Notes & Major Points

Inside the Business of Illustration Steven Heller & Marshall Arisman

Part 2, Chapter 4: Authorship

ISBN: 9781581153866

CSULB Library Permalink: https://csu-lb.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_ULB/d7ul0l/alma991014861059702901

Heller, Steven, and Marshall Arisman. Inside the Business of Illustration. Allworth Press, 2004.

CHAPTER FOUR

Authorship

Authorship is not for every illustrator, but since it is a greater option today

than at any time in the recent past-and options are what illustrators need

most these days-it is definitely worth serious exploration.

There are many reasons for switching, at least in part, from being a

freelancer who solely produces spot (or even full page) illustrations to a

content provider who occasionally sells (or attempts to sell) original ideas.

The business of illustration has long relied on the supply and demand

principle-art directors demand and illustrators supply artwork-but in

recent years there has been a significant (albeit perhaps temporary) shift from

illustration to photography, typography, and other mixed media as main

visual components in the editorial and advertising fields. Therefore, it is

incumbent on the savvy illustrator to build (as those smooth-talking financial

analysts call it) a diversified portfolio. Not in the literal sense of a portfolio,

but your overall illustration practice should include both work produced

exclusively for clients as well as for yourself that can be turned into original

products. So while waiting for the telephone to ring with a job that may or

may not bring monetary and creative rewards, it is helpful (indeed necessary)

to develop self-generated projects that could be sold as books, posters, and all

manner of other entrepreneurial equity.

As discussed elsewhere in this book, authorship is not just the act of

writing. For in this desktop-publishing age, replete with "authoring

programs" galore, authorship is the act of producing, directing, and creating

an entire work rather than a piece thereof. Authorship (and its cousin

entrepreneurship) is a fairly broad practice. You can certainly collaborate

with writers, artists, and others and still be considered the prime author if the

work is original and not subordinate to another overall creative presence.

So how does an illustrator fit into this? There are many models, with

the most obvious and conventional example being a writer and illustrator of

children's books. There are many successful authors in this genre- Maurice

Sendak, Maira Kalman, Chris Van Allesburg, to name a few-who have

invented characters, stories, and entire fantasy worlds that have been made

into books and products. While this has not prevented any of them from also

doing freelance illustration, it has afforded them greater creative and financial

freedom to pick and choose the projects that they will accept.

And children's books are not the only authoring medium for

illustrators but a good jumping off point for an entrepreneurial practice. Toys

are perhaps a less obvious genre but equally viable. Richard McGuire, also a

children's book author and freelance illustrator, produced a line of toys for

children and adults in the eighties under the rubric McGuire Toys. Although

the toys enjoyed only moderate success, they led to other challenging and

rewarding projects including making films and music videos. And speaking

of toys in the eighties, Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi invented Zolo, a

postmodern Mr. Potato Head game/toy, which launched a very successful

entrepreneurial business devoted to toys, books, and other items. Similarly,

David Kirk, a toy designer turned illustrator turned toy designer again, spun

out a business from a passion for making beautiful objects that now includes

books, gifts, and films, all based on his distinct drawing style.

Animation is another authorial medium, and with the increased

demand for animated features in the post-Simpsons age and for television

series for Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, ABC, the Disney Channel, and

USA Networks. The opportunities are more accessible than ever before. A

great example is Gary Baseman, who started out as an editorial illustrator

(and continues whenever commissioned), and is now the executive producer

of Teacher's Pet, an ABC cartoon series and motion picture. The idea and the

character development were his own, which he parlayed into a career-altering

job and the potential for much more creative freedom. Other options

certainly exist that allow you to build on a foundation of illustration; you just

have to have the talent, foresight, and ingenuity to discover and exploit them.

Of course, just because you have a good idea does not automatically

mean it will be magically transformed into marketable product. But these

days, if you are smart about networking, marketing, and partnering, there are

many more potential outlets for self-generated products like the ones

mentioned above and others such as calendars, address books, and diaries.

You can browse through the Chronicle Gift Works catalog to find a wide

range of such "paper" products developed by illustrators and designers. John

Martinez, a former illustrator and designer, joined forces with his wife

Margaret, an art director, to create a line of cards and stationery that were so

successful that their cottage industry was bought by a larger paper products

business. This scenario is not unusual. Clever illustrators can wed talents and

obsessions into unique products that could realistically find an audience.

