"I think the biggest asset of an illustrator is doing great work and a lot of it. The challenge is to find that work. That is the same as it has ever been."
(Elise Hurst)
I recently had the utmost privilege of asking three exceptionally talented Australian illustrators some questions about the industry and their own work.
In the answering seat for my first interview is the talented Elise Hurst, hot off the tail end of her own personal exhibition held at No Vacancy Gallery at Fed Square. The work on the walls at her exhibition made me gasp, made me smile and even brought a lump of emotion into my throat. The imagination of this artist is of another world. I was truly moved and inspired taking in the fine details Elise Hurst creates and felt honoured to see this work up close and personal.
Thank you for taking the time to answer
some of my questions regarding working as an illustrator.
First of all congratulations on your
last exhibition: “Tiger. Hare. Girl. Bear.” The work you produced was
exquisite! Can you describe a little of the process of putting together your
own exhibition for No Vacancy Gallery?
The work follows on from a series of
drawings that I have been doing in little sketchbooks which explore an
alternate world of mine. So, happily, the concept was already set - it was a
matter of coming up with the individual images. Over the years I have gathered
a large number of favourite reference pictures - from obscure vintage
photographs to buildings I've found on my travels. The starting point for many
images was to trawl through this material and see what sparked an idea. Often
the initial image formed only a tiny part of the final picture - sometimes
none, but it got me thinking.
You also have to think about the show as
a whole and how the images will make sense next to each other. Each gallery is
very different and I find that I need to take the location into account a bit
when designing a show. The No Vacancy Project Space at Fed Square is quite
small, so drawings were a natural choice. However, given that small drawings
are quite underwhelming from a distance, I wanted to include a small selection
of oil paintings, so that someone glancing in the door would see some colour
and get a glimpse and a feeling of the world that I was presenting.
You are listed on The Style File– a
website promoting the works of book illustrators in Australia. How does an
organisation such as The Style File assist you and other illustrators in your
career?
I think it is great for new illustrators
and publishers hoping to find a fresh new approach. Because there are a lot of
illustrators on the site - it's always worth a publishing house having a look
through. I think a lot of individuals with their own projects in need to
artwork have a look through it too. I don't think I get much traffic from it at
the moment but that actually suits me. I am generating my own texts at the
moment (writing and illustrating) so I am not really looking for a lot of
emails there.
Does having an illustration agent
greatly assist illustrators in helping find work? Can you find work
without an agent?
I love my agent, Jacinta di Mase,
because I hate to do the negotiation and chasing work of a job. With many
publishers, the editor is sometimes the person with whom you have to discuss
contracts and have a creative relationship. Some people find it easy to switch
hats and others don't. My agent has directed some work my way but generally the
publishers approach me directly. If you are an illustrator, you generally need
to be willing to make your own contacts and follow them up. If you write too,
an agent will help look at your ideas and direct you to the most likely
publishing houses and provide introductions too. A good agent is a sounding
board for projects in stages of drafting so that you can get some perspective
on whether you are ready to submit it an editor. And some editors will prefer
things to come through an agent because they know that the ideas have been
through this process.
You can definitely find work without an
agent and I think it is much easier if you are an illustrator because people
love looking at pictures and it is immediately obvious if you have something
special, or you don't!
You have an incredible list of
children’s books behind you including the beautiful and highly acclaimed The
Night Garden which was shortlisted for the 2008 CBCA Book of the Year. How do you go about
publishing a book? Is it preferable to self publish or to work with a
publishing house?
That is a huge question! The short
answer is that I would only recommend self publishing if you are as interested
in the business of selling and marketing as you are into creating. Creating the
book is only a small part of selling a book. That is why I definitely choose to
go with publishers. It takes enough of my time writing and illustrating,
without trying to pick up another 6 part-full time jobs too. Basically, if you
aren't willing to learn to do everything (editing, layout, researching
printers, organising the print run, freight, storage, distribution and
marketing) then you end up paying a whole lot of [people to do aspects of it
for you. That's a big outlay for a product that has no guarantees of selling.
You don't have to sell through mainstream bookshops though. If you have a way
of selling directly to people it is a different story. You will still be doing
a lot of work though!
I haven't self published, although I do
anticipate doing it one day with the perfect project. It will definitely have
to fall into the category of specialist book, where I have my own way of
marketing and distributing it.
(Side note: Above is my own personal copy of The Magic Garden which I got signed by Elise - yes, it's a treasure to keep forever! Here is a close up of the little magical inscription. Or as I like to call it, Elise's prescription:)
To work
with a publishing house as an illustrator must be an incredible journey of hard
work and passion. Do you recommend approaching publishing houses as an
illustrator or is it best to go through an agent?
