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One of the most valuable pieces of advice that I came away from the IMC with last year was to determine the Next 5 Steps I was going to take to further my professional career. I chose more than five and then blogged them (you can read that post here. I didn't complete them all, but made tremendous headway. It totally changed the way I work).
This year -
1.) *Really* learn Photoshop. I bought a copy of CS3 (so much cheaper online than CS4, and I can still upgrade if I wish to), and have Real Plans to Implement!
2.) Upgrade little wacomgraphire tablet. (Done! Just bought a medium Intuos4. Should be here tomorrow).
3.) Learn how to use my spiffy new printer from last year for actually making *prints*. I've used it to great effect all year to print out my sketches to paint on, but now I want to learn how to best utilize its color.
4.) Do more 'personal' work - in between or after this latest batch of commercial work. Right now, my sensibilities are leaning towards the cute-creepy, but pretty much anything that is geared at an age older than 7 would make me happy.
5.) Do follow-up mailings to the various people/professionals who requested more at the IMC (I have a nice list!)
6.) Keep online portfolio places updated.
7.) Keep up with the sketching from life as well as from imagination (outside of commercial work).
8.) Some time in the next 12 months, either take a class or do on my own, on Figure Sculpting! (Charles Vess talked about his sculpting project of the last 3 years and how much easier drawing got afterwards. I have wanted to do something 3 dimensionally like that for some time, so this seems most opportune!)
9.) Watch for the subjects/media/feeling/look that I feel the most *passionate* about, and then follow them!
Ok - that's plenty to keep me busy for the next calendar year I think...
9 Comments on The Next Professional Steps -, last added: 7/6/2009
I admire people who can make such lists, then carry through with them...it takes tenacity and determination. You apparently have both. Love the illustration! Sandi
Comparing last year's list with this, I see that you have expanded the fine points and are concentrating less on STUFF, perhaps because you bought the STUFF last year!
However, this peek into your direction and expansion of your art is fascinating.
That's a great list! I think the sculpting class sounds interesting. I remember from college days how we had a one-day class working just from the model's head using clay and it changed my whole way of looking from that day!
OK, I just re-read last years and am all inspired to make my own list. but I wander, so, from area to area, and don't have a focus point yet, so..... hummm.... shall try.
what a wonderful idea - i am off to have a go at listing my own, though i shall pich a few from your list as they apply - the figure sculpting sounds wonderful. there never seem enough hours in the day to try everything!!
I started a workshop with Marisa at Creative Thursday almost 2 weeks ago and I'm a little late in getting my blog updated about it. The e-course has started off great with terrific podcasts and videos from Marisa and she is an AMAZING and INSPIRING teacher.It's been inspiring and motivating to hear what other artists have to share, also. So many of the artists are much further along on their path which is fun and exciting to see what they are doing and hear what's working for them.
1 Comments on A Workshop in the Fish Bowl, last added: 7/11/2009
Oh, I had forgotten you signed up for this. I want to hear ALL about it! Tell me, tell me, tell me! :) Great to see your blog updated. I missed the Artsy Teapot!
And here's the after picture. I so love the color!!! I once loved the old color, but had grown tired of it. I wanted something bolder and I got it. You have no idea how much stuff I had to move around to get a clean picture.
And here's another shot of my drawing board. I'd show my desk, but I don't have the time to unbury it first. The gold "curtain" is really a sheet I put up to keep out the heat. I have other plans for that window.
2 Comments on The Loft--Finally!, last added: 7/1/2009
I practiced on Strathmore bristol board and then did it on watercolor paper, Winsor & Newton Hot Press which has a little more tooth to it than most hot press. I like things about both of them. What do you all think?
10 Comments on Joyride in color, last added: 7/23/2009
Hi Phyllis...they both look great but maybe the top looks a little crisper. Love that dog!!
Hey thanks for your comment on my blog. I wish that piece was for a book but no....however, you got me thinking! Think I'll do a few more pieces to go with to create a story and use for pomotion. So thanks for the inspiration!! :o)
Wow you are churning out some great work Girlie! I love this piece and your PBAA image too! I like both of these for different reasons - either way you can't go wrong. One good question is - which paper do you like working on better? I'd go with the paper that makes your process more enjoyable.
