Advice from an Illustration Graduate: What I wish I'd known before graduating from Art School

This month my blog turns a year old! I started it back in July 2020 with the intention of sharing my processes and experiences as an illustrator, but also because I love to write! Not much has changed since my first post, and yet I feel as though I’ve grown massively as a person and as an artist since then. A year on I find myself having learnt A LOT of lessons, and I hope by sharing them with you today, whether you’re still a student, recent grad or freelance artist, they offer you some kind of guidance or support, wherever you are on your creative journey. So, shall we dive in?

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Just a note…

You may be wondering what I’ve done to acquire all this new found knowledge and the truth is, not a lot. I’m not claiming to have learnt the ins and outs of the illustration industry within a year because let’s face it, that takes a lot of experience. But last year I would have welcomed any sort of advice from other creatives who had gone through similar experiences to me, so today I’m offering the advice I never had. Sometimes all it takes is for someone else to say, hey I’ve been there and I struggled too.

I also want to diffuse the idea that you have to be constantly productive to be successful - you don’t. Last year I decided to work on my picture book portfolio, for you it may be looking for a job or joining a collective that is priority. It’s taken a long time for me to settle into a routine where I can balance work and rest effectively, and its definitely still a working progress. I can be very driven and I love what I do, but I am also often very critical of myself. It’s taken a year for me to start unpacking these negative patterns and notice why I think this way, so please, take my advice with a pinch of salt. Everyone’s experience will be different.

Summer

Graduating during a pandemic meant that there was no ceremony and no degree show. It was a disappointment, but I got over it. I kept myself busy with a project called the Sketchbook Collective, and made a list of goals I wanted to achieve now I actually had time to focus on them. I collaborated with Post Snail Press, spoke to an editor from Hachette at their virtual open day, and opened my Etsy shop (a goal that I had on hold for YEARS!). Of course I took a well deserved rest too. I baked bread, watered my tomato plants, and cut my own hair. My friends and I got creative on zoom too, organising life drawing sessions, film nights and virtual gallery tours to pass the time. I also set myself a mini project of reworking three scenes from an old uni project that I never finished. This was my chance to play and create work that I wanted to make, and enjoy the freedom of pressure and grades.

Although I couldn’t see it at the time, I really took advantage of these first few months and a year on, I can see how I was laying foundations for new opportunities that are only just beginning to appear.

THREE THINGS I LEARNT

• Don’t forget to celebrate If you’re a recent graduate, sleep is probably the only thing on your mind right now! But remember that this moment in your life is unlikely to happen again, so really take time to pause and reflect on everything you have achieved. Regardless of your result, chances are you’ll never have to work that hard again. So be proud of yourself - you did it.

• A degree isn’t everything Okay I KNOW I just said be proud of your achievements, but the sooner you face reality the better. Think about how many graduates have left university just like you. What makes you different to them? Talent and confidence can only get you so far and the sad truth is, most clients don’t want to see your university work. Of course there are exceptions, but for most of us the stand-out portfolios showcase work that is personal and confident in style and message. Do you have something to share that’s unique to you or are you hoping that recycling the same old 2nd year project will get you by? This may be the best time to get a head start and make work that really shows what you have to offer.

• Opportunities are waiting More about this later. Of course you can’t predict which projects will open the right doors for you, but if you’re collaborating with other creatives now, you may be surprised as to what they lead to later on. The artistic community you formed at university is unlikely to be available to you again, so to keep in touch with as many other creatives as you can. Or reach out to those who you admire - you never know what new connections lead to. And I promise you’ll be grateful you did it now.

Autumn

With the celebrations officially over, the daunting realisation of adult life soon kicked in. Autumn was really a blur to me. I went on country walks and continued with zoom drawing sessions, but creatively I was feeling uninspired. I continued another project from the past, which brought me a slight sense of satisfaction, but I still couldn’t shake off the vague sense of ‘what is this all for’. I decided to follow a drawing challenge to spark some sort of ‘play’, but that quickly became just another task to tick off my to-do list and it wasn’t really enjoyable. I’d also slipped off the momentum of university, and with that I became less and less motivated. Weeks turned into months and I began to realise I hadn’t made any attempts to consider what my next step would be.

