Big Illustration Party Time

Big Illustration Party Time Podcast review

Earlier, I listened to another podcast narrated by the comic illustrators Joshua Kemble and Kevin Cross who run the Big Illustration Party Time blog http://www.illustrationparty.com/. The subject of discussion this time around was how and why to draw up contracts being freelance illustrators and the importance they play in the working relationship you have with any one client. Working freelance can sometimes lead to verbal agreements or an agreement email and new and budding illustrators often use these to make a good impression with clients to show their willing and don’t want to turn work down or be turned down if a client runs away scared from a formal contract. The advice they gave though was not to be fooled – the client who runs away scared from a contract is a client you don’t want to work with anyway. In all honesty, I myself probably would skip the contract part if I thought it was going to send a potential client running for the hills. After all, we’ve heard in other podcasts how difficult it is to gain a clients interest in the first place without then scaring them off with the thought of holding a contract up to them. Though I can see the flip side of the argument too. Why even bother doing the work for them on a verbal agreement which wouldn’t stand up in a courtroom if they then refused to pay for the work produced. It’s a difficult one to tackle.

Reportedly, 50% of freelance illustrators don’t use a formal contract (I guess that this is a figure for the U.S and not internationally?) and Kemble and Cross admit to having not used them in the past too, thankfully their experience has shown them that contracts are a must and are kindly passing on their experiences so we don’t make those same foolish mistakes. In short contracts prevent confusion and protect both yours and the client’s interests and it is a document which can be referred to at any time. Unlike a verbal agreement which won’t stand up in court if anything goes wrong with the work, a contract is a binding document and one which will stand you in good stead if things do go pear shaped. It is the most important foundation to build a working relationship on and shows your professionalism too hopefully building such a good relationship with your clients that they will want to use you again.

Understandably, illustrators didn’t get into art to do paperwork, sure it’s tedious, laborious and boring but it is worth setting aside an hour or so to create a standardised contract. It may have to be revisited on occasions to be amended here and there but these amendments will only be a matter of lines or paragraphs rather than doing the whole thing anew every time. Basically, you want something that is water-tight and wiggle-proof where you will be guaranteed to get your kill fee, payment of fees and licensing that you agreed on. Try not to sound too fancy or over the top however, you didn’t study law, and keep it updated and as comprehensive as you feel the need for it to be. At the same time you don’t want to go overloading the contract with too many terms and stipulations. Also, remember that hiring a representative to do this sort of work on your behalf is much more reliable and they are much better at negotiating than you will ever be, that’s their job, yours is to illustrate.

Overall, this podcast was very informative and based around a subject area that is usually brushed over in school and is only a reality when you are out there actually practising your illustration... by which time it’s usually too late. I am glad for the helpful tips being thrown my way that is for sure. When TWD accountants came in to present to the class earlier this semester, touching on self-employment, contracts and laws etc the information went over my head slightly, there was just so much of it! Hearing it again and picking up bits at a time is certainly more helpful than trying to take all of it on board in one sitting. I can now see that drawing up a contract is definitely the best way to move forward and if a client then decides that they don’t want to work with you because of the contract, they probably were never all that interested in the first place. As the guys said, usually if a client doesn’t like certain terms within the contract they will work with you to compromise on them rather than scrapping you altogether.

Kemble and Cross podcast

Illustration Party Podcast

Highlight two interesting points that interest you or relate to your practise

Said Podcast is narrated by two comic artists, Joshua Cross and Kevin Kemble. Comic strips and cartoon drawing is something which I have no experience of and if truth be told, hold very little interest in, finding two points from this 54 minute podcast then could be difficult and rather *yawn* exciting, obviously.

Yet, still I manage the impossible. The two American guys are down to earth if not a bit too ‘hip’ with their choice of phrases and ridiculous sci-fi themed, Black Eyed Peas and Will.I.Am inspired soundtrack, they’re just about listenable though their drawl may irritate me, the vote’s still out. The first point I’m highlighting from their chat is “by making mistakes you end up coming at a better solution”. Not entirely sure which cartoonist came out with this one but you can find out more about them and the podcast at http://www.illustrationparty.com/. Back to the point, this does fit in just nicely with my work, working method and practise. Throughout my three year degree course I have flitted from one style to the next without doing any in-depth exploration of what I could potentially have achieved given any one method some real time, consideration and committment. During this semester I have applied myself 100% to my collaging technique, defining and redefining the style and quality of output. Finally, I have sweated over one single particular technique and whittle it down so that it describes me as an artist and what I stand for. I totally agree with this point as I have learned from first hand experience that by making my mistakes along the way I have come out at a much better place, plus what’s to gain by being perfect? I endured a three year undergrad course to do just that – make mistakes and learn from them so that I have a decent chance of survival in the real world once I graduate in July 2012. Of course there have been times in my personal work where mistakes haven’t paid off, take for example the Grimm’s project I started out on at the beginning of this semester but which eventually got scrapped for lack a of resolve, but on the whole this statement works. I scrapped my Grimm’s project – it was a mistake to even start it, but by scrapping it and making that initial mistake I have come to the resolve of producing some wonderful illustrations for my ‘into the garden’ and ‘under the water’ children’s identification books. In short, I’ve come up trumps by making that initial mistake and working twice as hard since to try and put it right. It might be a case of stating the obvious or maybe sometimes these things need saying out loud for people to be able to resonate with them and fit things into place for themselves. Plus, if I were to end up at my perfect solution straight away, where would the fun be? I wouldn’t have the chance to experiment and play with my style or develop and nurture it when I fall on frustrating times.

The guys go on to say how being an illustrator or indeed a cartoonist is a lonely existence with the greatest company being in your tools; pens, pencils etc. For me, loneliness within the institution of illustration is a choice, illustrators don’t have to be lonely or feel the isolation that so many others preach about. What happened to keeping in touch with university peers? How about taking art directors for lunch to discuss potential commissions? (taken from a previous podcast…highly informative). There are so many opportunities for creative’s not to be lonely but they choose not to participate in them. Personally, I have lined up participation in the Spellbound festival at the end of May, Mr Thomas’ Chop House auction in July and the Just So Festival in August and I’m still attending uni! There are so many activities to be involved in and failing that there’s always the option of renting studio space to share with other creative, like-minded people whereby there would be a constant flow of support, encouragement and company. Today it feels as though people have to moan at every possible opportunity rather than taking the bull by the horns and doing something about it. Here’s another point for you guys to talk about in future podcasts, the notion of ‘put up or shut up!’

