Animated series like Heidi (1970), Nils Holgerson and the Moomins, that were on Tv during my childhood, were what fueled my interest in both a kid-friendly, calming approach to story telling, as well as a deep connection to nature illustration. I remember vividly trying to imitate the prominent style of Nippon Animation studio when I was still a child, and getting increasingly more frustrated because I was unable to get the colors right.

Ali Mitgutsch

Tove Jansson

Zdeněk Miler

Caspar David
Friedrich

Miler is the genius behind the Czech cartoon "Krtek". The TV series and illustrated books show the life and adventures of a little mole and his friends, including a mouse, a snowman, an army of ants, and many more. Something that fascinated even my small mind back in the day was the portrayal of nature in the cartoon. Krtek's adventures mostly happened in the forest. With the heavy featuring of spruce trees and it originally being a Czech series, one can assume that the artist was heavily inspired by the Böhmerwald, an old forest spanning over Germany, the Czech Republic, and also the part of Austria I was born in. The style of the illustration with its colorful and defined shapes greatly remind me of folk art from Midland and Alpine Europe.

working in Kinder-garten

Learning Digital Drawing

I was able to episodically work at different local kindergartens in a timespan of 4 years, and during that time the idea to make art intended for the consumption for children cemented. I knew that i was fond of children before, but working there made me realise my deep adoration for them. They're openess and the way they trust so easily is what made me want to make something for them. The first kindergarten I ever worked at had part of a forest in the backyard, and watching a bunch of toddlers playing in the woods everyday, studying bird nests and ant hills and collecting plants and mushrooms made me in a better understanding of how a child's curiosity develops and manifests.

Before deciding to go to University at the age of 18 I had never drawn digitally before, which is why this was something I told myself I had to try out before starting my degree. It was a challenging journey and it took a lot of trial and error, and to this date I am not 100% confident in my abilities, but it did open up possibilities I had not been able to explore before.

Moving to Vienna ultimately re-awoke my creative vein. Having the privilege to live in a city so rich in history and in culture, it is very easily to find inspiration everywhere. May it be one of the many museums you go to or simply just people watching on the subway. It is a colorful and diverse city, and I have been able to connect with local artists from various different practices

A at this point in time, my final project will not be a product I can sell, so my main goal for this unit will be to market myself as good as possible through the creation of this project. This means, that the works made around this final piece as a means of promotion will hold a lot of weight for my marketing strategy.

To market this project, next to flyers and brochures, I would like to make a bunch of physical media surrounding the motives and the themes. The audience of this project would of course be very young, which is why I will create physical media that directly includes them. At this point in time, I am thinking about stickers, colouring pages and even small diy craft instructions, which children can take home and do by themselves or with their parents. On these products, I would link my website (potentially a QR code?). Another thing I am considering doing is to create posters which I could hang up at various places, such as bookstores and libraries.

I have talked to some local artists in my community as well, and one of the things they told me to do was print out some little brochures or cards and leave them at my local libraries and cafes. Furthermore, I do have some connections to people working in schools and kindergartens, which is why I would potentially be able to get some of the physical marketing media there as well.

Right now, I am planning to show my final project at multiple venues, where children will be able to directly interact with the final piece, which mostly consists of kindergartens, schools and bookstores. I have considered showing the finished piece at an alternate place as well, for example renting out a café for a night to present the work. However, in Vienna this tends to be rather costly, and the available spots are very limited. Nevertheless, I will stay on the lookout for local artists intending to do just that, and as a lot of times these events are planned with a group of creators in mind, I could potentially be able to sneak my project in there.

The websites I have found below include online magazines, data banks and journals, as well as some local newspapers. While I am not sure yet how big the probability of me featuring my art in these magazines is, it is something I will look into throughout the course of this project. Some of these even post open calls for art to be displayed on a regular basis, which is why I will keep looking for updates regularly.

Summed up, what I intend to do with this project will be to market my own practice with it, due to me not having a sellable project in mind (at this point in time). Online presence is something I am still trying to work out – due to the AI policies of many major platforms (i. e. Instagram, Twitter, etc.) I have been hesitant to post my art on there, which is why I will have to look into alternatives here as well.

Joe Todd Stanton

A few summers ago, I was able to tour Austria and visit as many castle and castle ruins as possible. Medieval life and art was a topic that has fascinated me for quiet a while, but actually visiting these moments in history woke a deep rooted interest of these times for me. Since then - I think one can tell by my rapidly filling sketchbook - my drawing motives have been increasingly showing medieval motives like knights, dragon, princesses, churches and much more. Due to my deep rooted interest of this topic as well as its connections with my other fixations, I am guessing that these subjects will stay with me and my art for a long while.