I was also still frustrated about the the anti-climatic ending of university, and was mentally battling the constant raincloud that was Covid. I couldn’t shake this strange feeling I had. Was it loss? Anxiety? I don’t really remember, but I sure as heck pushed it down and tried my best to work through it. It took several months for me to realise this frustration was manifesting itself into physical pain too. I had a month long arm injury, and in November and December suffered from toothache that turned out to be tension in my jaw. I couldn’t wait for Christmas to arrive so I could forget all about it.

THREE THINGS I LEARNT

• Effort makes you I WISH I had been stricter with myself in the beginning, because after the momentum of uni faded, I neglected work. Giving up is easy. It’s not easy to give 100% every day and not see any signs of progression. What matters is that you do it anyway. If you’re unsure about where to start, think about what you could do to get ahead. Whether you’ve submitted a portfolio or applied for a job, don’t just sit and wait for a reply that may never come. Get your hands on something you can control. Research other artists in the same industry as you and see how they did it. Join a collective, work on your craft. Effort makes you, so please start while you’re ahead.

• The harsh reality Don’t pretend you’re okay if you’re not. But if you’re lay on your bed scrolling through IG then you really have no right to complain. Stop letting your excuses prevent you from taking action. Chances are there’ll be a few months of adjustment before steady work opportunities start to come in, so don’t feel disheartened if you feel a little lost in the beginning.

• Don’t compare your path to someone else’s This was a HUGE lesson for me, and something I continue to work on. I used to fuel my anxiety by constantly comparing my path to another illustrator’s, one who had already had years of practise and momentum behind them. Once I had time to settle into a new routine I found that those same artists now inspired me to work hard, rather than making feel worse about myself. If you catch yourself comparing, change your perspective. Look at how they got to where they are. If they can do it, so can you. Begin with what you know and be PATIENT. Things most likely won’t change overnight.

Winter

As a Christmas enthusiast the adjustment to New Year is usually a challenge but LET ME TELL YOU, this Winter was tough. It was a period of several really low months that I just couldn’t get myself out of. Part of me didn’t even want to, because it required effort and I wasn’t in the mood for that. I was indifferent to the work I was making and everything felt like a chore. In hindsight, if I was kinder to myself and accepted that I felt uninspired, I probably wouldn’t have felt half as bad. I didn’t feel overworked, just less inclined to create - which was a feeling that until then I have never really experienced. The most important thing is that I never gave up. After every bad day I picked myself up and tried again. I continued to accept portrait commissions and submitted projects to competitions.

In these wintery months, I would have been SO grateful for any sort of advice, especially from graduates who were going through similar struggles as I was. Other than chatting to friends, I found that it just isn’t something that is widely spoken about in the illustration community, which is a shame.

THREE THINGS I LEARNT

• Go outside Obvious but important. Working from home can be tedious, sometimes tiring, often lonely. Give yourself time to be outside, away from technology and if it helps, away from people. Nature can do wonders for your metal health and I guarantee you’ll feel more refreshed when you come back to your desk.

• Action = Momentum The first step is always the hardest. I got frustrated that I wasn’t making any progress, yet I wasn’t taking action in order to solve the problem. It may not work the first, second or tenth time, but you have to try if you want to see any momentum.

• Your emotions are trying to tell you something Our negative feelings often serve a positive purpose; they are a sign that change is needed. Don’t try to avoid or deny them. Notice them and appreciate the message they’re trying to tell you. Only then will you be able to change your state. Reassure yourself that you’ve gotten through this feeling before and notice the lesson it’s trying to teach you.

Spring

I don’t remember how I finally let go of these negative patterns, but I did. I continued working on my portfolio and my mental health, and one sunny April afternoon it all just slipped into place. I suddenly realised how I’d been blocking myself from taking action, and releasing this pressure made me feel as though a weight had been lifted. I guess all I needed was a little perspective. It’s still a working progress, but taking back that control brought a fresh burst of optimism. I got excited about stretching my creative comfort zone, experimented with new materials, and purposefully chose not to share new work with the outside world.