Guess who got married again, for the 4th time!? Yes, it’s Hildy! She snagged her herself another rooster and they made it official last weekend! The above photo was snapped after the “I do’s”. Beatrice is scowling because she was had initially worn a lovely floral & silk outfit, but Hildy pulled her, “I’m the [...]
5 Comments on Illustration Friday: “Worn” 3, last added: 7/2/2009
Drawger has set up the Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies where “tools of the trade that have died or have just about died a slow slow death are cheerfully exhibited.”
I still have plenty of these kicking around from my school days — rubber cement pick-up, proportion wheel, dry cleaning pad, t-squares, triangles. I even use some of them still, despite having a heavily digital workflow. Heck, I’ve even used a plastic circle template on my Cintiq itself.
But please don’t make me set type by hand ever again.
I have a whole mess of zipatone sheets and stick on letters floating around somewhere. Once regular tools, now reserved for something really special since there’s no way to really replace them.
I still prefer good old hand crafted cutting and pasting. I use collage as my medium of choice. I find it really satisfying to take sheets of colored paper and magazines and to physically cut them up and glue them back together as something new. I also like hearing people’s disbelief when they realize what they are looking at is a collage and not a photograph or painting.
Sure, I could learn to do the same thing digitally, and I’m sure it would be faster, but it wouldn’t elicit the same reaction, nor would it have the same tactile satisfaction for me. So, I guess what I’m saying is that I mourn the passing of these seemingly obsolete tools not out of nostalgia, or because I’m an old dog unwilling to learn new tricks, but because I still find creating artwork physically with scissors and glue to be more satisfying.
SamD said, on 7/4/2009 12:04:00 PM
Heck, I’d love to -find- some of this stuff.
kenmeyerjr said, on 7/4/2009 9:19:00 PM
God…I think I have used at least 60% of all that stuff in the past. Still have (and use) some of it. I will echo John’s comments…though the pages have turned brown, I still love the old comics I created back in the 80’s using ink, zipatone, transfer letters, graphic white and crappy old rapidographs…god how I hated those pens! When I show the comic pages I did using duoshade paper to my fellow (much younger) students, they all want to go out and git sum!
hkrall said, on 7/16/2009 11:32:00 AM
In the past? I use a lot of this stuff every day. I would kill for a Lucigraph machine, they are amazing.
One of my local art supply stores just discontinued holbien gouache… That scares me.
I do plenty of coloring / touch ups on the computer, and honestly half the time it takes me just as long as doing it by hand.
I like vampire and skulls, so when I saw the image Todd Lockwood did for Green Ronin's Fang & Fury book, I asked to be in it.The book was published in 2003. I modeled the vampire with the white puffs on her dress after the cover image, I thought she deserved to be inside the book as well. The lady with claws was a spot for a special feat for vampires.-Jennifer
1 Comments on Old Art: #4 Fang and Fury., last added: 7/8/2009
After feeling around, I’ve come to this conclusion: I can afford a relaxing day in the sun and enjoying more work by UK based illustrator Marcus Walters.
Created for Barclays Bank, this illustration is bright and cheerful amidst a neighborhood of homes for sale. The clever type contained within the cloud nicely complements the analogously colored homes. I especially enjoy the intricate details that lie within the trees and the decoration of the homes. I love how Marcus’ hand drawn type and layered paper collages play a thoughtful and dynamic role in almost all of his works. To see more, check out his website, and be sure to pick up a nice print at his shop as well! My personal choice would be his “My First Alphabet Poster.”
Cynthea Liu has a new book coming out! It's called Paris Pan takes the Dare. And boy, does she know how to celebrate! Join in on the fun and help out. There are a ton of great prizes you can win. Plus, she just announced "Due to the craziness of the holiday weekend, the auction has been EXTENDED through July 8th." To learn more about “Take the Dare: Show You Care,” please visit www.cynthealiu.com/showyoucare or contact [email protected].
0 Comments on Take the Dare... as of 7/1/2009 2:39:00 PM
I love this book. I don't want it to end because it's so much fun. The book is Of The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie by Alan Bradley. It's Mr. Bradley's debut novel and it one the Dagger award.Here's what the book says:
"A delightfully dark English mystery, featuring precocious young sleuth Flavia de Luce and her eccentric family.