Seriously though there are definite solutions to that ‘lonely’ feeling that illustrators harp on about. Sure photographers engage with their clients on a daily basis, their work is in a face-to-face environment and designers work out of a design agency (usually) but illustrators are left to fester in spare bedrooms and attic dens, I get that or at least I see where they are coming from. But the solution is simple, if this way of working isn’t working for you then find a method that does. Go and rent some studio space, collaborate with other creative people or club together to rent out a shared studio space. As a result these options all offer a support network which illustrators lack otherwise and a chance to cut costs by distributing them equally. If you research premises in-depth you should be able to find somewhere which would give you 24 hour access too so working late or early isn’t an excuse to continue your torture and in turn torturing me with your whining. If studio space is something you simply cannot afford then contact your local council who will generally be happy to come to an arrangement whereby derelict buildings will be offered at no cost just to have them occupied and thus less likely to be vandalised or used for squatting. Cross and Kemble however choose to talk about how social networking can relieve the loneliness that illustrators experience by keeping a network of creative’s on facebook and twitter. Sorry to say this guys but social networking sites are hardly an excuse for the real thing. Social networking is the root of the loneliness that these illustrators and cartoonists are facing because they are reportedly ‘socialising’ and ‘networking’ through a virtual method, ie it isn’t real, it’s all online through typing words on a keyboard and not speaking them. What happened to getting dressed in a morning and going to meet these people for real? Discuss gallery invites over coffee?

What really needs to happen is people need to start and talk to others using their voices rather than their keypads, call the art director rather than sending him/her an email. Sure they can’t talk to everybody, so offer something unique, a chance at lunch, a coffee date or even a meet in the park. You benefit because you’re seeing a real person and thus are relieving your loneliness and they are benefitting because they get out of the office and possibly a free coffee. For a bunch of people that reckon to be so advanced, it seems to me we are going backwards where real communication is no longer a necessity. Pah. Says me, sat here typing this post…

Illustration Part Podcast Debate

Illustration Party Podcast

Highlight two interesting points that interest you or relate to your practise

Said Podcast is narrated by two comic/cartoon artists, Joshua Cross and Kevin Kemble. Comic strips and cartoon drawing is something which I have no experience of and if truth be told, hold very little interest in, finding two points from this fifty-four minute podcast then could be difficult and rather *yawn* exciting, obviously. And yet, still I manage the impossible…

The two American guys (Corss and Kemble) are down to earth if not a bit too ‘hip’ with their choice of phrases and ridiculous sci-fi themed, Black Eyed Peas, Will.I.Am inspired soundtrack, they’re just about listenable though their drawl may irritate me a tad, the vote’s still out. The first point I’m highlighting from their chat (it’s not really an interview but it comes across as one) is “by making mistakes you end up coming at a better solution”. Not entirely sure which cartoonist came out with this one but you can find out more about them and the podcast at http://www.illustrationparty.com/. Back to the point, this does fit in just neatly with my work, working method and practise. Throughout my three year degree course, and if you’ve been keeping up with my blog you’ll have heard me speak about it profusely, I have flitted from one style to the next without doing any in-depth exploration of what I could potentially have achieved given any one method some real time, consideration and commitment. During this final semester however I have at last applied myself 100% to my collaging technique, defining and redefining the style and quality of output. Finally, I have sweated it out over one single particular technique and whittle it down so that it describes me as an artist and what I stand for. I totally agree with this point the guys make as I have learned from first hand experience that by making my mistakes along the way I have come out at a much better place, plus what’s to gain by being perfect? I endured a three year undergrad course to do just that – make mistakes and learn from them so that I have a decent chance of survival in the real world once I graduate in July 2012. Of course there have been times in my personal work where mistakes haven’t paid off, take for example the Grimm’s project I started out on at the beginning of this semester but which eventually got scrapped for lack a of resolve, but on the whole this statement works. I scrapped my Grimm’s project – it was a mistake to even start it, but by scrapping it and making that initial mistake I have come to the resolve of producing some wonderful illustrations for my ‘into the garden’ and ‘under the water’ children’s identification books. In short, I’ve come up trumps by making that initial mistake and working twice as hard since to try and put it all right. It might be a case of stating the obvious or maybe sometimes these things need saying out loud for people to be able to resonate with them and fit things into place for themselves. Plus, if I were to end up at my perfect solution straight away, where would the fun be? I wouldn’t have the chance to experiment and play with my style or develop and nurture it when I fall on frustrating times.

The guys go on to say how being an illustrator or indeed a cartoonist is a “lonely existence” with the greatest company being in your tools; pens, pencils etc. For me, loneliness within the institution of illustration is not a given but a choice, illustrators don’t have to be lonely or feel the isolation that so many of them preach about. What happened to keeping in touch with university peers? How about taking art directors to lunch to discuss potential commissions? (an idea taken from a previous podcast…highly informative). There are so many opportunities for creative’s to get involved in and immerse themselves in and feed their creativity by collaborating with other creative minds but they choose not to participate in such events. Personally, I have lined up participation in the Spellbound festival at the end of May, Mr Thomas’ Chop House auction in July and the Just So Festival in August and I’m still in full-time education! There are so many activities to be involved in but if that really isn’t your bag then there’s always the option of renting studio space to share with other creative, like-minded people whereby there would be a constant flow of support, encouragement and company. Today it feels as though people have to moan at every possible opportunity rather than taking the bull by the horns and doing something about it. Here’s another point for you guys to talk about in future podcasts, the notion of ‘putting up or shutting up!’

Seriously though there are definite solutions to that ‘lonely’ feeling that illustrators harp on about. Sure photographers engage with their clients on a daily basis, their work is in a face-to-face environment and designers work out of a design agency (usually) but illustrators are left to fester in spare bedrooms and attic dens, I get that or at least I see where they are coming from. But the solution is simple, if this way of working isn’t working for you then find a method that does. Go and rent some studio space, collaborate with other creative people or club together to rent out a shared studio space. As a result these options all offer a support network which illustrators lack otherwise and a chance to cut costs by distributing them equally. If you research premises in-depth you should be able to find somewhere which would give you 24 hour access too so working late or early isn’t an excuse to continue your torture and in turn continue torturing me with your whining. If studio space is something you simply cannot afford then contact your local council who will generally be happy to come to an arrangement whereby derelict buildings will be offered at no cost just to have them occupied and thus less likely to be vandalised or used for squatting. Cross and Kemble however choose to talk about how social networking can relieve the loneliness that illustrators experience by keeping a network of creative’s on facebook and twitter. Sorry to say this guys but social networking sites are hardly an excuse for the real thing. Social networking is often the root of the loneliness that these illustrators and cartoonists are facing because they are reportedly ‘socialising’ and ‘networking’ through a virtual method, ie it isn’t real, it’s all online through typing words on a keyboard and not speaking them. What happened to getting dressed in a morning and going to meet these people for real? Discuss gallery invites over coffee?