I slowly found my creative spark again and with inspiration came action, then momentum and soon, new opportunities began to appear. I honestly can’t explain how fast the changes came! I was commissioned to do a set of pet portraits (which are now available on my Etsy shop), sold my prints internationally for the first time, and received a message from a Sketchbook Collective member asking whether I was interested in running an online workshop! Of course none of this was planned, but because I was open to the work, it just seemed to find me.

THREE THINGS I LEARNT

• Don’t hold so much value on social media We all know this, but do we believe it? It may take time to release the grip social media has on you as a creative, especially if it’s the only place you can interact with your audience. At the start of this year I’d feel deflated after making any new work because I was already subconsciously projecting other peoples opinions onto it. Opinions I hadn’t even received. Once I’d shifted my attention to finding fulfilment in the process, I could see the image objectively. Some people may love what you do and some will be indifferent to it. Don’t let external validation sway your own opinion of the work you make. I’ve even got into the habit of deleting IG at the weekend, to take some time to reconnect with myself and my creativity.

• Set clear goals LISTS ARE YOUR FRIENDSSS! Write up your to dos, monthly goals, timetables, anything! Nothing is achievable until you put it down on paper, and as creatives we unfortunately need to hold ourselves accountable for the time we are on and off work. Once your goals are on paper you can break them down into simplified steps, set time limits, and suddenly things will seem a lot less strenuous. I now have monthly goals, weekly goals AND a timetable to keep me on track. It keeps me accountable, I just can’t believe it took me ten months to do it.

• This is just the beginning Throughout Autumn and Winter I kept reminding myself how fast time was passing and I still hadn’t made progress. Now one year later, I can look back and see how much I’ve already achieved. And it’s only been a year. Things change faster than you think. I still have hard days, but I’m back to being my busy self, and the path in front of me is slowly, slowly starting to reveal itself. Wherever you are in your journey, know that opportunities are always available to you, you just have to be patient and keep going.

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And that brings me full circle! Sharing these experiences from the past twelve months has felt like a cathartic process to me, and I hope it offers you some sort of guidance, support, or just a friendly voice to say that everything will work out just fine. If you find yourself at a low point, know that the harder times are just lessons in disguise. Take a moment to look around and ask yourself, what am I avoiding? What would move me forward? What would make me happy? Sometimes we need the challenges to shake us up and push us in the right direction. You need rain to appreciate the sunshine, right?

So what’s next? Right now I find myself seeking new opportunities to grow and learn about my craft. My work has improved massively since university, but I can already see how I could move on from here, and I can’t begin to imagine where I’ll be in a year from now! And this time I’ll remember to enjoy the journey.

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Little treasures I’ve enjoyed this month…

* Annielies Draws vintage posters!!

*I’m finally reading The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell after it’s been sat on my shelves for several years. Mitchell somehow manages to twist everyday stories just enough for them to become distorted and fascinating, and I’m only several chapters in but I’m already loving it.

*I also picked up this book again after months of neglect. I find history fascinating, and I’m learning new things everyday.

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If you’re still here I applaud you! That was one hefty post. I hope my experiences bring support to those of you who find yourself in a challenging season of your life. Don’t give up!!

Thank you for being here, as always

Catherine

Virtual Drawing Workshop

Hello friends and happy June! I hope May treated you kindly and that you are all staying safe and well. The rainy days seemed to blur into one this month so it seems as though we will have to wait a little longer for Spring to arrive! Since my last post I’ve been keeping my head down with many different projects that have all been wrestling for my attention. I’m grateful though to be doing what I love and I finally feel that - for the first time this year! - I’m creating work that I really enjoy. There’s a lot to say about this, so I promise to share more in the future.

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One of my latest projects during April & May was planning an online workshop for the students at MSoA. The preparation was particularly long as everything, of course, had to be done online. The idea for the workshop was inspired by a drawing tour, and using Zoom as a means to escape for an hour to a lovely old city (we chose Edinburgh for our first destination!). We planned our route and points of interest, then collected still and moving images to piece together a virtual tour that would last around 30 minutes. We ended the session with a zine-making tutorial, which allowed the students to create a little book that encapsulated their sketches. All they needed was a sheet of A4 paper, something to draw with and a pair of scissors! Everything else was down to imagination.

