Thursday 29 January 2009

E-mail interview with Jill Calder

Jill Calder gave this wonderful response to my e-mail questions and has also posted this interview on her blog, along with my image of a fox! Blogs can be brilliant!



Getting Started

1. I note from your blog that you had your first commission in 1993 after leaving college. How did you persuade the art director to take on an unknown illustrator?
MMM, I DON;T THINK IT WAS A CASE OF ME PERSUADING THEM. I JUST WENT AROUND WITH MY FOLIO AND HOPED SOMEONE WOULD COMMISSION ME! NOT VERY BUSINESS-LIKE , I KNOW.
LUCKILY, I THINK I HAD A STYLE THAT WAS A BIT FLEXIBLE (WITHOUT BEING TOO JACK OF ALL TRADES) SO ART DIRECTOR'S LIKED THAT AND GAVE ME A CHANCE. IT GOT MY FOOT IN THE DOOR ANYWAY.


2. At the start, did you have to juggle being an illustrator with other unrelated paid employment, in order to survive?
OH YES INDEED! I WAS LUCKILY STAYING WITH MY SISTER WHO JUST MADE ME DO ALL THE COOKING WITH NO RENT TO PAY, BUT I HAD 2 PART TIME JOBS ASWELL...IT WAS ALL A BIT LIKE DUCKING AND DIVING TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET! I LOVED IT THOUGH AND NEVER REGRETTED BASING MYSELF IN EDINBURGH RATHER THAN HEADING TO LONDON.

3. How long do you think it took you to become established in illustration? What do you think makes the difference between success and failure when trying to establish yourself as an illustrator?
GOOD QUESTION. I REALLY WORKED AT GOING TO SEE DESIGNERS UP HERE IN SCOTLAND, ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS THAT STILL STAND ME IN GOOD STEAD TODAY (16 YEARS LATER!!). I ALSO ENTERED COMPETITIONS LIKE IMAGES AND SUCH. I THINK IT TOOK ME ABOUT A YEAR AND A BIT TO GET KNOWN UP HERE IN SCOTLAND...UK-WISE IT WASN'T UNTIL 1997, BECAUSE I STARTED TO GET EDITORIAL COMMISSIONS FROM THE GUARDIAN, THE TELEGRAPH ETC AND THAT REALLY GOT MY WORK SEEN. I ALSO GOT A UK AGENT IN 1997 TOO AND THAT MADE A BIT OF A DIFFERENCE.

YOUR SECOND QUESTION IS ALSO GOOD - AND I WOULD SAY THAT YOU HAVE TO REALLY LOVE/ADORE/BE CRAZY IN LOVE WITH ILLUSTRATION AND PRINT AND DESIGN - BE REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT IT, SO NO OTHER JOB WILL TEMPT YOU AWAY! YOU HAVE TO BE DETERMINED TO SUCCEED (WHATEVER YOUR VERSION OF SUCCESS IS) AND BE AWARE THAT BEING A FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR CAN BE A VERY UP AND DOWN CAREER - AND ACCEPT THAT TO SOME EXTENT. YOU SOON GET USED TO THE INSECURITY OF IT BUT LOVE THE FLEXIBILITY OF BEING FREELANCE TOO.
I THINK YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO GET OUT THERE AND MEET PEOPLE AND NETWORK AND MAYE DO SOME JOBS FOR FREEBIES OR WHATEVER. I THINK YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO DO SOME CRAPPY, NOT VERY CREATIVE OR INSPIRING WORK SOMETIMES TO GET BREAD AND BUTTER MONEY (AND REMEMBER THAT THE DESIGNER COMMISSIONING YOU IS PROBABLY THINKING THE SAME THING, BUT YOU MIGHT GET A JUICY JOB FROM THEM THE NEXT TIME ROUND!)
I ALSO THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO FOREGT YOUR DEGREE MARK - FIRST OR FAIL - AND JUST START AFRESH. NOBODY BUT NOBODY ASKS YOU WHAT DEGREE YOU GOT - IF THEY LIKE IT AND CAN USE YOUR WORK IN AN AD CAMPAIGN OR EDITORIAL, THEN THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS TO THEM.



