evaluation

For this module I feel I have learnt a lot about how quick the industry moves and that you have to be very sharp to get your work out there to the right people. It’s been great producing work that I have sold, as I feel I don’t make enough ‘final’ products.

Having listened to guest speakers and asking them how they have made it to where the are has been really inspirational, and I have been taught that hard work, perseverance and determination are important, as well as producing beautiful artwork. No story has been an easy one, and I’m learning that to gain what you want to achieve can only be done so through grit and hard work.
I would like to keep producing sellable work or more graphic based work, as I have previously done some craft stalls.

Communication is key of illustration, communication through your work, to people and advertising and promotional means.

Unfortunately I didn’t manage to gain a work placement, but I feel now I should have pursued it further, and that emails aren’t the greatest means of talking. I did manage to do some work for stalls though, which has gained me some extra work through that. I do find that I need a website for my work (not the blogs I am currently running for modules) and business cards would be useful. I’ll look at these over the summer and hopefully use my sketches from travels to make books... which I feel is the way I would like to go as I enjoy making books and favour my sketching.

Prints up! Boston Tea Party Cheltenham

mono print and ink. Shop in Florence

(left) Pitville pump rooms (middle) Mono of bike from Bideford (right) Stencil print of tin car.

Hurrah! They're up! I am to create a bigger name board. You can see them directly hove the bar when you're ordering, couldn't think of a better place.

Naomi Powell - Illustrator

Photo credit -  Thomas Fawcett.

I am an expressive artist who enjoys figurative and reportage drawings. 

I thrive off nature and buzz, having grown up in Devon, people and animals are a common theme in my work. I enjoy using inks and paint, but can also dabble in digital work and printing.
Independent, hard working, imaginative, enthusiastic and a quick worker are some adjectives I like to work towards.

My skills include -

• Mac Os knowledge.
• Photoshop
• Microsoft word
• Photography
• Bookmaking
• Printing
• Blogging + social media

Work experience -

2015

• Prints and greeting cards sold at comic fairs. 
• Book cover for poetry anthology ‘In her Shoes’. I was able to meet with the schools who produced the poems and the children.
• Prints hung in Boston Tea Party cafe.
• Book ‘Dein Leben ist Mehr als was du Stehst’ cover and inside illustrations, german publication, by Caterina Fischer.

2014

• Illustrations for poetry anthology ‘Carnival. I first entered a call for entries and they liked what I had drawn, and asked me to illustrate further poems, I read the poems and produced appropriate drawings.
• Poster design for Pink Sky Design for a day brief - working to a time constraint.
• Working on ‘Dein Leben ist Mehr als was du Stehst’ and communicating to the author. A long time project that made me learn time management. 

2013

• Handmade a book out two cats - bookmaking and printing skills as well as learning computer soft wear.

2011

• Produced book cover and chapter illustrations for ‘Victoria Swan’ by John Dony. 

Education
- 2014- 2016
university of Gloucestershire _ BA HONS illustration

2012-2013
Pertoc collage - foundation diploma - merit

2011-2013
Petroc collage- A levels
Art - A
Photography -B
Psycholoy - C

2009-2011
Braunton school and community collage - GCSEs
Art - A
English -A*
Graphics - B
Geography - A
Maths- c
Science - B

Book publication

www.caterina-fischer.ch (1)

My first book published! In collaboration with author Caterina Fischer, a german speaking, fantastic woman who definitely gave me a challenging project.
 Her story was about religion, and helping children understand what the possibilities might be when we pass on. It is aimed towards 8-12 year olds.
I produced 24 A3 paintings, after reading through her story.
I found it incredibly challenging, trying to pin-point parts of the story to describe through image, and translating the words to picture (after being translated into English from German!)
I used watercolours, coloured pencils and ink to make them. Communication through Skype calls and emails, we discussed my initial sketches and improvements, as well as making sure I communicated the message.
It’s been such a journey, and it’s so nice to see it was all worth it!

I had originally produced the images in photoshop, using collaged textures and digital painting.
Caterina asked for several changes, including the height of the child and some compositions. Due to the way I saved the images, it was too difficult to edit the computer files, so I re-drew all the pictures and used traditional methods instead. Even though I spent a lot of valuable time on the first set of pictures, I learned a lot and the second load of pictures came out better.

www.caterina-fischer.ch (1)

She had updated me saying that books are flying off and there’s been a lot of interest. She’s even asked for photos to be included in the local paper where she lives.

CVs

https://www.pinterest.com/catsandcrows/creative-cvs/ (2)

critical info

I preferred a larger name and simpler paint strokes.

I need to look at other styles and font next, although I like the name to be in brush marks.

CV Booklet..

ideas for a booklet style CV - keeping the large name

Pages for information... a story of a cat trying to chase birds happens along side the text.

back of envelope 

front of envelope with potential employers name and address

Work experience at Spike Print studios..

Oh well.....

They have open day May bank holiday which i’ll go to to see the facilities. 

Email to Rosie Beard, a textile and illustrator based in London.

Unfortunately I didn’t hear back from her.

The Beehive agency for illustration, based in Cirencester.

Again, no reply. I should have chased up with a phone call but alas.

Childrens poetry book covers

We had a brief for three book covers, containing anthology of poems written by school children about various themes - Inside our heads, Some of these things are true, and In her footsteps.

There would be 3 covers chosen from the group, and then the books would be published by Walkers.

I presented my Ideas to Gloucester academy with my ‘Inside our heads’. I produces two outlines of heads in profile which overlapped at the forehead to show that two people can share the same idea. They liked the colours I used and the simplicity if the profiles.

Inside our Heads colour schemes. I chose yellow where the heads overlap to show the glowing inspiration two people can have when similar mids meet.

Inside our heads outline

Line work for In her footsteps.

Colour scheme

Rough

 Here are some progress shots of ‘In her footsteps’.

I had originally had a man in the front, but after meeting with Barnwood Art Collage and showing them my idea, they corrected me and asked for a woman to be up front. 

presenting ideas ...Sammi looks a bit nervous! 

I used gouache and brown ink. The school children who we met to talk about the covers said that the viewpoint was something different and unusual, which they liked.

It is always a challenge public speaking, and particularly with children. They were good to give comments and feedback though and their initial reaction was helpful as to what made a good image and which ones lacked a certain something. It was great to see what the other people had produced for the theme and how different people interperate briefs. 

The project was great to work on, as the theme was broad. 

This design went to the final four to be chosen for this book.

Sixpenny magazine

sixpenny magazine https://www.facebook.com/sixpennymag (3) (4)
My cover story -

Naomi Powell, illustrations.
I enjoy the movement and fluidity and I love helping stories grow and become substantial through my drawings.
I try to convey messages and creating a bigger world through inks and paint.

I grew up in North Devon, surrounded by the wild nature, and I am currently based in Cheltenham, where it’s peoples wildness I observe.

Below are the 3 images i submitted...

to show animal drawing skills

to show character and human figure skills

to show buildings and atmosphere skills

I considered these for submission, but chose a photo with colour to show that I don’t just work in black and white. And the photo below is from ‘Carnival’, a poetry anthology, but decided against it as maybe I shouldn’t show work thats already been submitted for text.