What really needs to happen is people need to start and talk to others using their voices rather than their keypads, call the art director rather than sending him/her an email. Sure they can’t talk to everybody, so offer something unique, a chance at lunch, a coffee date or even a meet in the park. You benefit because you’re seeing a real person and thus are relieving your loneliness and they are benefitting because they get out of the office and possibly a free coffee. For a bunch of people that reckon to be so advanced, it seems to me we are going backwards where real communication is no longer a necessity. Pah. Maybe I’m a hypocrite? This is all said by me, sat here typing this post…

Hanoch Piven Research

Hanoch Piven

Recently, I had a portfolio visit with the Guardian in London. Sarah Habershon’s advice was that my portfolio was too broad, trying to reach too many audiences without focusing on one particular area of illustration. I think exploring different briefs and avenues, particularly whilst still at university where we are encouraged to experiment and manipulate should be a welcomed attribute from an employer’s perspective. Truth is, I enjoy illustrating for a child audience particularly, there’s more of an element of play to experience with a child audience in mind. Only I don’t want to limit my work prospects as that will also limit my earning potential and as a fresh graduate I need all the experience I can manage. It was then interesting to learn of Hanoch Piven, an Israeli mixed media artist who works for a child audience as well as creating works for editorials and thus an adult audience.

During my research on Piven I realised that child-friendly type illustrations such as mine could be adapted for an older audience too. Piven himself does this by adding visual twists such as the iconic matches he used for Saddam Hussein’s moustache circa 1990 when the world was getting ready for the Gulf War after Saddam and Iraq’s conquering of Kuwait, ‘the matches seemed a perfect metaphor for that imminent war/fire coming’. So there are visual elements that an older audience find amusing or witty, yet a child audience can still recognise the famous portrait and relate to the technique. As Piven put, metaphor works for an adult audience because they can understand the message implied. Similarly I use collage and mixed media to create my subjects though ephemeron doesn’t really feature as my work is all two-dimensional.

Additionally, it’s interesting to learn that he had two portfolios when he graduated, one for illustration and one for graphic design. If Sarah thought that my one portfolio was too varied in content and ‘broad’ then I would hate to see her reaction to the freshly graduated Piven way back when! For me, having work that appeals to different markets is an advantage, I see it as showing my flexibility and ability to mould myself to different situations, tasks and challenges. For me, limiting my portfolio and being selective about briefs I undertake limits my earning potential which at the end of the day is one of the major reasons I’m in the business. Therefore although having two portfolios might be slightly excessive, I admire his determination and commitment to accessing work.

In an interview, Piven was asked ‘You travel all over the world for workshops, and they are not just for artists, but with children, with seniors, with patients in hospitals…can you talk about how these workshops became part of your life as an artist, and what you can give to the participants, and what you get out of them?’. These workshops further connect him with both adult and child audiences, visiting schools and kindergartens, hospitals and museums, reinforcing his ability and suitability for editorials as well as children’s book illustration; he seems to seamlessly flit from one to the other. The majority of his editorial work also has a political slant featuring Saddam Hussein and Tony Blair to name a few. These editorials give him an outlet to vent his political views as well as being able to produce aesthetically pleasing illustrations for the child market.

If I could adapt my illustrations in a way as to add metaphor, wit and humour in a similar way to Piven it would give me more flexibility when it comes to employability and commissioning. If by entering the editorial market alongside child illustration offers this extra experience, it is certainly an arena I would be interested in exploring.

Charley Harper and Lucienne Day - research

Engaging with Charley Harper research

Recently I have been directed back to the work of Charley Harper. It is fitting really that this connection has resurfaced as my work also references natural subjects in quite a graphical, stylized method. I try to concentrate on breaking down the subject into key shapes and not focus too much on the fussy details, as long as you can tell that my prawn for example is indeed a prawn, then for me (and Charley too it seems) no further information is necessary. My technique then is a matter of distilling the subject and simplifying it to its most recognizable form. Unlike Harper though who then goes on to contextualize his simple subjects in complex surroundings, I try to keep the context simple too. Currently, I am experimenting with my marks to see which media will best fit with my simple collages. I think that fine line pencil drawings are aesthetically pleasing against the collages as they do not introduce too much detail as to take the eye away from the main subject yet they still give some structure and hint at a

context for the subject. Next on my list of experiments will be ink marks made with natural tools such as twigs or leaves. I’m not sure yet whether these will be intricate enough an outcome as the black marks could look dominant and aggressive with the dense colour against such timid magazine cuttings.

Looking at Harper’s backgrounds, he also utilises intricate line. Where he uses a colourful background however, I tend to keep mine white as I work with white space well and will probably keep this feature in my final major project work. This lack of colour again emphasises the main subject which is a colour collage and subdues the structure. Harper uses symmetry in the majority of his works too and I have noticed that in my own work the stronger of my subjects hold symmetrical qualities. Keeping everything symmetrical however can become a little bit predictable and so introducing some asymmetry keeps things varied and aesthetically pleasing when turning the pages too.

Engaging with Lucienne Day

Although Lucienne Day is a textile designer there is much knowledge and insight to be gained from her work. Again I have been directed to Lucienne by my tutor who suggested that her work would aid my research, looking at her use of organic shapes and bright patterns she certainly appeals to my tastes. Again, similar to Harper, she uses fine intricate lines to suggest her natural subjects, lines which I am aiming to produce for my structures to hold my collaged subjects. Indeed, at the moment my lines probably aren’t as articulated as they could be, but experimentation is the only resolve to this problem, which I will be pursuing over the Easter break. It is good to have some bench mark to aim for by referencing artists such as Harper and Day.

