怎麼挑適合的插畫師 / Picking the right illustrator for the company

每天公司都會收到許多插畫師的投稿信，希望有機會可以加入我們公司。我在網路上也會看到大家互相轉貼的有趣的插畫師的作品。我是怎麼在挑選明日之星的呢？

一開始這工作不簡單，我覺得技巧好的都可以列入考慮。做了一陣子之後，眼睛養刁了，慢慢的有了標準，那就是看他們的"真功夫" 。

一個能夠走的長遠的插畫師一定要能畫。這聽起來好像很理所當然，事實不然。對於插畫師來說，繪畫(drawing)應該是一種幫助思考的過程。 不管你最終是用那種媒材呈現最終的作品，基本的畫工是不能取代的根本。沒有繪畫基礎的插畫師最終會隨著潮流的結束而逝去。（這個概念我很難用中文解釋清楚⋯ 台灣大家普遍熟悉的插畫有太多是跟漫畫的概念重疊，格局很小，大多以聰明取勝，也不需要太多畫工。這要談起來又是一整篇的內容。）

一個好的插畫師要能透過畫面說故事，或是解決視覺上的問題。插畫本身並不只是漂亮好看，更要能與觀眾做稍微深度的溝通，讓插畫師本身能與讀者在精神層面上交換意見。反過來說，在看報章雜誌的插畫多瞄兩眼，體會一下插畫師的智慧。

一般來說，我們喜歡什麼案子都能接的插畫師。(有些插畫師的風格只適合報章雜誌，有些只適合書籍封面，有些非常商業只能用在廣告看板。還有些人專做授權藝術，這不包含在我的討論範圍內。）我們希望能簽下的藝術家是可以用他自己的繪畫風格及思維去詮釋各種可能的題材、解決問題。他們不刻意侷限自己在一個市場裡。這用唱歌來比喻比較清楚。唱將級的歌星可以演繹大部分的歌曲，不管是不是他的類型，他可以用他的詮釋唱出自己的感情跟味道。但是較小眾的表演者就只能選擇他們熟悉的歌路。

風格的適用性是另一件值得思考的事。就算擁有了所有該有的功力跟品質，有些插畫師的風格就是不容易被大家接受。就算他們的能力再好、作品再有深度，還是無法說服客人買帳。很不幸的是，總有需要取悅客戶的時候。

總的來說，我們喜歡有功力、有特色，而且能夠品質穩定的插畫師。品質穩定的作品集代表這個插畫師風格已經成熟、有一定的創作思路、而且完全不會有困難重複運用這樣的思路及技巧解決下一個問題。這樣的插畫師才是準備好面對市場的一群。

最後一點我想提的是美感，這是給整個團隊一個的「樣子」的靈魂。我們也許不是最賺錢、或著說最商業的團隊，但是我們可以驕傲的說自己以代表旗下的插畫師為榮。賺錢當然重要，但是有質感與品味也是很重要的堅持。


We get artist submissions in the office everyday, and I get all kind of information from the social media platform as well. Usually only 1/150 people will really have my attention. It wasn't that easy from the beginning. Back then, I was more into the technique territory. After a while, I grew to learn to have some standards / preferences, which happened to be the same with my boss, CRAFTSMANSHIP. That's the main thing I kept in mind when I look at people's portfolios.

A long-lasting illustrator usually knows how to draw. Drawing is a process of thinking. No matter what kind of art you do, there is no way you can skip the thinking process and become a successful illustrator, even you are a graphic or concept-oriented artist. To me, without drawing skills, most of the artists will eventually fade away with whatever trend they are in.

  

A good illustrator know how to deliver stories through the work or to solve a specific visual problem. Illustrations are not pretty pictures. To me, they are meant to communicate with audience in a intellectual way. If the image fails to tell a story, then it's just a pretty picture.

Also, we like those artists who can do everything. We do have some specialists in the group, but most of the artists can do all kinds of assignments. They are smart with visual solutions and they are capable of doing any kind of jobs in their own style. They don't limit themselves to a certain market on purpose.

Applicability is another thing to think about. Even with all the qualities we admire, some artists are just not easy to sell. Their style is so unique and their images are so profound, but it's just really hard to sell to the clients.  Unfortunately in this advertising-driven world, we have to please certain decision-making people.

