Professional practise

Contents Deteriorate, Decay and Demise Inspiration Level 6 experience Physical Portfolio Online Presence Social Media Pathways

Freelancing and Agencies Gaming industry Near Future

Deteriorate, Decay and Demise.

I’ve always had a certain affinity towards the macabre. During my childhood, I loved watching shows about the inner working of the human body, as well as discovering broken down architecture.

I’ve also always played computer games. I love all kinds of adventure games and ones with a very social aspect, i.e. MMORPGs. But the part I especially enjoy within games is the concept art and all the background work that goes into them. Games like Fallout and Crysis are very inspiring to me, and they are both of a post-apocalyptic theme. As such, my work has gravitated towards this direction within my final year. My current approach reflects greatly on my previous struggles through Illustration. Did I want to take the digital illustration route, creating work solely through digital mean or would I rather stick to my traditional continuous line drawings that I first developed during my Foundation course? Through my Pre Major Project and Major Project, I explored both these areas and eventually came to a compromise between the two.

My work is primarily informed by the landscapes I see on the news or in person that are of a distressed nature. I find the stories within a ruined building inspiring. Some stories are merely just about a building being forgotten, yet others are about whole cities being destroyed by natural disasters. There’s just something intriguingly beautiful about decayed buildings and surroundings that I find myself attracted to. I find inspiration in how something so depressive can be so visually pleasing, and I love to do the same within my own work.

I’ve always preferred lines over shapes or colour. In many of my previous projects, my strongest results were those of continuous or meticulously done line drawings. I recall being younger and caring more about the actual drawing than colouring it in. I always wanted to try and deny myself of line drawings, mainly due to different teachers or lecturers advising me to broaden my horizons. Although I later realised that lines were my alternative to colour and shape. During second year, I had an epiphany when I heard my lecturer say “Some people think in colours, some in shapes but I belie you actually think in lines”. It made sense for my infatuation with creating line drawings and help me feel more confident with the work I created.

Influ

uences

Level 6 Experience

Throughout Level 6, I found my main struggle to be the context. I knew what I liked drawing, I knew which styles worked best for me, and yet I didn’t know how I could mesh the two together. While doing my Pre Major project, I played around with full digital and traditional illustrations, whilst also using a very stiff and uncreative brief.

Although my style successfully developed through this project, it was not helped by the brief and in the end that became the downfall of the project.

For the Final Major Project, I vowed to not let the same mistake happen again.

I spent a few weeks at the beginning of the project researching the post-apocalyptic and dystopian genre. It was then that I found ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy, a short story involving a small range of characters and many post-apocalyptic landscapes. It was a perfect fit for what I wanted in my final project and has helped me create a range of great landscape images.

With proper research, I was able to launch myself fully into the project and start to create large images as a result.

I used these as both experimentation, as well as for my final piece. I feel the evolution throughout this work evolves well with the story. At the start of the project, I kept with traditional methods. I later got advice to put some vibrant, yet toxic colours in.

I believed the only way to do this was on my pc, and after trying the effects were great. This then allowed me to continue my project with the marriage between traditional and digital, to the point that the two merge within the work. During this project, I have also been able to learn how to use Adobe Flash for more than just animations.

This has given me yet another skill that I can further develop and use for other projects in the future. It’s been a journey, but a very enjoyable one through my final weeks of University life.

Physical Portfolio

As part of becoming an illustrator, having a physical portfolio is extremely important. For mine I am using an A3 case folder that is rotated to be landscape. Inside it I’ve put in my last 2 projects, as well as my narrative one from Level 5. The whole folder has a focus on line work and I believe it all flows nicely. This is also the portfolio I used for my portfolio review with a representative from Heart Agency. A few days after I went to that, I reprinted my work as I had altered all of my images to give them more contast.

Because a physical portfolio is so special, I felt like I needed to keep it updated as soon as possible to make sure it was a perfect representation of my work.

Even after my university course ends, I will continue to use this portfolio and update it along the way. Possibly in the future I may also need to change what sort of portfolio I have, but for now this one is perfect for me.

Business Cards Another way of getting my name and work known without using the internet is having business cards. I designed these on MOO.com and had 50 of them sent to me. When I first created them, I decided to use two images from my current project and two from my previous one. One side has one of these 4 different variations, however

the other side is all the same and contains my contact details and website. I purposefully left a space when getting them printed so that I could individually put my logo on the back of them all.

I though a little unique quality to them all would make the cards a bit more exciting.

Online Presence Having a vast online presence is essential for any successful illustrator to flourish. It allows other practitioners as well as potential commissioners to see their work in a digital format first.

I want to not only have my work seen by potentional employers, but also for others to be inspired by it. Through university, I’ve used different tumblr blogs for each project as a means of tracking my work process. Moving onwards after university, I intend to continue this process by making my own personal blog.

Sadly, I find my name is extremely common and rather bland. I toyed with the idea of having an illustrator name, but if I were to do that then I would have to stick to that name and brand forever. In the future I may decide to go in this direction if I feel my name is holding me back, but only if I am completely certain that it will be a positive move.