The summer of 1950 hasn’t offered up anything out of the ordinary for eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce: bicycle explorations around the village, keeping tabs on her neighbours, relentless battles with her older sisters, Ophelia and Daphne, and brewing up poisonous concoctions while plotting revenge in their home’s abandoned Victorian chemistry lab, which Flavia has claimed for her own.
But then a series of mysterious events gets Flavia’s attention: A dead bird is found on the doormat, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. A mysterious late-night visitor argues with her aloof father, Colonel de Luce, behind closed doors. And in the early morning Flavia finds a red-headed stranger lying in the cucumber patch and watches him take his dying breath. For Flavia, the summer begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw: “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”
Great book. I really recommend it.
3 Comments on Sweetnes At The Bottom Of The Pie, last added: 7/8/2009
Nice to your read your blog about online friends. You can find more friends in online to get new ideas about anything in and around the world. Indian Friends Online are dominated in this online community to reach you goal.
Ah! It sounds so good!! There's an exhibit on right now at Anna Leonowens of book cover design winners, there are some beautiful books down there, worth checking out!
Enjoy this small collection of vintage sewn clothing tags over at World Famous Design Junkies. There’s something really special about these delicate little designs hiding behind people’s necks: Design in Thread.
0 Comments on Vintage sewn clothing tags as of 7/1/2009 4:14:00 PM
I just finished this piece for Highlights for Children 2 weeks ago. It was a fun story to illustrate. It's not too often that I get to do some night/moon lighting, which is one of my favorite things to color.
There is a lot more to this illustration that I didn't post, the open light blue area toward the bottom is just the beginning of the space needed for the story text. There will also be skinks (the lizards) all around the text and hiding under some of the photos throughout the two pages. It will published in the December 2009 issue.
The sketch is below. You should immediately notice the change in the walls and the removal of the man's facial hair and some of the skinks, most notably the skink sleeping by his side which I was quite sad to see go.
I have never met a kid (or an adult) that didn't love Highlights for Children, you can click here to get a subscription.
3 Comments on Living with Lizards., last added: 7/12/2009
A skink is a pretty common lizard. There are a lot of different types, my favorite is the blue tongued skink.
The editors felt like there was too many skinks and probably wanted to remove the "sleepiing skink" because it appeared to have too much human qualities. No big deal.
So I’ve been reading about Cynthea Liu’s Take The Dare, Show You Care challenge for about three weeks, but most of that time I was on vacation and away from the PC.
Now that I’m back, I wanted to make sure I posted it before it ends.
Cynthea and a slew of other authors/publishing peeps are raising money for Tulakes Elementary, a Title I school in Oklahoma.
There are three ways to participate in the Dare. Take it, if you…well, dare!
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And here's the after picture. I so love the color!!! I once loved the old color, but had grown tired of it. I wanted something bolder and I got it. You have no idea how much stuff I had to move around to get a clean picture.
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Sounds like much too lengthy a list for me but it is certainly encouraging to know that other people are struggling to keep on track.
Cheers
I admire people who can make such lists, then carry through with them...it takes tenacity and determination. You apparently have both.
Love the illustration!
Sandi
Comparing last year's list with this, I see that you have expanded the
fine points and are concentrating less on STUFF, perhaps because you
bought the STUFF last year!
However, this peek into your direction and expansion of your art is fascinating.
Jane
That's a great list! I think the sculpting class sounds interesting. I remember from college days how we had a one-day class working just from the model's head using clay and it changed my whole way of looking from that day!
whew! I'm exhausted just reading it! Good on you for charging ahead with energy!
OK, I just re-read last years and am all inspired to make my own list. but I wander, so, from area to area, and don't have a focus point yet, so..... hummm.... shall try.
Inspiring list Tara! I love the illustration too. Wish you could do a series of books like that. I love your artwork.
Great set of goals.
I look forward to seeing more of your personal work in the coming year - most delightful!
what a wonderful idea - i am off to have a go at listing my own, though i shall pich a few from your list as they apply - the figure sculpting sounds wonderful. there never seem enough hours in the day to try everything!!