What Makes You an Illustrator?

It's one thing to be able to draw with accuracy and in a representational way - but quite another to turn your skills to those of an illustrator.  How do you start?

Well - that's just where I am at right now...
I'm learning that it is most important to continue to draw, draw, draw - because out of practise develops two skills:

• a 'store' inside your head and hand of pictures of things and how they work visually
• a 'signature' - a way of working that can be recognised as yours 

  

I fear I am yet to discover mine!! - I seem to have several different ways of drawing, all of which I enjoy.  Unfortunately for me - and maybe you too? - I think agents and publishers like to be able to rely on a consistency of style; then they know what they're dealing with and what to expect.

I have thought about having a number of different portfolios; one for each 'style' as it were... but then - do you find this? - when I try to categorise my illustrations, designs and artwork - stuff doesn't seem to 'fit'!

Over the next few weeks I plan to attampt to collect together two or three groups of around ten to fifteen pieces of artwork that 'speak the same language' - and in doing so, there will be gaps... Join me as I set myself tasks to fill those gaps.  I will complete images to:

  1 Illustrate an existing poem - maybe an Edward Lear nonsense poem (no copyright!)?
  2 Illustrate an existing article from a magazine and
  3 Map out the idea for a simple children's picture book - with two finished Illustrations and pages of pencil drawings...