Facebook Page

I started my Facebook page in 2014 after talking about it with other people on the course and seeing artists I like sharing their work through this page. From then till now I have been posting artwork I have done onto the page whether it is work for the university, work experience or just personal work.

I have now invested in an etching tool, some acrylic plastic for etching and a Intuous Pro tablet to help me improve my skills and focus on my own personal style.

Georgina's and Fumio's background

In our lecture Georgina told us about her life and how she became the illustrator she is today. She told us about her business Pirrip press that she made with her friend Alexandra Higlett and that within the business they create a large range of work. She also told us about how she worked for charities by selling her work and the money she got she gave to the charity, not only was this a really good deed but it was also a great way to promote herself at the same time.

Georgina also showed us her notebook which she used for a project she was doing called "The Cold Press" which she was making for Norfolk gallery. The notebook was mostly visual drawings with notes on the side which I found a really good way to layout a visual notebook and it has made me think of how I could layout my own notebook.

Fumio was born in Tokyo and he has mentioned on a few occasions that he grew up with mangas and animes mostly through the 70s and 80s and that those forms of art helped create his love for drawing. Fumio moved to England in 1991 where he went to study a BA illustration at the Glasgow school and art and then went to get a masters at the Royal College of Art for Communications Design. He then mentioned how he was passionate for character design and how his tutors helped him pursue his career in sequential design. He also said he had a slight idea of what he wanted to do at the time he was at uni which is also true for me since I want to go into a career of sequential illustration as well. 

In 2008 Fumio decided to go work at La Cite Internationale de la Bande Dessinee et de l'image which was an artist residency set in Angouleme, France and through that he was able to have a good relationship with the French comic book scene. Fumio told us about his love for this industry and how they cared deeply about the genre. I really enjoyed his lecture because a lot of the stuff he has gotten into I would like to go into myself in the future and would love to go work in different countries because this lectures had really opened me up to all the potential illustrators can do.

Papio Press and Pirrip Press

We had Harry and Zanna from the third year come in to talk to us about their business on Etsy called Papio Press. They told us about the importance of organisation, since they had to make sure how to handle their business and how to sort out the pricing of their products. They also told us that to get a profit in the business you will have to invest a good sum of money. Their initial promotion fee was £200 but it has turned out really well with this investment considering they made a profit. They sell a variety of different items from phone cases to clocks, this intrigues me and has slightly inspired me to try and do the same type of stuff with my single prints, however considering I prefer sequential work I wasn't overly inspired by it.

In a lecture with Georgina she told us about a business she works in called Pirrip Press which she runs with her friend Alexandra Higlett where they create screenprinting products with high quality paper. What really interested me with this was when she talked about how they were both still independent artists yet have their own business which, after also hearing about papio press got me to think if I wanted to do anything similar to that in the future with a small business or with other independant artists that I am close to.