Computer Arts - Issue 79 / 2001
Setting Up in Illustration

So you fancy a career as an illustrator, do you? Want to create images for your favourite magazines, record sleeves and book jackets? Think you've got what it takes to succeed? Prepare yourself for a shock, it's a tough, tough, tough world out there...

There are illustrators out there, that for them; setting up in illustration means no more than getting their work out on the kitchen table and sticking the kettle on whilst listening to Radio Four. Some of them even go as far as taking the cat off their laps. If that it is the extent of your interests in working as a professional illustrator then it is unlikely that you are even reading your own copy of this magazine, so put it down and get on back to your cosy existence. If, however, you view illustration as an important contemporary practice that has moved on from its cottage industry tag, then please read on.

The very best illustrators, today, are working in more diverse ways then ever before and from far more exotic locations than the kitchen table. Whilst the vast majority of illustrators work as 'sole-traders', running their own businesses as 'guns for hire', many are increasingly working too as designers within agencies; not living the freelance lifestyle at all. The opposite is true too, as increasingly designers are using digital technology to assist in moving into the territory of image-making, traditionally held by illustrators. The edges are blurring the walls are coming down.

For the lone illustrator, planning on setting up in business for the first time, there are a number of key objectives to keep in mind whilst heading towards the big day. It is a tough field to break into, some might say tougher still to stay afloat in.

Illustration - why bother with the hassle?

The 'starter question for ten', why be a freelance illustrator? If the frustration of trying to get work, when you are starting out, is not harsh enough then the demands of working long late hours once the work has rolled in may well be. The financial rewards can be fantastic but for most this is not the big incentive or even the reality. Whether represented by an illustration agency or not, the make or break of a career in illustration rests with just one person, you, the illustrator. So no pressure there then!

Despite the potential pitfalls, the life of an illustrator is seen by many as one that holds some truly creative rewards. Brian Cairns, wwwbriancairns.com, is a Glasgow based illustrator with an impressive client list in the UK that also stretches coast to coast across the USA. Cairns states his case for working in illustration, 'I love the freedom of the lifestyle and communicating ideas that make people think'. Echoed by Toby Morison of illustration studio Big Orange is a similar thought; 'I have a genuine zest for solving visual problems.' Morison adds quickly; 'I also fear that I have no aptitude for anything else!' His self-doubt, although humorously put, does typify the views of many illustrators who claim that they are fit for very little else. Illustrators have traditionally sat neatly between the tortured souls that inhabit the fine art world and the clean clinical organised world of design and many feel almost schizophrenic because of this. Ian Wright, www.mrianwright.co.uk, best known for his portraits of artists such as Pete Townsend, Ian Brown and Jimi Hendrix, even refers to his own fellow studio members as his 'support group'.

Others, it seems, are driven to illustration; searching for a Holy Grail within their own creative image-making. Marion Deuchars, most recently known for her illustrations for the entire George Orwell Penguin Classics series, admits 'I have been working as an illustrator for fourteen years and I'm still trying to do something I'm really pleased with'. Wright agrees; 'I'm still trying to make images that I believe in'. He goes on to add; 'on a good day it's my chosen profession and some inner strength makes me believe I can do this.' For many illustrators it is the thrill of breaking new ground within the discipline as well as simply wanting to get their work out there and seen. Patrick Thomas of laVista in Barcelona, www.lavistadesign.com, and divides his creative work between illustration and design and sees his own approach as 'a desire to push the limitations of commercial illustration'. Thomas goes on; 'I still get a kick out of seeing my work out on the street!'

Winning Clients and Keeping Them

For those new to illustration and faced with the huge prospect of trying to carve out a career from scratch it can be quite daunting. Most final year students studying illustration get involved in exhibiting their work at their end of year show. Often very pleased with the numbers that attend the private view these keen young things fail to do the maths. For every person that attends the opening: subtract the number of people exhibiting. Next, subtract the same number multiplied by three to cover parents and friends that are also attending. You will be left with a figure of thirty, probably. The thirty, accounts for the number of people from the design industry at the event and who, at this particular time, are aware of your work. This may seem overly pessimistic and whilst not wholly based on scientific or mathematical fact or formulae, it does give some idea of the mountain that has to be climbed in building an awareness of one's work.

