The first month of 2020 is over so I thought I would give you guys an update on what I’m up to as my work focus has changed slightly this year. From July 2018 through to Christmas last year my main goal on top of client work was to develop my drawing style and improve my skill with a pen. Im always looking to improve as an artist and illustrator but at the start of that period I knew I had been half-assing a lot of my drawing. I’d take the easy option, change subject because I found it easier to draw or not push my mark making as far as I should because it saved time. A lot of the work I produced in the last year and a half I rank as some of my best, there was some not so good as well but I’m very pleased with where my work has got to.
Over Christmas and New Year I knew I wanted to get back to my studio and hit the ground running, but not by just working on the same things. I wanted to take what I’d learned and start making physical products and prints, which I hadn’t done since I was based in York. I love working from home but the one major downside is I don’t have a print studio like I did in York. I tried a very basic screen print set up at home but it just wasn’t working so it just got put on the back burner and before I knew it 4 years had passed and an income stream had gone. This year I’m specifically creating illustrations that i can apply to products and create prints from.
Most if not all of the designs will be based off albums i like. Im hoping to create at least one new illustration a month. In January I created my first and it is inspired by the album And Out Come The Wolves by Rancid. Im really pleased with the finished illustration especially after the abysmal end to the year I had last year, where I had no motivation and a shitty part time job. Due to still having the same printing constraints the designs will only be available through Threadless at richbanksart.threadless.com. I am in discussions with a company to sell my work through them but they understandably need to see further work before committing and I don’t want to send them old examples as my work has developed so much. Last week I started my second design of the year which is inspired by the album Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes by Propagandhi. This will be finished before the end of the month and added to my Threadless store.
I have been keeping up with my design work for clients, which is very different to my illustration, mostly flyers, labels and posters. I also created a bit of design work for Freelance Heroes blood donation campaign. You can find more information on the campaign on there blog which can be found here https://freelance-heroes.com/freelance-heroes-launches-blood-donation-campaign/ I do have space to take on more work so if you require any graphic design work then please get in touch either through my website or social media. Im also selling some of the work I have created in the last year, so if there is anything that has caught your eye then get in touch.
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