Authorship By Accident and Design So how does this authorship concept actually work? Of course, the word

"work" implies success, but before you can be successful, a little risk is

necessary. This does not mean a major financial burden or treacherous life

change, but the courage to announce, if only to yourself, that there are ideas

percolating inside that are worth bringing to the outside.

Some illustrators start to become authors by accident-by keeping a

sketchbook or sheath of scribbled pages on which nascent ideas slowly begin

to take form. This is not a remarkable revelation because all illustrators have

drawers full of notions-and if you do not, then our advice is to start

immediately! The next step is editing your raw ideas into potentially viable

concepts. Everyone is possessed with instinct about what might (or might not)

be workable (or saleable) beyond a small group of friends and relations, so use

that gift to make key decisions. Editing yourself is an art in itself that demands

focus on one or two gems that will doubtless require time to develop. Easy

enough so far, you say? It is not. A good concept may emerge after some trial

and error. A great concept will take longer. But a brilliant concept does not

come along everyday-or every year. So the key is to nurture those concepts

that are truly original and then fine-tune them to be viable.

The word "viable" is bandied about a lot in this chapter but there is

no single definition. Viability depends on many factors. The quality of the

concept is one, but ultimately fashion, style, and trend in the marketplace.

Also-and this is very important-the enthusiasm of the backer, producer, or

distributor determines whether potential exists. To make something viable

means to invest in the product on many levels. It is rarely enough to simply

throw a concept into the wind and hope it flies.

Once the concept is decided upon-say it is a book-then a good

presentation is necessary. These days some illustrators are also trained as

graphic designers and typographers, which is certainly beneficial toward the

development of "package." This package could involve anything from a

simple book design (cover, page format, type treatment) to a merchandising

plan. The former is fairly obvious but requires that you make aesthetic

decisions so the concept does not look like it was thrown together. The latter

is more complicated but decidedly more valuable. Book publishing, like other

retail businesses, determines success by the range of a project in the market. If

a book has the potential to be something else (ancillary products) its

profitability potential is markedly increased. Now, all this business jargon

should not be cause for alarm but instead should be a guidepost for how to

make authorship work best. So in addition to developing the concept of the

book into a dummy, you should try to find links to other things-again, toys,

diaries, games, etc. And once the presentation is together and looking good,

the next step is finding support-a Medici of sorts.

This Little Illustrator Went to Market There are a few common ways to accomplish this goal. The most simple is by

approaching a publisher (in the case of a book) or producer (in the case of a

film) or backer (in the case of other things) who might buy the product

outright. At this point you will be offered a payout, advance, or other

monetary remuneration, plus royalties or residuals if the product actually

sells. The means to approach these people is usually through an intermediary

(i.e., an agent or packager) but if you are tenacious it is possible to be your

own agent. Another approach is to become your own packaging company or

limited liability partnership (LLP) which still gives you the discretion to work

through an intermediary or not. In either case what you want to do is get

developed concepts into expert hands to determine whether the product is

indeed viable. But there is a third alternative-produce the product yourself.

Richard McGuire invested his own money to produce his Puzzlehead

and Go Fish toys, which he then manufactured himself. Most times, outside

investors are blind to concepts that are not tried and true and your

commitment to an idea must be tested in the marketplace. There are no

guarantees that a product will fare well, but if you want to see a concept

realized it is often worth the risk of self-production. The fact is that freelance

illustrators are already independent businesses with a distinct product-the

ability to draw, paint, sculpt, or collage. An investment has already been

made in terms of materials (these days a computer is essential) and, for some,

rent. So to invest even further in your talent is not such a stretch. Often

investments of this kind demand personal expenditure, but sometimes

backing in the form of loans will initially help get the product produced.

Whatever the means, the next step is getting it into the hands of consumers,

which suggests that the creator actually knows something about the audience.

Higashi and Glaser assumed that Zolo would be a product that savvy, design-

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conscious adults would buy for their young children, while McGuire reasoned

that as a perennial favorite, his Go Fish cards would appeal to children and

adults as well.