4. Do you have any other advice to give a new graduate on how to get started?
JUST GET OUT THERE WITH A FANTASTIC FOLIO, SOME POSTCARDS OR OTHER PROMO MATERIAL WITH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS CLEARLY WRITTEN/PRINTED ON THEM. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE FOLIO WEBSITES AND NETWORKING EVENTS AND MAKE AS MANY CONTACTS AS POSSIBLE. BE PATIENT, IGNORE YOUR PARENTS ASKING YOU WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO START EARNING PROPER MONEY.
BE PRO-ACTIVE: ORGANISE EXHIBITIONS, STALLS AT FESTIVALS ETC AND INVITE LOADS OF DESIGNERS - JUST DO IT, AS NIKE SAYS! OH AND YOU DO NEED TO SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY TOO - IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO REALISE THAT, BUT SOMETIMES TAKING THE RISK OF HEADING OFF TO NEW YORK TO SEE SOME MUCH ADMIRED DESIGNERS CAN REALLY PAY OFF, WORKWISE - AND CONFIDENCE WISE TOO.


Agents

5. I understand you have been with Friends and Johnson for a few years. Do you think it is vital to have an agent to get into the illustration market abroad?
NOT VITAL BUT MAKES IT EASIER. FRIEND AND JOHNSON GET ME NORTH AMERICAN WORK AND ARE HAPPY TO NEGOTIATE ON MY BEHALF FOR ANY BIG JOBS IN EUROPE, SUCH AS ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
THE EUROPEAN ILLUSTRATION COMMUNITY IS VERY EXCITING AT THE MOMENT AND YOU JUST HAVE TO TAP INTO THAT TO GET YOUR WORK SEEN AND TO MEET THE RIGHT PEOPLE - THINGS LIKE FREISTIL, ILLUSTRATIVE BERLIN, EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARDS, BOLOGNA BOOK FAIR ETC ETC.


6. Have you found there are any other particular advantages to having an agent? Have you ever been represented by any other agents in the UK?
AGENTS CAN GET YOU MORE MONEY FOR A JOB, IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT ONE! THEY ARE A STEP REMOVED FROM YOUR ARTWORK SO CAN BE VERY GOOD AT TELLING YOU WHERE AND WHEN YOU NEED TO MARKET YOUR WORK.
SAYING THAT, THERE ARE SOME LESS ABLE AGENTS, WHO NEVER COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR ARTISTS AND JUST DON'T BRING THE WORK IN - JUST LOOK AT THE AOI DISCUSSION BOARD FOR EVIDENCE OF CONFUSED AND GRUMPY ILLUSTRATORS!
I WAS REPPED BY EASTWING IN THE UK FOR A WHILE, AND GOT SOME GOOD WORK FROM THEM BUT I WANTED TO DO MY OWN THING IN THE UK IN THE END. THEY ARE STILL A GOOD AGENT THOUGH.


Marketing

7. Have you found The ispot, Flickr, 741 Illustration Collective, your website and your blog to all be very important for marketing your illustrations?
ALL MARKETING IS GOOD! IT IS EXTREMELY VITAL TO HAVE A GOOD WEBSITE THOUGH - EASY TO NAVIGATE AND EASY TO UPDATE YOURSELF (MINE NEEDS RE-DOING AGAIN - THAT SIDE OF THINGS NEVER ENDS)
I AM ON SEVERAL OTHER WEBSITES TOO AND AM LINKED TO BY OTHER BLOGS AND WEBSITES.
HAVING A STRONG WEB PRESENCE IS VERY IMPORTANT NOW - MAKE YOURSELF EASY TO FIND - GOOGLE YOUR OWN NAME AND SEE WHERE IT COMES IN THE LISTINGS - IT SHOULD BE TOP. YOU MIGHT SURPRISE YOURSELF TO SEE WHO ELSE IS TALKING ABOUT YOUR WORK ONLINE TOO! SO FAR MY WORK HAS BEEN BLOGGED IN ITALY, AUSTRALIA, FRANCE, USA, CANADA AND CZECH REPUBLIC!


