SISD Fall 1998 Newsletter: Chris Payne

Fall '98 Newsletter

Chris Payne:
Shares His Views on the Future of Illustration

Monday, June 8, 1999
Written by Michael Steirnagle

There was a great turn-out for our last social/meeting at the home of Ken and Day Joudrey. We were treated to an impromptu potluck social gathering and discussion with nationally known illustrator Chris Payne (CF Payne) from Ohio.

Chris has been a freelance illustrator for many years and has risen through the ranks and arrived as one of the most respected illustrators in the country. His work has graced the pages of magazines such as Time, Rolling Stone,the New Yorker, and many others. His considerable drawing skill combined with his ability to stylize people and put his own special "spin" on any given subject has made him one of the most sought after artists of our time.

Society of Illustrators San Diego

Society of Illustrators

San Diego

Art

Illustrators

Illustration

Commercial art

Society

Artists

In our meeting we did not see a slide presentation, but rather we were treated to an intellectual and enlightening discussion of the future of illustration including copyrights and work for hire. Throughout his long career, it became more and more evident to Chris that illustrators in this country for too long have worked as isolated individuals hammering away in their cubicles trying to make a living however they could without any regard to the condition of our profession on a national level. Experssions like, "Well, we've got to pay the bills" or "At least it's better than nothing" or "I guess I should be thankful that I'm working at all" or "If I don't take this job, someone else will", seem to be all too common around the studios of illustrators. And it is hard to argue with putting food on the table.

Illustrators are hermits by nature. We work alone. We think alone. We live in our own heads in a world of our own trying to solve visual problems. That is what we do best and that is all we want to do. Financial concerns, paperwork, politics, the future of business...we'd rather stick our heads in the sand and surface only to check the mail box for that continually dwindling check. This is the existence for many illustrators. We wonder why our fees have been reduced so dramatically through the years. Why the work has become to so much harder to get. Why more and more of our hard earned dollars has to go into promotion and stock advertising. And yet we sit and do nothing to take some control of our own profession. We slip further and further down the totem pole (even below our own reps in some cases) and we site back and shrug our shoulders and say, "Well, those computers have really cut into our business" or "Gosh, there are just too many illustrators doing too few jobs." But the fact remains that there are too many lawyers, too many accountants, too many real estate agents, and I do not see their fees being cut by one-half since 1970. Of course, there are many reasons for this but one main fact is that most professions have some sort of standard to operate by. Some code of ethics to follow that will ensure the survival of their profession in the future.

Enter Chris Payne and his proposal to establish an annual illustrator's convention. Long overdue, this convention could finally assemble the nation's illustrators and begin the long (but essential) task of having some input on what the business of illustration will look like in the decades to come.

One of the most troublesome areas that Chris sees is in the area of losing control of our images. Song writers have experienced this for years. (Consider the Beatles losing control of their songs to Michael Jackson). Chris sees stock illustration as a given... it is not going away. But we must be able to control the prices established and the usage given. I personally see copyright free illustration on CDs as a much bigger problem. The battle lines have been drawn: The buyers of art and their desire to control our fees and how they use our art vs. the independent, legally ill-equipped, non -unionized, scrambling illustrator who (until now) have more often than not, bowed to the wishes of the all mighty check writers. And it will get worse.. not better.. if we do not exercise some control over our product. After all, we are not selling television sets that can be cranked out one after another for the private (not commercial) use of individuals. We are selling a creative service that will help to build the profits of a business. We are not the copy machines and computers in the offices. We are the stuff that is seen by thousands and sometimes millions of people designed for one purpose: to make money.

So thank you Chris Payne for coming to San Diego and sharing your insights. And thank you for your efforts in putting this convention together. We want it and we need it and we look forward to it. And spread the word. DO NOT WORK FOR HIRE! Have the courage of your convictions.

Michael Steirnagle

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	Chris Payne: Shares His Views on the Future of Illustration *Monday, June 8, 1999* Written by Michael Steirnagle There was a great turn-out for our last social/meeting at the home of Ken and Day Joudrey. We were treated to an impromptu potluck social gathering and discussion with nationally known illustrator Chris Payne (CF Payne) from Ohio. Chris has been a freelance illustrator for many years and has risen through the ranks and arrived as one of the most respected illustrators in the country. His work has graced the pages of magazines such as Time, Rolling Stone,the New Yorker, and many others. His considerable drawing skill combined with his ability to stylize people and put his own special "spin" on any given subject has made him one of the most sought after artists of our time.
Society of Illustrators San Diego Society of Illustrators San Diego Art Illustrators Illustration Commercial art Society Artists	In our meeting we did not see a slide presentation, but rather we were treated to an intellectual and enlightening discussion of the future of illustration including copyrights and work for hire. Throughout his long career, it became more and more evident to Chris that illustrators in this country for too long have worked as isolated individuals hammering away in their cubicles trying to make a living however they could without any regard to the condition of our profession on a national level. Experssions like, "Well, we've got to pay the bills" or "At least it's better than nothing" or "I guess I should be thankful that I'm working at all" or "If I don't take this job, someone else will", seem to be all too common around the studios of illustrators. And it is hard to argue with putting food on the table. Illustrators are hermits by nature. We work alone. We think alone. We live in our own heads in a world of our own trying to solve visual problems. That is what we do best and that is all we want to do. Financial concerns, paperwork, politics, the future of business...we'd rather stick our heads in the sand and surface only to check the mail box for that continually dwindling check. This is the existence for many illustrators. We wonder why our fees have been reduced so dramatically through the years. Why the work has become to so much harder to get. Why more and more of our hard earned dollars has to go into promotion and stock advertising. And yet we sit and do nothing to take some control of our own profession. We slip further and further down the totem pole (even below our own reps in some cases) and we site back and shrug our shoulders and say, "Well, those computers have really cut into our business" or "Gosh, there are just too many illustrators doing too few jobs." But the fact remains that there are too many lawyers, too many accountants, too many real estate agents, and I do not see their fees being cut by one-half since 1970. Of course, there are many reasons for this but one main fact is that most professions have some sort of standard to operate by. Some code of ethics to follow that will ensure the survival of their profession in the future.
	Enter Chris Payne and his proposal to establish an annual illustrator's convention. Long overdue, this convention could finally assemble the nation's illustrators and begin the long (but essential) task of having some input on what the business of illustration will look like in the decades to come. One of the most troublesome areas that Chris sees is in the area of losing control of our images. Song writers have experienced this for years. (Consider the Beatles losing control of their songs to Michael Jackson). Chris sees stock illustration as a given... it is not going away. But we must be able to control the prices established and the usage given. I personally see copyright free illustration on CDs as a much bigger problem. The battle lines have been drawn: The buyers of art and their desire to control our fees and how they use our art vs. the independent, legally ill-equipped, non -unionized, scrambling illustrator who (until now) have more often than not, bowed to the wishes of the all mighty check writers. And it will get worse.. not better.. if we do not exercise some control over our product. After all, we are not selling television sets that can be cranked out one after another for the private (not commercial) use of individuals. We are selling a creative service that will help to build the profits of a business. We are not the copy machines and computers in the offices. We are the stuff that is seen by thousands and sometimes millions of people designed for one purpose: to make money. So thank you Chris Payne for coming to San Diego and sharing your insights. And thank you for your efforts in putting this convention together. We want it and we need it and we look forward to it. And spread the word. DO NOT WORK FOR HIRE! Have the courage of your convictions. Michael Steirnagle
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