Illustrator Websites

http://www.superfex.co.uk/

This first website is made by a girl called Claire Latchem. She was a former student at Plymouth and has pursued her dream of becoming a established illu

strator. Her website is very easy to get

through and easy to understand.

Her website is very focused around people just starting out as she has a blog just like we've been asked to do that she is constantly updating and showing people w

hat she is thinking about and who she is influenced by. This proves that blogs can really help to put your work out there and connect with other people as she has a long list of work she has done for magazines and other companies down the side of her page.

She always has a shop and contact information on her site if you wish to purchase any of her work or ask her any questions about her work. I have actually recently been talking to her via facebook and she is just like every other artist out t

here, she's just trying to get her work seen and noticed which her colourful and unique style.

http://www.gabrielmoreno.com/

This artist is someone I only came across this year during my first project. I found her work in a book and found her style really eye catching and very creative.

Her website is very simplistic and easy to get through. Her work is clearly labelled with headings and small explainations of what it was for/what it is about. I found that the page containing her work was actually laid out a lot like a blog with a bold title, text and image.

Like Claire's website you are able to buy her work from the shop and contact her if there is anything you wish to ask about her work.

She even has a facebook page devoted to her work to keep people up to date on whats going on.

http://www.tokidoki.it

I have known about this artist for a years now and have loved his work for ages. I do think that it is similar to a lot of styles of art currently out there but he has got his own techniques that make you know whether it is his or not.

The website he is on is more focused around the name of the brand rather than the actually artist, I did try and look for a website based just around him but I couldn't seem to find one. However, having the website all about the work rather than the artist can have its advantages as people will notice the work first and will want to see more. It helps get the work out there.

The website is very colourful and packed full of links and information. It is very hard to get through anything but because everything is sectioned off so well its easy to find what you're looking for without having to go through loads of pages.

Like the other websites you are able to purchase the work but there is no obvious connection to contact the artist, however you are able to follow them on facebook and other networking sites which is somewhere you could possibly contact them if you need to.

Skills Needed

• Communication
• Soft skills/ Interpersonal skills
• Team work
• Organised skills
• Time management
• Flexibility
• Responsiblity
• Practical skills and knowledge
• Numeracy
• Admin
• Personal Presentation
• Self motivation
• Confidence

blog and Twitter

Blogs

The benefits of an artist promoting themselves with a blog are:

• A blog is free
• Accessible to everyone and anyone
• Easy to use
• Add as much content as you want
• You can follow people who inspire you
• You can connect to Google and Facebook (to interest more people)
• You can edit and update the blog anytime, rather than having something printed permanently in a book
• You can control the layout and design
• You can distribute other links to other sites you may have related to your artwork
• Blogs would be appropriate for budding illustrators or newbies to introduce your work

The problems with owning a blog:

• People may breach copyright terms by stealing your artwork/photos
• You yourself could be breaching copyright!
  
• You could attract negative feedback and criticism from "trolls"
• You may have to be careful what you're uploading - content may offend
• Only accessible to people who have an internet connection
• Unless properly advertised/publicised, your blog isn't reached to everyone. Some people may not have heard of your blog ever existing
• People can't contact you or publish a comment without having their own account

Bad examples of artists' blogs:
http://chociblog.blogspot.com/

Good examples of artists' blogs:
http://www.whokilledbambi.co.uk/
http://www.illustrophile.com


Twitter

The pros and cons of an artist having a Twitter account:

Pros:

• Easy to access - apps on iPhones and advertised everywhere
• Most people have heard of Twitter
• Quick and efficient
• It's easy to follow people who inspire you
  

Cons:

• You only gain a massive amount of followers if you're very famous
• You can't post pictures up - only links to your pictures
• You can only write a certain amount of text (limited characters)
• It's not easy for everyone to use
• It's difficult to find other people on Twitter unless directed from another website
• Impersonators may create Twitter accounts under your name

Web comics:

Easy

No publisher

Anyone can see

No quality control

Click on links that go nowhere

No marketting

Competitions:

Prize

Get noticed

Student - good rep for college

fit it on top of everything else (committing)

Independant

cost of materials

can be a waste of time if you dont win

Business cards:

Anyone with a job can promote themselves

-Name

-Occupation

-Website

-Contact details

-Possible example of work

icon pictures?

business cards on other objects - rubbers, crayons etc

Postcards:

You'd rather pay for a postcard than just pick up something on paper even if your just going to put it on the wall.

Doesn't have to be full coloured

Shocking pictures on postcards always stand out

Skills Snake

Areas for Careers in Illustration

• Scientific (medical)
• Children's books
• Film/Animation
• Concept Artist
• Editorial
• Graphic novels/Comics
• Manga
• Digital
• Tattoo Design
• Fashion and Retail
• Product Design
• Interior Design
• Fine art
• Toy Design
• Storyboard
• Games design
• Teaching
• Gift card design
• Advertising
• Packaging
• Architecture
• Music
• Character design
• Portrait
• Street art/Graffiti
• Make up
• Textile
• Book covers
• Web Icons
• Spot illustration
• Historial
• Album covers
• Logo
• Diagrammatic

Tattoo Designer:

Pros:

• Can do it in your own time
• Get to be creative
• develop drawing skills
• Get to try new things all the time
• Can be good with just a pencil (instead of a range of materials)

Cons:

• People might not like your designs
• Your drawings skills might not be up to standard
• Got to be careful not to copy other people
• Pressure to get it how the customer wants it
• Might only have a short space of time to complete it

Storyboard:

Pros:

• Can get paid a lot
• If film/production is successful you'll get known by a wider range of people/ known for that production
• Recognition
• Famous people/directors
• Could possibly bring a new place of living

Cons:

• Can have a short amount of time to produce the work
• Might get 24 hour jobs
• If the film/production isn't successful then you won't be getting put out there (waste of time)
• Someone else's storyboard could be chosen over yours
• Pressure

Street art:

Pros:

• Can have a lot of fun with it
• Could potentially draw anything you like
• If noticed could produce other jobs
• Could become famous where ever you go/graffitied
• Can be very creative (the world is your canvas)

Cons:

• could get arrested
• Work might not be somewhere people notice it
• Could be offensive to some people
• No money unless recognised
• Constant risk of life (painting on high buildings etc) and breaking the law