8. What other marketing do you find particularly effective? Do you send out regular mailings too and who do you target?
EMAIL MARKETING - QUICK, EFFECTIVE AND CHEAPER THAN POST. YOU CAN TRACK WHO CLICKS THROUGH TO YOUR WEBSITE AND SEE WHERE THEY GO AND WHAT THEY LOOK AT TOO.
I DO SEND OUT POSTCARDS OR WEE HANDMADE THINGS OCCASSIONALLY - SHOULD DO IT MORE AND AM PLANNING ON IT THIS YEAR.
NOTHING BEATS A VISIT WITH THE FOLIO THOUGH AND WORD OF MOUTH - SO NETWORKING IS STILL IMPORTANT.



At Stockport College we each have an illustration blog. Would you be happy for me to post your responses on my blog for others to see? My blogspot is annavioletillustration.blogspot.com.
BUT OF COURSE.

Many thanks for your help and I look forward to your reply.

GOOD LUCK - AND DON'T LET THE RECESSION STOP YOU FROM BECOMING AN ILLUSTRATOR.

Wednesday 21 January 2009

More from Jill Calder's blog on how she got started




Tuesday, July 17, 2007
DPI Magazine,Taiwan interview with me...Issue 91



This interview and feature of my work appeared in November 2006 issue of DPI Magazine - it is a LUSH magazine, with loads of features and interviews and is highly appreciative of illustrators all over the globe. Many thanks to the lovely Lulu Tzeng, who has now moved on to pastures new - Hello Lulu!

I have also included some of the pages from the magazine when it was printed.


Interview with Jill Calder, Illustrator. DPI Magazine, Taiwan.

1. Could you introduce yourself, including birthday, birthplace, and your educational background or other you think it’s important to you?
Answer: My name is Jill Calder and I was born in Dundee, Scotland (UK) and I am 36 years old! I attended school in Dundee and then at age 17 went to England to do a general Art course in Cumbria. I then was accepted into Edinburgh College of Art to do a Honours Degree in Design, where I specialized in Illustration and Animation. I quickly followed my Degree by going to Glasgow School of Art in 1992 to do a Post Graduate Diploma in Illustration. I officially became an illustrator in October 1993 when I received my first commission!

2. How did you get started in the illustration field? Who influenced you ?
Answer: All I knew from my time at college was that I had to go and see as many people who commissioned illustration as possible. I had a huge A1 folio that I would take on the train down to London (about 5 hours away on the train) and I would carry this heavy folio around to magazines such as Vogue and Esquire – I sold a piece of work to the Art Director of Esquire, but didn’t get any commissions! I think my folio of work was too violent then – it was all about cosmetic surgery and Martin Amis books. Too “fine art” as many would say. I quickly realized that I had to develop a more lighthearted approach if I was to get work. Looking back now, I think that my college work was perhaps a little pretentious and that my work now is much more honest and reflects my personality more.
I have many influences and heroes! They change all the time too, but the following people or styles have been pretty constant: Picasso for his drawing and ceramics, Howard Hodgkin for his colour and paint, the writer Annie Proulx, Ronald Searle, Javier Mariscal, Sarah Fanelli, Romaire Bearden, Geoff Grandfield, Velazquez, Alexander Calder for his whimsical wire sculptures, Japanese woodblock prints, the art of Huang Yongyu whose work I discovered when I visited Hong Kong, the city of Las Vegas, Jacobean and Elizabethan portraits from 16th Century England, Alan Kitching for his typography, Marshall Arisman, Auguste Rodin, David Hockney…the list goes on!
My first commission was for The Scotsman newspaper for an article about dyslexia (dyslexia.tif) and I was thrilled. I still like it. It is easy to get disheartened when you don’t get work, but you have to keep showing people what you do – and you have to keep developing your illustration and drawing alongside that.

