still a little bit clueless after three years. 
• I need to get a great portfolio together, so I can show it to the right people! (And find the right people)

Extended Practice: editorial 01

For my first self-initiated editorial I took the story A Virtual Visit To A Relative In Jail from the New York Times (29/09/16) about how friends and families are only allowed to contact prisoners via video call (inevitably bad in so many ways). I've been wanting to work on opinion/ personal pieces as it just seems more interesting for me personally, and may also allow a bit more scope- but also a challenge to handling these things in a sensitive way when it calls for it.

The idea for this piece was to draw several screens of *emphasised* glitching and stitch them together digitally. Planning to do a composition late on in the process inevitably ended up with an disjointed piece I think, and this sort of almost-comic-format might not be necessarily great for an editorial piece.

I can't decide if it's a little too dark as a piece (which I hadn't picked up on, doing each of these images separately), but it is a serious issue!

This was the original composition, but everything seemed a little small to be noticeable.

The gif format works quite nicely to showcase each image, but would obviously not work in print formats! I also think gifs are more interesting if they are less static.

In this long column each image gets more eye, but only if the format you're displaying it on allows it (i.e. not here) and also probably wouldn't be called for in print (though that would make for an interesting composition, on a big enough format)

Extended Practice: Statement of Intent workshops

5 things I want to make:

• publications (self-published/ zine)
• children's book
• editorial series
• book covers/ illustrations
• gifs and small animations (?)

5 practical skills I want to develop:

• painting
• indesign / book layouts
• animation
• lettering / type
• digital drawing in a style that suits me

5 disciplines that I want to explore:

• book publishing
• editorial
• self-publishing
• children's books
• education (?)

5 practitioners that inspire me:

• Laura Carlin
• Dadu Shin
• Jillian Tamaki
• Ping Zhu
• Sophia Foster-Dimino

5 things I want to find out:

• How can I get published and contact art directors?
• How can I get the best portfolio to show art directors?
• How can I make work that stands out and is experimental but is still sustainable to a commercial practice?
• How can I evoke emotion with imagery?
• How to layout a damn good poster/ cover/ composition with words

5 places I want to go (for illustration):

• Thoughtbubble
• Talks by practioners relevant to me
• Art agencies/ directors to pester with my portfolio
• New Blood
• Exhibitions and museums :-)

5 things I don't want to do:

• traditional print making (with the exception of, maybe lino...)
• collaboration for the sake of it
• avoid COP
• after effects
• never say never

5 THINGS I WANT TO DO:

• work on painting skills
• work on animation/ gif skills
• understand self-publishing
• experiment visually/ develop my visual language
• figure out how to use digital media in a way that suits me

5 THINGS I NEED TO DO:

• develop editorial skills
• work on book cover/ layout skills
• figure out indesign
• understand the contexts of my work and how to get them there
• get a great portfolio together!! :-)

Extended Practice: Statement of Intent draft