Colour wise, Day tends to stick with more natural hues to imitate the subjects she is representing, by running these parallels everything is interconnected and visually the audience understands this. Again, my backgrounds will be stark white which contrasts with Day’s natural colours of green and brown, however I don’t want any additional unnecessary distractions which could potentially diminish the main subject. As I am not a textile designer myself, and with my knowledge of Day’s area being limiting I don’t really have much more to add to her technique other than it clearly works as her prints are still widely recognised in a contemporary arena.

Creative Review 29/03

Creative Review for Thursday 29/03/12

Escape from Illustration Island Podcast, episode 72

Interview with Charles Hively, creative director of 3x3 publication

http://escapefromillustrationisland.com/2011/02/22/efii-podcast-episode-72-charles-hively-of-3x3/

Creative Review magazine article by Lawrence Zeegen

Where is the Content?

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2012/february/where-is-the-content

This podcast interview with Charles Hively focuses on his thoughts on self-promotion, competitions and the virtues of running an effective creative business. I have picked out relevant quotes from Hively that I think resonate well with my current practice and have expanded on them with my own thoughts.

‘I can draw faces and trees very well’, I focus on natural elements a lot, I think it is mainly their symmetrical quality that makes them work so well with my technique. However, it is funny how he should put trees and faces in the same sentence as they are the complete opposites. Faces, although natural in that they are not man-made but just are, are nothing like trees in that they grow from the ground and could potentially last hundreds if not thousands of years. I cannot draw faces for the life of me, I struggle a lot with anything related to the human anatomy. It too is symmetrical in theory but because it has a set personality and set of characteristics it cannot be replicated in different way like a tree can.

‘You can’t work from back to back to back’, this I my favourite quote. I can relate to this point well as I don’t produce my best work when my battery is running on low, it is essential to have a break in between projects and divide your time up proportionally so that you still get some down time too. Compared to my recent visit to the Times newspaper this has become particularly prevalent to me as the offices there are relentless, the job is never finished because there is always something else to follow it up immediately.

‘You can’t afford to starve, just draw how they want you to draw’, I stand divided on this one. I agree that it is all about money at the end of the day, being an illustrator is a career to be able to make money and survive. If somebody is commissioning you for a job take it and be grateful that they are the ones going to be putting food in your mouth this week. At the same time you cannot afford to be a push-over. Remember to do things for your own passion too whether that be personal projects or send over a few roughs to the commissioning body and explain why your idea is better but you have to be able to back it up properly. If you start to take less money than is needed for a job you also risk collapsing you business as commissioners will start to take their business to other people if you don’t accept their low offer.

It was interesting to see how Chively makes comparisons of illustrators to photographers. When he is in the office he will receive 10 mail shots from different photographers per day to just 1 illustrator getting in touch. Illustrators need to be able to promote themselves more and this has been pushed particularly in this final year at our university with the introduction of the PDP module setting us up with this expectation that work will not come looking for me, rather I have to go and look for it. You need to keep on promoting yourself too and not stop once a bit of work starts to come in, you should be sending out mailings at least once per month in some respect. It people don’t promote themselves illustration won’t progress past where it is at currently so self-promotion is an investment that an illustrator must make. When sending mailings make sure you send an image that solves a visual problem – photography looks pretty much the same these days and because of this it is becoming ever more difficult to establish the photographer like in previous years. Every illustration however is totally unique. Hand written or singular one off pieces get more attention from an art director because they want to save and cherish that piece, make it highly personal.

Out of 200 illustrators surveyed only 1 sent a promotional piece and that was a Christmas card. To be effective and consistent you need to be sending 3 mailings, Christmas cards is too advertisey and corporate there is the feeling that not much thought has gone into it. Photographers have invited him to lunch but by contrast no illustrators ever have, be more approachable.

Photographers are much more business minded than illustrators, a lot of the time they’ve had to invest in expensive equipment and so they need to make that return to make a success of their investment. Artists need to be more business minded in order to be more successful like their photographer counterparts. The bulk of illustration websites are not easy enough to navigate around and it needs to be new stuff and concise NOT your entire lifes work. There is no need for more than 15 images for thumbnails and ‘bullshit’ about sections are not required art directors don’t care, if they are looking to commission you it will be on the merit of your work, and your work only. Contact details need to be clearer than the majority of them are, most miss out important information such as a contact telephone number which is vital for the commission body. The images are the hero – don’t let anything get in the way of these, Chively looks at you the same as he would a plumber.

Chively says that he always looks for the weakest piece of work, because if he is happy with that then he knows that this is the least he will get, it sets a benchmark for him. Of course he would always like to get your best work, but should he get some of the weaker stuff if it passes his benchmark then he has some kind of safeguard by vetting that part of your portfolio too.

The online environment will be difficult for illustrators and art directors to navigate. This problem is caused mainly due to the longevity of the images online, do they eventually come down or does the commissioner need exclusive rights etc? Also, illustrators are used to charging a set fee for a spot illustration, a half page or full page etc in a newspaper for example, so how now do illustrators charge for online work?

The Creative Review article ‘Where is the content?’ by Lawrence Zeegen basically slates the world of illustration for being exclusive, ‘it’s time for the profession to stop pleasing itself and engage with the world outside’. For me this statement is comparable to more exclusive and upper class institutions such as classical music and opera. These institutions require money to be able to attend and training etc to be involved, yet anybody can pick up a paintbrush as many children do, it is not an exclusive institution, rather the opposite, anybody can get involved it’s just a case of whether they want to or not. Exclusivity is where other people and classes cannot engage with the institution, a paintbrush and paint is not expensive equipment. It takes a certain skill and lessons to learn how to play an instrument, painting and art is in all of us.

He also refers to the Pick me Up event happening in London, on the Strand currently showcasing new art talent and how nobody else other than graphic artists and illustrators go to visit such events. True, graphic artists and illustrators do go to these events to integrate further in their practice but professional bodies looking to commission artists attend to see the fresh face of art. ‘The allure of the digital row over, the discipline has seemingly retreated into an analogue world of craft-drive aesthetics’, if indeed Lawrence had been to Pick me Up he would have witnessed first hand that digital illustration is in fact very much in full swing with artists such as Andy Smith still working this way. ‘So where does illustration go next? How does the discipline move forward?’, the Charles Hively interview with Illustration Island sums this up pretty well; people need to stop criticising illustration and embrace them more and to help the stark situation illustrators need to take more responsibility and promote themselves and their cause in a positive fashion. Staying quiet and conforming to the reclusive hide-away preconception that people have does not help this impression of art being an exclusive institution, they are not seen to integrate with the rest of society, self-promotion will certainly help, take note peers!

