What do I want to know? Why am I going to do?

1.      Is there much emphasis on typography during the course?

-          This is something I have a particular interest in and hope that I will be able to develop and use in my career.

2.      Are there any techniques that are more important or useful than others when looking at future career prospects?

-          This will help me to know which I need to concentrate on.

3.      What are the trends in the different techniques in illustration? What is the trend at the moment and what are future trends looking like?

-          Again this will be helpful when looking forward

4.      What are the opportunities for work placements and what experience can I expect to gain from them?

-          I feel that this would give a true idea of how working as an illustrator would be.

5.      What opportunities exist to visit professional illustrators’ studios to see how they work?

-          Again as above it would help me understand a career in illustration.

6.      What steps do I need to take to become a professional illustrator?

-          Even though this is some time off I do feel that it would be useful to know in order to plan ahead.

7.      What is the best route; employment by an established company or self-employed?

-          This would help me understand the best entry point.

8.      In the future, how will I raise my profile professionally, so that I start to become known as a good illustrator?

-          This will help me make a successful living.

9.      Do I need to be prepared to have a diversified approach to my career e.g. illustrating books, designing logos, teaching, writing articles etc.?

-          This will help me prepare for the various challenges which I could face in a future career.

10.  How successful are LCA students in becoming illustrators.

-          I am interested to know how successful the college is in  producing the right people to take advantage of job opportunities.

How will I find the answers to each question?

-          Tutorial and speaking to my tutors.

-          Check on internet, social media etc

-          Reading relevant articles

Who am I? Why am i here?

5 reasons why I chose Illustration

·         Always had a keen interest in art and design and have spent a lot of time drawing from my imagination to create images.

·         My choice was influenced by my interest in designs and logos on skateboards, clothing, shoes etc.

·         I was very much influenced by artists I studied and admired during my A levels. These included Si Scott and Alex Marcou who have done work for major companies such as Nike and Coca-Cola.

·         Again during my A level studies, I developed a keen interest in typography, illustration and graphics. This was reinforced throughout my foundation diploma and confirmed that this was the career path I wanted to follow.

·         During my foundation studies, I was encouraged by my Tutors to persue a career in Illustration as this is best suited to the talents which I possess.

Why I chose this course programme

·         I looked around several illustration courses and my first impression, when looking around the studios at Leeds College of Art, was that it felt to be a very friendly atmosphere and the students seemed to be happy. I felt that this was the type of environment that would suit me and that I would work well in.

·         I felt that the staff and other students were very motivated and passionate about their topic.

·         I was very impressed by the modern facilities and the fact that it is all contained within one compact building.

·         The course was recommended by my tutor during my foundation diploma.

·         The information on the website was very informative and I also knew of another student on the course who was enjoying the programme.

5 skills that are my strengths

·         I like and prefer to draw images from my imagination.

·         I believe I pay good attention to detail and enjoy producing very detailed and precise images.

·         I feel that I have a lot of patience when drawing and try to make my work the best it can be.

·         I am very keen to explore using a broader range of techniques and learn new skills and feel I can grasp new skills quickly,

·         I really enjoy using typography to produce interesting images.

5 things I want to improve

·         I need to have more confidence in discussing work with my peers.

·         Presenting within a group, as this is something that I have had very little experience of.

·         I feel that I need to improve the speed at which I work as this will be essential to meet deadlines.

·         I need to be more organised with my time and set myself limits of time that can be spent on one task. 

·         I need to have more confidence in my written work as I have had difficulties in being able to start this quickly.

Unfortunately I couldn't save the image I wanted to (the cats). So ive done a print screen instead, showing a few drawings I really like by this particular artist. 

Summer breif

A few pictures of the work I did towards the end of summer
for our summer project. Not sure how to use blogger properly yet so Im not sure if this is right.