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joe baglow
Self dubbed 'Essex Boy' Joe Baglow has achieved much in his fledgling career as a freelance illustrator since graduating from Camberwell last year. From drawing on trainers for Coca-Cola to finding an agent Joe tells it how it is:
When did you discover you wanted to be an illustrator?
I was always in the art department at school and took a graphics course when at college in Southend. My tutor at the time told me there was more work in graphics which is why I favoured that over illustration at the time. It was while at Camberwell that it became clear that my work was better suited to illustration.
What have you been doing since graduation?
I did an internship with a company called Intelligent Creative as a designer and have worked on a small number of freelance jobs. The highlights are drawing on shoes for Coca-Cola, creating a t-shirt for Lazy Oaf and making illustrations for Luke Jackson's music video which was shown as part of the onedotzero 'Adventures in Motion' festival.
Wow! Coca-Cola, how did that come about?
I am not entirely sure. It was the last day of my internship and I got an email through at 3 o'clock on Friday from Coca-Cola asking to see my portfolio. I think an art director must have seen my work on a blog and contacted me through there. I had a meeting with the client the following Monday morning!
What was it like working for such a huge client?
The art director I worked with was a really good guy. They gave me 12 pairs of Converse trainers and asked me to personalise them as they were to be gifts for the various heads of department at Coke. I was given basic information about each person: favourite colour, favourite band etc. and asked to turn them around in three days. It was scary drawing directly on the shoes and it put a lot of pressure on my illustration skills but it a great feeling when they were all done. The only downside is that no one other than the people receiving the trainers got to see the finished artwork.
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You've recently signed with illustration agency Phosphor Art. How did you go about getting representation?
I was quite lucky really. I was working as a waiter at Canteen in Waterloo and a customer noticed paint on my hands. They asked me to explain and I told them I was an artist. We started talking and it just so happened they were an illustration agent! After going to her office and showing my work she agreed to get me on her books.
How were you promoting yourself before taking the agent route?
I leant how to put together a basic website when I was doing work experience while still at college, so I have a portfolio site as well as a blog which I publish using Blogspot. I've always tried to get my work featured on other illustration blogs such as It's Nice That and Many Stuff and was sending mail outs to different companies. I still send emails to my list of contacts once every couple of months to ask if they know of any work.
You have a unique drawing style. Have you always been conscious of developing your own visual language to stand out from the crowd as a freelancer?
I think I was aware of developing a visual language while on the FdA but it became more apparent to me once I started on the BA illustration course and it is still something I am trying to develop. I think finding a way to define yourself against the how-ever-many other illustrators that already exist is definitely on the top of my agenda.
How do you stay motivated?
Experimentation, not always churning out the same type of drawings and collaborating with others often gives a fresh face to the way you see your work. I enjoy going to comedy nights at The Cave over in Finsbury Park and use it to inspire the humour in my own work. I have also started going around friends' houses to draw as a change of scenery gets me away from the daily routine of making work in my bedroom. The goal is to get a studio once I can justify it by bringing in enough revenue.
Were you looking for paid illustration work whilst still at college?
Yeah always. I would be constantly asking my tutors if they knew of any freelance work. I worked on a children's book for a friend of one of my tutor during the first year and a bit of my Fda at Camberwell. I put together a portfolio of work at the end of my Fda which I maintained throughout my BA which helped when looking for work. I treated freelancing as a part-time job while studying, and tried to combine a brief from my course with a freelance job but it didn't work out.
Finally, do you have any advice for those trying to get a head-start before graduating?
Try and get as many contacts as you can whilst still at college. It really is who you know - that old chestnut. I've found people are much more willing to help a student than a graduate especially when it comes to internships. Also talk to as many people as you can about what you're
doing.