The Times by Jon Hill

The Times Talk

Jon Hill

Lecture Theatre B 1:30pm

On Tuesday (13^th of March 2012), Jon Hill came into college to present a talk on his career and how he has progressed from university life, living above a grotty shop in Kingston to being a senior editor at the Times newspaper, London.

Considering that the Times is commonly associated with middle class gents milling around the higher ends of London dressed in swarve suits with mortgages galore, Jon Hill is a rather informal looking guy with a very down to earth approach and attitude. He talked about his time at Kingston university, living in said grotty flat above an equally grotty shop and how during his second year of his degree he was made to go on work placement within the industry for two weeks. He worked for Atelier with whom he thought he was merely making tea and listening to the live briefs, only when he left they asked him to go back in to help out during the university breaks etc. From there he even managed to secure his first job as junior designer with the very same design studio. After roughly 18 months his senior editor put him in touch with another company (by writing the details on a post-it whilst he was still with the old office!) who were looking for a senior designer. Esterson Associates are another design firm working in the cool area of Hoxton, at the time of his move up and coming artists such as Damien Hirst were working in the same vicinity making it even more appealing. Jon stayed here for six years working with some very big clients on some very big and very interesting jobs. He obviously made a lot of contacts during this time and this proved useful for his next move. After six year though, he became irritable, not because of the lack of passion for the job but because everywhere he looked were these uber cool designs and graphics, even on leaflets and flyers and beer mats in the local pub. In the end his mounting claustrophobia and yearn to start a family took him up to Wilmslow from where his wife originates. Here he became self-employed and exploited all the contacts he had made on the start of his career at both Atelier and Esterson Associates. He worked here for a couple of years in the attic of his house, listening to whatever music he chose, for the majority of the time as loud as he pleased too labouring intensely over his work. To go from this to being asked to fill the position as senior editor at the Times sounds like a harsh jump. He went from sitting in his pyjamas all day every day to the swanky quarter of London where all the big cheeses hand out.

Jon did make it clear that his first few jobs weren’t very well paid, though he enjoyed the work immensely, thus proving that money isn’t always the key to success, or at least not at the very beginnings. Being happy in my job is what will be most important to me and not necessarily the money side of matters, though a nice remuneration packages would be handy too. His talk also shows how opportunities can sometimes raise their heads at the most unexpected times, usually in the biggest and most surprising and exciting way possible. Most of all, his message was clear in that doing work for nothing, or on very small scales to start working to live briefs is crucial. Sitting at home and dwelling on the fact that you have no work and have just left university is not productive or stimulating for young creatives. Of course he understands that in part he fell lucky with his first job at Atelier landing in his lap, but it wasn’t without work beforehand, volunteering to go in during the holidays and most of the time not getting paid, or getting paid very little for what work he did do whilst he was there. Again, he managed to build up contacts with creative professionals whilst doing this. I guess my time spent at the Chase last summer and the portfolio visit I’ve been on since with Lise Brian is similar in that I am starting to build up a contact list with professionals out there in the big wide world already practising and potentially looking to commission illustrators at any time.

In hindsight, this talk was probably more aimed at a graphic design type audience, but all experience is good experience in the industry in which I hope to eventually excel. He talked about tools which are alien to me, such as grids and guides, margins and … typography. However, in deciding to strike whilst the iron was still hot, I asked him if he would be available to look at our portfolios next week when we are in London, knowing that the worst he could say would be no I was still pleasantly surprised when he agreed to do so. So, another lesson, even if the information is not totally relevant to your specialism, there’s a contact to be made who could potentially put you in touch with the ideal person. Nice one Jon, thanks!

Polish posters

27/02/2012

Gary reviewed my work with me today and gave his honest opinions, which I admire, I’d rather somebody be brutally honest than let me proceed with work they secretly think its twaddle. To my delight he likes my apple, to quote ‘that is a good apple’. I’m glad about this because I think that my sickle apple is very witty and I’m extremely proud of it. As for the other elements it is beside on my cover thus far he wasn’t so drawn in by them. Admittedly, I can see where he’s coming from. With the apple being so strong and witty the others are just not in the same leaguer. The apple is inanimate whereas the mouse and frog are characters, and where the characters’ concepts are merely transformations the apple by contrast has a dominant vs. subordinate quality. He suggested that the weaker elements needed to be more 70/30 in ratio than 50/50 which they are at the moment; the apple succeeds in this 70/30 category. The dominant vs. subordinate theme proves the apple to be stronger also, where the apple is the dominant element the sickle is the subordinate however this subordinate element plays a huge part in communicating the message.

To help push this further Gary suggested looking towards Polish poster designs again to compare how they deliver this 70/30 ratio of wit, by no means for their use of technique.

I like how this poster looks like a wolf as well as a gun, this could be a great starting point for my wolf that I struggling with so badly. The idea that an inanimate object could be the character instead like the bread or wine that Little Red Riding Hood is carrying to her granny. By taking away the character feel of the elements I will no doubt end up with more elements to the same standard and quality as that of the apple. Though I do not want to get back into the catch-twenty-two situation where I am thinking about something else so much that I cannot replicate it for over thinking.

I think that some of the polish posters that I have looked at are quite witty but I don't understand some of them. Probably because their wit got lost in translation and the foreign language that accompanies the designs doesn't particularly help an english reader.

However, when I asked how to move on from where I am at currently, we decided that the best way would be to start a new project. Maybe I will revisit this Grimm's book cover design and maybe I won't. I have so far spent seven weeks on it and am no further forward in resolving the problem, sometimes it's good to show that you can leave things behind because they didn't have the mileage and sometimes they just take a bit longer to resolve themselves than other projects. As yet I'm not decided. All I do know is that I have had fun designing my elements and they will definitely be used in some way for my final major project show. Currently I am thinking of putting the strong images onto screens to print with and make some minimalist film posters. The screen print will tie in well with the polish poster research too due to the gritty quality screen printing offers.

Research: Rand, O'Neill

Research

Over the last few weeks I’ve begun to notice that I’ve blogged quite a bit about what I’ve been doing, reflecting on my personal work and its progress and events and activities I’ve taken part in but there’s not a lot of reference to my research. So today I shall start, from the beginning.