3. What is your illustration style? How did you find it? Has it changed since you started?

Answer: Its really difficult to describe your own style! I LOVE drawing and colour and I suppose they are at the root of everything I do. I draw in sketchbooks or on the Mac and sometimes the line is very controlled and sometimes its sketchy, but I like to have a mixture of elements in my illustrations – more to surprise myself than anything else. An Illustrator’s style is like their handwriting, it is unique to them – though there are people who like your style so much they try to copy it. To me, you just need to have the confidence to develop your drawing and your interests and see where it goes, creatively. My work for the last year and a half has been mainly digital, because I started using a Wacom Tablet to draw with, so that has been a big change for me. I still love using ink and paint, but I have been perfecting my Wacom drawing technique and I think that has made my work more painterly again as I use it with Photoshop CS2 and it really brings all the brush palettes to life because of the pressure sensitivity, which I really like. The Wacom people liked it too and when we met up at MacExpo in London they asked me to do some case studies for their potential clients.


4. In your works, we can see many lines, colors and figures, what is the theme you love to create? Has any impressing or interesting story behind your illustration works?
Answer: I love drawing people, you are correct. The human figure and the human personality fascinate me and I love creating little narratives within my illustrations as I put them together. The thing that really interests me is the relationship between people – and so I use gestures and body language and facial expressions to show this. That is the best bit about interpreting a writer’s work, whether it is for a book, or a newspaper column because as an illustrator you get to add your voice to the piece, or at the very least, give the reader something else to consider. I do a lot of editorial work and one newspaper in London, The Guardian, asked me to illustrate a short story which was quite anti-war. There were 2 full page illustrations to do in colour, one to go on the cover of the tabloid section in which the story was featuring. The only snag was that I had to do both illustrations in 5 hours! I love a challenge like that and basically I just read the story and started drawing – it was a process of gut instinct about what would work, what characters to show and in what context. I loved every minute of those 5 hours and was really pleased with what I produced

5. What are your ideas to create diverse “spots”? How you present those works? Are they different from your illustration works?
ANSWER: those spot illustrations on my website are just really small illustrations I have done – mostly for horoscope features! They call tiny illustrations “spots” over here in the UK! I just treat them the same as normal illustrations, though you have to be careful how much detail you put in them. The more simple the spot the better it works on the page

6. What is your favorite assignment?
Answer: I STILL get excited when I get a new commission – I love the thrill of being asked to do illustrations for someone. SO, in a way, every assignment is my favorite. The ones I like best are where I work closely with the art director and we brainstorm together to get the best results. I get to stretch my creative muscle in jobs like that and the whole process is so much more satisfying than just being told exactly what to do.I am constantly amazed that some art directors these days can have so little imagination and have little experience of getting the best out of an illustrator.


7. Since you have been the illustrator, what was the biggest challenge you have met? How did you solve those problems and face next challenge?

Answer: The biggest challenge has been the business side to my job. I can do the creative bit, but all the marketing, pricing, licencing and keeping financial records has been difficult, though I have a good accountant now, which helps! When I left college I had some idea about how to run the business side of things, but when it came to putting it into practice, I was hopeless! I have learnt from experience-trial and error!- I am confident pricing my work and negotiating licences now, but it took a while. I teach illustration students now, and I am keen to see that they are more prepared than I was, as you really have to be alert and know how to protect your work through licences and contracts.


