Lone Wolf or Gang warfare

The tradition of the illustrator working alone seems to be changing, increasingly illustrators are forming collectives and working together in studios, give examples of the set up and compare and contrast. What are the advantages and disadvantages inherent in each method of working? Which approach do you feel would be most desirable for you?

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The one-man band approach to illustration has long been one of the traits that defined an illustrator.
A pro of being a ‘solo’ illustrator is that the client knows the style and know what to expect, the client is also only communicating with one voice which can be an added bonus in some cases.
But working alone is for some illustrators the only way to work as it allows them to fully concentrate on the job in hand. Some of these illustrators find this is because they are ‘easily distracted’ (Andy Martin, 2009), and prefer to work in their own space alone. Andy Martin works from home. Working from home is an effective way of keeping cost down (this can be especially important when an illustrator is just starting out) and is likely to be more comfortable. This then raises the giant issue of self-motivation, this is second nature to some but for others the temptation of the sofa and a brew, surrounded by all of your favourite things procrastinating can be easy. Self-motivation can be important for an illustrator working alone.
Freelance illustrators can work through their styles with their self promotion and self-initiated projects, like creating a series of work based on an object, book, observation anything really these projects often manifest themselves in books and limited publications. I see these self-initiated projects very important to an illustrator, these experiments can add a sense of play and adventure to the illustrator’s life and method and will ultimately impact their work. Having time to explore and develop allows the illustrator to create “free from the constraints of (the) commercial pressures” (Otto Dettmer, 2009).
Illustrators who work alone already or must learn to love the solitude of the job and find it easier “without the irritation of peoples mind games, agendas and general bad behaviour” (Michael Gillette, How To Be An Illustrator). This sound quite harsh but in some cases this can be true, but I don’t know if being alone would answer ‘my’ insular issues about ‘myself’. I did choose this quote for another reason to out line another point; the ‘bread’ of illustrators is changing. This is due to the development of technology, teaching, cultural development and also the influx of graduates and students into ‘The Business’ creates greater competition and I think being around people and working with like-minded people can help keep you motivated through transitional periods weather it be graduating and trying to get work or just a dry spell in commissions. One of the cons of this renegade life style is that there is no one around to give you their opinion, time could be lost pondering over an element or colour that could/couldn't be moved or changed.
This brings me perfectly to another point. The Happy Medium. Big Orange is a group of freelance illustrators that occupy a space in Shawditch, LONDON. Big Orange has gained a good reputation in the design industry and is one of the longest standing spaces, with some its past and present occupants becoming well known in their own right. (Andy Pavitt, Paul Davis,…). The current 8 illustrators share half of the space with the AOI (Association Of Illustrators), This is good for contacts and any queries the illustrators have regarding, payments, invoicing, contracts and pricing.
These illustrators are all freelance who occasionally work together in a collaborative way, in the past they have put on exhibitions and indulged in their own self-motivated projects together. This way of working directly mirrors the ‘collaborative way of life’.
As the studio evolved creating spaces, illustrators moving in and out from time to time this could have been an issue, they solved this problem by offering spaces to people they feel would fit in with them and the studio. Mostly all the practitioners currently work on their own freelance work and use the studio as an office/ escape/creative environment not actively seeing collaboration.
There are many different types of collaborative groups, some die some thrive with a clear and like minded approach to all their projects, and some are small, just existing to furnish peoples faded dreams.
Most collectives grow organically starting out with friends starting a website (peepshow) or to create a platform for new young illustrators (LeGun), but when they gain a clear objective a creative collective is born. These multi-layered and multi – purpose all weather teams have skills that hail for all corners of design and rejoice in the creation of a collective vision!
The Bauhaus had an aim and an objective summed up in the little mantra of ‘Form Follows Function’ and this changed design forever, from graphic design, to ceramics and architecture, very ambitious feet that was realised with precision, dedication, a clear goal, and with no demand.
Today’s collectives can only dream of such a fate (like Nous Vous), and mostly dedicate themselves to being progressive, pushing boundaries, being professional (most of the time) and enjoying what they do, while they exploit the demand for their services.
Nous Vous, ‘ A multi-disciplinary collective’ actively working together with no discernible style, maybe just the aesthetic they are working with at the time, they are really into social development and dream to one day open the Bauhaus Mk.2 along with a creative studio and publishing house.

