OLIVER F***ING JEFFERS

This is post is more a vomit of excitement than anything else .

On Wednesday I got to meet Oliver Jeffers, one of my absolute all time favourite artists. He is cool, and short, and drew a moose for me. He also told me to just "keep on making". Wise words, Jeffers, wise words.

10 Questions

How do I manage my time effectively?

I know that time management and organisation is of my biggest weakness and I am working hard to overcome that. I will continue to work on this by drawing myself up timetables, becoming a fanatic list-maker, and being self-disciplined.

     

      (on the contrary...)

       How should I balance work and play?

     As important as working to the best of one's ability is, it's also important not to completely frazzle one's brain by finding no balance between work and a social life. Learning to strike this balance is key to retaining any kind of emotional stability. I'm slowly getting to grips with finding this balance, but I need to keep trying. I plan to do this by attempting to retain as overlap between my work and my social life by attending drawing workshops and classes/exhibition/conventions/etc. with other people that share my interests.

How do I take the first steps toward establishing a presence in the illustration world?         

     This is an important one, and I hope to find, at least, some kinds of answers by making the most of opportunities like attending Big Heads interviews and talks by visiting speakers, as well as making trips to illustration conventions and events, to hear speakers and get the chance to meet and talk with practicing illustrators. I also hope to take more of 'hands-on' approach by getting involved in local competitions for poster design etc. 

        How do I avoid getting stuck in a creative rut?

     I want to make sure that I don't get complacent, and that I keep my practice fresh, interesting and constantly evolving. I will do this by attending all the workshops I can and pushing myself to get comfortable with using digital methods, so as to keep my creative practice expanding.

   How can I overcome my weaknesses?

    

    Whilst I have strengths, I am certainly able to identify areas of practice in which I am very weak, and I want to overcome these weaknesses. I will do this by trying to remain aware of what I need       to improve on, constantly evaluating my own work, attending all tutorials and workshops, and by continuing to read, discover, and practice, practice, practice.

   How can I expand my skill-set and keep bringing fresh, interesting creative techniques to my practice?

      I want to keep expanding my portfolio of work by experimenting with as many methods as possible, both ones that I have and haven't tried before, I will do this by attending formal workshops, but also by ensuring that I keep abreast of the illustrative world around me, in order to remain aware of different ways in which images can be made.

  How can I use colour effectively, and how does colour influence the way we view images?

      For someone that loves colour, and coloured work, so much, I have a very poor understanding of how to use it myself. I think I can improve on this by reading some books on colour theory, and also by always taking the time to study, photograph and question the world around me, and asking myself to really think about why I find some things more beautiful than others, what makes something eye-catching, etc. 

 What do I want to do at the end of these three years?

     A scary question, indeed. As much as everyone would like to strike a lucky break and hit the ground running as a full-time freelance illustrator, the reality of it is that that is unlikely to happen. By the end of my time at LCA I hope to experimented enough, learned enough, enjoyed enough successes and made enough mistakes to have a clear idea of where I want illustration to take me. There is no formulaic answer to this question, all I can do is keep pushing myself to work to the best of my ability and keep looking, reading about and discovering things that interest me and let these interests influence my practice as creatively and organically as possible. 

Where do I belong within illustration?

   Although there are certain areas of illustration that really interest me (picture books, for example), I'm keen to decide in what direction I want my illustrative working style to develop, so as to start concentrating on strengthening the skills I would need for that area. I will answer this question by exploring and researching any illustrative style that interests me, and by ensuring that I fully research and explore every brief as much as I can. I need to learn to stop playing it safe!

How to get the most out of peer reviews/critiques/self-evaluation/etc?

      Learning how to answer this question will help me get the most out of the course. I will really pay attention to all feedback I get on my work, and try to question everything, both from my point of view and from other people's, asking myself questions about why things did and didn't work, did the fault lie in the concept or the practical execution and, were I to redo the work, how would I approach it differently. 

PPP Introductory task: Part II

These are five images that I believe best demonstrate my interest in illustration.