I’ve also recently created a website, www.annarjohnson.co.uk. I went through a couple of layouts in order to make sure the one that I finish with is the one that I believe is best suited.

Simple, easy to navigate and informative were the main points I wanted to aim for in my website. A website is an extremely effective online profile that can be quickly reached and searched through, and I believe this to be my strongest tool.

I have included contact details, as well as a downloadable creative CV, my final piece for the Major Project and the rest of my artwork I want to display. This online portfolio can be easily edited so if I feel my work is going in a different direction, I can take off my earlier work and add in new pieces that show new way of working.

Social Media

Social media and I aren’t exactly a match made in heaven. I spend plenty of time on the internet, but it isn’t necessarily directed around this area.

When I think of how I find artists nowadays, it’s usually on their website or on Tumblr. It was not until recently that I found that Instagram is also a great tool. I tried it myself and I just could not understand the process. My understanding was; I post pictures, I find hashtags and then I wait for comments or likes. I had a similar problem with Twitter as well. When I looked into these avenues alone they did not seem to work out for me, yet some of my peers had much better luck. Therefore, my plan for the future is to speak to someone better qualified with the workings of social media. Thankfully, there is a member of my family who is responsible for social media at the Nottingham Contemporary (@nottm_ contemp) and we shall be meeting up when I return back home to discuss my social media presence.

Pathways

Freelancing and Agencies

Whenever I thought about what I would do after university, I was always afraid and scared of the ‘big, wide world’ the visiting lecturers would speak of. I felt somewhat disheartened when I heard the same story over and over about those whose parents just happened to live in the vibrant parts of London and could get them into the best location for the industry rent free.

I , myself, live in Nottingham so it isn’t exactly easy to get to London daily.

During the first and second year, I enjoyed the editorial tasks we were given. For the most part they were successful and the quick paced process inspired me to want to try more.

I’ve looked into this avenue a lot. I searched around many of the known agencies at this time, and found that Eye Candy Illustration have 2 artists who have a similar style to myself. The agency itself has over 50 artists, both in illustration and animation, which it represents. The two artists that I’ve found in particular to be similar to me are Alex Hedworth and Charlotte Farmer. It’s interesting to see how they incorporate their style into editorial work and it has also helped me think more about going into editorial.

Recently I had the chance to show my portfolio to a representative of Heart Agency. When speaking to her, she said it was almost unheard of for agencies to take on graduates straight out of university. The process would be to go freelance first and then I could present a portfolio filled with past commissions I’ve done. As I spoke to her more, she looked back through my work and explained how she didn’t think any of it would be commercially viable at the moment. I also agree that my current and recent projects would not fit in the editorial world. This leaves me with two options. Either I start to find lots of freelance jobs and make my presence known to agencies before I try to apply to them, or I look into more avenues.

Games Industry Since I have always been passionate about gaming and the background in making games, I thought it would be useful to find out about this industry as well. In my dissertation for final year I looked into the misuse of the term Concept Art and how it’s actually others not in the industry that have the wrong impression of what it means to be a game concept artist. This allowed me to understand why many of my tutors in the past had said that the gaming industry was extremely harsh and difficult to get into. With more and more indie games being created, there are greater opportunities for illustrators to get into the game creation process as well.

On March 14th, I attended EGX Rezzed 2015. It was a games event that featured playable previews of upcoming games, developer sessions by designers and also had a large area called “Game Jam�. In this space, there were many organisations to talk to about getting into the industry. One such was Creative Academy. When I spoke to one of their representatives, they told me how I will need to work on creating a portfolio that is based solely around game design. They recommended I did some small projects with others trying to get into the industry

It’s not uncommon for there to be gatherings, called game jams, where small groups of people will work together to make a small game within a 48 hour time span. The result of these projects gives experience to all involved and can be put together into a great portfolio. After getting this experience, they advise to also try and get an internship. I’ve seen many around, mostly located in Oxford. This would be an incredibly new experience for me, but I believe it will also provide me with a great amount of enjoyment too.

Once in a company, it’s mainly about going up through the ranks as there are lots of other art based jobs in the industry, like texture artists or UI designers.

Near Future

Within the next few months, I will have graduated and been let out into the wide world. Before that, however, I will be presenting in at least 2 galleries, one of which will be the end of year show in my university, where I hope to show a workable version of my final piece, that allows people to click around the my artwork using just a mouse. For the second show, our gallery will be located in Brick Lane, London. I want to also show my final piece as an interactive piece, and if possible, have a few of my full sized images on the walls. During this time, I will return to my hometown, start to get more into the game creation community and begin the process of making a great portfolio. I will miss the environment within the university, but I believe I am ready to start moving away and being in control of all my decisions.

Anna Johnson - CV Linview, Linby Lane, Linby, Nottingham, NG15 8AF 07858042995 annarjohnson@outlook.com

When I was younger I got a quick glimpse into the back streets of London whereI first spotted true urban decay, this has since become a recurring theme within my work. Decay, ruins and post-apocalyptic reflects heavily in the continuous style I have chosen to use. My work involves the use of small mark making tools and watercolours to create images. I enjoy details and intricacy, and I like trying to seamlessly integrate digital image making into traditional pieces to help add a new layer to my work.