I’ve always had a love for Eric Carle and a few of the professionals I’ve been to see already have commented on a likeness between mine and his work (which is a lovely compliment I must say) although my technique differs slightly and comparing my work to his was never an aim. Though I’ve done research on him before so I shall not post endless images of his again, instead I’ve been proactive and found somebody else I’ve also taken a shine to and is more formally associated with graphic design rather than illustration- Paul Rand.

As my tutors and professionals are starting to make connections for me stating that my work has a more graphical quality with a good sense of space and use of it, I thought looking to more graphical artists would make for good and effective research. Rand uses simplistic shapes similar to how I work and Carle but he uses more flat colours unlike the textures which Carle adopts. I flit between the two, sometimes textured, sometimes flat depending on the context of the work.

I’ve noticed that the colours of Rand are very prominent but he utilises black a lot which I tend to shy away from, instead opting for grey blue or brown. I like how he renders his own typeface which I do still struggle with, however with him being a renowned graphic designer I suppose it comes more with his territory.

Another inspirational source at the moment is Martin O’Neill. I’m not looking at him from a technique angle but from an archiving angle. Ian suggested O’Neill in my tutorial recently and I did blog about my OCD kicking into overdrive at the thought of such a system. However looking at his work and working space has planted the seed of needing some kind of a system. I need to find a system which works for me whereby I can store all my magazines and ephemera and can then go back and locate it with ease. Currently I flick through reams and reams of magazines searching for a particular colour, texture or sizeable piece to use in my work which is time consuming and not an effective way of using my time. If I had an archive and a system I would be able to locate these much easier. For example a drawer labelled ‘pink’ where all pinks would be stored. If these drawers were to be lever arch files instead I could then even sub title them into different contexts or textures or shades of pink etc.

Just the images alone are enough to give me the eebie jeebies.

I’ve been looking at Little Red Riding Hood resources as it was going to be the starting point of my next part of FMP. I was, if you remember, going to make puppets to make a short film out of. However after giving this much consideration have decided that sticking with one technique rather than skimming the surface of several will be much more beneficial to me and my practice in the long run and hopefully my final mark too. The research that I have conducted so far though will aid my revised proposal, which at the moment I’m thinking of some minimalist film posters. From the research I’ve conducted today to aid me with getting my current elements up to scratch with their magical twists I found them very inspiring and quite funny. Additionally, this will hopefully make up for the time I’ve lost designing the book cover as I can utilise some of the elements from the first project to create these. By recycling my work I will be bringing my FMP as a whole back on schedule. Some of the images I’ve located for Little Red Riding Hood research are cute, some scary and some just beautiful, take a look below.

Finally, here are some of the minimalist film posters I’ve been looking at (additional to the ones on my modern met. Some of them in particular are very witty and some of just humourous. Please do not be offended by the inclusion of the Hitler referenced posters, I just thought that these too were quite witty. Thanks to Dom for mentioning the minimalist film posters, if I'm honest they're not something I've ever looked at before or even really knew that they existed and to such extent! There were so many to choose from that I selected the one's which I thought were witty and clever. Ian talked about my individual elements for the cover of Grimm's fairy-tales having a 'twist' which I have interpreted in my own way as wit and I hope that I can achieve that to a similar standard as the images I have selected below.

I think that work that makes people laugh or think 'that's witty' is more engaging than work that tries to be something it's not - art is labelled too often as pompous and an institution which is exclusive and not accessible to all. If I an engage my audience in a mutual sense of wit it would be extremely pleasing. I like the use of strong colours associated with these minimalist posters and as seen in my James and the Giant Peach cover design last year I do tend to use a restrictive palette, usually a bright one too as seen in the Helping Uganda Project. Because of this I particularly like the wax on wax off poster - lets face it, it's genius and the Simpson's poster, even though I myself am not a Simpson's fan. I like the Rocky poster generally because I'm a huge Rocky fan and it's instantly recognisable. My two main ingredients that I need to take from this minimalist research is to make elements that are instantly recognisable (stripping them back to their core details) and add copious amounts of wit to tell the story (ie an apple with a sickle from the grim reaper to signify that this particular apple means death).

Amazon review

Amazon article review

Metro free newspaper – Friday 9^th February 2012

In Fridays (9^th February) edition of the Metro (free newspaper) there was an article featuring the rumour of Amazon’s move from a solely online presence to the high street, with its first shop soon to be trialling out in Seattle. The store is described as a ‘boutique’, probably with a similar mind-set to the Apple stores that have opened where customers can go and play with its products before they purchase them. The article goes on to say that the move ‘could be inspired by the success of the Apple stores’. The only observation I’ve made is that Apple has a wide range of electronic products to offer whereas, to my knowledge at least, Amazon only have the Kindle ‘e-reader’.

However, later in the article brand analyst Imogen Power states ‘I think it’s going to be a retail experience rather than a traditional shop. It will be interesting if they use it for promoting new authors, book themed events and concerts – I think it will be that kind of space’. Of course by utilising Imogen’s statement it would be logical to assume that by promoting new authors this will mean promoting new books. Although the e-readers allow one outlet for these new books surely they will sell their paper and original form too? At the moment an author cannot sign an e-reader, can they? Of course if this were to happen it would also mean a new lease of life for illustrators. With the printed word now moving online and the collapse of many bookstores this injection is just what illustrators need to see that there is still life in the old dog. The cycle would have come full circle with the original opening of book store to sell printed books then moving online and eventually coming back to the high street where they first started.

Although buying books online to read on the e-reader does still requires the cover to be illustrated a lot of the authenticity is lost through the pixilation of the image as is the tactility. Buying a book usually means having the thing right there in your hands, something you can hold and touch and feel whereas online they are just images. Does this mean then that the cover will play a bigger part in somebody’s decision of buying a book or a lesser part? For example if there is just an image to look at and things such as the paper quality and size of the book are not contributing factors to the decision will this mean that there needs to be more emphasis on what is on the cover to do the selling work for the author? And does that mean that illustration will have to move with these changes too with the added pressures that this brings? The need for contemporary and different illustrations will be even more in demand as the tactility is lost.

