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Growing up and watching your father work, you must've gained a lot of early insight into the process. It was great. I would see him holding his work-in-progress in front of a mirror, to get a fresh look at it. While he was working on a job, he would talk a lot about his color/value choices and composition. I also learned about the mysterious "opaque projector", and how every magazine is a treasure trove of photo-reference material. He also introduced me to the work of the Push Pin studio and Milton Glaser. But strangely enough, even with this early focus on illustration, I somehow left art school intending to be a photographer. How did that happen? At RISD I started as an illustration major. But after taking a great photography class my interests started to shift. I loved illustration, but I hadn't found my medium yet. I guess you could say that I was torn between two majors! Isn't that a song? (Laughter) I guess it hadn't hit me yet that I could use photographs as elements within my illustration, even though I had started to draw and paint on top of my photos. This was all before I discovered Photoshop of course. So, eventually, I switched my major to photography. After graduating, I spent some time building my photography portfolio by shooting model tests.
So how did you get from photography back to your illustration roots? Well, I shot all of my photography in the studio, with very controlled lighting and pre-planned compositions. To prepare for every shoot, I'd make these collage-sketches in Photoshop where I combined vintage photographs with my drawings. They were just for my reference before a shoot, but I eventually realized that they were way more interesting than the results of the final photo shoot. They were also a lot more fun to make than the actual photo shoot was. So it took the diversion of photography to lead me directly to my illustration collage-style. Who would have guessed?
I blow up my sketch in Photoshop and and scan in the photographs I'll be using. Some photos are vintage, some are my own and occasionally they are provided by the client. then I use a Wacom tablet to move everything around. Sometimes I draw elements and scan them in, but if the drawn element is simple I'll do the drawing right in Photoshop. Along the way I save a lot of different versions in case I overwork it and need to go back to a simpler version. That can happen if you don't take breaks and really step back from the work once in a while. Another thing I like about working digitally is that you can see how the file looks as a thumbnail icon. If the composition and values work at that tiny size, they'll work when blown up. I also use a hand mirror constantly to look at the image backwards and upside down, to see if it's balanced. It's too time consuming to digitally flip a big file. I usually keep one Hue/Saturation adjustment layer on top to completely de-saturate the whole image, so I can occasionally view it in black and white. If the image isn't "popping" it's usually because there isn't enough value contrast, and that's easier to identify in a black and white image. How do you first approach an assignment? First I try to boil it down to the real theme of the story, and also consider what metaphors might apply. If I have a headline, I definitely want to play off of that as well. Then I like to collect photos of some of the symbols that come up. That can really jump-start your thinking. I've found that if you try to solve the problem with words, your ideas can get too literal. I think the best ideas are the ones that aren't so easily explained in words, but are very clear in a sketch. Then you know you have a real visual solution. Do you do personal work? I do work on my own pieces, in order to keep growing, but I think the goal should be to get assignments that really excite you and are as satisfying to make as personal work. So I try to keep editing my portfolio so it reflects the kind of work I want to get. I've learned that you really need to keep your portfolio focused on the kind of work you love to do and not on what you think will sell. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a family member in the business. What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators? Since most new illustrators will still need a day job at first, I definitely recommend trying to work in an art department that uses illustration. I was lucky enough to work at a newspaper with a great Art Director who taught me a lot about the process. It's helpful to see the other side of the business, how an Art Director finds illustrators, chooses sketches, and uses the work in their layout.
Group websites like Altpick have been a great way to reach clients I would never have found otherwise. Portfolio drop-offs are labor-intensive, but they do work. It's a cliche, but you really do have to be patient. I've gotten calls months/years after i've sent a postcard. Your work won't suit every assignment. Also, jobs lead to other jobs. For many months I did tiny spot illos for the listings section in the back of New York magazine. Over time, it led to a lot of work with new clients. I guess the lesson is that exposure is key. What is your dream assignment? I love doing editorial, but I'd really like to do series of book jackets. I think my work is well suited for it, so it seems like a good match. Books last forever and people really do appreciate a great book jacket. That's the best part about rifling through Barnes & Noble - finding great covers. I suppose the best assignments are really just the ones for which your work is best suited. So I guess the goal is to find the Art Directors and Art Buyers that really "get" your style, and the right projects will follow. >> See more work from Shane Harrison >> See other member spotlights on the member spotlight index >> Find out more on how to become an altpick.com member |
