English painter, printmaker and illustrator Tom Phillips (b. 1937) set a self-directed project for himself based on his interest in “process, chance, language and the cumulative effects of multiple reworkings”. A Humument (London, 1980) used a Victorian novel, A Human Document by W H Mallock (London, 1892), as a starting point.
Phillips isolated phrases or parts of words in the book and then combined them with painted and collage elements to form a new narrative. “Like most projects that end up lasting half a lifetime, this work started out as idle play at the fringe of my work and preoccupations” says Phillips, who worked on the project at various stages from 1966 until the entire book was filled. The completed document can be seen at: http://humument.com/
Find other examples of self-directed projects set by illustrators. What sort of brief did they set
themselves?
I think self-directed briefs are great. I cannot operate based on the 'muse' striking me, or by randomly exploring until an idea emerges. I like the idea of a problem to solve, or a goal to achieve. Thinking and setting a brief is a great way for me to get over the hump of starting. Usually, I do this mentally to build momentum, and I think creating more concrete briefs will be a tremendous catalyst as I become more confident in presenting myself and my work to the world.
I have completed some larger self-directed projects, such as when I was inspired over lockdown to create my own supplemental rulebook for the tabletop game Warhammer 40,000, writing up the rules and background myself. I used this to learn some graphic design, layout and production skills. I wanted to create illustrations for it that were up to the standard you'd find in the real books, but I didn't think my skills were up to the task, so instead I created placeholder illustrations using photo-bashing and composite techniques. It certainly sufficed, but I have always wanted to go back to that project and do a final edit and re-illustration. Now that I have a stronger feeling that I want my career to include work in the tabletop industry I think this would be a good way to create work for my portfolio.
If interested, you can read the full version of the supplement here:
For this research task, I was given the example of Tom Phillips' self-directed project to re-work the book A Human Document by W H Mallock (London, 1892). I was asked to research self-directed work from other artists and discover what kind of brief they set for themselves. The brief aspect of this task was more difficult than I had expected, as I could find relatively few examples where the artists talked through their rationale for making their pieces. As such, I have had to infer and speculate more than I would like during this research point.
One of the things that inspired me to study illustration was visiting the World Illustration Awards (WIA) in Somerset House in 2016. I felt so connected to the winning works on display and was taken aback by the range and breadth of categories in the competition. It really made me feel like there could be a place for me if I worked hard enough. I bought the book of entrants, and this led me to the website of the Association of Illustrators (AOI), which co-organises the competition and displays the entries digitally. I noticed during my visits to the exhibitions that one of the categories was called 'Self Directed' and I loved the idea that illustrators could nominate themselves with work that they did based on a brief they created.
The long and short of that is that I knew that the AOI's website would be a great point of reference to find these kinds of projects. Whilst it seems that they discontinued the category in that form after 2017, I still had many years of amazing entries as a starting point for my research. Where possible I tried to go to the artists' own websites to source images and discover more about them and hopefully the brief they set for themselves.
Kristy Gaunt House
Kristy created this illustration and animation for Lauren Hom's "Passion to Paid" scholarship in 2019. This appears to be a yearly scholarship to Hom's online course of the same name.
This was a useful discovery in and of itself. While I may not be able to afford the course right now, it is good to know it is available later. Unfortunately, it looks like the scholarship scheme ended after 2022. The competition's brief is very open, so each entrant's approach is essentially self-directed. Kristy has a passion for illustrating food, so that seemed an obvious focus for her. She entered at a time when the entry needed to include the words "Passion Project" in the entry; this was removed as a criterion of the brief in later years. I like that she not only created the illustration but used the animation capabilities of Procreate to add another dimension to the entry.
Peter Strain
Peter strain seemed to be a prolific entrant to the self-initiated category of the WIA. During my research, I discovered he entered multiple entries during a single competition year!
I managed to find an interview with the artist for his "Trying to poke a hole in the world" entry. His work is influenced by film and music, and he likes to tackle social, cultural and political topics. This entry was completed not long after he finished his university studies, and showcases his style of combining typography into his illustrations with an exploration of different mark-making techniques. He combined this exploration of marks with a self-directed brief to "Create an image depicting people from various walks of life struggling to make their mark" [1].
The second entry stood out for me as an animation. I liked the way it didn't focus on something social or political, nor was it based on film, TV or music. It depicts a Manchester United game. My assumption is that this is the football team he supports, and his self-directed brief was to create an animation that celebrates football, and a perfect moment in time (from his perspective). The fact that it just focuses on a football match gives the work a purity of purpose. It has no distractions and shows a lot of love.
I expect that this gave him a way to demonstrate animation skills and show off his drawing skills, proficiency in simplicity, and ability to create a sense of connection through his image-making. I could see how this work could have helped his portfolio shine for editorial, TV and digital work, especially for sports.
Wendy Fox
Wendy Fox's entry of "Ode to Clothes" was a self-directed brief to create a series of diptych illustrations that took the inspiration of fashion garments, and then re-interpreted them as objects. She completed 21 diptychs in total for her entry, all with the same graphic style and use of bold colours.
Creating this project magnifies her sense of imagination and creativity, and demonstrates her skills in observational drawing, and sense of colour. The images seem to be created as vector images and have a distinct graphic sensibility. I believe this would have helped her stand out for illustration work in editorial, packaging, and branding contexts
Christopher Eales
It was difficult to find current information on Christopher Eales, and his WIA entry did not have any specific context. However, I felt that the brief was straightforward to interpret. He tasked himself to create a series of re-imagined book covers for certain novels by the American author John Steinbeck.