1. Letter Maker by Eric Ravillious

Eric Ravillious' series of High-Street images are some of my absolute favourites. I just love his use of colour and his instantly recognisable style. There is a such a sense of life and animation that comes through in these images. 

2. Still Life with Birds by Emily Sutton

Emily Sutton is possibly my favourite contemporary illustrator. Her understanding of line and colour brings such vitality to all her work, and her meticulous eye for detail is second-to-none. Lots of Sutton's work, especially her still life work in centered around trinkets and curious, relics of a bygone era. Despite the nature of these articles, Sutton always manages to steer away from mawkish  cuteness, whilst still retaining huge amounts of personality and style within her work.

3. Illustration from 'I Want my Hat Back' by Jon Klassen

Jon Klassen is another current favourite illustrator of mine. What I most admire about Klassen's illustrative work is his understanding and use of blank space. He allows his characters to take focus, often pressed against the most simplistic and minimalist backgrounds. There is a wonderfully deadpan humor in Klassen's work that perfectly complements his use of very simple shapes and detail.

4. Liverpool St. Station by Edward Bawden

This image is perhaps by favourite of Bawden's copper engravings, Bawden's use of line  and mark-making has been a major influence to me in beginning to develop my own visual voice.There is such detail and expression in what is, essentially, just very careful and effective use of very simple mark making - there is not a line out of place, nothing is over drawn or overworked. 

5. The Moomins by Tove Jansson

Now is time for an old favourite!! It was impossible for me to choose just one Moomins illustration that I loved above the others, so I settled for just one of the many that I am very attached to. It was Jansson's illustrations for The Moomins that first interested me in drawing and in stories, and Jansson's charming, fantastical, and often darkly humorous world of The Moomins holds a special place in my heart. In my opinion, Jansson's illustrations for her 'The Moomins' stories are perhaps the best of example of a perfect marriage of image and word - the two complement each other in a way quite unlike any other; the images are just jam packed with beautiful, whimsically strange detail, much like the world Jansson wrote for her characters. 

PPP Introductory task: Part I

Identify five reasons you chose to study illustration

• I love storytelling.
• Illustration is illumination -  illustration, in all its many forms, has the power to clarify and inform – images can the self-sufficient, or they can accompany another body of work; either way, illustration is a form of  communication.
• Almost all of my favourite artists are illustrators or graphic artists – my enthusiasm for art has always been informed by illustrators. It is through illustration and illustrators that I am figuring all off this out.
• There is freedom in illustration – there is room for play, stylisation, fluidity.
• Illustration is one of the most current and exciting art scenes.

Identify five reasons you choose this programme

• The illustration programme at Leeds College of Art is fresh and exciting. As it is still in it's early years, it doesn't feel like a tired routine, it's taking shape alongside and around the students.
• I wanted to study in a small programme, as I thought the intimacy of a small group of students would better lend itself to a 'melting-pot' of creativity, 
• The course leaders have a lot of experience in their fields - the best people to learn from are those that have actually been there, for their experience is invaluable.
• LCA is a prestigious institution. It's place within the creative fields may lead to exciting possibilities and opportunities, more so than would be available through an institution without the same gravity. 
• I wanted to study in Leeds as it's a great city, with a exciting and vibrant creative scene, both mainstream and alternative.

Identify five skills you think are your strengths

• I am an okay-ish drawer.
• I don't get tired of making images, and if something sucks I have no problem forgetting about it and starting again.
• I have a clear idea of where I want to go -I don’t feel lost. I know what I am working toward.
• I understand communication.
• I’m fairly clued up on illustration – not only is it my favourite kind of work but I am genuinely interested in it – I read magazines and blogs, I attend exhibitions, I read books, etc.

Identify five things you'd like to improve

• My image composition - figure positioning, how to use blank space, etc.
• My use of colour.
• My use of digital methods.
• I can be prone to forgetting that work exists outside the range that I am specifically interested in, even if this work is important/significant/has socio-politico impact etc.
• I'd like to be BRAVER and learn how to experiement and step out of my comfort zone.