We love quality art with a consistent unique style. A consistent portfolio shows that the illustrator has developed a working and thinking process over time and has no problem repeating the process when the next assignment comes. That means the illustrator is totally ready for this business.

The last point I would like to mention is aesthetics. That's what gives our group a look. We are not the most money-making group, but we are really proud of every single artist that we represent. Money is important, but the taste of quality is equally important.

我的經紀人工作 / My job with an Illustrators agency

工作這麼多年以來我幾乎都避免在社交場合談論我到底是做什麼的。在工作社交圈是因為某些個人原因所以我不想說，在朋友圈是沒什麼好說，因為我的行業實在是太小眾。但是今天我想正面談談我的工作，插畫經紀。我在2009年，美國經濟最慘的那一年進了 Richard Solomon Artists Representative，專門代理插畫師，公司專門幫旗下的插畫師們接案子。為什麼突然想寫關於工作的事？大部份是因為最近公司裡很多插畫師都有了孩子，個人有了些小小的感慨。

在公司是做什麼的呢？基於我終究是個外國人，大部份我處理的事不是直接面對客戶的工作，像是網路跟紙本的行銷、整理更新作品集，還有尋找明日之星。總的來說，我負責挖掘、整理、包裝以及行銷旗下的插畫師。這整個過程包括：我看上一個插畫師，跟老闆討論適不適合簽、簽了之後怎麼整理和呈現他的作品集、應該要登上那些宣傳管道、買多少廣告，跟插畫師的溝通則包括作品集的補強跟往後發展方向等。就ㄧ個全職的自由插畫師而言，我們在討論的幾乎是他的整個事業。

為什麼需要經紀人？我自己的經驗談是插畫師們...
1. 不知道如何建立正確的人脈、適當的推銷自己的作品。
2. 看不見自己的發展性，只做自己想接的案子。
3. 沒有耐性閱讀合約、看不懂合約、沒有律師可以協助訂立適合的條約。
4. 無法與客戶談價錢、爭取該有版權及費用。
5. 情緒管理不佳，無法理性的處理與客戶之間的衝突。
6. 無法追蹤每一筆款項以及催繳尾款。

這也是為什麼在網路興起之後，人人都可以自我宣傳的時代，插畫經紀這個行業沒有式微，反而越來越多的小型公司在市場上冒出頭來。

開始寫之後發現每一個工作上的理所當然都可以成為一篇獨立的blog... 學問很多。也許我在這六年裡學到的東西比我以為的要多很多。所以先這樣吧！

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My job is always a topic that I've tried to avoid in a social conversation. I don't know why. I just don't want to share the boring nature of the job, and I hate to tell people that it's actually not a "creative position". I'm a staff, not an artist in the company. But today, the first day I come back to blogger after two years, I decided to write about my job.

I've been working with Richard Solomon Artists Representative since 2009.

As you all remember, 2008 to 2009 was the worse time ever to look for a job while the worldwide economy went into toilet. There was basically no chance for a foreigner like me, who need a visa, to find an illustration related job which would possibly sponsor my H1-B. But miracle happened. I got my job in the Fall of 2009 after interning with the company for half year. I was extremely grateful for this opportunity, and still am. Maybe not extremely anymore, but still am.

So... What do I do in the office? Since I'm not a native English speaker, I deal more with our own artists than with clients. (Clients are my coworker, May's job.) I manage everything internal in the office, all the promotions, online presence, artists' portfolios, and all the printed source books. The more creative side of my job is that I get to pick the new artists that I think are good enough and well suited to be in our group.

Why do artists need an agent? Based on my own experience, it's because...
1. Illustrators do not necessary know how to promote themselves properly. Sometimes they do need second opinions.
2. They don't usually see their own potentials. They take the job they feel comfortable with but sometimes they forget they may need some challenges once a while to expend their horizons.
3. They don't have proper source for possible legal issue.
4. They don't feel comfortable to negotiate a proper fee and rights for the assignments.
5.They sometimes can not hold back their artistic temper or personal emotions when they are dealing with difficult clients.
6. They are not designed to deal with paper work and contracts. They don't have time or energy to hadle invoices and track down every single late payment.

I feel this is why the artists agents still exist while the Internet makes self promotion 100 times easier than it was in old days.

There are so many topics that I can write about this job. I didn't realize how much we do in the office until now I'm writing about it. So I'll talk more in the next post.