I found the entries very interesting. His choice to use cardboard and paint to create models which were then photographed to create his illustrations felt very connected to the essence of Steinbeck's novels and their tendency to have everyman protagonists. The simplicity of the off-white backdrop and simple typewritten typography connect the reader to the focus of each novel which, inherently in Steinbeck's work, is a distinct sense of place.
Nicola Robinson
Finding Nicola Robinson's work was a happy coincidence for me, as I really enjoyed the portfolio on her website, and her use of ink inspired me. I enjoy how the subject of her work is gothic and spooky, yet is targeted at a younger audience. There was a lot for me to take away, and to think about how I could incorporate those ideas into my own work.
The self-directed brief for this work was a speculative children's book. Her entry comprised of 36 images! Based on the author's description of the piece - If I were to create a brief just for the image above, I might describe it as "create an illustration for a two-page spread in a children's book. The illustration should depict "Downtown", a dark, spooky city where there's always someone or something keeping an eye on you!"
I find it amazing that Robinson had 36 images fully resolved for a speculative book, as my understanding is that normally for a speculative pitch book, you'd normally have most pages in a rough state, with a few key images to give the commissioner a sense of style and finished quality.
Mark Brown
Brown's entry of multiple images was a self-directed project during the COVID-19 pandemic he called "Lockdown Dreams". The 100 images are an exploration of the relationship between isolation and the subconscious. While the images are relatively large individually, when viewed together they remind me of John Vernon Lord's self-directed project to create one 1-inch drawing a day through 2016.
When displayed in a portfolio, this project displays Brown's technical skills, sense of composition, use of texture, and ability to use symbolism in his work.
Rohanne Thomson
Thomson's WIA entry is a self-directed brief to create a limited-edition beer for sale during Valentine's Day. She presents the illustration itself, but also as a series of mock-ups. This not only demonstrates the quality of the illustration but puts the illustration into the context for which it's intended. This makes it very easy for a potential commissioner to visualise how suitable her work is for packaging.
It seems to have worked - as her portfolio shows a number of real food packaging commissions after her WIA submission! Creating packaging for craft ales and cider is on my illustration bucket list, so this example was really inspiring to me, and encouraged me to speculatively reach out to a friend who owns a craft brewery to see if there could be an opportunity to work together ahead of Assignment 5. I may not get a reply, but if not I will not be disheartened - I may not get an actual commission straight away, but there would be an opportunity for a self-directed brief to imagine what that collaboration could look like (and perhaps follow up the conversation).
Rachael Smith
Not part of the WIA research, Smith is a cartoonist I was already aware of, and my other research reminded me of the self-directed project she created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The brief she set herself was to create and share comic strips of her experiences during lockdown as a way to explore the impact it had on her well-being and mental health. It was also a way to create a sense of connection with others during a time when everyone felt isolated and afraid.
It's a beautiful example of the very British way of using humour during difficult experiences. It's also an honest exploration of one's mental health. I have noticed that after this project, Smith has explored mental health topics more as part of her work, and will be a good addition to my resources ahead of completing my critical review.
Summary
I have identified that I work well with a sense of focus and direction, and self-directed briefs enable that for me. However, I admit that I need to be more intentional in setting these briefs for myself consistently alongside my coursework. I also need to make the briefs detailed enough that I have a sense of time by which to complete them, otherwise it's too easy to ignore or defer self-directed work.
I have a very real financial need to create a portfolio that can generate work for me, and completing some self-directed projects is a good way for me to focus my efforts on that outcome. However, I do need to make sure that the portfolio is curated; I need to stop and think about the work that I want to do (as when you are desperate it can be too easy to try and be everything to everyone) so that my body of work speaks to my approach to making images and the kinds of images I want to make.
References
The AOI (2011) Peter Strain – World Illustration awards, The AOI. Available at: https://theaoi.com/entries/2011-peter-strain/ (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
The AOI (2012) Downtown – World Illustration Awards, The AOI. Available at: https://theaoi.com/entries/downtown-nicola-l-robinson/ (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
The AOI (2014) Steinbeck bookcovers – world illustration awards, The AOI. Available at: https://theaoi.com/entries/steinbeck-bookcovers-christopher-eales/ (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
The AOI (no date) World Illustration awards, The AOI. Available at: https://theaoi.com/entries/?award-year=2017&award-list=shortlist&award-category=self-initiated&award-type= (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
Brown, M. (2021) Lockdown dreams, Mark Brown. Available at: https://markbrown.ink/lockdown-dreams (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
The Comics Guy (2021) COMICSCENE review: ‘quarantine comix’ by Rachael Smith, ComicScene. Available at: https://comicscene.org/2021/04/17/comicscene-review-quarantine-comix-by-rachael-smith/ (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
Fox, W. (2016) Ode to clothes, wendyfoxdesign.com. Available at: https://wendyfoxdesign.com/Ode-to-Clothes-1 (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
House, K.G. (2019) Kristy Gaunt House: Illustrator - passion project, Kristy Gaunt House | Illustrator. Available at: https://kristygaunthouse.com/passion-project (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
Smith, R. (2021) Quarantine comix: A memoir of life in lockdown. London: Icon Books.
Strain, P. (2013) The perfect match / peter strain - projects - debut art, Debut Art. Available at: https://www.debutart.com/artist/peter-strain/the-perfect-match (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
Thomson, R. (2021) Love potion beer - valentine’s, Behance. Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/113683637/Love-Potion-Beer-Valentines (Accessed: 14 November 2024).
© of all images in this post belong to their respective owners. Images have been used for educational purposes based on the fair-use copyright policy.
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