Bigheads: Charlotte Mei and Grace Helmer

• Charlotte Mei and Grace Helmer are both based in London, having studied at Camberwell College and graduated in 2012
• The things that have changed in the three years since they have left university are the kinds of work they get, and the contexts that they are in. They felt that in art schools it is common to get bogged down by the prospect of concepts, and to feel trapped inside the 'art school bubble'
• Having fun is an integral part of your work, you need to keep interested and keep motivated in the studio
• When they first graduated, they found full time jobs to pay the bills and get themselves started, and would come home and illustrate (how on earth they managed that I do not know) but they made work at any opportunity

Charlotte Mei's Work

• Internships at Camberwell press and Hatto press helped them in the early stages
• The transition from graduation: leaving wasn't as scary as they'd thought it would be. It is a great feeling because you don't have anyone telling you what to do, but you have to tell yourself what to do.
• When they graduated they weren't sure where they wanted their work to go, but tried to do as much work as possible just to keep in the process.
• It was liberating and overwhelming at the same time. Faking it till you make it gives you confidence in what you're doing.
• They pushed themselves onto people by 'applying for everything ever'. All of the graduates got a studio together! 'Day Job' Its an art collective, they decided to work on a group project and make a zine about their day jobs at the time, e.g. chocolate fountain technician, biscuit ice etc.
• Since then they have run workshops, produced books and exhibited at elcaf print fair

Grace Helmer's Work

• Very proactive about making things happen online, as there are so many opportunities
• In their second year, Charlotte and Grace went on an exchange programme in Japan to stay for six weeks and make a film. Then a few years later they got a space in an exhibition over there.
• It is good to exhibit somewhere thats not London. People can get in a bubble, and sometimes it doesn't 'fit in'.
•  Japan was a very different audience, and it was like they were looking at their work with fresh eyes. The Japanese illustration scene is pretty fun and not as serious.
• You don't need to be in London to get opportunities!
• Some down points of illustration: illustrators work is sometimes put into stereotypes. Very drawn in to what sells and that can sometimes effect your self confidence.
• Making a great image is difficult to making a product. Youve just got to make it and like it and test the water.

Advice to first year: 

You can't be precious about things you do at uni. Do as many different things as you can, when you leave you don't have those facilities. You've bought this time to experiment so use it well. When you come away from it you have an idea about how to create a drawing thats not just flat.

Don't think that something is impossible just because you've not done it before. Also, if you don't know how to do something, work with someone who does! It's fun to work together and share skills. Do not limit yourself to anything, even if it seems ridiculous.

What makes great illustration great??:

Knowing there is a genuine feeling or idea behind it. Something original rather than coming from a needs to an end.  How a picture can speak to you without reading an article.

Reflection

It was interesting to see two recent illustration graduates that are just establishing themselves in the industry, and the steps that they are taking and saying yes to opportunities to help promote their work. Grace and Charlotte have really inspired me to go out there and look for opportunities, and embrace my creative talent, as it is easy to slip into the mindset that work will be handed to you on a silver platter as soon as you graduate, which certainly is NOT the case. 

Being four/five years ahead of where I am now gives me scope into what I could potentially produce, and how much my work will develop and evolve by the time that I graduate, and its a really exciting concept! I also love how they have their own collaborative studio where they run workshops; having interactions with other creatives is something that I see as essential to making progress as a practitioner, helping you flourish as an individual as well as an image maker.