Natasha Durley's Professional Practice
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Transcript of Natasha Durley's Professional Practice
who?
what?
why?
online
portfolio
AOI
down the business
getting out there
competitions
moving on
Vibrant colours reflect the playful
side of my work which often
celebrates the natural world,
scientific exploration, botanical
oddities and the mystery of the
unknown.
I can be found working with a
mixture of charcoal, ink, pencil
and paper cut outs, enjoying
the computer as a final editing
tool. This mixed media approach
allows me to experiment with mark
making, keeping the energy and
fun in both the process and the
pictures.
WHO?
In an attempt to free up my drawing and invigorate my work, I like to be a bit messy
in the initial stages. Happy accidents are the things that push my images and by
staying free and playful at the beginning I create more opportunities for me to find
fresh and novel results. Usually I will make elements and textures that I later scan
into the computer, tweak the final composition, adjust the colour and play around
with layers.
The control the computer offers, allows me to free up the analogue side as each
WHAT?
WORKING PROCESS
element can be scanned
in and arranged digitally.
This does however have
its issues, with hundreds
of individual sections
floating around. To keep
me from being swamped
by too many choices I
flatten areas, committing
in order to move on.
Exploring ideas
seemingly unrelated
to a brief can produce
unique approaches and
interesting concepts
that often feed my most
effective outcomes.
Developing my technique
and idea generation
has been a journey of
understanding what I
want from my illustrations.
“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.” Richard Feynmann
“If you don’t know who you are or what you’re about or what you believe in it’s really pretty impossible to be creative.”Rainn Wilson
INS
PIR
AT
ION
I N S P I R A T I O N
“Style merely means one’s habit of drawing based on one’s own experiences. Therefore everyone has a unique style
because everyone has a unique life.” Chirs Buzelli
Creativity is an expression of who you are, how you think and the experiences you have had...
I remember when I was a kid, my dad used to take me
to look around the Natural History Museum at Tring.
The taxidermy skills there are somewhat questionable
and most of the specimens have a peculiar look about
them. This however, added to the magic of the place
and triggered my fascination with the natural world.
Endless searching through museum collections, hours
absorbing documentaries and countless adventures into
the countryside are things I have always enjoyed and are
therefore the strongest sources of inspiration. I now find the
initial stages of research exciting and energising, helping
drive my ideas forward.
WHY?
I also take inspiration from botanical oddities, scientific
exploration, architectural structures and my minor addiction
to TED talks. I whole heartedly agree with Frank Chimero’s
advise to “keep two books on your nightstand at all times:
one fiction, one non-fiction.” Getting lost in a fictional world
is magical but I am just as captivated by non-fiction gems.
Inspired by my love of TED talks I purchased Jill Bolt’s book,
A Stroke of Insight and was blown away. It discusses how
the mind works and made me look at the world in a different
way. This shift in perception encourages me to think about
all the possibilities in the world and most importantly,
stay curious. Conceptual science and peoples attempts
to answer the mysteries of life keep me questioning and
inevitably help when thinking up my own ideas.
Rummaging through junk/charity shops and car boot sales
are brilliant ways to get inspired. 1950s furniture, antique
curios, industrial lighting and wind up tin toys inhabit my
room alongside all my other unusual finds. Anything a little
odd and quirky ends up on a shelf next to my pot plants.
Experiencing new things helps creativity. I try to have
plenty of interests outside the world of art, to help inject life
into my practice. Anything from circus skills to slack lining,
power kiting, roller skating, yoga and even customising my
loadstar tricycle for future biking adventures.
Through self initiated work I have noticed that the things
I enjoy in life, however seemingly unrelated to illustration,
influence my work and appear intuitively throughout my
practice. Whether it be the colours I am drawn to or the
shapes and patterns found in the objects I collect.
Contra-construction - Maison Particulière, Theo van Doesburg and architect Cor-nelis Van Eesteren,
In the digital age it has never been so important for an illustrator to have an
online presence that showcases, markets and interacts on a variety of different
platforms. With this in mind it is vital that my online work was considered.
The internet is a powerful tool and understanding how it can be effectively
used is important.
ONLINE
WEBSITEMy website will function like an online portfolio. A place to showcase strong pieces of my
work in a clean and simple format. I have enjoyed learning basic coding skills in order to
present my images the way I want. The homepage has a large background image that I can
alternate with the logo and menu column unifying each page. I have also included links to
other platforms including my twitter page and blog.
TWITTTERA place to network, share ideas
and interact with other creatives.
People can see who you follow,
what you are talking about,
interested in and what type of
person you are. It visually relates
to website.
BLOGI use my blog to upload work in
progress, experimental pieces
and things that haven’t made it
to my website. It is an insight into
how I create my images. People
can also leave comments so it is
slightly more interactive than a
blog.
PINTERESTI use pinterest to easily store all
my online inspiration. I can easily
look back for reference but it
also allows others to see what I
am looking at. You can tell a lot
about a person by their pinterest
pins and it has also told me a lot
about myself.
PORTFOLIOThe quality and personality of a portfolio is a clear sign to any potential client what they can
expect to receive from you. Everything from layout, balance, curation and quality of print all
portray what standards you will offer any future work.
Digital - A PDF format that can easily be sent or downloaded. Contact details on each page
and an artist CV on the first page introducing myself.
Analogue portfolio - a digital portfolio should not overshadow the importance of a good print
based portfolio. Nothing beats the tactile quality of a well printed illustration. I have a black A3
Prat portfolio and am contacting printers to get the highest standard of finish I can achieve.