While at this point in time, children's book illustration is the practice I would love most to be able to pursue in my near future, this does not imply that I am not looking to work in other sectors as well. I am well aware that, for most of us, being picky is not something (especially newcomers) can afford. So far, throughout my practice and therefore throughout the course of my artistic education, I have been lucky enough to both explore and experiment, as well as study and research. Through my 1 year as an animation student at university for example, I was able to build many digital skills I would have been unable to gain otherwise. So while my practice has been moving into a coherent direction for a while now, I feel confident in my abilities to be able to potentially work in other fields as well.

An important thing I definitely want to do during the process of this project will be setting up a proper website in which I can present myself and my practice adequately. Due to increasingly worrying AI policies on major platforms like Instagram, Twitter and co., I feel uncomfortable posting my work online. This is why I want to establish my presence on the internet through the help of my own website. There are indeed certain platforms out there that have been recommended to me by other artists, such as bluesky and tumblr, which is why I will have to have a closer look into their police. I have indeed been looking for an outlet for my art, in which i can post regular updates and document my process and evolution for a while now. Especially for the too many works and wips which are certainly not bad, but not finished enough to put into my portfolio. But due to the above mentioned issue, I have been having issues finding a place that i would feel comfortable using, which is why I want to explore getting my art shown in more traditional ways.

However, my biggest hurdle at this point in time are my artistic capabilities. While I am aware that i do have a certain amount of skill, I am far from feeling confindent in my qualifications and 'talent'. Before I would be able to even consuder starting to try and launch a proper career, I would definetly need time to properly build a wider portfolio. Right now, what you will find most in my work will be character based works, like character sheets and studies. While those pieces are not 'bad' per se, I will need to explore more diverse motifs and and sujets, as character based illustration is, as far as i can see, not a wildly sought after thing in my local art community.

Something I do however see e erywhere are very colourful and artistic designs of posters and flyers. May it bee in the local bars and cafes, at the bus stop or even in museums. Most of them do not advertise products, but personal galleries, upcoming events of all sizes, and private services auch as yoga classes or workshops. This is a plca I definetly want to have a closer look at in the future, as it might be a way to get my 'foot in the door'.

The local art scene in which I (wish to) function is rather small, which is indeed a blessing and a curse at the same time. I would love to work with different publishers and/or in commercial work, I would be very much interested in exploring areas like book cover illustration, concept art, street art and much more. While the cultural and art scene is thankfully well financially supported in Vienna, it is rather hard to get in.

Something that i definitely need to explore is the local physical media. There are a lot of newspapers and magazines that are very much small and founded by donations, which is why the often look for local artist to support their work. An example for this is 'Carla', a volunteer based company where most oft the donations go to people in need. It is common for them to host a couple events intended to bring the community together multiple times a year, which is a place where I would potentially be able to support them on an artistic level when it comes to advertising. These are the kind of local jobs and events I can see myself working at with my current skill set.

However, my biggest hurdle at this point in time are my artistic capabilities. While I am aware that i do have a certain amount of skill, I am far from feeling confident in my qualifications and 'talent'. Before I would be able to even consider starting to try and launch a proper career, I would definitely need time to properly build a wider portfolio. Right now, what you will find most in my work will be character based works, like character sheets and studies. While those pieces are not 'bad' per se, I will need to explore more diverse motifs and and sujets, as character based illustration is, as far as i can see, not a wildly sought after thing in my local art community.

Something I do however see e everywhere are very colorful and artistic designs of posters and flyers. May it bee in the local bars and cafes, at the bus stop or even in museums. Most of them do not advertise products, but personal galleries, upcoming events of all sizes, and private services such as yoga classes or workshops. This is a place I definitely want to have a closer look at in the future, as it might be a way to get my 'foot in the door'.

Other than that, in the inner city, a lot of local artists rent out places to show their work. This is something which I have sustained from so far, as I have not been practicing traditional media for a while. However, I have been planning to get back into painting, especially with watercolor and gouache. While these events are not profitable, they could potentially lead to connections, and importantly - build community.

When it comes to the motifs that I are present in my work, at first glance it might seem that there is no market out there. However, Austria's Tourism sector largely relies on historic events and landmarks, as well as traditional practices and cult. Especially outside of Vienna one can find magazines and journals promoting local artists and practices, which is an opportunity I can see myself exploring.

In summary, at this point in time I definitely lack both the connections and work experience, as well as self confidence to launch a full on career as a professional Illustrator. However, I fully make up for it on motivation. I want to get out there, I want to try different jobs and practices, and I want so desperately to get better at what I do. This is why this year, I plan to get connected with people on a local basis as much as possible. This will potentially entail exhibiting with local artists, taking up volunteer work, attending local events and getting in touch with the people working in the field. While I am unsure of my skills, I am steadfast in the knowledge that I am a quick learner, a reliable person with a big repertoire of ideas and concepts, as well as someone with a great foundation when it comes to artistic knowledge and capabilities.