Skills

Education

Proficient in;

BA(Hons) Illustration Arts University Bournemouth September 2012 - June 2015

- Photoshop - After Effects - InDesign - Office Applications - Working to a brief - Time management

Working knowledge in;

- Silkscreen print

- Adobe Flash

- Adobe Dreamweaver

Foundation Degree in Art & Design New College Nottingham Level 4 Merit September 2011 - June 2012 A Levels Art & Design (A*) General Studies (C) Further Maths (E) Maths (D) Bilborough College September 2009 - June 2011

Exhibitions Ghost of Gone Birds, Swansea - January 2013 Degree Show, AUB - June 2015 The Observatory, London - July 2015

Figures Aliens banner (2013) [Online image] Available at: http://www.dealspwn.com/writer/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/aliens-banner.jpg [Accessed 10 April 2015] Ashiho5. Masked fate (2011) [Online image] Available at: http://th00.deviantart.net/fs70/ PRE/i/2011/163/3/8/masked_fate_by_ashiho5-d3iot46.jpg [Accessed 5 April 2015] Doyle, T. bike (2011) [Online image] Available at: http://www.mrdoyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/bike.jpg [Accessed 4 April 2015] EGX (2015) [Online image] Available at: https://pbs.twimg.com/mdia/B__GHSlWUAANOhX.jpg [Accessed 10 April 2015] Farmer, C. always warm the pot (2014) [Online image] Available at: https://arcprblog.files. wordpress.com/2012/08/always-warm-the-pot-lr1.jpg [Accessed 4 April 2015] Farmer, C. Untitled (2013) [Online image] Available at: http://www.directoryofillustration. com/images/artistimages/images/7076_122274.jpg [Accessed 11 April 2015] Healy, J. Witness (2012) [Online image] Available at: http://static.wixstatic.com/media/ e03151_04e6dc46a15a7e552224abdf18831b05.jpg_srb_p_753_554_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_ jpg_srb [Accessed 5 April 2015] Hecox, E. 99 cent dreams (2013) [Online image] Available at: http://40.media.tumblr.com/ tumblr_m483upZhhs1r2nxrao1_500.jpg [Accessed 4 April 2015] Hedworth, A. maddoctorsketch (2010) [Online image] Available at: http://www.alexhedworth.co.uk/files/gimgs/27_maddoctorsketch.jpg [Accessed 4 April 2015] Hedworth, A. paris sacre cour (2010) [Online image] Available at: http://www.alexhedworth.co.uk/files/gimgs/1_67parissacrecourweb-1.jpg [Accessed 11 April 2015] Johnson, A. 2011. Soap Factory. [Photograph] (Own private collection).

Johnson, A. 2015. Divinity’s Reach. [Photograph] (Own private collection).

Kikyz1313. Ethereal Graze (2012) [Online image] Available at: http://41.media.tumblr.com/ tumblr_lxz1sc3OZS1qlxo0lo1_1280.jpg [Accessed 3 April 2015]

Kikyz1313. Ethereal Graze (2012) [Online image] Available at: http://41.media.tumblr.com/ tumblr_lxz1sc3OZS1qlxo0lo1_1280.jpg [Accessed 3 April 2015] Kotaki, K. 1375795 (2014) [Online image] Available at: http://www.kekaiart.com/uploads/5/4/7/6/5476798/1375795.jpg [Accessed 4 April 2015] Logo (2011) [Online image] Available at: http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53c747abe4b0b419ad2f2bf3/t/53dd5bd2e4b05d8340b1e008/1407015891520/ [Accessed 10 April 2015] Logo (2012) [Online image] Available at: http://www.eyecandyillustration.com/themes/ main/images/logo.svg [Accessed 11 April 2015] Logo (2014) [Online image] Available at: http://d3o4z5hz187rix.cloudfront.net/theme_assets/images/logo.png [Accessed 10 April 2015] Moore, T. Conservation of Energy (2012) [Online image] Available at: http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_manjzdpkFk1qixw94o1_400.jpg [Accessed 3 April 2015] Natรกlia, M. Viet pham quang wahouse (2011) [Online image] Available at: https://cdn.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/131/784/20140712191442/smaller_square/viet-pham-quang-wahouse2c-re. jpg?1405210473 [Accessed 5 April 2015] Nguyen, T. Canal bridge cracks (2004) [Online image] Available at: http://half-life.wikia. com/wiki/Tri_Nguyen?file=Canal_bridge_cracks.jpg [Accessed 4 April 2015] Rogers, L. Spitalfields 2 (2012) [Online image] Available at: http://spitalfieldslife.com/ wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Spitalfields-2-%C2%A9-Lucinda-Rogers.jpg [Accessed 4 April 2015]

Tallon, B. The rock (2012) [Online image] Available at: https://m1.behance.net/rendition/ modules/20148415/disp/79b200232e9aa16dfc07ff17201ef264.jpg?cb=17547984 [Accessed 3 April 2015]

Thorpe, D. Good People (2002) [Online image] Available at: (http://www.worcesterart.org/ Images/Exhibitions/Photos/david_thorpe2.jpg [Accessed 4 April 2015]