8. Did you ever find yourself with no inspiration on animations? At that time, how did you face the situation?

Answer: When I am truly STUCK for an idea, I either just start drawing anything other than what I am meant to be drawing. This makes me relax a bit and then an idea just sneaks up on me unexpectedly! OR I go away, leave my studio and do something completely different, like cook a meal or walk the dogs. A change of scene can do wonders for your imagination and usually you come back refreshed and motivated. The best advice I can give if you are really uninspired, is to go outside with your sketchbook and look at what other people or animals are doing and start to draw it – there is NOTHING like real life to inspire ideas.


9. What’s your future plan in three years?
ANSWER: Although I have been working as a professional illustrator for 15 years I am still keen to do more work outside the UK. I was invited to join Friend and Johnson in the USA 2 years ago and it has been fantastic so far. They are really good agents and I have had some great work through them. It takes a while to break into a new market, and I would say that it has taken the best part of that year for the F&J team to get my work noticed through extensive marketing and folio visits – it has been worth it though, as I am working for such clients as Neiman Marcus, Philip Morris and Harvard Business Review. I really want the next 3 years to be about consolidating that relationship and to get some really interesting and challenging projects, such as the New Yorker/ Mass Mutual job.


10. Do you feel contended present life? On some day, you have a long vacation, where do you want to go? Why?
ANSWER: YES! Life is pretty good just now. I got married earlier this year and my husband and I live in a delightful little fishing village near St Andrews in Scotland. I have achieved a good balance between working at home on my illustrations and teaching illustration students at Edinburgh College of Art which I do for 2 days a week. That’s not to say I don’t like going on holiday! My friends tease me about how many times I go abroad, but I love travelling. My husband’s brother lives in Hong Kong and we went there recently and I loved it – we visited Macau aswell, which I found really interesting. My favorite destinations are Australia, which I have visited 3 times now and Mexico [ see sketchbook pages, mexico1.tif and mexico2.tif] If I was to go anywhere new, I think I would like to visit the Antarctic, as I am intrigued by icy landscapes at the moment and I think it would be amazing to experience such a wilderness and make lots of drawings. I don’t think I could live abroad though – I just like to travel and then come home and then feed my experiences into my illustrations.
Posted by Jill Calder at 1:59 PM 0 comments
Labels: dpi magazine, illustration, interview

Agent: Friend & Johnson

American agents who represent 8 illustrators ( including Jill Calder, Ann Field & Paul Wearing) & 12 photographers. Offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco & Texas. Jill Calder involved with advertising for entire New Yorker magazine in April 07.
"JILL CALDER'S WHIMSICAL ILLUSTRATION TAKES OVER THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINEThe April 16, 2007 issue of the New Yorker magazine featured Jill's work in a narrative series of ads. Annually, The New Yorker allows a client to take over all the advertising in the magazine. This year, it was Mass Mutual Financial Group. And although The New Yorker selected about 40 illustrators for this client and their ad agency (Mullen) to choose from, they eventually chose just one illustrator to get the entire job done and that is our very own Jill Calder!" (Friend & Johnson website Jan09)
http://www.friendandjohnson.com/

From Jill Calder's blog


Monday, January 19, 2009
Paternity Leave for The Guardian

The Guardian always give me juicy subject matter to illustrate and this article was no different.
Sarah Habershon, art director at the Guardian, contacted me last Tuesday to see if I could do this piece, entitled No Father Forward by Elin Darby about the issues surrounding paternity leave in the UK. Of course I could! I love an adrenalin pumping deadline me! - which was Thursday.
The article discussed how many companies seemed not to take the idea seriously of a father taking time off to help care for a new baby, or even help out with childcare if his partner were returning to work after her maternity leave. Some men were even made redundant on the point of returning to work after taking paternity leave - with plenty of other reasons being given for the redundancy other than "you seem to be unreliable and /or uncommitted because you take time off to care for your children", which of course is illegal to claim.
After some doodling about with themes of a "flexible parenting/working environment" theme, I suddenly remembered all the images of Lehmann Bros. employees who had been made redundant a few months ago, and them walking out the office with all their possessions in a lowly cardboard box. It seemed cleaner and simpler to me to make that statement visually, but replacing the box with a good old-fashioned pram.
Posted by Jill Calder at 12:40 PM 0 comments
Labels: Guardian, illustration, jobs, office, paternity leave, pram,

