Tim Budgen Live Instagram

Tim Budgen has just been live on Instagram whilst he was working on a portfolio illustration. I joined the group watching/commenting and found it a really inviting and friendly community to be a part of. Livestreaming isn't something I've ever done but it might be a good way to 'meet' and gain feedback/open conversations with fellow artists and followers.
Tim comes across as a really laid back, kind man and this livestream

Mentioned me 'Jay makes stop animations, go check out her work!'
How he balances life (being a dad, paying bills etc) and work
His routine - starts early, lots of tea
His process - uses an ipad with Photoshop. Digital, very different to my own process but
Challenge - trying to draw DIFFERENT things, to test himself and push himself out of his comfort zone. He draws a lot of boys so was practising drawing adults and girls.

A community of illustrators he has worked with/knows/shares feedback with online
UK meetups - another illustrator from Harrogate - Chris Jevons

Presentation Preparation

Desire To Fly - Samantha Bryan from R&A Collaborations on Vimeo.

Samantha Bryan is a sculptor who makes these brilliant little fairy 'inventions'. This video explains what she does and can be used as a promotional tool to advertise her work. I think it's a lovely way of introducing yourself to your audience, as well as selling yourself to clients.

Samantha Bryan uses this video to discuss her: Process, World-building, Materials, Imagination, Character and Performance. A similar video with my dolls and my studio would be brilliant for my final presentation!

DollsHouse and Miniature Scene Magazine 'Inside the May Issue'

Mentions me in this little video. Karl is the editor of the magazine and sums up some of the content in the new issue including my feature!

Feedback/Comments

Great to get some feedback on Instagram! We instantly 'like' images and never stop to explain why/give proper feedback but this comment was from a stranger and commented on how the scene was 'bright and cosy' which is just what I was aiming for with this scene's tone. They also referred to my work as my 'world' which made me smile. I call this my world but it's great to see other people see it as that too.

Collab with Tim Budgen

So after Tim Budgen asked if he could draw one of my characters, I didn't realise it would be 'me'! I love it! Our two worlds collide in this sweet little illustration. I'm so pleased and will have to make Tim a doll in return.

Noel Fieldings Luxury Comdey Props

After applying to make props with CBeebies, I was thinking about other shows that would use props and that I could look into helping out with/finding jobs for. I remembered Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy - this has a VERY DIFFERENT target audience to that of Cbeebies and my own work, but I enjoy it as a show and it features wacky, illustrative props so I wanted to find out more about who made them. This show is filled with glitter, bright colours and whimsical themes so it is heavily prop and costume-based. It's something you don't think about when you're watching but now I can't stop wondering when I see these things: how was that made? Who made it?

I found this: http://www.richiemartin.com/noel-fieldings-luxury-comedy/

Richard Martin made the props for E4's Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy. He is a model maker based in East London. Really interesting to find his blog and see his process of making the props from idea to solution.

Since I enjoy blogging and there is so much about the process of making that goes unnoticed, perhaps I could use a blog to document my process, thoughts and development too. 

Richard Martin mentions a few other artists who were involved with the process, such as make-up artists, but it seems as though for this project he was the prop maker and all the props were made by him. It seems a big task and maybe he needs some extra hands just to help with a few things... perhaps I could ask if he ever needs an assistant?

Tim Budgen Collab

Tim Budgen just asked if he could draw one of my characters! Really great of Budgen (successful illustrator, 12k followers on Instagram and 18 books under his belt) to help out a little artist like me by liking, commenting and sharing my name/ crediting me in this collab and helping to spread the world of Whistle-stop Thistle.

What else can I get out of this?
Keep in contact!

Ask questions

FOUR PAGE FEATURE in Dolls House and Miniature Scene Magazine

I can't quite believe it BUT there is a four page feature about my work the May issue of DollsHouse and Miniature Scene magazine! DHMSM is the UK's favourite miniature projects magazine; I was interviewed by the wonderful Sadie Brown about my art dolls and all things Yorkshire. Available from WHSmiths for £4.75

List of 10 Companies I will Contact

I have decided exactly what field I want to go into: puppet design and model-making/prop-making for animation so I now need to identify companies that I could contact to help me get into the industry.
This is a list of (at least) 10 companies I will be contacting asking for opportunities, work experience or job vacancies:

LAIKA - Portland, Oregon (America)
CBEEBIES - Salford
THE JIM HENSON COMPANY - (America)
MACKINNON AND SAUNDERS - Altrincham
FACTORY CREATE- Manchester
YOUNG - Manchester
AARDMAN - Bristol
PASSION ANIMATION - London
A+C - London
SECONDS THAT COUNT - Manchester
ARCUS ANIMATION, Newcastle
KERRUPT ANIMATION - Leeds
LITTLE MOTEL MOTION STUDIO - Leeds (2d but Leeds based so would be easy for me to visit them and talk about animation/advice on setting up a studio of my own)

#artvsartist

I'm not usually interested in Instagram trends but this one made me smile. #ArtvsArtist is a hashtag that artists have been using to share a collage of their work around a portrait of themselves.

I don't share much of my personal life/face on my Instagram as I want it to be a professional portfolio-style account but I do think it's endearing to see a glimpse of the REAL ARTIST, the people we admire and 'follow' every now and again, so this offered me the chance to do so without posting a no-context portrait of myself. I hope that this #artvsartist shows my tone of voice (children's, sweet, adventure, fairy tale), my unusual process (3D illustration), my intention (storytelling) and my personality (quirky, silly, imaginative).

I also find it quite fascinating how artists tend to look a little like their work.

I gained a few new likes and followers from jumping onto the bandwagon so it might be worth doing some more things like this for promo purposes but mainly it was a bit of fun and it works with the rest of my feed so it was worth doing.

Some #artvsartist work I've enjoyed:

Belanorqua - consistent colour scheme, all doll portrait close-up shots but varying in direction. Conveys Belanorqua's gothic, dark aesthetic and macabre subject matter.

In contrast, Lenabekh's #artvsartist image is much lighter brighter. She has kept to her 'brand' of soft, delicate textile pieces and showcased both her work and herself with a plain white background. Very professional and clean.

I like how she has changed the format to fit her images (portrait images taking up more space, not just squares), she has bent the 'rules' and done something a little different which makes her image stand out against the mass of posts under the hashtag.

BBC WORK PLACEMENT!!!!

So, after applying for work experience at the BBC I have been offered a week of work placement at the BBC in Salford working in the Children's Design department! I didn't have high expectations that I would be offered anything as I had heard it is very competitive and I thought there might be people with more experience that would be picked over me but I am thrilled that I will be able to go and work here for a week as it would be experience of working in-house as a MAKER so I should be able to test the water and assess if this is something I want to do after uni rather than work freelance.


It will also be an opportunity to see how studios work, how I can contribute to a team and to network with industry professionals. (I have heard that some people have started with work experience and gone on to be offered a job...)

I will be there from the 7TH MAY - 11TH MAY so I will be missing a week of uni but I hope that it will be a really valuable experience for me. I am staying in Salford and have arranged my own accommodation.