BEN COX CIA NOTES
8 Illustrators started Central Illustration Agency in 1983.
It's okay to go in a different direction.
Working in an agency means you can be anywhere you like, you dont have to live in london if you dont want to.
Make sure your work is viable.
Theres no rooms for dealers in a commercial job, you are selling something
You need to be aware that there is research that goes into it
Find an interesting way to articulate
You have to be respectful & responding to the clients brief
We welcome all artists publishing themselves
Your work has to speak for itself, its not an industry for jack of all trades.
The role of an agency has changed, social media has changed things. Representation is very important. self publishing has flooded the agency.
Even though agencies don't represent artists anymore, they are still important because they FIND those illustrators for the client.
FIRST CONTACT - who is your client? do you have a brief? how many illustrations? what's your schedule? What artists?
QUOTING - How mnay illustrations? Which media for what time period in what countries?
COPYRIGHT - who owns it? for how long?
PROCESS - we agree the deal, we introduce the artists then CIA sends the bill (they take commission too obviously)
Intellectual property - you own it, preagreed for you, only a limited of number of things your client can do with it, originaltion fee time & talent payment.
30% CIA commission. Sole income whatever the size of the job
must secure a P.O
What makes a good portfolio?
- consistant style, you have to be able to discuss your work, there has to be a language there that is yours.
- dont emulate a style.
- mock ups, mock up a book cover, editorial or do a better campaign of one already released.
- demonstrate how your work can work
- the more obvious you can make it the better
- variety of subject matter, maps are a great portfolio piece.. everyone loves a good map.
- dont specialise in your portfolio
- originality.
If you work is up to it, we can sign people. 13 sides is a good portfolio.
Meeting and Talking to Ben
I did get a short 5 minutes with Ben as he moved around the tables, but I do feel like it was wasted on me. Even though I did prep boards for him, he felt that my style was inconsistant and when he asked what my favourite work was, i really couldn't answer him. IF there was a key point in this year, this would be it. At the moment I am really not comfortable with what I am making. I don't stick at anything long enough and it shows. Ben's words to me were to be more confident in myself and to stick in one style for a while. If im going to do digital, do digital for 3 weeks straight and see what happens. If I want to do gouache do the same. I have to spend enough time with it, I'm giving up to peoples criticisms before I can finish and develop a language that is my own.
The talk made me sad in a way, you often see third year as riding out of the university on a stallion with your head held high about to ride into the distance, into that comfortable sunset of amazing jobs and oppurtunities. But in reality, right now, I am on a tiny donkey and he gets stronger and more and more like a stallion with every step but we aren't ready to ride off into the sunset together. I need to believe in myself more as an illustrator before I can do that. Uni has helped me to get onto that donkey, to believe I belong in this creative world, but I think I just have to think that my work deserves the oppurtunities first? This probably sounds all very strange and maybe I'm using the wrong metaphor but the point still stands that I think this summer will be spent loving the work I'm making, not for anyone else but myself and then come august/september I can start to ride into that distance of oppurtunity.
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