Sunday 18 January 2009

Jill Calder




I love the way Jill Calder observes people and uses coloured inks in a free and humorous way. The last image is 'the seven year itch'. Jill Calder says on her blog "I love putting a bit of awkward body language and facial expressions in my work too."  Agent is 'Friend & Johnson' (also represents Paul Wearing). Her blog is fascinating. See jillustration.blogspot.com/ & www.jillcalder.com/

Sunday 11 January 2009

Characters for children's book



These are the characters I am working on for the Macmillan's Book project. I am using clay, oxide, scraffitto, camera & computer. I like the textures, lines & print-like quality that can be achieved as well as the liveliness.

Friday 9 January 2009

More from Daryl Rees

'How to be an illustrator'  by Daryl Rees


Agents

Illustrators are often keen to get an agent straight after graduating because the idea of an agent creates the illusion of security & employment. However, an agent is not a source of immediate & constant commissions. If you have the wrong agent and the wrong agreement “what began as an exciting step in your career could end up feeling like a prison sentence!”

The agent can offer experience & professional advice, use the reputation of the whole agency to promote you, give you access to a particular pool of clients & negotiate the larger more complicated jobs on your behalf.

You have to find the right agent – who deals with your kind of work, but where you can still stand out. You may also lose the chance to start learning from your own experience & to establish your own client base. If your contract with the agent doesn’t allow you to seek your own clients too, then you could feel trapped. Need to agree an outline of understanding based on mutual trust & respect. Find out how they get commissions, what clients they have, how they deal with client contracts and disputes, what promo materials they use, how they became an agent & why...Be wary of anyone who tries to get you to sign a contract in haste without giving you time to read it thoroughly...

Tuesday 6 January 2009

How to be an illustrator by Darrel Rees


How to be an illustator by Darrel Rees (founder of Heart Agency)
(2008 Laurence King Publishing, London)

I had this book for Christmas and it is full of useful information and advice. It also features interviews with art directors (Luke Hayman – Pentagram, Mark Porter - Guardian, Simon Esterson – Esterson Associates, Sarah Thomson – Art Buyer DDB, Wladimir Marnich – Marnich Design) and illustrators (including Aude van Ryn, Brett Ryder, Micheal Gillette, Sam Weber, Marc Boutavant, Yuko Shimizi, Rui Teneiro, Jeffrey Decoster). There are chapters on getting started, preparing your porfolio, job-hunting & interviews, producing the first job, financial tips, sharing studios, agents and promoting yourself.

New illustrators often begin by doing editorial work, because there is plenty of work here (plenty of illustrators too). You need to contact the design director, art director or senior designer. This information is often in the newspaper or magazine.

Promoting Yourself

This chapter has loads of tips and stresses how important it is to make the most of your ‘debut’ appearance when you first leave college. 

Need to sort out:-
Small well-printed cards (ideally full-size image one side & 2 smaller images on reverse) to send out monthly
Website for quick access
Enter competitions
Enter annual images book (eg AOI) if possible
Pursue self-initiated projects (leading to exhibitions or self-publishing to send to clients)

There are 3 stages to promotion:
1 To get you contact with client
2 To maintain contact with client
3 General profile-raising

 Vital to compile some sort of database of clients, along with what promo work you have sent them & on what date. This needs to be updated regularly too (3-6 months). Need to include following information:
Company/public name, name of contact, position
Address, phone no, fax, email
What promos sent & when
Last time met them
Last time they commissioned you
Last time they called a porfolio of yours
Fees/rates
If moved

It seems that making the images is only a fraction of what the illustrator does!