INTRODUCE YOURSELF
I am Meg. I am an illustrator, but I also see myself as a 'maker', inspired by theatre, costume and weird looking things. My work is painted or hand drawn and then digitally manipulated. I like using certain colour palettes and bold shapes, combining these with energetic mark making, textures and fiddly details. My themes lean towards weird animals, anthropomorphic objects and nature. I want people to think my drawings are funny and creepy. My bright colours and designs mean that my portfolio looks geared towards children's book illustration, but I also enjoy making small books and zines to sell at illustration fairs such as 'Shake' and 'Bristol Comic and Zine Fair'. The items I make for fairs are more personal and focused on the themes I enjoy exploring, but I also enjoy working to a brief and would like more experience with that aspect of illustration.
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INTRODUCE YOUR AIMS
From this module I would like to gain both practical skills and build confidence that I can take forward when I leave university. Practical wise I would like to produce business cards, a website and work on other promotional items that I can make and hand out to people. Confidence wise I will create a portfolio of work that I am proud of, and try and think how I would like my illustrations to be used and how I can get them there. I also want to get a better idea of what I want to do in the illustration world, and again come up with a outline of how I can go out and do it. For now I would like to pursue the idea of finding an agent, and also promoting my work towards children's illustration. On the other hand, prop making is also interesting to me but I have less experience and work to show this compared to my drawing. Outside of this module, due to time restraints, I would like to try and build a portfolio for my props/costumes.
I think I also need a better understanding of how things happen within this profession, especially learning about publishing and other industries. In general I'm really not sure about the future, but I know I like making things and I would like to try different things. I would like my own space/ studio to go to work in, and I also need to think of what I rely on at university and how I can adapt to making things without that support that I am used to at the moment ( go through and see what I need to work with after university, do I have my own scanner/printer, photoshop, how will I carry on printmaking, can I join a co-op/ print studio etc.) I need to think if I would like to work in a space where there are other people, do I want to be alone (no), do I want to work as part of a collaborative etc.
I think I need to research companies/ artists/ groups that are making stuff I like, also look at joining different projects where I can work with different people and make big things. I also will research tips on belonging to an agency and how to approach agencies.
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MY PERSONAL STRATEGY
What are you going to make and why?
My personal strategy is to focus on and promote my drawing and design skills. I want to do this by creating illustration based promotional items, focusing on books and prints instead of t-shirts and mugs. I want my items to be easy to send away, and also things I can easily make myself and not have to constantly rely on sending away to outside companies. Although I will research other print on demand sites and printing companies, I am fairly certain I will want to handmade most of my items. I love drawing and making things myself, and by making my items by hand I can reflect this.
Who do you want to illustrate for and who will you target?
First of all I can focus on what I know I like doing with illustration, and that's attending different illustration fairs with Sophie, under our bowling name 'The Gutter Goblins'. I can research different shows to take my work and which ones I think would suit me best and why. This means my promotional items can also become items that will sell at future shows, and keeping this in mind whilst I make them will help develop and form the items.
Who would I like to illustrate for?
- Myself, making my own ideas come true.
- Magazines/ Online magazines- Anorak, Ammo, Okido, Rookie
- Product design- make stationary, homeware
- Publishers- Drawn and Quarterly, Belly Kids
- PROPS- I would also like to make things for theatres or TV.
The people I want to target with my promotional items are mainly the people who make stuff I like! On this page, I have researched these people and what they do.
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Q+A:
What do I want to do?
I want to have a job where I leave the house, make things and have the opportunity to work with like-minded people. I also want to opportunity to make other things other than drawings, making props for TV or theatre.
What are my unique skills?
I can work quickly and can apply my creativity to different skills, from drawing to print making to making props. I think the characters I create are lively and interesting and I am aware of current trends and how that can apply to my work.
What are my unique viewpoints?
I'm white and middle-class, I think my viewpoint has been shouted from the rooftop for too long. I like to think my work can have a personal touch, looking at different emotions and topics.
Does my practice have a particular area of interest ?
I love lively and naive looking illustrations, I like including wild mark making in my illustrations, and I also like creating characters.
Are there re-curring themes in my work?
Themes I enjoy exploring are creatures, nature, magic, anthropomorphic animals, mythology and plants.
Describe my own work in 10 separate words.
Colourful. Playful. Textual. Quirky. Lively. Enigmatic. Creepy. Fun. Naive. Wild.
Does my work have a particular purpose (social, political, educational, eco etc) What informs my work?
The purpose of my work is to entertain, and I want people to think its so lovely that they just want to have it in their lives to look at. When I see a book or a print or something that I just absolutely have to have, I want it just so I can look at it and enjoy it whenever I want- and I want people to like my work that much! That they just have to look at it whenever they please. I think my work is informed by the things I love and also my eye for design.
Q+A /FUTURE
Are there any gaps that you need to address- learning new skills, expanding portfolio? What are your immediate plans when you leave college?
I want to get better skills on Adobe Illustrator, and I also want to practice working with a brief more. I think to expand my portfolio I could have more things in there that have context, and aren't just illustrations I've done for the sake of it.
My immediate plans after university are send portfolio/promotional items to different people such as publishers and agents, move home to save money, move to a bigger city with said money, possibly find a studio. Look for creative jobs. Or I might go to a craft school in America.
Where do you see yourself in 2 years time?
Hopefully still developing my style and learning new practices. I would have like to gained more experience making props/ working on bigger projects.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
With my own studio, I would be happy doing different things as I like to be busy and experience different things. I would quite like a business or have something else as well as my illustration work.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? Define your future practice in one sentence.
I hope to be making great things, surrounded by creative and fun people.
I also hope I have a house by then, and maybe a dog.
Q+A /BRANDING- (This part of the Q&A I completed at the end of module)
What's the name of your illustration business? Is it your name, a studio name or something else?
I have decided to just go with my name, that's what most illustrators have done and it looks professional
Have you secured the .com URL for your website?
www.megtallis.com
Do you have a standard avatar you use for your online profiles?
Currently no, I have a different avatar for Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest! I don't think they all look particularly jumbled because of this, however this is something I could change in the future.
Do you have a business card?
Yes, with 3 different designs and printed with MOO.
What's your title? Your strapline? Your elevator pitch?
I don't have one, I just call myself a maker as well as an illustrator.
Is your website design consistent with your brand colours, placement of logo and your copy writing 'voice' ?
I think my work is cohesive, the illustrations themselves are bright and colourful but are presented in a minimalist way on my blogs and website. The tone on my blogs and social media are friendly and laid back, with a more professional tone on my website where my official portfolio is.
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