Meeting Alex was very interesting. She confirmed a lot of what I had already researched about the illustration industry. This is reassuring because the industry develops very fast and is in a state of flux at the moment, so to know that what I had found out was indeed correct and up-to-date within the UK industry was reassuring and useful.
She also helped to solidify the importance of mark-making in creative practice. Throughout Unit 3 I had learnt a lot of interesting design techniques, but talks with Alex confirmed the importance of what I am currently working on – mark-making. Although I also have continued studying composition and tone, the main focus so far has been the aesthetic of my art direction for the podcast, and the finer details of mark making for it. Alex emphasised the importance of this, talking about her agency’s newest member, specifically chosen for her unique mark making, Claire Harrup (below).

A new development I have come across is the similarity between ‘rendering’ and mark-making. A rendered image is one in which the mark-making is fully actualised to either represent or abstract the subject. The simplest (not easiest) way to ‘finish’ or ‘render’ an image is to complete it photo-realistically- exactly copying the edges, tones, and proportions. This only requires following the information of a reference/ application of physical laws. The issue I am coming up against is not fully committing to a technique of mark-making in ‘rendering’ (representing or abstracting) my work.
This all might seem a bit obvious but for me the defining of the decisiveness or ‘confidence’ of mark-making is something key I have been missing in approaching rendering my artworks.

TL;DR for future me, the ‘confidence’ in illustrating a subject that makes beautiful illustrations is the knowledge of how you wish to create the marks to represent or abstract it, and *then* doing them. Which, as you may have guessed, is easier said than done. However, it’s also easier done once said?