Creative Process: Artist 2 Laura Darling
I approached the illustrator Laura Darling. I actually was at school with Laura. She was always artistic and I have watched her since then develop her own style and career path. I approached her as she is an illustrator and I had never really spoke to many of those. I wanted to find out how she got to where she did and what drives her.
Through the years I have watched her grow herself through social media and working in groups and workshops. And I have admired her self made ability. It was also a great chance to connect and gather advice on how to involve myself in these activities as a an artist.
The interview via email starts below.
Through the years I have watched her grow herself through social media and working in groups and workshops. And I have admired her self made ability. It was also a great chance to connect and gather advice on how to involve myself in these activities as a an artist.
The interview via email starts below.
Where did you study?
Edinburgh College of Art. BA(Hons) Visual Communication (specialising in illustration) 2003-2007.
I returned to do an MA in Illustration in 2013-14.
Is illustration something you have always been interested in? Or was there a light bulb moment?
I always wanted to be an illustrator, always loved drawing and writing.
How long did it take for you to develop your style? Who are your biggest inspirations?
My illustrations have looked different in different stages and I try not to think too much about it now. Trying to force a style can slow down the idea process.
My inspirations are Quentin Blake and Ralph Steadman.
How often do you create work fuelled by your own desire to make? Like personal work?
Not often, right now. Although I have taken the plunge to go fully freelance and am hoping to make more work for myself this year.
Do you use this work to approach jobs or galleries are you more likely to be commissioned based on previous work?
My commissions come from applying for projects I've seen advertised, people discovering my work on Instagram, recommendations from clients to other clients, and commissions from people I've previously worked with.
How much of your work is commission based? What kind of process does that entail?
All of it. A client will ask if I am interested in a project and requests and estimate. I get as much detail about the project and ask what their budget is, if they have one. A lot of the time they don't know. I work out how many hours It would take and come up with a price (more for designed based work). I submit my estimate, outlining how many hours each part of the project would take and give a timeline. They agree and I get on with the job!
In other cases the people give me a budget upfront and I plan the project accordingly.
Do you keep a regular sketchbook?
I say I do, but I've been a bit lax lately. I'm happiest when I'm using a sketchbook for observational drawing. Right now it's full of lists and plans. Which are vital but definitely also a form of procrastination for me.
What initially attracted you to living and working in Dundee?
I like the size of Dundee, and it's position. Having lived in the Borders and studied in Edinburgh, Dundee offers me the things I like about both places. It's small enough that you could bump into people you know, but big enough that you can have your own space and privacy. I love walking to the top of the Law and looking across the water. The views are lovely and you can understand where you are geographically.
I have seen loads of the projects, like the open/close and Re-information. you have been doing in and around Dundee. I really love that the city is attracting more art and culture.
Do you get approached by these projects or do you tend to apply? Was it a case of building a reputation? What kind of process does this involve?
Open/Close, I applies. Re-information, they got in touch knowing that I had done the Open/Close project. It's hugely valuable to make connections with people are doing projects you admire/find exciting. I work freelance at McManus Galleries as part of the Creative Learning Team, and at Dundee international Women's Centre in an admin role. Working with organisations that work with community groups in a creative way is a fantastic way to make connections in your city/town.
Once in the project where does your process begin? How much freedom are you given?
I fill a sketchbook with ideas, plans and drawings. It depends on the project how much freedom there is. I prefer to have more constraints to be honest, usually if someone gives me 'free reign' it means they don't have a clue what they want/have never worked with an illustrator before. That can be lead to loads of revisions and the project dragging on.
How of do you find working with other people as a collaboration or do you prefer to work on solo projects?
As an illustrator there's usually collaboration in some respect, with the client your working with. I love working with graphic designer, or rather, handing my work over for them to elevate it and add text etc. Inexperienced clients tend not to know the difference between a graphic designer and an illustrator, and often I end up doing the design as well. I have learned to charge more in this case.
You also work to offer people an artistic outlet in workshops which is something I would love to do! How did you get into that? Is it mainly working in an organisation or setting up your own events? Do you enjoy working at the V&A and setting up workshops there?
Working with an organisation is your best way into this, as you can learn from experts and work with an existing audience. While I was doing my MA I made a list of the place I would like to work and emailed them asking if I could do a residency. McManus gave me the confidence to run my own workshop at Forgan Arts Centre, and the experience and contacts I've gained has to led to work in the community centres, schools, and now the V&A. The V&A is great because it focuses specifically on design.
Your work varies so much it's almost hard for me to pin point what your main body of work is driven by, but your recent work Patterns of Migration and involvement in the Dundee women's festival tell me a chunk of your work is inspired by social issues and the rights of other. Was this something that just occurred over time or has it always been there waiting to come out in your work?
