Lucy Davey has 3 more beautiful book jackets to add to her ever growing list of commissioned covers. Here are the first 3 in the Maria Lang’s series she’s working on, out now. We’re loving her clever use of composition and her trademark stunning colour palette. Lucy Davey is represented by the Artworks
Daniela Terrazzini was asked to illustrate the website and promotional material for this years festival ‘Folk by the Oak’. The festival celebrates the best of folk music in the stunning grounds of Hatfield House. Daniela’s illustrations draw on the natural beauty of the setting as well as the musical elements involved in the folk music. Daniela’s ability to create intricate illustrations incorporating various subject matter, however subtly it is required, made her the perfect choice of illustrator. If you’re interested in tickets you can book online at https://www.folkbytheoak.com/
The Artworks are delighted to introduce the latest new talent to join their roster of artists, Laurindo Feliciano. Laurindo was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He has lived and worked in Paris since 2003. Before the start of his Illustration career he worked as an architect and designer. Inspired by his own collection of vintage books, magazines, postcards and letters, he has created an impressive amount of beautiful illustration works over the years. All of his Illustrations and posters share a certain nostalgic flair and a great passion for surrealism. We are very excited to welcome him to The Artworks, and can’t wait to see what he does next!
Bert and Winnie are Thomas Flintham's super brother and sister duo for Bonkers World - the new kids' magazine for Best Western Hotels Kids' Club. The children's motto is Discover & Explore, which is exactly what they do with the help of their loveable sidekick, Gordon the Hamster. Each issue finds the trio in different locations seeking adventure and getting into high jinx with a random assortment of characters along the way. There are plenty of puzzles, activities, facts and fun throughout - mazes, dot-to-dots, riddles, competitions, quizzes and even recipes. Thomas Flinthamis represented by Arena
As part of a one man show exhibiting Simon Bartram's artwork, The Illustration Cupboard will be hosting a Family Day on Saturday 27th April at 2.30pm. This is a great opportunity to meet Simon, creator of the popular books about Bob, Man on the Moon, who will be reading and signing - the Arena team would love to see you.
The Art of Simon Bartram show will be on from 24th April to 12th May at the Illustration Cupboard, 22 Bury Street, London SW1Y 6AL.
Alex T Smith's exciting new picture book 'Primrose', is published by Scholastic this month. Primrose is a princess who just wants to have fun but the King tells her off for climbing trees and the Queen shrieks when she catches her jumping on the bed with Percy the pug. She isn't allowed to dig in the garden or cook cakes in the kitchen, her life is boring, boring, boring! This is until Grandmama comes for a visit and reminds everyone in the royal household how important it is to have some belly-laughs. This book is very pink, feisty and a lot of fun - it's available in hardback, paperback and the ebook is narrated by Lucy Porter through Me Books. Alex T Smith is represented by Arena
Lucy Truman was commissioned by Weight Watchers to create this stunning image for their magazine. Lucy's beautiful artworks are renowned for striking the fine balance between aspirational and achievable. Lucy Truman is represented by New Division
‘BB Blogger’ is Gavin Reece’s latest creation for Undiz. Taking inspiration from social media and Pop Art, this fabulous campaign is live now. Gavin’s artwork is being used across social media, direct mail, press and in-store. Gavin Reece is represented by New Division
This month we have the pleasure to talk to Lucy, Steph and Alex, the girls behind the success of the boutique agency "The Artworks"
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Please give a short summary of your company history and provide a bit of information about yourself and how you got into the business?
The Artworks is a long established agency founded in 1983. Current agents are Lucy Scherer, Stephanie Alexander-Jinks and Alex Gardner. Lucy came into the business through publishing and law, Stephanie through illustration and PR and Alex through illustration. We all have very different skills which when combined make the perfect team for any artist looking for representation. The Artworks is a very small agency and always has been. This is a deliberate thing, it’s like a family, and we are very close to our artists some of whom have been with us since the agency started. We are very focused on the future at this agency, either with the direction of our existing and established artists or seeking out the new talent fresh from college through our Startworks programme.
How would you describe your day-to-day role as an illustrators’ agent?
It starts early with a cup of tea and a chat about what we know is happening in the day. We do all of our website promotion and social networking in-house so there is a lot of that to keep on top of now. There is always a lot going on and the momentum of work is kept at a high pace because the phone is always ringing with new jobs or emails coming in so we have to be ready for that too. We speak to all of our artists all the time either on the phone Skype or email whichever they prefer. Many of them live locally so they come in for meetings about their work and what direction they want to go in and sometimes just to say hello.
What are the commercial advantages for artists represented by your agency?
We have long-standing relationships with clients across all areas, this means that we can support our artists in any direction they would like to go and advise them of how to get into areas they might not have considered. There are many examples of this where by working on their folios with them and expanding their diversity our artists have been extremely successful in areas they might never have tried. Our clients trust our opinion so if we have faith in our artists they do too. Being with a small agency like ours means you get noticed and you are not competing with others who work similarly to you. It’s a rule of ours that we don’t take on artists that clash with existing ones. It’s tough enough as it is out there!
What are the benefits of networking within the wider artistic community?
Feeling part of something is very important, as unless you are with an agency or work in a studio it can be a very lonely business. It’s also crucial to know what is happening in the industry too so an artist can be sure that they are doing the very best for their career.
We would never encourage our artists to follow trends as such, rather to make sure that they are in fact the “trendsetters”.
How do you help your artists to recognise their market and help them adapt to new ones?
We have regular meetings and if necessary we set them projects to allow us to break them into markets they would like to try. The relationships with our clients is the key though and they allow us to work with them in order to help our artists break into those markets. Our artists have a great reputation so it makes things a lot easier.
Daniela Terrazzini, private view of Foyle’s exhibition ‘Life of a Picture’ 2013
What do you consider is the main role and responsibilities of the illustrators you represent to help you to build their career?
Professionalism, keeping their work fresh and making sure they stay in control of their style and not allowing it to become diluted. Never take anything for granted and stay positive and enjoy it.
What advice would you give to an illustrator looking for an agent?
Do lots of research as there are so many brilliant ones and they are all so different. Take a look at the kind of work they do and choose one that you think fits with your work. The more research you do the more likely you will find an agent that wants to find you!
Ian Whadcock was commissioned to produce an illustration about creating a good working culture for RBS.
The image is comprised of many elements, incorporating subjects such as sustainability, trust and community, cleverly woven together.