Of course, not all authorship demands such sophisticated

understanding. The fact is most artists become illustrators because they don't

want to be bothered with the pressures of marketing. So the bottom line for

such an author or entrepreneur is not expertise but passion. One has to feel

that what he has to offer, whether artistic, utilitarian, or a combination of the

two (applied art), is not only worth the effort to create and make it, but

imbued with enough value that someone else would want to pay for it.

Without that belief in yourself, the work that is produced lacks soul. While

evoking this s word puts authorial pursuit on an ethereal plane, ultimately

there is a difference between an artist who becomes an author or entrepreneur

and someone who simply goes into a cash-and-carry business. Whatever the

product, the artist/illustrator is creating work that is not only a commodity

but also a different kind of art. The self-generated work turned into a

marketable product is an extension of the impulse that brought you to

illustration in the first place.

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Talking about Authorship

HELLER: The MFA design program that I co-chair at the School of Visual

Arts is called "The Designer as Author" and the MFA program that you chair

is called "Illustration as Visual Essay." Although the words in the titles may

be different, the meaning is the same. Both of us believe that designers and

illustrators should tell stories, create narratives, and otherwise become

creators of their own fundamental content. In other words, they should be

authors in the broadest and narrowest senses. Of course, "should" is a loaded

word, and not everyone should or can be what we tell them to be. But we are

proposing alternatives to conventional practice. In graphic design, authorship

does not have the same history as illustration, and even our definition is

somewhat different, so for the sake of clarity, what do you mean by the term

"author"?

ARISMAN: The illustrator as author is a self-appointed state of mind. Aside

from using your talents to visualize someone else's thoughts and beliefs (the

author of the piece you are illustrating), you become the author of your own

stories and beliefs. This is self-improvement. You assign yourself an issue that

you are deeply involved in. You give yourself permission to illustrate it. You

use your illustrative abilities to help clarify your own life experience. You find

a way to pay for it. This is not in opposition to continuing to accept

commissions in a more traditional way. It isn't either/or-it is both.

HELLER: Aside from children's books, can illustrators succeed commercially

as authors?

ARISMAN: It is true that in the area of children's books illustrators have

become authors and made money. But many of these books have a

commercial base and don't necessarily reflect authorship as much as "market

smarts." The ones that reflect the illustrators' deep-seated beliefs in the world

they live in are the exception. These are authors who have been able to

deliver a message-through humor, a reduction process, or whatever-under

the guise of a children's book.

The delivery system of graphic novel, illustrated novel, comic-book

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short film, Web site, interactive media, etc., has broadened the base for self­

expression. When business was good, illustrators were content to be a

creative service for the editor and author. Now that the business of

illustration is not so good, illustrators have to individually redefine their role

and reassess their talents. Is there money in this? Probably not a great deal.

Will this replace the traditional illustration assignment? No.

In an introduction to 200 Years of American Illustration, Norman

Rockwell said, "Much is made today about the difference between the artist

and the illustrator. But the distinction has always been clear to me: the

illustrator must compress a great deal into his picture. The illustrator has,

unlike the painter, a primary interest in telling a story."

In my opinion it is now time for illustrators to illustrate their stories

and in doing so become authors of their own works. If your story is worth

telling and told well, someone will listen. You will find an audience.

HELLER: Nice sentiments, but what about the reality of the marketplace?

Not every author-to-be will find a sympathetic patron. Telling stories is great,

but what if there is no one to publish them? Does this mean you have taught

your students to reject the more conventional approach in return for a

payback of some ideal?

ARISMAN: Good question. No teacher, including me, wants to lead anyone

down a blind alley. My only defense is that since the inception of the

graduate program in r984 I have watched numerous graduates struggle with

and resolve ideals while continuing to get work in the more conventional

way. For more than thirty years I have consciously tried to use the publishing

business to print my own beliefs in pictures. I am an illustrator. I use

illustration to clarify my own beliefs whether they are my own stories or the

stories of another. The images (on a tear sheet or on a canvas) are

interchangeable. My assumption is that the publishing business is trying to

use me and I am trying to use it. Fair enough. At the core of this issue is

knowing that when I do a series for myself, even if I make photocopies of it

and send it to art directors, I will begin to get new assignments that relate to

something I have self-generated. What appears to be that ideal (my own

stories) and the more conventional approach (being given an assignment) are

two sides of a coin and not at odds with each other.

