Creative CVs

In class on Thursday, we were placed into groups and told to work together to collect research and make a presentation to show the rest of the class. My group were told to research Creative CVs. 

What is a creative CV?

A creative CV is where someone creates a CV and adds their own flare and charm to it. They might add doodles to show their hobbies, software they can use or to show how they look/online persona. They can be very appealing to people who are applying to the creative sector of jobs and can work really well at showing your work and style. 

Jobs I can use a creative CV?

You can create a creative CV for a job in the art industry such as: costume designer, illustrator, graphics designer, animator, prop maker and fashion designer. I would advise you don’t make a creative CV for jobs such as: store clerk, office worker or builder because they just want to see a plain CV with just who you are and your experiences.

Advantages of a creative CV?

One advantage is that you can show off your work flow and style and palette; this is an advantage as the hirer can then see how you work and can ask you questions on why you chose that palette or how you work. Another advantage is it shows you have personality and enjoy making art; this is an advantage because you want to show how eager you are to work with them and want to be the best you can be. 

Disadvantages of a creative CV?

One disadvantage is that you can’t use one for each job you apply for; this is a disadvantage as you can’t show jobs you need a non-creative one for don't see your talents. Another disadvantage is there is a trend of people trying to “score” their ability in using a software; this is a disadvantage as how can someone measure their skills in the software? Another disadvantage is it can sometimes look messy, if done wrong or not in an order (which would make me go insane if it wasn’t ordered properly) you can make it look really bad and messy which could make it hard to read or see where parts are.

Getting a proper website ready

 

Hello everyone. I am just updating my blog to discuss my new official business/portfolio website. I am currently in the process of drawing single drawings of each of my characters so I can write facts and small details on them on my website, as you see above I have done 4 of them, I have ran into a small issue which will be resolved next month and that is my yellow promarkers are all dead so I can’t do my Life of Nova comic or draw out Delta, I also can’t do Laser Man and Lassie. So we are just a bit delayed but I can assure you, a new website for Doodle Noodle is a thing. I will be having separate pages for different aspects of my life such as a small about page that will mention a few things in my life that have made me the person I am, I will also be sharing my own influences in illustration, which if some didn’t know, it’s everyday life and the middle class workers in the 80s. To be honest, I am addicted to the 70s and 80s. Call me a generation nerd if you will, but I have been into making art that looks like it’s from that era for a year now and it keeps evolving. So I’m sorry for this delay but I can assure you the website is coming. Also I have to add life at home for me right now is pretty quiet, with my brother back in school, me at home all this week as I’m back in college next week, Esme sleeping instead of whining in confusion. It’s so weird that it’s peaceful. Anyways I hope everyone’s staying safe and I’ll give more website updates soon.

Progression Talk

 I believe that a progression talk is very similar to an interview, in where one answers questions and explains them in enough detail to make them seem really interesting. 

1. How did you become an illustrator? 

I became an illustrator when I was 16 years old. But I was always drawing out my own worlds before then, so maybe when I was 12/13 when I had experienced various worlds of trauma and didn’t know how to heal my mind from feeling so dark and lost after them, I guess I fell into it. I also came across vintage illustration over the first lockdown here in England, I wanted a new face for my art and saw some illustrations on the Beatles in a really vintage style, I must’ve seemed like a child seeing American candy for the first time. 

2. Does your sexuality and gender identity help your work?

I mean in some aspects it does help. Especially being an open gay trans man in the 21st century, you’re still getting hate for being so different but yes me and my friend April both discussed this awhile back, I said jokingly I couldn’t do straight relationships properly in my stories as i haven’t been attracted to a girl before. I mean being transgender itself comes with its highs and lows too, like on Saturday gone my chest binder came in the mail and I sat and screamed with joy while trying to eat my eggs on toast, the lowest point of being trans for me was when I was verbally attacked in school for being me and it’s still scarred me. Being gay is the same as I have highs like when people understand my jokes, but the lows are people thinking it’s okay to take you to shreds or bring you down. 

3. What does your future look like? 

Let’s be very honest here, no one really knows their future looks like but we can dream it. I often see myself illustrating my own comic and for musicians like the punk bands of the past. I also see myself living with a dog and loads of markers and eating lots of cheese. 

4. Favourite character of yours?

Rain. Not to sound like a self centred human being here, but Rain has grown to become my favourite as he is based off me and I really love how much he tries to make the most of his life and move on from the trauma in his own past. I also really love my villain character Lassie as you have sympathy for her but also hate her, and I want to take her further like showing her powers more. 

5. Hobbies outside of illustration?

I really love listening and playing music; I like to sing and play guitar on my own but maybe one day I’ll have a band or something but at the moment I like to sing songs from the heart covered in metaphors and honesty. I also love to play video games, my favourite one at the moment is smash bros as I just get a relaxation for punching something of the stage and winning. I also love to go out on walks, I sometimes take photos on these walks and imagine creating stories with settings based on these and it’s amazing that my head is like this. 

6. Advice for new illustrators?

Find what makes you tick and draw it. Also draw things that you might normally find cool and imagine them on something else, like for instance a hat your mum has try imagining that on your own head or maybe a character you’ve created on there head. Also don’t burn yourself out, I have on many occasions burnt myself out and yes it’s painful for me to recover from it as my head is often brimmed with ideas and when I burn out it’s near impossible to do anything.

Digital Agencies

 This is a post on Illustration Agencies I have found that relate to my future career on Google. 

