Illustration Specialism Research and Opportunities- Publishing and Printmaking

Following on from the clients and publisher research, this post is based on my future progression as an illustrator. The specialisms I focus on is publishing, specifically for children but I don't want to rule out the opportunity to work in editorial and product and packaging as I've realised over the degree that much of my work has commercial value. From the research of Little White Lies in second year as part of an editorial project and other print publications, I've loved exploring the variety of digital and traditional ways to create commercial imagery. It's been important to realise that it's not all graphic and highly digital, rather the design process is shifting to focus on traditional imagery which suits the way I enjoy working.

In the previous post, I looked at places like The Old School Gallery and possible clients in Anthropologie and Little White Lies which are all places I'd love to market my work. Illustration is such a growing sector with many companies now hiring in-house artists and graphic designers which is great for someone entering the industry. I'm still unsure of the direction I want to take as I love experimenting with different styles and am therefore reluctant to settle on one so early. So many illustrators I have seen have defined a recognisable style however I feel it's important to continue developing at this stage, playing with materials and colour schemes without putting pressure on being recognised by an audience.

Print Fairs and Opportunities

Throughout the degree, I've enjoyed working on live briefs for Penguin Book Awards, Cheltenham Illustration Awards, The Macmillan Prize for Illustration and the AOI Illustration Awards which have helped me improve in working with client briefs and experience in the industry. After graduation, I plan to continue entering competitions as they are great opportunities to get your name out there and connect with other illustrators. It was great to visit the Chapel Arts Centre for the Cheltenham Illustration Awards as I met the gallery owner and curator Ian James. He said I could send him work in the future and learn about future exhibitions so it's great to have the opportunity to meet people like this who are able to curate and display artwork.

AOI submitted entry to the alternative publishing category. Longlist announced on the 1st June

There are so many print fairs around the UK that I would love to visit and take part in. A few of which are in London, Glasgow and Cheshire. These are great opportunities to showcase your print work to like-minded people and connect to people with similar interests. Printmaking is something that I love and I want to continue exploring narrative through this process, gradually bridging the gap between printmaking and children's publishing. The children's publishing sector becomes more and more diverse each year with illustrations tackling social, environmental and global issues within their illustrations. As illustrators, it's important to send positive messages to the next generation and I want to continue exploring such issues through my illustrations, thinking about creative and distinctive ways to convey morals. For example, Oliver Jeffers is an illustrator and author who aims to challenge perceptions through humorous narratives and artistic representations. While much of his work is targeted at children, Jeffers takes inspiration from current issues, making them easier to understand for his viewers.

'Curiosity and humour are underlying themes throughout Oliver's practice as an artist and storyteller. While investigating the ways the human mind understands its world, his work also functions as comic relief in the face of futility.'

(About- Oliver Jeffers, 2022)

As I'm coming to the end of my degree, I've started looking at opportunities for the summer like artist residencies. I found an amazing website called Res Artis where you can look t art residencies around the world, categorising them with your preferred studio and specialism types. I found ones in Portugal and Iceland as they're two places I love and Portugal is somewhere I already know quite well so this would be a good option. I think this would be a great way to do something out of my comfort zone, meet new people and explore new places. I've also realised the importance of observational drawing practice and taking inspiration from my experiences, both things that are important in creating believable scenes and adding personality to my work. 

In relation to publishing, an opportunity linked to the masters in Children's Book Illustration is to exhibit work in a stall at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. This is a huge fair with publishers, artists and agents in attendance, with publishers like Macmillan, Penguin and Harper Collins. Hopefully, I will visit this next year as part of my master's so this should be a great experience for me to showcase future books.

Overall, there are many opportunities for both publishing and printmaking that I want to take part in. It's important to keep building a social presence and engage with an audience as well as take part in printmaking and craft fairs. There are many local ones such as the Living North Fair (Living North LIVE North East 2022, 2022) which would be a good way to increase my confidence in selling prints and artwork surrounded by other creatives. Other places would include The Old School Gallery in Alnmouth and Details art shop in Newcastle. 

Bologna Children's Book Fair, 2021

References

London Original Print Fair. 2022. London Original Print Fair. [online] Available at: <https://londonoriginalprintfair.com/> [Accessed 17 March 2022].

Cheshireprintfair.com. 2022. Cheshire Print Fair – Affordable Prints for Lovely People. [online] Available at: <https://cheshireprintfair.com/> [Accessed 17 March 2022].

Ink Paper + Print. 2022. Ink Paper + Print. [online] Available at: <https://www.inkpaperandprint.co.uk/> [Accessed 18 March 2022].

Oliver Jeffers. 2022. About — Oliver Jeffers. [online] Available at: <https://www.oliverjeffers.com/about> [Accessed 31 March 2022].

Res Artis. 2022. Residency Listings. [online] Available at: <https://resartis.org/listings/> [Accessed 17 March 2022].

Res Artis. 2022. Skaftfell – Center for Visual Art. [online] Available at: <https://resartis.org/listings/skaftfell-center-for-visual-art/> [Accessed 17 March 2022].

Bologna Children's Book Fair. 2022. Bologna Children's Book Fair, 6-9 March 2023. [online] Available at: <https://www.bolognachildrensbookfair.com/en/home/878.html> [Accessed 15 May 2022].

Living North. 2022. Living North LIVE North East 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.livingnorth.com/event/living-north-live-north-east-2022> [Accessed 31 April 2022].