There are no defined career paths for an illustrator just starting out, but creating a profile and maintaining it is crucial if you are going to start pulling in commissions. Ian Wright tells it like it is: 'form your own personal client base and send out postcards or emails that feature your work and do this religiously, it's essential as who else is going to know where you are or how to get in touch with you? Kam Tang, also based in London, www.kamtang.com, the illustrator behind recent ad campaigns for Adidas and record sleeves for The Manic Street Preachers, is only too aware of the importance of keeping clients in touch with developments in his work. 'Once you get your foot in the door and on the 'circuit' it does get easier but you still need to work like it's your first break' says Tang. Marion Deuchars remembers slogging round with her portfolio for the first months after graduation from the Royal College of Art 'I made hundreds of phone calls, appointments and sent out hundreds of mailers too'. There is good news too; 'I still work for some of the clients I first met when leaving college' explains Deuchars.

There really is no substitute for getting out and meeting art directors, art buyers, designers at magazines, newspapers, design companies, advertising agencies, book publishers... in fact anyone that commissions illustration. John Lord, author and illustrator of the million selling kid's book; 'The Giant Jam Sandwich' and with forty-plus years in illustration sets the agenda; 'go out and show your work, then go out and show your work again and then go out and show your work again and again'.

Representation: The Pros and Cons

For illustrators that have got past the initial set-up and have started to win commissions and build up a portfolio of work the next logical step to consider is an agent. Illustration agencies all differ, as do opinions about the quality of the services that they offer. Patrick Thomas in Barcelona admits 'I've never met an agent who has understood where I'm coming from'. Michael O'Shaugnessy's agents grew in size; 'I used to have an agent but by the time that I left they were representing about 4000 illustrators with no increase in the number of staff working there'. Michael, based in Manchester and a lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, exaggerates to make the point but it is a valid issue, some agencies represent far more illustrators than they are ever able to find work for.

Jason Ford, represented by contemporary agency Heart, www.heartagency.com, sees positive points though; 'an agent can help you with all the aspects of negotiating fees, copyright issues and chasing those pesky invoices'. Marion Deuchars, also with Heart, agrees but warns against approaching agencies too early in a career. Deuchars believes that unless you have represented yourself, made numerous phone calls, appointments and 'dragged your portfolio around' for some time first it is tough to comprehend the work that goes into being an agent. 'If you haven't done it for yourself I don't think you can fully appreciate their role' she says.

George Hardie, professional illustrator for some 32 years with a client list that includes sleeves for Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin and as Professor for Illustration at the University of Brighton reflects on his own experiences with agents. 'I used to have an agent who promised the world, book deals, exhibitions, advertising campaigns but in reality only delivered quite mundane jobs. I then went back to representing myself, sending out portfolios by leather-clad motorcycle messenger. Later I met another agent, who dressed like a leather-clad motorcycle messenger, but whose only pretension was to make lots of money!' Now working without an agent Hardie admits; 'I am seriously lazy about letting people know what I'm up to, but somehow the phone keeps ringing.' Not all of us have quite such prestigious projects as part of our back-catalogue though and would be wise spending time maintaining contacts.

On Course for On-line

Creating an on-line presence as way of keeping clients informed of new projects and new developments in ways of working and is pretty critical. Art buyers in advertising agencies and designers are increasingly using the web to view images before calling in traditional portfolios. Some like Brian Cairns, www.briancairnes.com, and Allan Sanders, www.loop-land.co.uk, maintain their own web sites and fully believe in the power of the web to generate work. Sanders, in a recent interview for Computer Arts Special, says; 'Loop-land has yielded greater results than I could have expected. Not only has it proved effective in gaining illustration commissions but it has also opened up new channels and new directions in which I can push my work.' Some represented illustrators though are more than happy to leave the creation of their on-line presence to their agents. Heart, for example, www.heartagency.com, have recently re-launched their site following a complete redesign by Automatic and the response according to Darrel Rees, Heart's Director, has been excellent; 'Clients have responded very positively. All thought it had a clarity of purpose, was easy to use and was a great resource for those wishing to commission illustration.'

Studio Set-up

For many illustrators working from the back bedroom, it soon becomes clear that a studio is what is required. Patrick Thomas at laVista realised that as his digital needs increased so did the space that the kit took up. Thomas explains; 'technology was getting out of hand' and so started to work from new premises next door to his apartment in Barcelona.