1. Central Illustration Agency - CIA is the most popular illustration and motion graphics agency out there. It looks after various illustrators who have very different styles and interests and colour pallets. One thing I like is how the website is aesthetically pleasing and has tried to keep each illustrators front page work looking somewhat similar colour wise. The company looks after music illustrators as well as graphic illustrators. To become a part of their family you must submit 6 low resolution images of your own work to their email, they will only reply to them they think they’d love meet and will not return prints you have sent. 

2. Handsome Frank - This agency begun as a discussion in a pub and they originally begun to represent a small amount of illustrators but their company grew and they got noticed by large names. The name of the company comes from the grandfather of the 2 founders. When submitting your work to this company, you must include a few key words that describe your illustration style and work, PDFS, .ZIP files and website links are not permitted when submitting. They also create short films on each person they represent which is really nice as if I went to them I’d make it so it was 80s like but had a gothic edge despite my colourful universe and imagination. I’d also point out how my sexuality and gender identity seem to play a role in my illustrations. 

3. Folio Illustrations - This agency support and share various art styles and levels of work. When going onto their website I was greeted with a mix of cartoony/unrealistic art and realism, this shocked me but I felt safe somehow knowing they’d housed various forms of creative people, they also have page on how to commission an illustrator and their history. They were formed in 1976 and now get various styles and methods of work. To get your work represented by them you send a few jpg images at their email address. 

Job Vacancies in my area

 This post will be looking at and giving a little note about jobs I feel interested in that are available in the UK. 

1. Graphic Designer - This company called Lusso Stone would like someone qualified to create their logo and text to build up a aesthetically pleasing website for them and meet up with internal managers and discuss concepts and suggestions for the logo and gain needs of the logo, you will also estimate how long the job will take you to complete and discuss outcomes you will go with. The job will improve your social skills and confidence with large companies. One downside to this job is that they want someone who is good at typography and I don’t know how to create text asides gorey/edgy text. Another downside is meeting lots of new people and talking in front of them for meetings about designs and concepts which I can’t do properly without needing my stress reliving toy, the tangle, or stuttering. 

2. 2D Junior Artist - This company is XR games who are looking for an artist who can either illustrate backgrounds or characters or both. You must have an interest for video games, the ability to visually share your work and talk about it, love fantasy art and building up worlds and a strong imagination. The job will be a remote job over zoom or discord. This opportunity seems really good for me, however, it says it would love someone to be able to create 2D assets in photoshop but I don’t use photoshop at home. The ability to show off your fantasy and imagination  skills really appeals to me as well as I am really into using my large and scary imagination. I also have a strong interest for vintage video games 

3. Freelance Illustrator - The company you will work for is Nerdy Banana who would like someone to draw them things for their merchandise. You will have to draw various dog types and breeds and sizes as well as doing these on a day to day basis, delivering all these assets to various teams of people and discussing the concepts behind them, working really close to the social team and video team to get advertisements and promotions done and keeping up to date with social media trends and needs. You must have a strong knowledge of photo editing and illustration, can work under a tight schedule, be outgoing and social, can travel to places to do work, have out of the box thinking and strong imagination. I would take up this job, however, I am not at all a confident person and don’t like tight schedules due to my skin condition being triggered by stress, I am also very much an introvert who prefers keeping to themselves and hoping they don’t need to tell people anything unless they’re fearing for their life; also I do not like keeping up with the trends, my main influences are 80s new wave scene, I have never kept up with art trends for a few years now as I like to be different.

Job roles within my subject area.

 These are some of the jobs I have thought about considering and decided to research to help me understand them better. 

1. Comic Illustration - A comic illustrator is someone who draws up comic books, most commonly they do Marvel Comics, yet some do their own stories in comics. If I went to do this job I would create my own selection of series’s on various segments on my characters, but the main one I’d focus on is Prattcheton which is the name of the town all my characters live and breathe in. Comic Illustrators vary in style, colours and concept which keeps the comic industry fresh and new. Comic Illustration can vary in job roles such as: penciler (person who does the pencil sketch), inker (person who inks it), colorer (someone who colours it) and printer. If I decided to go this path I would try and do all the jobs myself as I would love to be independent and prefer being on my own.

2. Music Illustration - A music illustrator is someone who draws out album designs/covers and posters for musicians. I have myself done a fair amount of these all ready in my spare time but not for money. My favourite person I do music Illustrations of is either Miles Kane or David Bowie. Music Illustration can vary in styles such as graphic Illustration which usually is the most common when doing posters for gigs or festivals, and traditional illustrations which usually are used on album covers or as art gallery show offs that can be sold as prints. 

3. Children's book illustration - A children's book illustrator is someone who draws for children’s books. They usually have a bright, fun and playful style which has basic shapes and colours to help a child understand the world around them. This type of illustrator will also not shy away from using and experimenting with various medians such as watercolours, pastels, cutting things out and pencils as well as digital. These people also have large imaginations and know how to build a story using characters they can create within a few tests. My imagination feels it would fit this job really well and thinks if it decided to take this path it would help them understand the world much more than they do now and make the younger generation feel it’s okay to be different. 

4. Fashion Illustration - A fashion illustrator is someone who draws out fashion pieces and makes a bold statement. Usually they’re found in magazines and help to show off trends and add an attraction to all ages. They draw up old or new trends and usually love to use the colour that is in trend, as well as using traditional medians like watercolour or cutout. A disadvantage to fashion illustration for me is having to put up with feminine discussions and I don’t particularly enjoy overhearing them. An advantage to this is seeing various trends and trying to help make an improvement and statement to people.