question about a certain graphic job... (those who have graphic arts knowledge)

[krossfyter]

I just need and understanding of what this kind of a job entails...

A local graphics shop (silkscreen.... graphic tees etc... you know that kind of a place) is looking for an artist to work for them.... i already know they will hire me on the spot, because they know about me already and people have told them, but im not sure what i would exactly have to do. I know i can just go in there and talk to them and find out... but for those that are seasoned graphic artists out there i want to know from you all first what this job entails so i can go in there with some understanding.

I gather they would want me to design logos and things of that nature for memoribila material but im not sure what else.



Im used to designing publicitiy material, advertising etc. so i dont have an understanding of what an artist of this type would be doing.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Working a lot in Illustrator/Freehand I would imagine... Brush up on your spot-colour separation skills and working with customer-supplied PC files.

My guess is that you may find some of it quite dull as many customers would supply their own artwork, or ask you to rework sketches or awful little GIFs up to screen-ready artwork.

It depends on the scale of the outfit... do they have a website we can all have a look at?

If it was me I'd certainly go in there, ask a few friendly questions and try to get a feel for what the typical day might be like.

 

[jefhatfield]

hey krossfyter,

long time no see

it's great to see that you are still here and doing art...what has the past couple of years been like for you?

 

[PixelFactory]

Blue Velvet is probably right. It is most likely a Production Artist job. You will be prepressing files, fixing any problems and making sure they are ready to go. Design woek would be very limited, if any. I did this kind of work for 5 years before becoming a graphic designer. Glad I did becouse now I few problems with the artwork I send to printers.

 

[krossfyter]

Hey jef man... good to hear from you also!


I've been working on my first grad degree in art will finish this semester... then im of to get another on pretty soon so inbetween i'll be either looking for an art related job or continuing my freelance and of course working my portfolio up to get into another grad program (studio art).

Whats goin on with you?

thanks guys for the advice and suggestions... i really appreciated.. helps me get a better perspective on this from others more knowing then me in these areas.


Yeah so I had a meeting with them... checked them out. Place is being bought out... right now its in a state of flux and they will be looking for two other artists to come in... ive pretty much got the job its all dependent on if the transition works without major failure.

So let me ask you all some questions here related to this kind of company...

Okay i've worked as intern for a university doing graphic arts (ad stuff) then hired on part time .. then i worked at a directory place doing logos and ads for phone book for sometime.... ive been doing freelance recently for sometime now.. now this opportunity has come up.
I've seen the place..... talked to the people.... the've switched over from the boards in the 80s and now they are on puter (common of course)... they do silkscreen and engraving... photo emulsion... artist would have to know how to work in those areas as well as clean up images on illustrator, work with text etc., color separations, vinyl lettering, .... some of this stuff is knew to me... but they are more then willing to show me the ropes because they need someone like me whose really grounded in art. Now im guessing a job like this will increase my marketability. They do seem a little archaic... meaning they still have old macs... i ask them about upgrading and they said they are going to look into it soon... so thats good. Im curious how other graphic places like this are... do they still do silkscreen?... or is it all done from computer and then the printer prints on the shirts or different materials? Im not sure how advanced this can get or is right now. I dont want to be caught working in business that uses antiquated methods or devices and not industry standard ones... you know what i mean? That wouldnt help my marketability i would gather. So this is my concern at the moment and I want to ask for your advice or opinion on the matter. Will this be good for me in terms of using this latter on (if i have to) to work up the graphic design latter, if i go that route? what do you all think? there isnt much practical art related oppurtunity at all in the small town im in so im guessing this will be a good move for me right now as i get ready for my next grad art school expierence for the fall of next year.

 

[Blue Velvet]

I've done some artwork for silk-screen T-shirts before and yes, people often want silkscreening because it lasts better and can gave a far greater intensity of colour. The oddest thing was working with white 'ink'...

By doing a job like this, you will deepen your understanding of colour separations and photo-chemical techniques which still are a core aspect of many reprographic processes.

