I also want to look at my web presence and what comes up when I google my name, and to see if anything relevant to me and my work appears.
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INSTAGRAM
Mine:
In first year I made a separate Instagram page specifically for my illustrations. I had started posting some pictures of my work on my personal Instagram, but I wanted a place where I could post everyday and not clutter my own page, and also not worry about what else I was posting and it not be appropriate for a professional illustration page.
If I'm being good I try to post everyday, but usually it works out as every other or every few days. I try to use hashtags that aren't too popular (the most popular one I use is illustration which usually has been tagged on another 40 million posts) otherwise your picture will just get lost amongst everyone elses.
When I first started my Instagram it was back when we were experimenting a lot in first year, so I posted quite a broad range of things. I posted a lot more print making things back as well as more 'doodles'. I think the quality of the image was lower too because I was taking a picture of the print/ drawing, whereas now I tend to save an image from a blog/website where it has been edited.
Using Instagram over the summer was great as it meant I could document my summer project as I went along, as also provided some cohesion to my feed. It also meant I could use hashtags that I knew worked well and were popular searches.
After meeting another illustrator a Shake illustration fair she mentioned that it's best to include a few personal pictures within an illustration Instagram page, as she said that people like to know the person behind the artwork. I started posting a couple of pictures of me or kind of behind the scenes pictures- but I still don't post lots of my own personal photos. I also try to post photos of things in context instead of just images, for example the concertina book above.
Rob Flowers:
I love Rob Flowers work because it has a nostalgic feel and has great characters and colours.
I also really like him and his work because he is so influenced by what he loves. He collects loads of vintage toys, and every week he posts a weird, usually vintage photo of someone in a wild costume (tagged under #FancydressFridays)
I love the wide range of things he posts, not just his artwork but also things he is interested in and his belongings that inform his style of work. I always enjoy seeing what he posts because I know it will be interesting and funny.
Tips for me:
-Post what I'm interested in
- Make sure my photos are good quality
-Post more things that are specifically made for people and not just random illustrations.
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BLOGS
Mine:
BLOGGER:
I have also been posting illustrations on a blogger blog since first year. Much like my instagram page I post lots of sketchbook work, and as I have had it since first year it features a wide range of work.
I think the tile layout was one of the most basic layouts so that's why I went with it, but I also think it just looks like a kind of budget Instagram page. Having a blog also offers the opportunity to write about my work more, which is what I did earlier on until I just started posting images.
But with the display as it is I don't think anyone would read anything, and I'm also not utilising the blog to it's full ability, as I said I'm kind of just using it as a second Instagram, but worse. Another reason I upload images to blogger is so I can save them onto my phone then upload them to instagram- so really I use it as a pre-instagram page, which although is a easy way for me to put high quality images onto Instagram, it means I'm not offering anything different on my blog.
TUMBLR:
Another option, which I mention when talking about my webpage, is developing my tumblr page which originally looked like this:
I prefered this layout to the blogger one, but clicking on the images made them stretch in a weird way. I decided to play around with the theme and layout and changed it to this:
Tumblr also means I can write about my work or about anything I'm doing, and is also used by a lot of artists and illustrators. It offers more room to be creative and play around with the layout whilst also being another platform to show off and discuss the work I make.
Clara W Dudley:
Clara is a student who specialises in screenprinting- especially with retro inspired illustations and CMYK colours. Her tumblr features her beautiful illustrations, but it also has photos of the prints hung up- and she also shows her illustrations pre- screenprinting. Her images aren't super high quality, but this just amplifies the 'behind the scenes' feel of her blog and lets the audience see how the work is made. I think because illustration has become quite fashionable in recent years, people are more and more interested in seeing how stuff is made and what the artists do to create the work.
Another aspect of her tumblr page I like is the different tabs down the side that link to her sketchbook, shop, website etc. I tried to get pages on my tumblr and I had to google it extensively, and it still didn't work. If i pursue with my tumblr page then I will explore this further.
The colour and layout of her page reflects her bold work and the fresh colour palettes she uses for her screen prints. Maybe I should look at changing the colour for my blog so it looks different to my website- however, I do like how cohesive my different platforms look and I still think a minimalist layout suits my brightly coloured work.
Tips for me:
- show more WIP/ Processes
- Add pages to blog for shop/sketchbook etc
- maybe experiment with colour and layouts.
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FACEBOOK
Another social media which I use personally all the time but hadn't considered for my illustration was Facebook. I always thought there was almost too much on Facebook, and things can easily get lost amongst bigger companies, meme pages etc. However after searching on Facebook for a few illustrators I realised that they did utilise Facebook, and again it can be used for different reasons compared to Instagram. As I didn't have a Facebook page for my work until this module, I will look at another artists first:
Jack Teagle:
I decided to look at Jack Teagle as I like his work and he also uses a wide range of social media, such as Instagram and Twitter. From scrolling down his Facebook page I can see that he posts fairly regularly, mostly daily until there's short gaps where it's assumed he's away working.
What I find interesting about Facebook compared to Instagram is that the posts can reach out a lot more directly to his audience (the people who like his page). On Facebook you can tell people about events you are attending with your work, share videos and also easily link to other websites and Facebook pages. It's easy to show off the stuff you are selling as you can link to external stores:
And Facebook also makes it easy to connect to other people by tagging other artists and replying to comments on your work.
I think Facebook can also be good as so many people have it, it's easy to share your page with friends and have it spread around.
Mine:
I created the page and decided to upload my diving ladies as my cover photo- this immediately links it to my website and the diving ladies gif that is on my homepage. This creates cohesion and the idea of a 'brand'. I also uploaded different images to my page, mainly FMP images under the album title 'Who Killed the Bear?':
I also wanted my page to have a friendly tone, so that people seeing my page can get to know the kind of person I am. Anything I post I put an image with, so that it's always visually interesting to look at
And I also used the opportunity to show off what I'm doing currently, and shared a time-lapse video of me making my FMP bear head:
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| I look like a right creep |
Another interesting thing with Facebook that you don't get with Instagram is you can see statistics and how many people have visited your page/ how many people your posts have 'reached'
So far I am quite enjoying Facebook, but I think it will get better as I have more current work to share.
Tips for me:
- Post updates with current work
- Make use of Facebook to share events I am going to
- Link to things I am selling
- Try and post everyday
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PINTEREST
I didn't look at how other artists use Pinterest- but I did start uploading my own work to pinterest as well as using it to save other images. Pinterest is a really visual platform, and so addictive to use- so I definitely think its worth putting images up. The only problem is things that get saved and repinned/used without crediting the artist, so I should look into uploading lower quality images just for online use.
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WEB PRESENCE
I googled myself and was fairly pleased, most of the results are related to me and my work:
I also went onto google images, and the majority of the first images are either mine or of me:
Overall I am happy with the presence I have made for myself online and with social media, I have posted a lot of my work on Instagram and Blogger, and I will make an effort to keep updating my Facebook page.
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