Tell us about how you became a professional illustrator?
I originally come from a graphic design background and worked as a designer for about seven years before shifting into illustration. I was doing vector illustration on the side just for fun and experimentation. When I started getting commissions from paying clients I realized I might have something going for me…

Please take us through your creative process in detail?
I am not as heavily reliant on sketchbooks as much as some artists are but when I do use one, I love the Moleskine because of its small, convenient size. Depending on who is doing the commission — generally the paying client already has an idea in mind and preliminary visual that they would like me to work with. When doing more personal work, it’s a bit more difficult when left with a more vast catalog of concepts and images to choose from. You feel like a kid in a candy store — but the concept does eventually become better clarified. Sometimes I have a whole list of concepts that I would like to illustrate and just leave on the shelf until I have some spare time later.

I sometimes start out with sketches but if I am short on time I will go directly to the computer and gather imagery that I would like to reference and draw from, either from my own catalog of images and photographs, or other public domain photos. I work first in Illustrator — creating the vector imagery which reflects a lot more of my earlier style. The vector work is still very popular right now, and clients like it because of the relatively small file size — this makes electronic transfers on tight deadlines nice and quick.

But when we are talking about a full process — I take my vector illustrations and break them down into basic black and white line work and color separations very similar to what you would see when you make screen prints, or when you are working with an offset printer. The ideal would be to be able to take these separations and experiment with a screen printer — my long term goal is to have my own screen printing studio space — but an effective substitute for me for the time being has been taking black and white laser prints and adding distress effects with a photocopier. Any photocopier will do — the older and junkier, the better. I then take the photocopies and scan them into Photoshop as masks. I work a lot with masking in photoshop — again adding textures and experimenting with the layer mode and possible transparency levels. At this point, I sometimes add in collaged pieces from a catalog of textures that I have on hand already and collect in my spare time — aged surfaces, paint spatters, objects, and so on.

Do you find the process of creating an illustration enjoyable or does all the satisfaction come from the final piece?
I find doing complex vector illustration to actually be soothing and almost meditative when I really get going. When I’m working in the distress and collage stage, I start getting itchy and eager to see the final product, though. I’ve learned over time that when it comes to detail and making something look good, there are no shortcuts!

How important has having your own website been in gaining opportunities?
I probably wouldn’t have gone into illustration if it wasn’t for having my own website to showcase my work. People manage to find you somehow, and it does pay off. It’s important to keep the site updated regularly, though.

Did you build your website yourself or employ the services of a web designer?
I built it myself. My design background did involve doing some web work and I think part of me will always be keenly interested in the motion aspect of graphics — so I do try to keep my finger in the Flash pie.

What are your reasons for keeping a blog? Has it created any new opportunities for you?
Keeping a blog adds more of an interactive, “community” element to the news you put out there. People can comment on whatever news you have to share, and with a blog community it is easier for you to keep tabs on what your colleagues are doing as well. It adds a feeling of being “current” that is very important when maintaining a website.

How helpful was being part of the Computer Arts Graduate showcase in gaining more exposure, did any opportunities come out of that?
It was a tremendous honor being a part of the showcase — and it did present some opportunities that I am grateful for. I think overall it does help open doors for you — people are more likely to give your work a second look if you have received this kind of recognition.

What is the most effective thing you have done to gain your work more exposure?
The first obvious thing that came to mind was having my own website, because that usually is the focal point of your promotional work, and there are no physical or geographical boundaries as far as who can see your work, and it’s easy to just send an email or link to someone saying “check this out”. But I’m a bit nervous when I say all this because it really takes a lot more than just having a website to give your work enough exposure in order to gain clientele and pay the bills on a regular basis. The most important thing at the end of the day is constant legwork, plain and simple. Phone calls, portfolio drops, networking, community involvement, entering competitions, et cetera.

What type of assignments do you like the best? What was your best ever job?
As far as personal work goes, the “Box of Tricks” series of works I did when I got my MA was really enjoyable because it was completely self-directed and it is something I can continue with because the London Hippodrome (the focus of this project) is a box of tricks in itself, with a vast amount of history, themes and imagery to work from.

It’s difficult for me to pick just ONE commercial job, though — this spring I’ve done a couple of wonderful pieces for some magazines — one in particular was a recent illustration for an article in Marie Claire magazine, and I was so happy with how it turned it, it was really fun to do, and I got paid for it on top of it all. I really enjoy working with things like travel, fashion, and simple pleasures in life like coffee and chocolate. I guess I have a soft spot for “girly” stuff — which is funny because I’m more of a tomboy than a so-called “girly girl.” I guess it’s my way of escaping into a world of glamor and fashion, because in reality I’m a simple person, and anything but glamorous and fashionable. In the long term I do want to have a certain amount of versatility in what I do, however — in addition to working in fashion and leisure I am interested in playing around with editorial work — touching on pop culture, whimsical humor, oddities and esoteric themes.

How much do you get paid per assignment?
The price of a job really depends on client budget and the level of circulation and exposure the work is going to have. For example, if you’re just doing a quarter page illustration for a small regional magazine, it isn’t going to pay as much as an illustration that is going to be on a product that is sold internationally. If anyone is unsure of pricing, I highly recommend getting the the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. The book is not only tremendously helpful not just with pricing, but it also an excellent resource for business advice, gives examples of invoices and contracts, and covers additional contract and copyright issues.

Where can people see more of your work and find out more about you?

www.susanburghart.com

www.myspace.com/susanburghart

My agent, CIA and Bernstein & Andriulli:
www.centralillustration.com/
www.ba-reps.com/

www.theispot.com
susanburghart.deviantart.com

www.designtaxi.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 5:34 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.