Don't worry about it seeming archaic. As you said, a lot of it is still new to you... the quality of the equipment is not immediately relevant to the quality of the work that thay may be producing. You'd be surprised how many small print-shops look antiquated.

It's good to be exposed to as many media as possible early in your career, much can be taken from one field to the other. It will probably also improve your customer-relations skills...

I say go for it, particularly if you got a good feeling from the people there, if the working atmosphere seemed to be good.

It's not like you're tied to this job for the rest of your life. One door can open another... and as my Italian friend says 'Go in thin and grow fat'!

Good luck... let us know how you're getting on.

 

[jefhatfield]

Hey jef man... good to hear from you also!


I've been working on my first grad degree in art will finish this semester... then im of to get another on pretty soon so inbetween i'll be either looking for an art related job or continuing my freelance and of course working my portfolio up to get into another grad program (studio art).

Whats goin on with you?

as far as art, not much

i took a class in pre press at the junior college last year...when you last were on macrumors a lot, i was a computer techie and eventually i will be moving out of computers...it's a great hobby, but not such a great way to make a living...you know, fixing the same issues over and over for a vulnerable windows operating system

 

[krossfyter]

well.. im working at this job now. pretty chill. very rare job to have in my area. graphic art type jobs are very scarce around here so i snatched this up while i could. i had to drive 1 hour before to work in my field... this is a lot easier because its 7 minutes from home. i can basically do whatever i want... with in reason... so as long as i finish my jobs/projects. im rocking out to my ipod... and working jobs on thier new mac. im doing good.
this should hold me for another year or till i get into another grad school. wish me luck.

 

[jefhatfield]

well.. im working at this job now. pretty chill. very rare job to have in my area. graphic art type jobs are very scarce around here so i snatched this up while i could. i had to drive 1 hour before to work in my field... this is a lot easier because its 7 minutes from home. i can basically do whatever i want... with in reason... so as long as i finish my jobs/projects. im rocking out to my ipod... and working jobs on thier new mac. im doing good.
this should hold me for another year or till i get into another grad school. wish me luck.

hey kross, it sounds like things are going great and 7 minutes sounds like the ultimate commute

 

[highres]

you will need a decent knowledge of Illustrator, Photoshop, color separation (CMYK to RGB, etc.), prepress print work, maybe some retouching or cleanup skills and outputing files into different formats (i.e. Illustrator .EPS, .AI, Photoshop .PSD, to PDF, etc.)...

 

[krossfyter]

hey kross, it sounds like things are going great and 7 minutes sounds like the ultimate commute

thnx man... yeah im loving it.

 

[krossfyter]

you will need a decent knowledge of Illustrator, Photoshop, color separation (CMYK to RGB, etc.), prepress print work, maybe some retouching or cleanup skills and outputing files into different formats (i.e. Illustrator .EPS, .AI, Photoshop .PSD, to PDF, etc.)...

yep... you are correct.

 

[Mike Teezie]

Cool deal, you are working at the same kind of place I am.

 

[MontyZ]

Silkscreening will be around for a long time still, and with custom t-shirts being all the rage in fashion right now, it's a great skill to learn. Who knows, it might lead to you starting your own t-shirt line!

Now, if you said that this company wanted you to set metal type, then I'd say there's no value in learning that in the digital age, but, the skills you'll acquire there will be valuable and still useful for years to come. I did a lot of silkscreening in high-school and it still comes in handy today.

Soak it all up and just have fun with it. Best of luck!

 

[rainman::|:|]

Hey that's fun, I'm a production artist too. just kind of fell into it, my work is not my career but it's a hell of a lot better day-job than most. But it's a great way to develop secretary-ass, so keep that in mind (no, i don't speak from experience, i have NO ass). It's just creative enough to keep a slacker somewhat interested, so there's that.

 

[krossfyter]

cool deal. thnx guys.

so to those working at this kind of a job... id like to know your setup. what do you use for printer, computer...whatever else that involves getting the art to the other departments.... you know just hardware you use to produce your work.

im trying to search around for a good dye sub printer... any ideas?

perhaps you all are more advanced... just like to know whats your general setup.

what programs are you using also?

this is a damn fun job.