Will these potentially new Amazon stores then, change this online purchasing? I guess it will have to be another case of watch this space…

D&AD Education Day 08/02/2012

D&AD Education Day

Wednesday 08/02/2012

Showroom Cinema Sheffield

In association with Sheffield Hallam University

Steve Woodwat and Simon Morrow – guest speakers from Elmwood design agency Leeds

Transition from education to industry

5 things we’ve learned along the way

1) Be an expert for a day

You ordinarily gravitate towards briefs that interest you but in industry there is no choice on subject matter or brief. For example, Royal Mail briefed us with a project to celebrate the birthday of ‘wall boxes’ (not post boxes, but the one’s actually encased in brick) by incorporating them into stamps. For us it was a pretty dull brief to begin with, but once the research started to tend to immerse yourself in the subject matter and don’t realise you’re becoming a nerd on it. When you’re brand new to a subject you really need to spend some quality time on it because there will be actual nerds out there who know the subject matter inside out. Not only that, but get into the community and find out their responses, which are their favourite photographs of the boxes? Diving into subject areas where at first you may not be necessarily interested could produce outstanding results.

2) Take people with you

At university you do everything for yourself but taking clients with you on your creative journey and getting them to place their trust in you I very important. Bauer media wanted at rebrand, owned by an old German guy (Bauer, believe it or not) and he wanted to keep the old logo. It was a collateral job, bits of stationary and a website update. In the board room when they presented the idea to the suits they found themselves needing to gain their trust, how would they do that when they were wearing jeans and converse and the old suits were, well…suits. Stuck in old times they wanted to produce a powerpoint presentation to show clients when they were considering Bauer as a potential business venture. Elmwood however, proposed to do an animated movie and with no prior experience of the arena found it hard work trying to gain their trust. Yet once on board the journey with them and keeping them at the heart of communication even helping build the idea it became an easy sell. The client eventually became in love with the product before they had even seen it because they had been a part of that creative journey with the designers.

3) Design for humans

You need to start thinking of the real world implications of the designs you make, think of the life of the work beyond it being in the studio and the real audience’s perceptions. A charity rebrand for ‘People Can’ shows how the needs of the client and the client’s audience such as print quality and cost is essential. Keeping things down to Earth with a sense of humour and not being patronising is the safest bet. Do not design for designs sake but for a purpose.

4) It’s not about you

Naturally, people are protective about their designs but think about the idea of releasing things. Commercial writer Jim Davies wanted to produce a direct mail piece and sometimes your ideas need to be commissioned to others that specialise in that area. In this case, the illustrations for the piece were commissioned to illustrator Rob Guy and the guy who had the original idea basically sat back and let it materialise. It is hard to let your baby go but in this case the project was much better off having being let go, there are people out there who have real specialism’s to make your idea even better. Remember to let your guard down.

5) If it feels right do it

University trains you to be a really objective thinker but at the end of the day you still need to have an instinctive feel. Everyone has different ideas on artwork, one person will think its fab and the other crap. Sometimes its all about having the confidence in yourself and your abilities to run with it. The BBC ran a project with primary school children to try and beat the world record for the amount of plants planted in one day. The agency decided straight away that the design wouldn’t be ‘green’ friendly because that doesn’t interest kids. They’re not bothered by how many emissions they’re saving but are interested in having a cool place to sit in the sun, or somewhere to have a picnic or just somewhere for the dog to pee. It was essential to start thinking like a kid. And sometimes the first idea is the best and there’s nothing wrong with that, just explore other avenues before you start to run with it.

Getting your foot through the door

Placements – offer experience and is a brilliant way in

Find the right place – it is important to know that you end up working in the right place for you, not just that you are the right person for them

Find a name

Write a good email

Show interest/flattery

PDF portfolio

And remember that 50% of it is you and 50% of it is your portfolio

Be memorable, be a sponge and go for it

Don’t be disheartened if things don’t work out the chemistry just isn’t always there in every situation, luck will always play its part!

Elmwood agency here: http://elmwood.com/

Steve Woowat’s site here: http://www.woowat.com/

Simon Morrow here: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/simon-morrow/15/317/77a

Totem Research

'A totem is a stipulated ancestor of a group of people, such as a family, clan, group, lineage or tribe' (Wikipedia)

'Each person has nine animal essences or totems that walk through life with them, teaching and guiding them and in some cases, protecting them' (Linsdomain.com/totems)

The totem that I propose to make would be a family or group of temptation elements found within the Grimm's fairy-tales. If I could find nine elements to utilise this will fit nicely with the second piece of research I found from linsdomain.com. The preliminary totem I have produced so far has six elements and so a further three elements would need to be found and produced.

I have found in other research that many of the fairy-tales do have a teaching and guiding theme as well as protection. For example the apple in Snow White teaches children to do as they are told and listen to worthy advice but she is protected by the seven dwarves, the wolf in Little Red Cap teaches children to stay away from potential danger and the radish in Rapunzel teaches children the consequences of stealing.

The temptation elements I have used so far are; the Apple from Snow White, the Spindle from Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty), the Dove from Hansel and Grethel, the Radish from Rapunzel, the Frog from the Frog Prince and the Wolf from Little Red Cap. I have found further temptation elements in the Key from the Woodcutter's Child and the Mouse from Cat and Mouse in Partnership. I still need then a further temptation element to secure my nine elements to produce a totem.

The black and white drawing above is my preliminary totem made out of my original six elements, the further two will need to be added to make it more representative and a further elements will need to be found and added.

A Thoughtful Presentation

A Thoughtful presentation on how to break into the industry

By Stuart Price from Thoughtful 08/12/11

Thoughtful is a collection of designers who host their baby Lost in the Forest (on of many creations I’m sure). Lost in the Forest is a concept driven at redesigning design education, which seems like a pretty hefty statement but what the guy goes on to talk about it highly useful and pretty much relative to the third year degree students currently.

There are lots of different opinions contained within the presentation and it is important not to overly analyse them, either you like what they say or you don’t the key is to take from the presentation what I think will relate to my own work and set of circumstances because everybody’s set of circumstances will be different.

The presentation dealt with the debate between convergent and divergent thinking. The idea that something has one specific answer such as 3x5 = 15 (convergent thinking) or something has more than one answer and can be mind mapped in a certain space of time (divergent thinking). Dr Peter Lovatt from Hertfordshire University found that dancing improves these methods of thinking and fifteen minutes of structured dancing will result in better convergent thinking whereas fifteen minutes of improvised dancing will result in better divergent thinking.

The presentation also answered some vital questions that undergraduates wish to know when going for interview etc. Persistence came up as a strong contender for most vital attribute – the people you are addressing in industry are busy, no matter how good you are you need to think about how you are going to show them how good you are. Remember that everything is not going to be given to you on a plate. Keep dialogues going with the people that you most resonate with, with the employers that will offer you most scope as a designer, but do not verge on stalkerish.