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HELLER: I gather that you feel that authorship is not an end in itself. Rather,

does it lead toward more options in the illustration marketplace?

ARISMAN: When I look around at the illustration business today I see the

majority of illustrators taking on the role of general concept-providers. There

is nothing inherently wrong with providing an art director with a "concept"

that everyone gets. That is part of the business. Some people are very good at

it. However, in too many cases the concepts are trite, cliched-ridden, and very

tired. These are not, of course, the illustrators who use conceptual thinking to

further their own beliefs like Steve Brociner, Phillip Burke, David Levine, and

Brad Holland, to mention a few. There is a major difference here. These are

illustrators who use conceptual storytelling to solve the assignment, and more

importantly, to reflect their own ideas.

HELLER: But isn't there an art director who stands in the way of having too

many of your own beliefs or ideas in an illustration?

ARISMAN: Personally, I am interested in becoming an art director of my

own thoughts. This is not an adversary position. I want to bring myself to the

table. I want the art director to do likewise. Together, we can learn from each

other. The art director has personal knowledge I don't have. I have personal

knowledge he doesn't have. That combination is why I continue to illustrate.

That is why I went into the illustration business in the first place.

Having seen the same concepts rehashed over and over in

illustration portfolios do you welcome more authorial work-individual ideas

representing individual points of view?

HELLER: There are two answers to that question. Yes and no. Well, mostly

yes. But the way I art direct is to rely on the artists to provide good ideas to

me, not the other way around. I can mediate those ideas and determine what

works best and then defend them if necessary. To me that is a fairly

conventional role of the editorial art director these days. So what I look for in

a portfolio is an indication that the artist has ideas. Often this is best

presented in an authored work rather than a collection of portfolio samples.

But the reality is that as an art director I cannot use an illustrator's musings

on war, peace, or any other narrative theme. At the end of the day I publish

single-frame illustrations. While I advocate authorship I cannot support it as

an art director. Authorship is, therefore, what the illustrator does to break

away from convention.

ARISMAN: Your position as an art director is very clear. Your business as an

editorial art director is to use illustrators who have ideas that can translate

into solid concepts. Understandably, the issue of authorship is not primary in

your selection process. My business is to develop outlets for the range of

work that I do, both assigned and self-generated.

HELLER: You do both. You create narratives and single images that express

your viewpoint, but you also illustrate. You balance YOU and THEM. And

balance is what I propose to others. Yet would you say the real goal of an

illustrator's life work is to do authorial things? Would you go so far as to

argue that conventional illustration is just a stepping-stone for more personal

expression?

ARISMAN: Conventional illustration is a part of what I do. I try and

incorporate as much of my personal expression as possible into each

assignment knowing that my own musing belongs elsewhere. This is not a

value judgment but rather a balancing act. The assignments I hold most

dearly are the ones I have authored myself. This would also be true of a

writer who is commissioned to write an article and is also writing his own

novel. The article is not a stepping-stone for the novel. They simply coexist as

part of the activity of the creator.

Now that the illustration business is changing, less work is being

assigned. This situation may change but at the moment the illustrator is

facing two possible solutions. Quit the business and change fields or take the

responsibility for authorship and develop more outlets. I, personally, am

optimistic about the future . My optimism comes from the belief that telling

stories through drawing and painting will always find an audience. It started

with the cave paintings and it's not over yet. Stories have power. Personal

stories are what link most of us together.

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Sidebar

What Is Authorship?

Author. One who makes or originates. An illustrator who tells a

complete story in words and images.

Entrepreneur. One who organizes and manages business undertakings

and assumes the risk of the endeavor.

Content. That which is contained or expressed in a work of art, film,

book, etc.

Writing. The majority of illustrators have compartmentalized

themselves. They make pictures from someone else's words.

Authorship demands that writing become an integral part of the

illustrator's creative process. Collaboration with a writer may be

useful as long as the content of the writing is actually shared. If not,

the writer, once again, provides the content and the illustrator

visualizes it.

Being Clear. Make a list of things you personally know about, of

things you find funny or sad, of concerns political or social that you

would like to address. Write a short paragraph about each. If you

can't write a clear statement about your feelings there is little reason

to think your pictures will have any more clarity.