We sketched from photographs and moving images, exploring scenes from Edinburgh Castle to the Royal Mile to Princes Street Gardens. The students were encouraged to use this time to fill as much of their page as possible, with illustrations, text, colour, and whatever else they wanted to include! The idea was to create a sense of the city with quick, unfiltered drawings. Once we’d folded the zines, these images were cropped into eight small pages, which resulted in some really interesting compositions!

Although this was our first workshop, we wanted to make sure the students felt welcomed and relaxed, and provide a sense of escapism that many of them have missed since being away from home during the pandemic. The whole class exceeded my expectations and I'm so grateful for the eagerness and kindness of all the students that took part!

I have to say a big thank you to Martha who I co-organised this event with, and also to Elle and Molly for helping us prepare!

Besides dreaming of other cities we could visit, I'd love to do more workshops like this in the future, and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to teach them in person one day!

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Other than illustration…

*I discovered the playful art of Christian Robinson last month. His work is full of warmth, colour and the celebration of human voices.

*The soft music of Nujabes has been keeping me company recently. This one always helps me get my head down and focus.

*I’ve been reading A Very Intrepid Explorer in the mornings before I start my day. The illustrations are so beautifully coloured and I am forever amazed at the achievements of Marianne North.

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Thanks for reading, as always,

Catherine

Paper & Paint: My current favourite Art materials

Today I thought I’d take you through some of the materials I’ve been using recently.

In no particular order…

Paper

I've used several different brands of cold and hot press paper over the years (the terms cold and hot press refer to the tooth of the paper). Hot press is better for a high level of detail although it’s less absorbent than cold press, so it really depends on what you want to use it for. Recently I've taken to using bristol board with pencil crayon. It's the smoothest surface and great for scanning work (especially book spreads) where the texture of the paper needs to be kept to a minimum. I’ve used both Starthmore and Windsor and Newton pads and both work equally well, although Strathmore has more of a cream tone than the crisp white of W&N. For toned paper I like Strathmore mixed media pad.

Paint & Palettes

I haven't spent a huge amount on paint. My watercolour set is an affordable one from Windsor and Newton. I know the pigment isn't the highest quality but I find it a decent price for the amount I use. I also keep W&N inks and they do the job just fine. For gouache I mix all of my colours from three primary tubes plus black and white. I’d recommend doing this if you’re just starting out, or if you’re wanting to test new materials before splashing out on the more expensive sets. I use Holbein Acryla gouache but I’ve heard positive reviews for both W&N and Caran d’Ache brands, so I’d say do some research and really figure out what type of paint you’re after before you buy. This video helped a lot when I was researching Holbein. The acryla goucahe definitely works more like standard acrylic, but stays liquid enough if you use it on a stay-wet palette. To make mine I lay several sheets of wet kitchen towels in a plastic container, followed by a sheet of tracing paper. This technique allows the paint to stay wet enough to use for several weeks. This video explains the basics of this type of palette.

Brushes

I love Pro ArteProlene Plus for detail as they have a decent point to them. I use Woodpecker for washes as the flat bristles are inexpensive and robust enough to stand the test of time. I also have a dozen of Daler Rowney brushes in various sizes. They’re nothing special but they do the job just fine.

Pencil Crayons

I love building my pencil crayon collection up, so I have quite the mix of brands. I love love Faber-Castell Polychromos and I use these for the bulk of my work. They aren’t too waxy and I’m able to get fine details with them, although I will say that it takes a lot of sharpening to get a thin point. For detail I use Stabilo originals which are a lot more affordable but less pigmented and the lead is not as soft. I also use Caran d'Ache Supracolor II Soft which as the name suggests, have a lovely soft lead, and recently I added some of their Museum Aquarelle pencils to my collection. Both are great for blending with water as well as being highly pigmented on their own. For graphite I stick to Stedtler.

