My Investigative Study unit, that focused on the different areas of industry that one can identify illustrative performance, increased my interest in visual merchandising and creating and organising work for events. I could definitely see myself working in such environments. I personally see this as the bridge between illustration and theatre design practices and there is definitely room for the input of illustrators in these field bringing innovative and creative methods of selling products on the highstreet.
During my research for the IS unit, I found a course in New York that offered education in specialist areas:
Fashion Institute of Technology State University of New York
- Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design
This sparked interest in possibly carrying on my studies, learning specific skills that may increase my chances of having a successful career in this area. I have also considered getting in touch with Illustrators I know have worked in this area such as Sarah Illenberger. This way I can learn through experience and along the way make contacts.
I also took part in a workshop with Hayley Potter on how to promote yourself as an Illustrator. The main areas of interest were:
- Identifying your audience- I have identified that my work appeals to a sophisticated/mature audience. I appear to incorporate fairly deep meanings in my work and comment on issues that younger/child audience may not understand or be interested in. Also my work would probably appeal to those interested in theatre, literature and culture.
- What do you have to offer- I have realised I have a variation of skills that I have developed such as ink and brush drawing, paper cutting skills and three-dimensional making. The influence of theatre and performance in my research and approach to illustration means that I often consider the presentation of my work as if it were a small theatre performance or I aim to create an experience for my target audience. I view my willingness to try new techniques with enthusiasm and passion means that i would work well on collaborative projects and I strive to work with a variation of people in both the near and far future.
- Promoting yourself- Hayley suggested a range of different methods of making it possible for future clients to find you. The most obvious methods are of course online. My personal preferences are to have:
Website- to show a variation of works and present the best of my abilities. I have also considered how I can make this website exciting to stand out from other illustrators. I'd like to somehow wrap in my interests for the theatre and performance and my aspirations to create illustrative window displays.
Hayley introduced us to a number of different free website creation websites. I was particularly attracted to the set up of indexhibit.org due to its minimalist and professional look.
Blog- This will I use to show work in progress, inspirations and finished works both on my website and those that didn't quite make it. I'd have direct link between my website and my blog. I will also have similar presentation to my website to keep the branding consistent throughout.
Twitter and Instagram- These can be used to follow fellow illustrators and create contacts with possible collaborators. Also I view these social networking platforms as methods to create a following of people that start to recognise me as an illustrator and also perhaps get an idea of my personality and personal interests that feed my practice. I already use instagram for practice purposes that I both follow and am followed by other illustrators.
Linkedin- I have made a profile for Linkedin but am yet to start using it properly. This will also be a great way to find jobs and make contacts along the way.
We also had to write up a blurb describing our practice that we can have displayed on our website, blog ect.
This is mine so far, which I currently have on my main blog...
'Born and raised in Surrey, Emma Sears (b.1992) is an Illustrator, Set Designer and Visual Merchandiser. Her practice focuses on combining 2D and 3D techniques, which provides a flexible approach to creating work for theatre posters and merchandise, events and window displays. Emma is predominantly influenced by stories of her family’s travels around the world. Her passion for different cultures combined with her love of literature and theatre feed her practice. These interests have been developed and evolved during her BA (Hons) Illustration studies at The Arts University at Bournemouth.'
I have also been experimenting with type to have associated with my brand. I want to have something that incorporates different skills. I had the idea of combining both my paper cut and dry brush techniques and this was the outcome (See Below). This image was also posted on my instagram account and has so far had some good feedback. I like aesthetic of the 'E', however i don't believe it looks as professional i'd like it be, I would like to keep on experimenting and developed this idea.
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