Guest article by Ink and Media

Instead of throwing away used ink cartridges have you ever wondered what else you could do with them? Wickford based ink cartridges retailer Ink and Media Ltd with the help of Midlands based artist Faith Pearson have fused a love of sci-fi and film with ink cartridges. The result is a series of recycled art pieces that recreate a range of cinematic moments - including King Kong, Godzilla and even a model of the Star Trek enterprise. The scenes were all created by hand and a series of background installations were designed before the final pieces were complete.

1. How did you get started as an illustrator?
I loved drawing as a kid… I just kept drawing through high school, put together a portfolio to get into college, trained for a few years, then started to look for work! I was hired at a greeting card manufacturer as a designer, and that really jump started my career. By the time I left I had introduced illustrating on site to the team, and had illustrated a couple hundred greeting cards, gaining some wonderful experience in print. One job lead to another, and now looking back I’m amazed at how many opportunities I’ve had to work on illustration projects for great clients.

2. Did you go to school for illustration?
Yes, I studied in Canada. I went to the Alberta College of Art and Design for a year, then transferred over to Capilano College in B.C. for their Graphic Design & Illustration Program (now the IDEA program)which I loved as it was down to earth and gave me lots of practical experience. I was with the same 22 students for three years, we all had our own drafting tables, and the teachers came to us… we were there 9-5, so it felt like a real work day.

3. When did you know that you wanted to be an artist (illustrator) ?
Drawing and painting was something I’ve always wanted to do, illustration just seemed a natural avenue for pursuing that desire. When I was in the third grade I won a contest for writing and illustrating a story, and got to meet Robert Munsch with other winners from other elementary schools. I just thought it would be the coolest thing to illustrate kids books. After my first published children’s book, I was able to meet Mr. Munsch again and told him the story of how he inspired me and how I’d met him when I was only 8 years old… he promptly smacked his hand on his forehead and said “Oh, it’s YOU!” having no recollection at all of having met me :) A very funny guy.

4. How did you get and what was your first job as an illustrator?
I did some small jobs in high school, but my first freelance job out of college was the cover and a few interior illustrations for a university promotional magazine. I did characitures of the teachers that course was promoting, spent about a month working on the project altogether. I was between homes & moves at the time, so actually painted all those illustrations on an aisle propped up over the bathroom toilet at my husband’s apartment, as I was using oils and that part of the house offered the best ventilation!

5. Where do you get the ideas for your characters?
I take a lot of inspiration from family and friends for facial features and characteristics, and often will incorporate my favourite clothing and accessories in as well. But overall I just start drawing a character, and you “know” when one doesn’t look right… so I keep drawing new ones until I get one that feels alive and real.

6. What is a typical work day like?
When I was working full time as an illustrator at my home studio, after my morning routine I’d start up the Mac, and go through my emails, responding to anything that was either urgent or quick to respond to. I’ve rarely actually met with a client during the work process, as I work with clients in other countries… so email is the clearest and easiest way to correspond. Once the email was all caught up on, I’d get cracking on whatever project was due first, and alternate between it and other projects. Often because you’re waiting on feedback from clients you can work projects in tandem. And on those quiet days, I would work on my portfolio online, update my resume and website, get distracted blogging, work on mail out promos, and look for work on freelance sites.

Now that I’m a full-time mum and part-time illustrator, I basically do the same thing on a much smaller scale, a couple hours here and there during afternoon naps or in the evening watching tv with my husband.

7. What mediums do you work in?
I’m an old school illustrator, so love to work hands on with watercolours, oils, acrylics, pencil, pen, and paper to name a few. I also have a style I enjoy where I draw the illustrations in plain old pencil, then tint it digitally with colour in Photoshop afterwards.

8. What do you think about the affects of TV/Computer/Internet on children?
I know first hand that if the TV is on, my toddler zones out! What was shocking is how if the tv was on when she was a year old, she would be very quiet… and as soon as it was off she would start babbling, talking, climbing on things… it made me realize I couldn’t leave it on long for her as she wasn’t developing as quickly as if it was off. So, I try to save the tv as a treat for after lunch before naps, or right before dinner, that way my daughter has to find other ways to entertain herself… mainly reading picture books or playing.

But while I think that tv can definitely slow a child’s development, I think it’s a great form of entertainment… my husband & I love the tv, movies & internet! So we just try to use it in moderation. We record our shows and watch them when we feel like it so that our day doesn’t revolve around when shows come on… this is especially helpful with our toddler, as I don’t want her day revolving around when the cartoons are on. I think the key is being involved and knowing what your kids are exposed to on tv and the internet.

