On opening day, the Conference featured several prominent speakers on salient aspects of the current market.
Braldt Bralds
Braldt Bralds, award-winning illustrator and lecturer, acknowledged the problems facing the industry. The market has gotten narrower due to the tight times, the current overwhelming use of stock art, and the tastes and interests of art directors. If art directors favor photography and/or see projects in terms of typography, there will be no place for illustration in their work.
Bralds encouraged illustrators to kick in their entrepreneurial spirit and create their own markets. Artists owe it to themselves to learn all they can about the field of graphic design and how their illustrations effectively fit in. He defended illustrators by stating that illustration as an industry has more personality than graphic design. Illustrators’ desire to create their artwork, and their belief in themselves and the value of their work, must be unshakeable.
Brad Holland
Brad Holland, a self-taught artist and author, winner of numerous awards, and one of the founding partners of the Illustrators Partnership of America (IPA), addressed the age-old question: Illustration -- is it art? Like the ancient Egypto-Roman portrait painters working in wax encaustic, to Holland, illustration is a job. Just a job. Unlike that of “fine artists,” his interest is not in shocking people or breaking rules while running his business. But, as he stated, perhaps if he does it well enough, like the fine artists, he’ll be making beautiful meaningful work and speaking to God.
In today’s economy, elements for a successful illustration career involve speed, economy, generating popularity, and pleasing clients. Anyone who thinks he or she can make a living today by sending out monthly promotional post cards to art directors and waiting for them to call with requests for spot illustrations netting $500 are “dinosaurs.” Holland finished by saying, “It’s all an experiment.”
The word is that Holland's speech was totally uplifting as it reinforced the importance of a career in illustration. Cathleen Tolke, Illustration Conference board member, stated: "He exceeded anyone's most extravagant expectations. He was amazing, and the speech unfolded like a symphony." Another conference member stated: "It seemed like he brought us all together not only through our love of our craft, but with our fellow artists from the past as well-- our history-- and the way our craft has extended across time to bond generations in our humanity." Holland's speech was audiotaped, and Tolkee announced: "All the audiotapes will be transcribed and posted on the Conference website http://illustconf.org."