This was something I was resisting. Prior to working at DIWC I was not socially aware or interested in politics. I actively avoided it in my work in fact, as I always just wanted to make people laugh, and forget about how horrible the world can be. But three years of listening to stories of serious social isolation, girls being denied education, friends facing racism and islamophobia. I couldn't ignore it anymore. I'm a better (if sadder) person for having worked at DIWC, and I wanted to share these stories in an engaging way.
What is your favourite moment of your career so far? And if you could go back and change anything in your career what would it be?
There are a few moments, but a memorable one is when I applied for a well paid commission just after finishing my MA, and I got it. The people had never met me, and they had a lot of applications, so it felt great that they chose me based on my work alone. It gave me confidence that I had made the right decision to go for it as an illustrator.
Looking back over your years as a working artist is there any advice you would give to an aspiring illustrator/artist?
The people around you are SO important. I didn't appreciate this when I finished my undergrad. Make contact with organisations you want to work at. Ask for volunteering opportunities to get your foot in the door. Ask to come in and meet them face to face. Come up with ideas specifically for places you like, they may not come to fruition but you might meet someone who is in a position to commission you. Tell people what you do, and if that's difficult, carry around small examples of your work to show people when the topic comes up. Stay in touch with people, even if they don't reply. A wee email with your latest website update is all you need. Make work you love, and find others who love it too.
Lastly, How do you think social media affected your creative process if at all? Do you find sharing part of your process helpful? Feedback wise?
I think it is important to have a professional presence on social media, and I have got work as a result of someone seeing a post on Instagram. I personally don't upload things all the time, but if I have done a piece of work I'm pleased with I'll share it. Work progress is a nice thing to share as well. I think if you enjoy social media then for it, but you can be a successful creative practitioner without it. There's a danger in becoming obsessed with how many likes you get, wasting hours online that would be better spent making work, visiting exhibitions, watching a film, reading a book meeting someone face to face. Stuff that will genuinely feed into your practice.
I like how Laura talks about developing a style, which really resonates with me. I'm still developing my own in my collage and I try not to force it. I tried to do it in my Graded Unit and realised where my strengths laid and worked to develop that further and to the brief. And not force a style which I couldn't do my best with. Not within the limitations of the timeline we had.
Her answers are competent and she really has established herself and knows what she does. It's always a learning curve but she has made a working life for herself in Dundee and I envy the opportunities a place like that offers. Her description of Dundee is quite accurate. Places like there and Aberdeen are giving creatives the opportunities to get out there.
Her creative process is established and she knows how to approach different projects, while getting her name out there for those different projects. Following her work on social media is both interesting and inspiring. I would love to get involved in groups and collectives like the Edinburgh Collage Club. Her advice about this is invaluable to someone still studying and developing who they are as an artist. What story they want to tell
I returned to do an MA in Illustration in 2013-14.
Is illustration something you have always been interested in? Or was there a light bulb moment?
I always wanted to be an illustrator, always loved drawing and writing.
How long did it take for you to develop your style? Who are your biggest inspirations?
My illustrations have looked different in different stages and I try not to think too much about it now. Trying to force a style can slow down the idea process.
My inspirations are Quentin Blake and Ralph Steadman.
How often do you create work fuelled by your own desire to make? Like personal work?
Not often, right now. Although I have taken the plunge to go fully freelance and am hoping to make more work for myself this year.
Do you use this work to approach jobs or galleries are you more likely to be commissioned based on previous work?
My commissions come from applying for projects I've seen advertised, people discovering my work on Instagram, recommendations from clients to other clients, and commissions from people I've previously worked with.
How much of your work is commission based? What kind of process does that entail?
All of it. A client will ask if I am interested in a project and requests and estimate. I get as much detail about the project and ask what their budget is, if they have one. A lot of the time they don't know. I work out how many hours It would take and come up with a price (more for designed based work). I submit my estimate, outlining how many hours each part of the project would take and give a timeline. They agree and I get on with the job!
In other cases the people give me a budget upfront and I plan the project accordingly.
Do you keep a regular sketchbook?
I say I do, but I've been a bit lax lately. I'm happiest when I'm using a sketchbook for observational drawing. Right now it's full of lists and plans. Which are vital but definitely also a form of procrastination for me.
What initially attracted you to living and working in Dundee?
I like the size of Dundee, and it's position. Having lived in the Borders and studied in Edinburgh, Dundee offers me the things I like about both places. It's small enough that you could bump into people you know, but big enough that you can have your own space and privacy. I love walking to the top of the Law and looking across the water. The views are lovely and you can understand where you are geographically.
I have seen loads of the projects, like the open/close and Re-information. you have been doing in and around Dundee. I really love that the city is attracting more art and culture.
Do you get approached by these projects or do you tend to apply? Was it a case of building a reputation? What kind of process does this involve?