Big Orange was set up by a group of illustrators that all graduated the Royal College of Art together in 1989 and although the majority of the personal have changed since the early days the studio continues to run from a large open-plan warehouse space in London's increasingly trendy Hoxton. It is often the case that once artists, designers, illustrators, photographers and other creative types have started to occupy derelict and run-down industrial spaces on the wrong side of town, bars and cafes follow suit and estate agents appear soon after that. Hoxton in 1989 was a pretty sordid experience. Toby Morison of Big Orange explains the current set-up, 'we have shared photocopier, fax, light boxes, spray booths, kitchen but most importantly, we have our minds'. The opportunity to interact with others should not be under-estimated.

Marion Deuchars, working from a large studio of 28 different illustrators, designers and architects in Dalston, just north of Hoxton, explains why a studio outside of the home is so vital. 'I think that clients can always tell if you have just fed the cat, washed the kitchen floor and done the shopping before their meeting. Even if 'They' don't know, 'You' know and I think that it effects one's behaviour and confidence. If you have just come from the studio and had some moral support from colleagues for your work, I think it makes you present your work more convincingly and you are also willing to defend it against, perhaps, subjective changes.' Ian Wright, surrounded by a mountain of 'reference' in the same studio, describes his view of the set-up as 'an alternative space to store collections of magazines, cuttings, toys, ephemera and the like' and as a good place to 'borrow' materials when he has run out. It is clear that a shared studio can offer a range of positive attributes.

For some though, the notion or the reality of a shared studio brings nothing but dread. Graham Rawle, www.grahamrawle.com, creator of 'The Lost Consonants' the slot that has run weekly in The Guardian for the last 12 years, admits to years of shared studio antics. 'I've wasted a lot of time playing pool, table tennis, 'kicky-uppy-with-an-empty-milk-carton' and going down the pub' Rawle admits. He now works from home, home being a 2,400 sq ft 'live/work' space in (yes, you guessed it) Hoxton. 'I couldn't possibly concentrate with the natural distractions that a shared space generates (Capital Radio, sound of a circular saw, someone singing Abba at the top of their voice, and people coming up and saying 'what ya doin'?' every ten minutes) explains Rawle. He gets serious for a moment though; 'I think that you have to be fairly disciplined - or highly motivated. Working on your own, who's going to know if you sit down and watch the afternoon movie? I get up at 6.00am, start at 7.30am every morning and work until at least 7.00pm every night. But when I'm doing something I'm into, I don't want to do anything else'.

Keeping the Faith

One problem that faces many illustrators is the ability to remain positive when the chips are down, as all illustrators can face periods of down time between jobs. Kam Tang worries; 'I know that someday the phone won't ring so it keeps me on my toes' and Michael O'Shaugnessy feels even less convinced of his future. With tongue placed firmly in his cheek he says; 'most of my clients say... Michael who?' It is not all doom and gloom though as Jason Ford testifies; 'it really is fun, being able to roam through your own imagination, thinking and drawing ideas'. The career of the freelance illustrator is never easy and even less simple to kick off from scratch. The last word, however, has to go to Ian Wright; 'Keep the faith and be persistent, it will pay off!'

In-depth Interview

Name - NEW
Email - via their Website
Website - www.new-online.co.uk

Austin Cowdell and Matt Hamilton are NEW. They met whilst studying HND Graphic Design at Berkshire College of Art and Design in Reading before both going onto study at Camberwell College of Art, setting up NEW in 1996. NEW studios opened in 1998 based 20 floors up in a South London tower block and www.new-online.co.uk went live in 1999. Their work could be described as a mix of low-tech urban street art mixed with a dash of raw new-tech edginess but that just wouldn't do it justice.
NEW's recent illustration clients include: The Face, The Guardian Guide, Time Out, Lo Down magazine, The British Council and The Illustrated Ape.

So, why illustration?
Austin - I think illustration chooses you, well that's conclusion we came to working in the studio until 4-00am on a recent project.
Matt - Because I wake up everyday with another idea in my head...
Why the NEW studio?
A - We have a great 360 degree view of London being on the 20th floor. Fresh air and sunlight, of course - you get that up here. We can see for miles on a good day.
M - All sorts of reasons - it's like Liverpool Street station when it's busy and at it's best and just the two of us at 4.00am at it's worst...