9. Do you think that illustration as a profession has changed over the years?
Yes, as a profession I think illustration has changed… My instructors would tell us horror stories of using Letrasets, spray glue, and other out of date design tools… makes me appreciate having the amazing computer software we have now for design and illustration. And take even just the digital movement, I’d venture to say most illustrators illustrate directly on the computer now. The whole computer game & animation industry has opened up many new avenues for illustrators. Also, I think the fact that you often do entire projects via the email & phone, never having met your client in person is very different to how illustration started out.

10. What advice do you have for someone who want to start being illustrators now?
I tell want-to-be-illustrators that being an illustrator isn’t all about drawing things you like… it’s accepting that you’re going to be on a perpetual job hunt for the duration of your career :) It’s a very competitive industry, so those who keep their skills keen, and market themselves effectively are going to do the best. Marketing yourself doesn’t mean throwing heaps of money at illustration source books or expensive online portfolios… just use some common sense and really target your promotional materials to companies who your style of artwork suits. My first marketing techniques involved a simple printed sample and a stamp on an envelope… and that landed me work.

Hope this helps! I’ve put a lot of marketing tips on my Illustrators Tips page on my blog, I hope those may be helpful for you, too.

I was pleased to discover that the first four stories of Little Land Adventures, which I illustrated a few years ago, has now been divided into four separate books. Little Bird, Little Pig, Little Iguana, and Little Raccoon are now available on Amazon.com for $9.99 each. (Have a sneak peak at the illustrations inside.)

For tricks of the trade on designing and illustrating greeting cards, check out my Greeting Card Tips page.

1) The Print Only Layer shows what will be printed in ink on the card. (Click to see full-sized images)

2) The Foil Layer shows where glitter or foil stamping will be used. Note that when you go to send the design to a printer, if there is more than one colour of foil used, you will need to make separate layers in your files for each colour.

3) The Emboss / Cup die Layer shows the outlines of what shape needs to be created with the emboss.

4) The Mockup shows where the foil and emboss layers are meant to line up with the printed image below.

If you are sending a card design to a greeting card publisher and wish to show foil, glitter, or embossing, the simplest way to do it is to show it in black printouts separately from the design itself. You can find more of my greeting card tips here.

I was thrilled to snag this vintage Tala icing set at a garage sale last weekend for $1! I love the 1950’s era style illustration, just makes me want to paint my nails red and ice something. I think a lot can be learned from looking at what illustrators did during that era, from retro colour choices to the over-the-top perfection of the scenes illustrated. The illustrations from this era really capture the unreal expectations on house wives of that time to achieve perfection, right down to how elegantly they decorate cakes.

Question : I plan on approaching publishers with my finished artwork… what if they want a square book when i have drawn on a rectangular page, or vice versa? will i have to redo all my illustrations? Answer : I wouldn’t recommend submitting your manuscript with all the artwork finished… a potential problem with the size is the least of your worries, as most publishers don’t like to receive the illustrations and manuscript together. In most cases either the illustrator can’t write, or the author can’t draw! Occasionally you get a person who can do both, but it’s best if you submit the two separately. If you want to send one sample of your illustration that would go with the book that would be alright. Also… Publishers have a wealth of experience, and their tips and feedback can actually improve your illustrations, so illustrating the book after the manuscript is accepted is a great way to go.

Question: Does the publisher/ author tell u what media they want u to use? Answer: Usually publishers select an illustrator based on their style… so if they hire you, they already like the media and style you use! If you have more than one style, they will tell you which they were drawn to. Often there is flexibility there if you feel your illustrations would look better in a different media, that’s open for discussion with the publisher.

Answer : Thanks for your letter… Would love to give you heaps of advice, but am a full time mum now so haven’t much time on my hands…

The main tip I have is to make sure you are doing research so that you are sending samples to publishers who actually handle children’s books, and that you comply to the way they want manuscripts sent. (Publisher Catalogues is an extensive online database.)

Publishers don’t really want illustrations and manuscripts sent together… they often find either the illustrator cant write, or the author can’t draw! (See my notes from a meeting with Omnibus Books Editor here.) Try submitting your samples and manuscripts separately.

Also… Have patience! Sometimes your samples just arrive at the wrong time… It took me two years of sending samples out to get my first kids book job. Publishers often have their books planned for a couple years in advance, so they may just not have the work yet.

You can also include a response card in your samples, so that they can tick it’s been received, or even leave a comment if your work isn’t suitable for the types of books they publish.

I’ve also posted lots of tips for illustrators including ideas for how to send samples and approach publishers.