Open/Close, I applies. Re-information, they got in touch knowing that I had done the Open/Close project. It's hugely valuable to make connections with people are doing projects you admire/find exciting. I work freelance at McManus Galleries as part of the Creative Learning Team, and at Dundee international Women's Centre in an admin role. Working with organisations that work with community groups in a creative way is a fantastic way to make connections in your city/town.
Once in the project where does your process begin? How much freedom are you given?
I fill a sketchbook with ideas, plans and drawings. It depends on the project how much freedom there is. I prefer to have more constraints to be honest, usually if someone gives me 'free reign' it means they don't have a clue what they want/have never worked with an illustrator before. That can be lead to loads of revisions and the project dragging on.
How of do you find working with other people as a collaboration or do you prefer to work on solo projects?
As an illustrator there's usually collaboration in some respect, with the client your working with. I love working with graphic designer, or rather, handing my work over for them to elevate it and add text etc. Inexperienced clients tend not to know the difference between a graphic designer and an illustrator, and often I end up doing the design as well. I have learned to charge more in this case.
You also work to offer people an artistic outlet in workshops which is something I would love to do! How did you get into that? Is it mainly working in an organisation or setting up your own events? Do you enjoy working at the V&A and setting up workshops there?
Working with an organisation is your best way into this, as you can learn from experts and work with an existing audience. While I was doing my MA I made a list of the place I would like to work and emailed them asking if I could do a residency. McManus gave me the confidence to run my own workshop at Forgan Arts Centre, and the experience and contacts I've gained has to led to work in the community centres, schools, and now the V&A. The V&A is great because it focuses specifically on design.
Your work varies so much it's almost hard for me to pin point what your main body of work is driven by, but your recent work Patterns of Migration and involvement in the Dundee women's festival tell me a chunk of your work is inspired by social issues and the rights of other. Was this something that just occurred over time or has it always been there waiting to come out in your work?
This was something I was resisting. Prior to working at DIWC I was not socially aware or interested in politics. I actively avoided it in my work in fact, as I always just wanted to make people laugh, and forget about how horrible the world can be. But three years of listening to stories of serious social isolation, girls being denied education, friends facing racism and islamophobia. I couldn't ignore it anymore. I'm a better (if sadder) person for having worked at DIWC, and I wanted to share these stories in an engaging way.
What is your favourite moment of your career so far? And if you could go back and change anything in your career what would it be?
There are a few moments, but a memorable one is when I applied for a well paid commission just after finishing my MA, and I got it. The people had never met me, and they had a lot of applications, so it felt great that they chose me based on my work alone. It gave me confidence that I had made the right decision to go for it as an illustrator.
Looking back over your years as a working artist is there any advice you would give to an aspiring illustrator/artist?
The people around you are SO important. I didn't appreciate this when I finished my undergrad. Make contact with organisations you want to work at. Ask for volunteering opportunities to get your foot in the door. Ask to come in and meet them face to face. Come up with ideas specifically for places you like, they may not come to fruition but you might meet someone who is in a position to commission you. Tell people what you do, and if that's difficult, carry around small examples of your work to show people when the topic comes up. Stay in touch with people, even if they don't reply. A wee email with your latest website update is all you need. Make work you love, and find others who love it too.
Lastly, How do you think social media affected your creative process if at all? Do you find sharing part of your process helpful? Feedback wise?
I think it is important to have a professional presence on social media, and I have got work as a result of someone seeing a post on Instagram. I personally don't upload things all the time, but if I have done a piece of work I'm pleased with I'll share it. Work progress is a nice thing to share as well. I think if you enjoy social media then for it, but you can be a successful creative practitioner without it. There's a danger in becoming obsessed with how many likes you get, wasting hours online that would be better spent making work, visiting exhibitions, watching a film, reading a book meeting someone face to face. Stuff that will genuinely feed into your practice.
I like how Laura talks about developing a style, which really resonates with me. I'm still developing my own in my collage and I try not to force it. I tried to do it in my Graded Unit and realised where my strengths laid and worked to develop that further and to the brief. And not force a style which I couldn't do my best with. Not within the limitations of the timeline we had.
Her answers are competent and she really has established herself and knows what she does. It's always a learning curve but she has made a working life for herself in Dundee and I envy the opportunities a place like that offers. Her description of Dundee is quite accurate. Places like there and Aberdeen are giving creatives the opportunities to get out there.
Her creative process is established and she knows how to approach different projects, while getting her name out there for those different projects. Following her work on social media is both interesting and inspiring. I would love to get involved in groups and collectives like the Edinburgh Collage Club. Her advice about this is invaluable to someone still studying and developing who they are as an artist. What story they want to tell
Great Lana, two good interviews for your Creative Process Unit, well done!
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