The 2012 Pick Me Up event was the perfect opportunity to sign up as a member of the
Association of Illustrators. This will allow me access to business advise and assistance as
well as discounted rates for events and art supplies. I will be able to place the logo within
my website giving clients extra assurance that the legal side of the business is considered.
I subscribe to a few illustration magazines but really enjoy the critical engagement within the
AOI Zaroom publication, something the industry needs more of in my opinion.
AOI
Business cards - I have just got the first batch of business cards printed. I need to make a few small adjustments and may try some out on matt recycled card stock before purchasing a large run. Overall I am pleased with the results but may update the images to feature crops from my FMP.
Small booklet - Not everyone has the time to slot you in for a meeting to view your portfolio but some qualities are lost when only viewing my work online. Postcards will be idea for a broad range of mailouts but for more specific clients I would like to produce a small booklet acting as a mini portfolio.
Business stationary - All sides of my business need to be unified so I have created invoice, contract and letter templates that all include a custom header and logo.
Organisation - I am in the process of building a database of contacts to send mail-outs too and stay in touch with. This needs to be maintained and functional so I can keep in the radar of old clients and market to new ones. Keeping a clear record of who, how and when I have contacted people will make sure I am professional and not sending duplicate examples to the same people.
Limited Edition Postcards - Producing something that people will not want to throw away or identify as junk is very important. Producing a limited edition set of postcards means that I can show off my work as well as encourage people to keep and hopefully use for future work.
DOWN TO BUSINESS
GETTING OUT THEREI have been lucky enough to take part in a lot of events and exhibitions over the last couple of years. Jumping in at the deep end I started with a live draw event. Putting yourself on the line and allowing a room full of people to watch you draw was quite exhilarating and nerve raking at the same time. But once I got into the swing of things it gave me a massive confidence boost. It was a good experience have fun with my drawings and chat with fellow artists.
One thing that has paid off is contacting blogs, websites and magazines about my work and current projects. One weekend I sent out a few emails and was immediately contacted back by eye magazine who made me an online featured illustrator. My work was seen by many more people and traffic to my blog dramatically increased.
PRESS / PUBLICATIONS
May 2012 - >The Art Cake<Dec 2011 - >Another Escape<
May 2011 - >Rock Paper Scissors Magazine<Feb 2011 - Illustrator of the week >Volume Magazine<
Feb 2011 - Featured profile >5oup<
PAST EVENTS
2012
SILENT AUCTION Illustration exhibition and sale.The Arts University College Bournemouth, Dorset.
2011
WISH YOU WERE HERE Postcard ExhibitionBranksome Dene Chine, Poole
BESPOKE ‘Happiness’ AUCB illustration exhibitionCafé Boscanova, Bournemouth
EM[BODY]MENT Exhibition. Body themeThe Gallery, The Art University Collage Bournemouth
DREAMBOX Dreams themeLighthouse Gallery, Poole
BESPOKE ‘Love’ Level 5 AUCB illustration exhibitionCafé Boscanova, Bournemouth
CRAYON An eclectic illustration exhibitionMoon Tree Gallery, Bournemouth
BLANK CANVAS SHOWMilton Keynes
2010
BESPOKE Level 5 AUCB Illustration ExhibitionCafé Boscanova, Bournemouth
THIS IS/NAUTICAL NONSENSE This Is Something60 Million Postcards, Bournemouth
THIS IS/PREVIEW GALLERY This is SomethingCoffee L’amour, Bournemouth
Live Art Night SNO!barXscape, Milton Keynes
2012
Winner of the Wish You Were Here postcard competition
Selected as a Best of Year winner for the D&AD Student Awards
Recognition within the industry is a massive confidence boost and a
great way to show my work to professionals. I was lucky enough to
be awarded as a Best of Year Winner by the D&AD Student Awards.
An internationally recognised competition that will send out my details
and work to creatives throughout the world.
I am looking forward to presenting my portfolio to a mentor within the
industry who will advise me on my practice and hopefully kick start
my career.
Mentors such as my design buddy Luke Bonner, guest lecturers and
tutors have all helped bring fresh eyes to the table and make me
understand my work from other perspectives.
C O M P E T I T I O N S
“The people that I respect the most, the people who are do-
ing great things, are people who care so much about what they
do that they can’t stop.” Liz Danzico
Moving OnIn a letter to his son, Einstein wrote,
“Life is like a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep on moving.”
It is finally time to finish my degree and move on. The future is uncertain and full of
possibilities but I feel energised and ready to go. I am pleased with what I have achieved
in my final major project but it has also given me so many more ideas. I may have handed
my last piece of university work in but I believe this is the beginning not the end. Looking
back at how dramatically my work and I have changed excites me about the possibilities
of my future work.
After graduating, I hope to get some industry experience through internships and have
applied for the YCN intern opportunity as well as the ‘Its Nice That’ graduate scheme. A
focused push of marketing, mail-outs, competitions and exhibitions will help get my name
out there. I am always looking for ways to push my practice in different directions and
would like to look into opportunities to work in other areas such as set building, moving
image and installations.
I plan to share accommodation with another illustration graduate and together we hope
to set up our own studio space. In the future I hope to move into a shared studio space
away from home and work alongside creatives from other areas. I enjoy collaborating with
like minded creative people and the shift in perspective a new process or technique can
encourage. Hopefully, engaging with the local creative community will help this.
My work in both technique and concept has become stronger and more personal to me.
I finally feel like my illustrations have a voice and my working process fluid and united. I
really do not want to loose any momentum after graduation and in fact want to use it as a
time to actually step up a gear and really go for it.