What kits out NEW HQ?
M - Macs, scanners CD burners, fax machines (four at last count), phones, something to play our tunes on, a toaster, a kettle, TV, video, Playstation...
A - We had a water cooler but the water was so cold we were having to constantly to stop every five minutes to take a leak! We got rid of that...

Agent or no agent?
A - I used to think no but now I'm not so sure. Having someone working on the inside to make you life easier can't be a bad thing.
M - I think that we have done a very good job of representing ourselves, editorially we have achieved a lot but it seems that to break into other areas you need to have the right contacts, any offers welcome!

Illustration Essentials

Before you get too far involved in illustration get yourself equipped with the essentials. Firstly get talented, without this you can have all the rest but get nowhere. Carve out your vision, it may take years but it is vital to have an identity and vision to your work that is yours alone. Got that? Next get the following, a portfolio - traditional first and digital soon after. A web site ensures clients can view your work without having to even bother you. Get a mobile phone, clients will call you whenever, where-ever and expect you be ready and willing to talk about their project. You'll also need an email address, web connection, ideally broadband to send visuals, artwork and to receive reference from clients without the misery of painfully slow dial-up 56k. Once you have all that and some commissioned work under your belt try an agent for size...

Software run-down list

Photoshop
Nothing else comes close. Even vector-based illustrators need to drop in and out of Photoshop some time. A variety of formats to save files in, all compatible with other users and the best photo image-editing application out there. A must.

Illustrator or Freehand
You choose, because you will need a vector application. Both work well with most other applications. Stick to Adobe with Illustrator and feel linked to Photoshop or fly the flag for Macromedia's Freehand and sit pretty with Flash.

Flash
You'll be asked at some point to make illustrations for the web as well as for print. Get your head round Flash and increase chances and your ability to work in other areas. Go for the Studio MX and get the entire Macromedia product range in one go.

Streamline
If you are using a digital camera to capture reference material or getting people to pose for figure work, then this application will have you tracing round your photos and turning into them vector images in no time.

Browser
Whichever your favourite, make it work for you. Bookmark sites that you go back to. Look at the image search facility in Google for very fast reference gathering. Check the stats of hits to your own site and check how high it rates on various search engines.

Outlook
Keeping an email address book up to date is crucial. Back it up on a regular basis as it is too painful if you don't and you lose everything. Getting hold of clients and emailing up to the minute mailshots of recent work is a useful way of keeping in touch.

Acrobat
Create PDFs of artwork ready for print. Locked layers ensure that it is impossible for clients to meddle with your artwork after delivery. More and clients are happy to accept this format of artwork. Makes perfect sense too.

MS Office
You'll need this for all sorts of reasons. Create templates for letters, invoices, address labels etc. Also be able to open emailed project briefs, 90% of which are sent as Word attachments. Create presentations for clients in Powerpoint. Office can not be ignored.

Database Application
Set up a database of clients so that you can snail-mail samples, cards, invites etc or just keep an up-to-date record of addresses and phone numbers. Arrange fields in your database to gather as much information as you will ever need and set up to print directly onto address labels too.

Bookkeeping Application
You have a duty to the tax man as soon as you start earning some cash. Set the records straight right from the start. Be creative in your image-making not your tax returns!

Hardware run-down list
You'll need the basics straight away and probably already have most of them if you've been honing your skills before entering the wonderful world of illustration. If not, get yourself a Mac or, if you must, a PC and max it on the memory straight away.

With Mac Powerbooks getting more and more powerful with each update, it may be worth thinking about a portable model plugged into the biggest flat screen that you can afford. Means that if you work from a studio, you can take the most expensive piece of kit home to bed with you at night.

Scanners and digital camera are not luxuries and need to be budgeted for. So too an external hard drive and, if you have an older computer, a CD burner. You remember the rule - back up, back up and back up some more... Being able to print out what you are creating is important too, so invest in a good A3 colour printer. You can create numerous portfolios inexpensively this way.

Not strictly hardware but as important - a good comfortable chair and the right height desk. You'll spend many an hour staring at the screen, so get as prepared as you can be for those long nights ahead of you...

© Lawrence Zeegen