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Biography:
My name is Jillian Tamaki, I'm a Canadian illustrator living
in Brooklyn, New York. I graduated from the Alberta College
of Art and Design in Calgary in 2003 with a Bachelor of
Design. I do mostly editorial illustration for magazines
and newspapers with some dabbling in comics.
Website:
jilliantamaki.com
How did you get started in the
illustration field?
My school did a good job of preparing us and our student
portfolios. Upon graduation, I was lucky to meet some very
supportive designers who gave me some great jobs and enabled
me to build up my professional portfolio. I worked at a
video game company in Edmonton, Alberta, doing texturing
and character work, while freelancing during (all of) my
free time. Basically, I worked my day job until I had built
up enough clients to allow me to freelance fulltime, which
I started doing in early 2005. |
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How did you find
your style? Has it changed since you started?
I think that setting out to "find a style" is
sort of pointless and limiting. As students, we were very
much encouraged to develop our basics, experiment with media
and not "lock" ourselves into finding a "marketable
style". It was through this process that I realized
that what I enjoy most is the process of drawing, which
I have tried (and struggled!) to keep my focus for years
now. I think my "style" is an evolving thing,
as I try to improve my drawing skills while staying loose,
minimizing reliance on the computer, and resisting the urge
to "overpolish"–the warts are what make
the drawings interesting!
What
is your process when working with clients? Can you run us
through a typical job?
Typically, the art director will contact me with the story
and other details (size, budget, deadline, etc). If the
story interests me and I have the time, I accept the job
and proceed to the sketch process. I will usually do at
least 2 sketches, usually 3, sometimes more. It's can be
a tricky balance... trying to deliver what the client wants,
but trying to make sure you'll enjoy doing the final (and
hopefully get a portfolio piece out of it). Sometimes the
latter is not always possible. |
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What is your creation
process (start with sketches, etc…)?
For my editorial projects, if I'm not familiar with the
subject matter, I'll do some quick research online. Sometimes
searching a subject in google image search or corbis can
spring up ideas that wouldn't have occurred to me otherwise.
I'll do the same thing with portraits. If I'm lucky, an
illustration concept comes to me very quickly and naturally,
but sometimes it takes a little more hammering out. But
80% of the time, the Art Director usually chooses the first
idea I came up with. |
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How do you market/promote
your work?
An online portfolio is a must. As for as self-promotion,
I send out 4x6 postcards every 5 months or so. I'm not as
diligent as I should be, though!
Do
you have a rep? Why/why not?
I don't have a rep. I considered getting one, but ultimately
decided that I was doing alright so far without one: I don't
mind doing the promotion and I like not having to giving
a cut to anyone. I think certain people can very much benefit
from having a rep, though. It really depends on your personality
and goals. I think reps can reach certain segments of the
industry that would be hard to crack otherwise. Publishing
or advertising, for example. |
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What was one of
your favorite assignments?
My favourite assignments are those where I am hired for
what I do, and I am given a lot of freedom. The best illustrations
are always the result of collaborations with art directors
who aren't afraid to take risks or stray from the really
literal solutions. I find that I am sometimes asked to execute
already-conceived ideas, which can sometimes make you feel
like "hired hands". The art director is entitled
to hire you to simply "do this idea in your style",
but the joy of illustration is always in the collaboration
and self-expression. Usually, the final illustration itself
evidences this joy and life (or lack thereof). That's been
the case in my experience, at least.
What
is the best part about what you do?
I really enjoy collaborating with art directors and learning
things through reading all the articles! And of course I
love seeing published work. Who doesn't? The "breakthroughs"
one occasionally makes all make it worthwhile too. |
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Describe your work
setting.
I have a studio-room in our apartment. I try to keep it
orderly, but I think I need more storage and shelving. I
listen to a LOT of Canadian public radio. My little grey
cat, Gretel, keeps me company. People sometimes ask how
I can stand working in my house, but since I've never had
an outside studio, I don't know any better!
Do you have side projects you work on?
At the moment, the side-projects have become main-projects
of sorts. I am working on two books: "Gilded Lilies",
a compilation of comics, drawings, and illustrations, and
"Skim", the graphic-novel adaptation of a short
comic that I and my writer-cousin Mariko Tamaki made last
year.
How do you maintain
balance in your life between work and play?
It can be tempting to work all_the_time, and feel guilty
if you're not! I try to keep in mind that life provides
the inspiration for creativity. A day in the museum or a
walk around New York City can do wonders for one's motivation.
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Do you ever have
creative slumps? What do you do then?
Of course! At that point you feel totally unskilled and
that everything you have produced thus far is crap. I think
most artistic people can empathize! I think sometimes it's
beneficial to step away from your work. I think it's also
good to have a healthy attitude towards your sketchbook...
it's a place where work should be crazy, lucid, experimental,
and unselfconscious. Sometime that helps you push through
those blocks.
What do you
do for fun/when you're not working?
I love vegetarian cooking, reading, watching movies, and
going to museums. I don't have a ton of free time, but I
try to run every other day. I think it's useful for my focus!
What has been inspiring you lately?
I recently took a silkscreening course at the School of
Visual Arts. Experimenting with that process was fascinating.
I gave me a lot more insight into a lot of the printmaking
arts I had been interested in before... specifically Japanese
woodblock printing and some Inuit graphic arts.
Any advice for others who are pursuing
creative goals?
Look beyond your peers for inspiration. And self-promote.
No one will hire you if they don't know you exist!
Thank you very much, Jillian! |
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