Eric's Blog
: Everyone has being saying illustration is dying since it's
hay day in the 40's and 50's but were still here, why do you think that is?
There are still jobs to be illustrated. The commercial world is saturated with them.
But the budgets aren’t what they use to be. As for publishing ie books /magazines there are not as many illustrations “super stars” ie Wyeth, Rockwell etc.
Some people will settle for a quick photoshop filtered piece of art and pay next to nothing rather than pay more and get an outstanding piece of work.
It seems there are more and more illustration students graduating every year.
Yet, it’s as competitive as ever, perhaps more so and only a handful of people graduating will actually become professional illustrators.
Or at least that’s how it appears to be.
: Composition seems to be a big aspect in your work,
how do you approach that (bleak) blank canvas?
Thumbnails and sketches. I try to work out all the compositional issues at a small scale. And fill in the details after everything “feels right”.
: I find music to be central to giving me the energy and drive to create a piece of art work, is this true for you and what are your favourite bands?
I’ve noticed there are certain types of audio that don’t mix well at certain points of creating a piece of art.
Audio books, npr, etc don’t mix in the beginning stages because I’m figuring stuff out. Once everything is figured out I kind of go into auto pilot.
Music is good at any stage but everything gets old after a while and it’s good to switch up.
I like a lot of hip hop and r&b Wu Tang, Outkast, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott are a few. 80’s music is great
: What piece of work are you most proud of and why?
I don’t think I have one. My paintings from the passed year and a half feel pretty good. Some of my faves are “Beyond the Past” , “Apart from Falling” , “Allure”, “Languish” Not sure why.
There’s a certain mood that was captured.
An agent can be very beneficial. Promoting yourself is just as important as building up your portfolio and it takes a lot of time and energy.
Agents can help with this.
Though they are not necessary.
Sometimes pooling energy and money with other artists can be just as good.
: What compromises have to be made when selling your work?
Since entering into the gallery scene I’ve dropped the price on my work.
But it was a necessary to help sell the work and start to build up my collector base.
Prices still aren’t where I would like them but they are rising slowly.
Which is fine by me. I don’t want to be a flash in the pan. I’d rather pinch pennies now in hopes that I’ll be able to produce what I want with decent prices a few years down the road.
: Top three tips for the budding artist?
Worth ethic is mandatory.
Work on your portfolio.
Always quality over quantity.
Work on promoting yourself. And learn to live within your means. You never know when you’re going to have a dry spell. So always have a decent cushion of funds to get you through a dry spell.
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