Regarding illustration in Edmonton

Normally my blog posts have used image more than word. But not this post. As an illustrator, most of my work is created to help embellish the word. To help to illustrate a point. Perhaps in this situation though, an illustration might not be best suited for the idea, because the whole point is about the lack of illustration. Still, even in that case, I’m sure an illustration could be used to help emphasize any article. But not this time. I’m going to use word as illustration today. Onward…

Nearly every major city in Canada has a free alternative weekly newspaper. Some cities have more than others, and sadly, some are now extinct due to the ever changing landscape of print and digital media, but this shouldn’t affect the way weeklies both need and create a strong community of local artists.

Some background:

The weekly, as we call it, focuses on local arts and entertainment. In Edmonton, we call it Vue Weekly. There are features about local musicians. There are features about local plays. Features on upcoming art exhibitions. Features on local restaurants. All of the local arts shine in the weekly, and yes, this also includes press about out of town acts passing through your city, be it theatrical, filmic, musical, and of course, the visual.

The weekly itself also wouldn’t be possible without the help of its staff and contributors. Here we see that it’s both created and supportive of local artists who make everything possible. Writers. Photographers. Designers. Bloggers. Cartoonists. Webheads. Critics. And more. Of course, there is also political discourse involved within the weekly, as well as a nice section about the “solicited dating world” near the back before the funnies, but, hey, we can still call that art.

In short, that is the weekly. It’s made by artists, and it’s usually about the arts.

That is, most of the time.

Since the great merge of 2011, when Vue Weekly and SEE were absorbed into one mega being, it seems that a certain player has evaporated from the general aesthetic of the magazine. The illustrator.

Or more specifically, the freelance illustrator.

I’m not referring to the political cartoons or the page of funnies at the end of each issue, both of which I dearly respect. I’m talking about content created by a freelance editorial illustrator who has been hired out to create a nice embellishment to the weekly, and paid a wee bit of cash. To get to my quick point: when is the last time you saw a really nice illustrated cover on Vue Weekly? Personally, it’s been a long time.

I’m also not talking about the in-house illustrator who creates some of the more current covers, which frankly, I’ve seen a ton of since the great merge. This in-house illustrator works in production at Vue, which means he or she is also in the thick of layout for the whole issue. This I assume would lead to one feeling pretty spread thin if it came time to have to also work on an illustrated cover. I mean no disrespect to the in-house illustrator who does these works, by the way. Quality work happening there, it just seems that more time could be put into these covers to make them come to life.

More time needed, you say? Why not just hire a freelance illustrator to do that job for you to create some real quality?

That’s the point here.

The weekly makes for a great stomping ground for an up-and-coming illustrator. Sure, anyone in the industry knows that the rates aren’t the greatest, but that’s fine for people looking to sharpen their teeth. Personally, I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for FFWD Weekly in Calgary or Vue Weekly in Edmonton. They gave me the opportunity to help shine up their covers while bolstering my newcomer illustrator profile.

I know of many other illustrators who cut their teeth on the cover of weeklies. The illustrative powerhouse that is Raymond Biesinger, now in Montreal, created many covers for Vue in his early years. Jeff Kulak, also now in Montreal as well, did the same. Smokey (Nickelas Johnson), a local visual artist, was given opportunities to illustrate covers for VUE.

Before the merge, Genevieve Simms created covers for SEE as well as FFWD. Byron Eggenschwiler, a Calgary-based power illustrator, shined his boots on SEE covers as well as FFWD. I’m sure there are many more.

Sadly I think we’ve lost this in our local weekly. I haven’t seen a thick, juicy, pleasant, crisp illustration made by someone who is first and foremost an illustrator on the cover of Vue in a long, long time. And I’m not suggesting that I be hired for it. But what I do know is that, here in Edmonton, there is a large pool of up-and-coming illustrators being pumped out of local institutions every year. These young illustrators are spry, full of energy and ready to impress all of us as though their life were on the line.

If you are one of these illustrators, I highly suggest you start promoting the shit out of yourself to Vue. Maybe there isn’t enough of that happening. Does Vue ask for solicitations?

Finally, I also want to point out that this isn’t just about giving illustrators more of a profile. This is also about giving our city more of a profile. This is about giving the weekly more of a profile. This will help us prove that there is a talent pool that we can rely on for visual illumination by having something fresh and new on the cover of the local rag. It helps the weekly look like more of a patron of the arts by supporting visual artists.

I wrote this on a computer. Also, another cool perk about having worked with the small alternative weeklies is that I’ve met some cool people throughout time. One in particular, Mr. Omar Mouallem. He’s a writer and rapper. He’s also a good proof reader.