What is the preferred medium for first contact with a potential future employer? 78% of studios asked would prefer email, 18% preferred post and 4% preferred a walk in the office spontaneous approach. Adrian Shaughnessy was asked what he would like an email to look like – ‘it’s important to know about my studio and to show that they have done background research. Hello! At the start of an email is unprofessional, make an effort to find out exactly who it is that you need to be speaking to’. Additionally, big attachment such as a 10MB file is too big make your email concise and don’t let anything get in the way of being put to the bottom of the list. If your email doesn’t get a response 46% of studios advise to follow up with another email 3-4 days after the original contact. Adrian says to be open minded, when you graduate you start all over again, be prepared to learn, you never stop learning in the design industry. Keeping a neutral approach is the safest bet; talk about your work, including fonts etc could be a sticking point with design agencies if they don’t like the particular ones that you’ve used.

Expected contents of a first email – have a link to your personal website and a PDF of your work, the latter needs to be a labour of love, do not send an empty email. People would like different options to view your work and sticking to 5-7 projects is a good idea, keep your PDF to 5MB or below. Michael Johnsons advice was ‘the industry is very tough, be prepared for work experience and internships it is possible there is time to find out if you are any good and if you are any good it will happen’.

Leaving a small A5/A6 booklet of your portfolio behind to pass around the office is always a good idea; it keeps you and your work fresh in their memory. Portfolio no-no’s – spelling mistakes, place your work directly in front of the designer so it’s upside down to you, present to them and not to yourself. Patrick Bagalee says ‘it’s better to be interested than interesting; everything you do describes something about you.’ Think of yourself as a brand; meet as many people as you can. Presenting with a box allows illustrators to take work samples such as printed books etc.

Is there a preferred portfolio format? The studios questioned had no preference but a book with bound pages is a safe option. Stefan Sagmeister prefers 10-20 projects, remember that the person you are seeing has limited time, time for them is money. If you have anything that you are unsure about, leave it out, only take work that you are 100% confident in and 100% confident talking about.

Take advantage of the other facilities within the university institution, some are training athletes for the Olympics, some are undertaking cancer research, never think ‘what has this got to do with design?’ but ’what has design got to do with this?’, surround and immerse yourself in what you do. A designer will always judge you through their eyes.

How much information should accompany each project? 45% of studios want to see some information but keep it short and sweet also give credit where credit’s due. It will be obvious if you haven’t done all the work yourself. Potential employers like to see how you’ve arrived at the finished outcome so save sketches. Pentagons Paula Scher ‘find a place to work that is going to give you the broadest possible opportunities don’t think purely about money. What you do in the first twelve months doesn’t mean that is what you will be doing for the rest of your career. Making mistakes is all part of the process just own up to them and learn from them, then move on.’

How long should an interview last? 50% of studios preferred 15-30 minutes so practice and prepare for 30 minutes. Asking how long you’ve got on entering the room set boundaries and gives you a clue of what to edit if anything, it also looks pro active and professional. Employers are attracted to people with tremendous enthusiasm for life and people who are not scared of their imaginations. Adrian says that he is more interested in the designer sitting in front of him than the work he is presented with. Great ideas and good personality are equally important.

If you don’t give up and are relentless you will get a job in the design industry just don’t expect it within the first 18 months of graduating.

I suppose on reflection the presentation given by Stuart was probably more Graphic design orientated as he referred to Graphic designers a lot, but there is some really useful information provided on how to try and break into the industry and that will stay with me throughout the process. A great job Stuart, keep the hard work up!

Furniture Design

For my personal project, I have decided to focus on furniture decoration. These pieces were found in a department store in Madrid and really inspired me to continue one of my interests even though I have no prior experience of doing anything like this. I like working on surfaces rather than in my sketchbook and this has been particularly apparent in recent projects. It is daunting as many things could go wrong but if I could pull it off I think that it will be a really rewarding project. It also has an element of entrepreneurship about it where I could sell the pieces on afterwards.

Research

Time for some niceties!

I listed in the things that I am inspired by: Textile design, and in particular Marit Fujiwara. Marit graduated in 2009 with a truly amazing collection. I can only guess at the time and effort she put in to produce such adoringly beautiful work. It may seem a little odd that I am inspired by a textile design, but I am inspired by her hard work and efforts. Everything is practiced with precision, if a single hair is out of place she comes across as the type of person who would start all over again. I admire her use of colour, her use of fabrics and her sketches are pretty damn good too! Get a glance at these beauts...

It's photo time!

Here are some of the photographs I took whilst out and about in Madrid. I have to say that it is a very pretty city (although after exhausting the shops there wasn't much else to occupy our time with!). These photos are of a building which had some delicate paintings of figures on them. It must have made for pain staking work up on a ladder for the amount of time they must have taken to complete!

The building can be found in Plaza Mayor in the old part of Madrid. Little boutiques, restaurants and cafes line the square making a very attractive destination for a spot of lunch and afternoon shopping.

Madrid

I'm baaaack!

I got in at 2am this morning after a long journey from Madrid to Liverpool and then from Liverpool home. It didn't help with the group of 13 year old lads on the back of the plane trying to outdo each other with ridiculous jokes and general immaturity.

My initial reasoning for branching out of the Manchester area to look at art was to see Guernica first hand after deciding to base my dissertation around it. It was in the Sofia museum in central Madrid (we managed to bag ourselves free entrance with being pauper students!) and about 2 minutes walk from our hotel due to Philippa's handiwork.

Unfortunately, we were unable to take any of our own photographs and weren't allowed within 6 foot of it and was guarded by two security men. We were filled with anticipation, was it round the next corner, was it round the next... but when I eventually saw it, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Maybe it was all the Japanese tourists in front of us that blocked my view but it didn't have the impact I was expecting.

Sure, it's big(ish). But I expected it being much bigger. I anticipated more grandeur, more oomph more zest. I suppose I got some relatively good notes on details which are not apparent in images available online or even in some books. But I was unable to get any hard literature to aid my dissertation writing as it was all in Spanish or German. Please take note Sofia Library - we require more books on Guernica, in English please!

After walking the streets of Madrid for hours, we were still unable to find anything on Guernica in English. Looks like trusty Amazon will have to do. So after all the anticipation and hype over going to see what could be argued as one of the most famous pieces of art in the world, I was bitterly disappointed. No photographs, no literature. I could have got as much information from Wikipedia.

Rant over, this is not my photograph, if only.