Sketchbooks

I've used a variety of sketchbook brands over the years but I find certain papers haven’t stood the test of time as my style has evolved. I have dozens of Seawhite of Brighton sketchbooks and have used them for many years, but recently I’ve found the paper allows too much bleed for my liking. The paper is a nice cream colour, and I think they’re better suited to sketching than using anything too liquidy. I've also used Pink Pig in the past; their books are spiral bound and pretty easy to get hold of. Moleskine on the other hand is lovely for travel sketchbooks but I sometimes think the price makes me act too precious. (If anyone has any brand recommendations specifically for using pencil crayon let me know!)

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Remember that making art doesn’t have to be expensive, there’s a lot of student-friendly brands out there that work well if you’re just starting out. Don’t be afraid to invest in a few tools to help you along the way but remember, art isn’t just about the quality of your materials. It’s about creating the work you want to make and over time, you’ll grow a sense of which materials you like and which ones you don’t.

Happy making!

Meet the Maker

For the month of March I decided to join Meet the Maker over on Instagram. The challenge, organised by Joanne Hawker, happens every year throughout March, and allows creatives from all over the world to connect and share their practice, promote their business, and give insights into their creative journey.

I’ll admit I didn’t complete all 31 days. I decided to pick out the ones that seemed to fit my own practice the best and stuck to those. Today I thought I’d share some of them with you!

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First things first, IG is a funny thing when it comes to sharing insights into a creative practice. As I’d already planned what I was going to post throughout the month, I could easily make it seem as though I was staying busy and churning out a load of work, but in truth, my personal work didn’t really get off the ground this month. There were a lot of delays and obstacles I had to work through, most of them probably self-inflicted, and I started to feel disconnected from my creative flow. There were days where I wasn’t drawing anything, because I was focusing all my energy on more urgent, but less fulfilling tasks.

Here is a snippet from Day 15 which sums up how I was feeling:

Day 15 // Priorities

It’s hard to say what my priorities are atm because honestly, my main goal is just to be happy. I know IG can make it seem like we’re always working and always positive but are any of us really like that? I enjoy working on my illustrations but I also procrastinate a lot and spend days unravelling the MANY negative beliefs I tell myself.

This illustration was a favourite of mine but goodness me it was a struggle to get it out. And it’s not even complicated. I was just so uninspired by the limited colour palette, and I think I’d let the whole project drag on a little too long that I started to loose sight of why I started it in the first place. I just wanted to get it done and move on.

I also had several portrait commissions this month which was amazing, but it meant that my personal projects had to take the back seat for a while. The turn around was so quick for these that I unintentionally burnt myself out and had no energy left to put into my own practice.

By the end of March I started to see where I was going wrong. On one hand I managed to stay consistent with Meet the Maker, but behind the scenes I was feeling uninspired and unfulfilled with my work because I hadn’t left any space for myself. I made an effort to pick up my daily sketchbook (something that I’ve sadly neglected since January) and planned to fill it with really bad drawings - the wonkier the better. I started knitting again, and took myself on walks to try and reconnect to that inner creative voice. It’s still a working progress, but slowly I’m beginning to feel inspired by what I’m making again. I’ll be continuing to share my illustrations on IG this month, but I’ll also be holding some of my energy back for work that I purposefully don’t share. And with that comes a new feeling of relief.

If you’ve followed me on Instagram, I hope you enjoyed my little Meet the Maker series, and I hope this post shines a light on the fact that not everything you see on IG tells the whole story.

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Shop Update!

New pet portraits have arrived on my Etsy store this month and I’m super excited to share them with you! They’re postcard sized and completely personalised; this one was for a lovely puss named Crumpet and her owner Emily!

I love making these little prints for you, and I’m excited to add more fury friends to the collection! For more info please check the item description on Etsy!

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This and that…

*I’m rewatching this adaptation of Howards End at the moment. It’s such a cosy watch and the book is a firm favourite of mine, especially now it’s Spring!

*I listened to Deep Work by Cal Newport this month and he brings up so many interesting points about technology and distractions that made me revaluate how I balance deep and shallow work.

*Any day with yoga in it is an immediately better day. Recently I enjoyed this one.

*Just for fun, this game has been great for passing the time with friends on zoom.

Okay okay that’s all for now! See you next month.

Catherine