It all adds up

The financial side of running a business is something that most creatives seem to shy away from, but crucially is an important aspect that can ensure the success or failure of your creative endeavours. Graduates need to be financially aware and busines savy. Recently we contacted TWD a firm of accountants with offices around the UK. They are one of the UK's leading low-cost, fixed fee tax and accountantcy services. They have agree to provide our third year students with packs which cover issues such as setting up small businesses and steps to dealing with taxation for the selfemploymed/freelancers. Ok so this might not be your first choice for bedside reading but it will at least equip them with some basic finanical foundations which ensure more of the money they make stays in their pockets.

This information constantly changes as government policy shifts and so its great to have TWD on side advising our students. This isn't an advert for there services and unfortuneatly I'm not recieving a cut of their profits for the year.

6X6 Launch night

As part of the Manchester Literature Festival, the '6x6' book was launched last Friday (23rd of October)
In the grandeur of the Lord Mayor's Parlour the authors gave readings from their books and the illustrators were interviewed to reveal the working processes behind the images. It was a great success with both authors and illustrators speaking confidently and professionally, once again suggesting that collaboration is the future.
As the wine flowed and the books flew off the shelves (competitively priced at only £4) the plotting began to create
a bigger better version next year. Here's what the press say:

Six By Six is an exciting new publishing project which brings together MMU Cheshire’s latest Creative Writing graduates with Stockport College Illustration undergraduates. Earlier this year, Alice Slater, Liz Smith, Naomi Potter, Jason Weight, Jack Boardman and Tom Heinsohn handed over their unusually accomplished short stories to the cream of Stockport College's Illustration degree programme: Alan Dalby, Liz Ardolino, Natalie Wood, Chris Madden, Libby Vickers and James Peters. The result is a stylish and cool illustrated short story anthology. Join them this evening for a special launch event featuring readings from Six By Six and an exhibition of the artwork that so vividly enhances these fictions.

Poster Competition

Here is an other competition to have a go at, run by Print magazine in America.

AOI Business Classes

Master Classes for Illustrators Thursdays from 27 August to 5 November 2009 6pm – 9pm – Cockpit Arts (Holborn) off Cockpit Yard, Northington Street, London WC1N 2NP This course will guide you through the various steps of the business start up process. In a series of practical workshops you will develop knowledge and skills essential for self-employment. You will learn about sources of support, business planning, and long-term vision. You will find out how to develop a market for your work, present your portfolio and develop confidence and negotiation techniques. You will understand the importance of tax, how to get paid and key legal issues such as generating income from your copyright and the use of contracts. By the end of the master classes you will have gained the confidence and tools to work as a freelance illustrator and draft a 18 month business plan. The Master Classes are open to AOI associate members, recent illustration graduates and people working as freelance illustrators that feel the need to fill knowledge and skills gaps. The workshops will be run by Alison Branagan - Creative Consultant for the Visual Arts and Creative Industries, Fig Taylor – AOI Portfolio consultant and sefl promotion expert and renowned Ilustrator, Rod Hunt, illustrator and AOI board member. “Invaluable. It has provided really useful information”. Caragh Jackson, 2008 Business Masterclass attendee. “I learnt so much about the practicalities of being an illustrator and starting out, it has been so helpful. My confidence and ambition has grown 10 fold. This is what I want to do and now I know I can.” Ellie Smith, 2008 Business Masterclass attendee.

illustrative competition

Young Illustrators Award call for submissions Deadline 30 September 2009 Registration Form at: illustrative.de The Swatch Young Illustrators Award encourages and supports designers in their artistic practice and offers them an international platform. Awarding talent in three different categories: Illustrative art works, art projects with graphic influences, animations and book art objects. The jury will decide the winners in October. Nominees of the Young Illustrators Award will be invited to Berlin and get the opportunity to exhibit their work at Illustrative 2009. Prizes include 6.000 Euros as well as publications, illustration agency contracts and a chance to be featured in future international exhibitions. One winner will be invited to design a Swatch Watch. The nominees will be awarded by an international jury consisting of leading art directors, experts and editors such as Julius Wiedemann (editor Illustration Now), Jessica Helfand (Design Observer), Angharad Lewis (Grafik Magazine), Keiichi Tanaami (Illustrator), Maria Serrano (étapes), and Olaf Hajek (Illustrator). The short-listed artists will be announced on the Illustrative website in the beginning of October. Prizes will be awarded in a ceremony at Illustrative 09 in Berlin on 17 October 2009.

A Sneak Peek at Rilla Alexander’s Studio

Rilla Alexander is a member of the well known and respected art and design collective, Rinzen. The group’s posters and album covers have been exhibited at the Louvre and their large scale artwork installed in Tokyo’s Zero Gate and Copenhagen’s Hotel Fox. Today she gives Grain Edit readers a sneak peek into her studio and shares some of her favorite objects.


See her studio here

A Glimpse into Wayne Pate’s Studio

Wayne Pate runs a whimsical design studio in Brooklyn, NY called GoodShapeDesign. He has the best doodles, and also sells playful prints on his website. Today, we have the pleasure of getting the Grain’s Eye View on Wayne’s studio, including info on his favorite objects and some handy organizing advice.
See his studio