This week I started my practicum at Chairman Ting! I had chosen to do my practicum here because I’ve worked in a studio before, and I’ve also worked in house. Because Chairman Ting is a nano sized illustration studio, I was super curious to see how a nearly one man show is run. It isn’t actually a one man show, the team includes Carson (CD and artist), Steff (Producer), Lynol (production and art assistant) and me. People come to Chairman Ting specifically for Carson’s illustration style so it’s been really cool to see the kinds of projects he gets to work on and how his studio is run.

This week I got to stick my fingers into a lot of different projects. They’re super busy right now and there’s a lot going on. I’ve mainly helped with production tasks like creating mural mockups, moodboarding, ideation, and some merch design. I also got to do my first site visit for a vinyl mural we will be doing (hard hats required).

(There I am, looking undercover in my hard hat and mask).

One of the things that Carson has been really involved in lately is NFTs. He has had sooooo many people wanting to pick his brain about them. I don’t know a lot about them, but I’m looking forward to learning more as I go. So far I’m just listening in on his and Lynol’s conversations about them, and I’ve already learned a little bit more. There are a lot of clients coming through who are asking to do NFTs on top of the other illustration work they’re asking for which I didn’t expect.

What I’ve also come to learn is how scrappy and resourceful the studio is. This is an Instagram post I helped put together and write. It turns out they shot this photo with a 3D printed character in one of the cupboards at the studio. You could never tell and it looks super cool!

There’s a lot of awesome projects going on and I’m really excited to see where we go with them in the coming weeks. I’m really enjoying my time at Chairman Ting so far, there’s lots to do, the people are wonderful and I don’t feel nearly as stressed as when I’m in school. They also have lots of treats, and you can never go wrong with having lots of treats :)

For more on Annika, follow her on Instagram @annikamcfarlane or check out annikamcfarlane.com.