My classmate Christina gave me 2 file folders full of illustration promos that she had while she was an Art Director at a big name magazine. Wow! I’ve been pouring over the images for the last 2 days and am blown away by all the talent! It is also so great to see what people actually send out, or their agents.
Here are a few of my favorites, or ones that sparked ideas:
Chris Buzelli– I actually have a promo where he included collage and i loved it, but doesn’t seem to be represented here.
Jennifer Playford– Great colors and textiles.
Gordon Wiebe– How does he make such cool/simple/stylized characters that say so much?
Aaron Meshon– I had never seen his work before {image above includes my hometown of Kittery, ME!}, but adore it.
Jordin Isip– I wanna be all about big heads. I love. He seems to love Melinda Beck, and I do too.
Things Christina reported as an Art Director using illustrators {this is my interpretation at least}:
1) Don’t be flaky.
2) Take the project seriously, or at least pretend, even if it is just a little spot and other higher priorities- fake it.
3) Be consistent in style, or market a variety of styles consistently.
4) Show that you know how to do a style and that it wasn’t just a fluke and that you’re an amateur.
5) Show you can communicate complex ideas, not just fine art.
6) Send postcards often.
I’m trying to combine my cartoony kid’s book style with my messy collage paintings and i think i found some inspiration here!