Correspondence with artists in Industry and Reviews of my Portfolio.

Correspondence with artists in Industry and reviews of my portfolio:

I have contacted a number of artists who work in Art industry.I used my LinkedIn connections. Those who replied to me are: Mr Hyde the Designer and Illustrator, Mr Gresham the owner of the print studio, Mr Haslam the Illustrator and Mr Arnold the Photographer. Having a correspondence with artists gave me better understanding of what Art Industry is all about ,what type of working methods, equipment and media used, in terms of creating art images. Also I had a feedback,- two reviews of my portfolio.

The questions I asked and answers I received are represented below:

Questions                                                                        Answers

To Mr Hyde: Do you have your business set up at home, do you have your own studio and equipment or you have to use any other facilities to make it happen? I know you are freelance artist! What does it mean to you? Why did you choose this way of working? What are advantages and disadvantages of freelance work?	Answers received from Mr Hyde: I developed my style from a basic tutorial and I developed and learned from experimenting and taking small chances. Plus screen-print is a simple is very easy. Printing makes mass production easy, but with each print as it slight flaw and in some case I have wasted paper and time when some prints go bad.  Most of the equipment I use come from years of collecting ether buying them or recycling  everyday objects which allow me building my skills sets, but when I restarted my printing I found facility which helps, the place I used is called Hot Bed Press, http://www.hotbedpress.org/ It helped me developed my work further. My business is set up pretty much where I can use the internet, sketch book and a pencil just out of my bag.  Freelance artist to me means, allowing me to speak with my own voice a viewpoint, but allowing me stay within a certain rules.
To Mr Haslam : Do you produce images using Illustrator only; or maybe you create some of them using cut outs? Are there any other techniques used for those characters you create? Do you fully in charge of choosing colours or clients give you a colour scheme that you could use? How could you describe the art style you are working in? What did you do in terms of building up your carrier and developing Illustration skills? What inspires you? How you are getting on with choosing the right idea for creating a character or using a certain art technique or media? Are there any concepts of Design used by you for creating images that you could share with me?	The answers and a Review of my portfolio received from Mr Haslam: All my work is created in illustrator. I work out using pen and paper the drawing first and play around with shapes. I don't usually spend too long on this stage so that it keeps the art fresh. BUT in your case I strongly advise that you draw, draw, draw and build up your skills and confidence. I used to do all my work on board using paints and airbrush etc. the computer is just a TOOL. The work I do now is the result of many years learning my craft and I'm still learning which is why I still enjoy it! Also try using Evernote to save any art and design done by other people that appeals to you on the internet, this builds up your knowledge and you can keep referring back to it. Back in the day I used to cut out anything that I liked from magazines etc. The style of my work is a kind of retro as I like the work done in the 1950's. Most of the time I choose the colours unless the client is very adamant on using certain colours. Sometimes it's a good idea to try using just one or two colours and see what happens. I've taken a look at your work and it's looking OK. You have to decide which area of the industry you would like to work in. Your book is interesting I would suggest you do an inside spread showing how the book will look. The back cover really does not work with what's going on the front cover. The rest of your art is I guess part of course work and shows different aspects of what you can do but I would suggest you try, as I've said earlier and decide which direction you want to go. And build up that side of work. As for my career, I worked for 10 years in Advertising then left to go freelance, its experience that helps me now. Keep at it and good luck, it's hard out there.
To Mr Gresham: As I assume, running the print studio for such a long period of time you must be the most confident person to ask for some advice or suggestions, in terms of setting my own business. What type of latest technology equipment would be suitable to make a good start, or maybe the old brands are better in use? Do you use the press printing technology only or you have a wide experience in screen printing too? If you could give me a sort of direction in this case I will appreciate it so much, as I think the printmaking technique is the one I should deal with, accordingly to what people say, looking at the range of art work I have done so far.	Answers received from Mr Gresham: It depends on what you want to do. Whatever process you plan to use, a really good computer is important. There was a time when a computer was a luxury, now it’s essential because so many of the older photographic technologies have gone. An apple Mac with CS6 is the best set up. CS6 gives you a very good version of Photoshop and illustrator. Photoshop will allow you to handle JPG's and illustrator (because it uses 'vectored' files0 will allow you to design things that can be laser cut and take ideas into many other processes. We do not use digital printing processes. We use screen-printing; photo-etching, relief printing but often we incorporate digital information. I think that the future of printmaking lies in the mixture of hand-made mixed with digital information. Screen-printing can do almost anything. We only use solvent based inks. This is because the inks are much better than water-based and also the 'indirect' stencil systems for solvent based inks are much better than the 'direct' (emulsion) stencils used with water based. I've had a look at your website. I think that screen-printing will be good for you. It has so many possibilities.
To Mr Arnold: What do you think I should focus on most, and which particular work of mine you think could be compatible with the Art business? I know you are successful in Photography business. At one point, during my studies, I was experimenting with making 3D objects and photographing them, in terms of creating an illustration image. I do not think I am good at using the Photography technique as I never satisfied with the final outcome. I keep experimenting in my year 6 degree course in Visual Art and Design, Illustration Pathway; and I am interested in people’s opinion about my work.	Answer and a Review received from Mr Arnold: I've had a look at your website and two things strike me. First is that you have a wide variety of art types on there - which is great. It reinforces the impression that you are a committed and hard working artist. The second thing that struck me is you have a strong personal style. It shows very clearly through your illustration and your design. This is a blessing and a curse. A recognisable style is something most artists work hard to develop but it does mean that you'll only get hired if the person looking for an artist likes your style. So that leads me to my first question. How important is it to you that your art be your primary income? I'm sure you're aware that there are comparatively few regular jobs for artists and illustrators. On the business side it's all about getting your work seen and making contacts. Whether you want to earn your living with your art or not I'm sure you want to build up your profile so your website is an excellent start. I would encourage you to use Facebook, Google+ and Deviant Art. I think your style would suit Deviant Art very well. Post your stuff, talk to people. Build up a network of people who follow what you do and most importantly of all create, create, create. Post doodles, ideas, sketches.. anything that you enjoyed, post it. Personally I have two types of sites. I put anything and everything on Facebook and Flickr. Then on Google+ I mostly post the good stuff. And on 500px I post only the very best stuff. It's very important not to fall into the trap of posting what you think other people will like. Get people's opinions and comments and let them feed into your work if you like. Try out their ideas but always be the final judge for yourself. Only post the stuff *you* love. I think you've made an excellent start. I think from here the main thing I would suggest is that you create new work constantly. Your talent will continue to develop and at the same time you'll build a profile for yourself. Keep the work you show turning over - keep adding to your portfolio and don't be afraid to take stuff out of your portfolio once in a while. First impressions matter.