Peter O Toole - Guest Lecture
Peter O toole (an illustrator) was today’s guest lecture. Firstly he told us that he used to go to places like coffee shops and just draw people living their lives. In 2007-8 he was in uni and wanted to make a name for himself and started making magazines/zines and give them away for free in cafes and put their details on them so people could discover the artist. The magazines had collage and random sketches in them and then they would photocopy them to produce more. It was to get their name out, people even ended up buying them!
He never had an original style at uni and experimented with painting, acrylic, spray paint and pens. He made large paintings, usually portraits. His brother was in a band and he did a lot of logo and poster work for the band, most of the time hand drawn with no digital. He did move onto illustrator to make digital designs (but he said it would take too long which I can relate to!). He’s also done collage work, cutting images out of vintage magazines and then started making collage portraits, however left collage style because it would take too long to produce and unrealistic for industry.
He then designed a magazine to showcase there own and other people’s work because in uni they didn’t have a portfolio to attract clients. He did events and made posters for pubs and places where he was able to meet people to work with and gain clients. He then became freelance and set up at Bates mill in Huddersfield. Digital and Photoshop wasn’t for him and was pushed onto illustration which was the right path for him.
He used to collect vintage Adidas trainers when he was younger and used this to then created some Adidas posters and started selling them and got clients in demand. Collage and vintage work was a similar style he used and then began to get more confident digitally and incoperated it together to make posters and tshirts for clients such as addict clothing and even did some Disney work for them which looks good on his portfolio. He also began making prints and selling online which was a good source of income and was a able to make personal projects and then sell them as prints as well. Made.com was is first big breakthrough as it’s a good client to have. He then got a lot of American clients like Miami new times and pop tarts, and even got signed for Adidas (because of the Adidas print) through Instagram! Adidas let him create a book and also got to design a trainer, all because of that first shoe print he made years before. He then made a similar poster with Clark’s shoes and again like Adidas, they hired him!
His story was inspiring and it was interesting to see how his style of work changed and how he developed and gradually gained more and better clients. He showed that hard work and patience is important for success and that anything can happen as it was crazy how a print of shoes managed to get him recognised by Adidas and given a job which led onto so many more amazing jobs and clients.
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