Personal & Professional Practice: December 2014

Choosing a website; It's Nice That
(http://www.itsnicethat.com)

I chose this website out of the three given as I am drawn to it the most and find it the most interesting. The selection of work they show is wide and contemporary, compared to the House of Illustration which seemed to be more classic, such as Paddington Bear. They have featured illustrators that use a variety of ways to create images, from digital to painting to using coloured pencils. Much of the work is editorial or for brands, showing where illustration is being used in relation to current issues and trends, for example Laura Callaghan's piece about Tinder. I like the layout of the website and how they have simple articles, such as the 'Top 10 Illustrators of 2014', filled with images. It is being constantly updated, with several new articles a day, so will never get boring or samey. I feel this website will give me the most inspiration and open my eyes to loads of illustrators I didn't know before, without going through long winded articles that appear on others. It is a massive creative hub without being overwhelming, full of new ideas and brilliant pieces of work, from accomplished illustrators to the less known and created by people in the industry who know what they are talking about.

An example of some of the great articles Itsnicethat has to offer

Laura Callaghan's dark but comical piece about Tinder

Where you can find illustration:

PRODUCT

Food/drinks packaging

Clothes labels

On clothes

Logos

Music/album covers

Cards

Wrapping paper

Public transport, e.g. trains and buses

Signage

General product packaging e.g. makeup

T shirts and clothing - illustration can be so varied on clothing products, to suit the taste of the target audience or brand. I have considered printing some t-shirts now we have had the print room induction to sell; it is quick and easy to reproduce loads of them for a small price compared to what they could be sold for. It would also be interesting to see if people would actually be interested in wearing my work!

Food and drinks packaging

Album covers

Household packaging

Signage

PUBLICATION
Childrens books
Book covers
Newspapers
Fashion magazines
Music magazines
Zines
Manuals
Encyclopedias
Graphic novels
Leaflets

Magazine covers

Encyclopedia illustrations

Childrens books

Book illustrations (Iron Man - Ted Hughs, illustrated by Laura Carlin)

Zines - again, something that I would like to get into making and distributing around Leeds, in the college and potentially at art fairs, for free and if I can for a profit. You can make zines as daft as you want but they still could work, because of the nice hand made quality you get from them.

PLACE

Schools and universities

Hospitals and doctors surgeries

Museums

Galleries

Cafes

Restaurants

Clubs and music venues

Pubs

Train stations and bus stops

Shops and supermarkets

Mural in a Mexican restaurant

Childrens hospital entrance

A poster found in the tube stations - I really love the colours and textures used in this piece. Posters are very relevant to illustration today, as they are being used to advertise products and events everywhere you look. I would like to get better at producing posters as it is something I am definitely interested in, but I think I need to get better at working with composition before (not so great yet).