Rinzen is a world wide collective with 5 illustrators based in Berlin, Brisbane, Melbourne and New York. They also have a clear goal – they “want to become part of peoples lives” I'm assuming this is referring to creating things that people could interact with in their day-to-day lives, imagery and objects alike. The collective would like to use more “tangible items that people interact with in meaningful ways”.
They work via email and occasionally come together for exhibitions and installations. Obviously they are very pro- technology as they are quite reliant on it but I think this also translates to their work, they have wide-range of styles and techniques, often featuring Utopian alternate realities, bold, geometric designs or intricate, hand drawn studies.
This style of long distance communication is clearly working for them but I wonder if working so far apart you lose some of the creative enthusiasm you have with your peers whilst physically brain storming, chatting, arguing, laughing, that can be the making of a project. Rinzen get around this problem by only using two or three illustrators at a time that usually get on and have worked together before. For me I think I'm just to much of a people person and this approach harps back to the practices of a freelance illustrator, emailing in his roughs and finished pieces for the art director to tweak with his friends, I think I would miss a studio environment even though I was working collectively.

Now the ‘garage band of the image world’ LeGun. I have always loved LeGun’s publications; they are progressive in their promotion and styles. They have become a forum and a platform for new designers, illustrators and artists to publicise their work. The quarterly independent publication showcases printed, hand drawn and free form collage images, the publication uses work created by LeGun themselves and work sent to them or created with or around them by other new, and regular (to the publication) artists and illustrators. LeGun doesn’t use much text as they feel it gets in the way and does not work with the ‘flow’ of the publication; instead they use selected and diverse quotes, created on an in house letterpress.
Using parties, performance and exhibitions that have quirky entrance requirements like passwords and dress codes, these events are used to raise money for the publication but also serve another function, bringing the work into a social situation where they can interact with or even join in.

Peepshow are another design collective that have banded together to challenge themselves, armed with a stockpile of skills and disciplines, illustration and animation being the core of their work. This 10 strong team use the “ Strength of 10 brains, 20 eyes and 100 fingers” to be progressive and create new and exciting pieces tailored to fit every client. Some of their clients include Diesel, The Guardian, Channel 4 and Perrier.

During my research I have noticed that clients often tend to treat collectives as they would a design company, giving them more freedom to experiment, explore provoking a better outcome.
Working as part of a collective carries other favourable and not so favourable, situations, effects and opportunities.

• Multiple creative approaches to one brief
• Speed
• Quality
• Creative impact
• Extra pair(s) of hand to share work load
• Ability to approach different jobs a different way each time …
Con – This could be a problem if a client is after a certain style, this could affect the quality and originality of the outcome.
• Criticism
Con – Un- wanted criticism
• Inspiration
• Sharing costs – Studio/ Projects/ Equipment
• More creative freedom
• Working with a collective brings opportunity, which you may never achieve as an individual.
Con – Contrasting opinions
Con – Jealousy

Collaborators often use their personal work, like commissions and self initiated projects to inform their collaborative work vsv, this also serves as a sort of escape/break from collaborating and helps to keep the individual style of the illustrator.
Havass and Hannibal are one of these types of collaborations. The two set up in 2006 in Denmark and began running their design studio whilst still studying at The Danish School of Design in Copenhagen.
The pair began their collaborative journey by one starting a piece and sending it to the other and carried on until they had designed a poster, they have carried this technique through into a lot of their recent work. In comparison a lot of freelance illustrators step into the collaborative domain from time to time on a project for a client and this can then lead to a personal collaboration, these collaborations can last for a whole brief, days, weeks or like Havass and Hannibal, choose to work together on a ‘full time’ basis.
The Elvis Studio founded in 1996 by Helge Reuman and Xavier Robel, work in a similar way to Havass and Hannibal, working together rotating drawings and working on a varied number of projects. I feel illustration is now much more than the original editorial, book cover/illustration of years gone by. The lines within design are becoming increasingly blurred, when I brought this up with an art director I accidentally met in a bar in London, he told me “If you think that your stupid”, well he proceeded to rip me to shreds on everything else I said but the point being I'm not “stupid” and that’s my opinion! With evidence like the success of multi-disciplined collectives and the advances and advantages of technology it seems obvious that the lines will be blurred, and this is an exciting prospect for the design world as well as the world in general. He also expressed his love for airbrush art and illustration so I think that says it all about him really! (Not to offend the airbrush of course but there is a time and a place for everything)

“Illustrators will continue to work alone”
Lydia Fulton, Vroom, 08

But as Luke Best from Peepshow said,

“You don’t get to laugh much working at home, alone”

This is true, although I do make myself laugh from time to time but that’s because I'm funny, I can also be quite boring so I don’t think the ‘Lone Wolf’ approach would suit me, and also I have a severe lack of self-motivation. Aside from that I don’t think I ever planned to work alone, I have always wanted to work with creative, insightful, talented people, I also think this environment would also serve me better as it would give me a sense of ‘going’ to work but enjoying the company, the work and the environment.
Researching and finding out about all the different styles of collectives and studios out there, only reinforces my view. Everybody is different and everybody knows something you don’t know, thinks and imagines different things from you and even if you start at the same point, you always end up somewhere different. I think the skills you can develop (social+technical) as an individual within a group is more beneficial, that’s why I'm up for some ‘Gang Warfare’.

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I need to add images :)