I would go straight to a publishing
house. If you get some work offered to you and you are not confident
negotiating for yourself, that is an excellent time to talk to an agent. You
are much more likely to secure an agent if you have an offer on the table, then
if you are starting out and you have no work behind you. It helps to be
flexible though in the work that you are willing to take on. You will probably
not land your dream job first off and it is good to be able to show your dream
publisher that you are capable of following a project through. Look at
educational publishers, greeting card companies, advertisers… make your own
prints and cards and stories. Find a way to show them that you have what it
takes and that you can work to a brief. People don't just want great artists,
they want professionals who can be relied upon too. And fill your portfolio
with all of the kinds of things that you want to do. Work hard to find what
makes you unique. It may take a while but that development time is incredibly
important. You are embarking on a journey, not arriving at a destination with
every job, and you will change with every passing year.
Where do you think the main
opportunities for emerging illustrators lie? Is it a matter of creating your
own work or do you think collaboration is key?
Everyone is different and I couldn't
say. Looking to your own personal interests can help you get a start - music
lovers may try hard to get work doing cd covers by contacting companies and
artists. Lovers of fantasy YA fiction may try submitting fake covers for some
of their favourite books - particularly vintage ones that had odd covers (be
careful not to trash something that the publishing house are proud of!). YOU
can always come up with a fake book idea and do a cover. Creators are all vying
for attention to get the chance to show what they do. Having a strong interest
and area of expertise could help you stand out from the crowd. There are a lot
of fairly simple styles out there that are not to hard to emulate, but it is
the work that is particular to you and interests that will make you happy and
give you the greatest opportunities. That is where a collaboration can shine
too. here two people passionate about something create a truly unique work. You
have to be careful about speculative work though. SOme people end up doing a
huge amount of work with an author without it ever leading anywhere. If you are
are doing this for a living, you do have to measure your time.
Do you ever work with design agencies on
commissioned works?
Not really. I have done a few pieces
companies and I find it both rewarding and difficult. Rewarding to see your
work up there, especially if the company have embraced your personal style.
Difficult if you are working with people who aren't used to making visual
creative decisions. It is quite common to get tied up in a lot of 'I'll know
what I want when I see it'. It is always best if there is a designer involved
who will have some say in the ongoing and final decisions. I do quite a lot of
private commissions and make sure that these are things that I really want to
do. At the beginning of my career I was happy to take on any work at all, but
it was usually deeply unsatisfying and harder to do work that didn't really
interest me.
How did you start your own illustration
career? What drew you to this as something you wanted to do for work?
If you have a passion for drawing and
would do it anyway, paid or not, if you are compelled to create, then it is
probably the job for you. It will pay very badly some years, it will be hard
work, you will have to continually improve and develop - but if it is what you
love to do and what you can't stop doing, you will put up with it and make it
work! A passing interest will not see you through the hard times. I
started almost by mistake - doodling in a class at uni and having someone look
over my shoulder and tell me about someone who needed an illustrator for pretty
much what I was drawing right then. I got my first couple of jobs that way. It
was harder after that - looking for work, building skills, thinking I had to be
all things to all people. I did a big number of books just for the money and practise
before I really started to feel like I was zeroing in on what I really wanted
to be doing. Now I am taking on less work to give time to making each book as
good as it can be, and for them to be things that I am really really engaged
by. They are more long-term gambles but it feels like the right time to make
them, now that I finally have something of my own that I want to share.
What challenges do you think
Illustrators face in a contemporary market place?
I think most of it is the same as always
- try to get noticed, try to get work… It is much easier to show your work now
that we can have online folios (instead of leaving expensive bad colour
photocopies copies to be lost in filing cabinets). That's great. And people can
present themselves in a very professional way online. The work itself hasn't
changed that much although many publishing houses are doing less of it than
they used to as they try to cut costs.
The help yourself, you can study
illustration, but you certainly don't have to. There are societies to give you
support and tips for developing your career and skills. You can print your own
work and get noticed, make web pages and ebooks, blog, tweet… In the end you
just have to get creative and proactive and work out how you are going to earn
money for the time you spend. Although there is a lot to be said for social
media, I think the biggest asset of an illustrator is doing great work and a
lot of it. The challenge is to find that work. That is the same as it has ever
been.
Do you think the digital age has made it
easier for illustrators to get their work out there?
Online folios are The Best.
To see the incredible work that Elise produces and to stay up to date with her exhibitions, books and projects please visit her website:Elise Hurst
Stay tuned for the next two instalments of my interviews with amazing Australian illustrators!
all images of artwork belong to Elise Hurst.
