daily doodle for May 24, 2010
The weather has become entirely too hot, entirely too quickly. All I want to do is take cool showers and eat ices. Lime ones.
Today was a paperwork day. I made my heap and mounds of papers smaller, but they are still glaring at me from corners demanding attention. It’s a short week as I head out to Kansas for the next appearance on my book tour at week’s end. It will be nice to catch up with people I haven’t seen in a few years.
I have been updating my portraits with a new photo. The last one I had taken professionally was nearly 7 years ago. Plus, last fall I chopped off my waist length hair. It was time for a new one.
I have avoided short hair most of my life because, except for my coloring, I am a the spitting image of my mother. In our baby pictures, you have to figure out who it is by the people around the baby. If they are too young to be holding me, then they are holding my mother.
With all the traveling I am doing for book promotion, long hair is just too much of a hassle. I do miss having long locks to play dress-up with, and my drawer full of hair ribbons, bows, clips and ties is now in disuse, but the trade off is wash and wear hair. My husband greeted the change with glee. He now has easy access to my neck for sneak attack smooching. He usually does this when my hands are full and my back turned. I squeal and he laughs and escapes unscathed.
But I look at my new pictures and see my mother. It is very disconcerting. At least my daughter won’t have the same problem. She looks more like her father’s side of the family. She did inherit my mother’s dark hair, however. People say she looks like me, but I don’t see it. They also say she looks like my husband, which is funny since he looks nothing like her father.
daily doodle for May 15, 2010
daily doodle for May 16, 2010
daily doodle for May 17, 2010
daily doodle for May 14, 2010
I have come to the end of my work related projects. Sadly, I have not spent an equal amount of time on promotion while I was busy working on those projects, so I find myself in the uncomfortable position of being ‘unemployed.’ As a freelancer, and self employed illustrator, I realize this is a common occurrence in my profession, especially for the lone artist. Many of my fellow illustrators are also bemoaning a certain lack of paying work.
In years past I would have met this dilemma with fatalism and fear. But now I just realize it is part of the ups and downs that accompany the freelance lifestyle. I know what to do. Get out there and pound the proverbial sidewalk. Which brings me to the sad state of affairs that I have not yet discovered the secret formula for what works in bringing in new clients. After working as an artist (and a freelancer) since the late 80s, one would think I had gotten this part of my profession figured out. That would be a resounding — not really.
So, it is time to create a postcard mailer. On a small bit of real estate measuring approximately 4″ x 5″ minus mailing requirement to meet postal regulations, I have to showcase my work and convince an otherwise busy art director, editor or business person that I am the exactly right artist for his or her needs. My postcard also has to stand out enough from the 100s of others also crossing the potential client’s desk that day to warrant said person to take the time to visit my web site and see more of my art and assess if my skill sets and style match the current project needs. It is a daunting task to say the least.
Not only do I need talent, skill, style and perseverance, I also need a good dollop of luck. My postcard has to arrive on a day when the person receiving it is in a receptive mood, has the need for someone with my particular style and focus and a project available for me to work on. That, my friends, is a lot of ifs.
Which brings me to the playing at pirates part. In the past I have sent out art already created, or portions of books recently published (or about to be) and this time I’ve decided that won’t do. I’ve decided I need to create a series of illustrations meant just for this promotional purpose. I spent a week or two considering my options. Said options are endless, limited only by my imagination. And as you may have noticed I have a vivid imagination.
I have several pieces I started and abandoned for whatever reasons. One of these is a pirate girl I began to develop for a friend’s blog and never got past the rough sketch stage. I don’t know if the friend’s project ever went anywhere, but I do really like the sketch and want to move it from the ‘someday I’ll finish this’ pile into the completed project pile.
Being the over-achieving artist, Type-A personality that I am, I have decided to take the original drawing and instead of completing the sketch I have, to take the concept and make it bigger and better. So instead of one lone girl pirate, there will now be a bunch of children playing pirate. With a boat. And a parrot. And maybe a treasure map or two. The postcard has morphed into a full fledged story line.
Why do I do this to myself?
My sketch book awaits! Wish me luck.
Most nights my mind goes a mile a minute with all kinds of creative things I might be doing or doing better. Eventually, it shuts up so I can go to sleep. In the last few years, the mind wakes up at around 4 am — way before I am seriously done with sleep, rest and dreams. I used to get up and work during these bouts of creative insomnia, but recently the idea of sitting at the keyboard tic-tacking away has lost some appeal. I have been sitting here for about 20 minutes now and already my left leg is achy and numb. It is hard to be creative when part of you is always in pain. I find I am get less accomplished then I like, especially with computer intensive projects. I just can’t sit still like I used to.
As a wee child I used to sit so perfectly still many times people would think my mother was carrying a china doll. I am no longer that petite, and age has blemished my ‘perfect’ complexion.
I am toying with getting the new Adobe CS5, but aside from the $$ involved, there is the time needed to actually get up to speed with the new versions of software. The idea of trying to do a 10-12 hour tutorial is beyond daunting when coupled with the traitorous limb I call leg. Just — ow.
So much of my work requires intense stretches of sitting and leaning time, even if it’s not on the computer. My hubby bought a new drafting table for my birthday, but it hasn’t arrived yet. The one I have was old when I inherited it from an x-boyfriend back in the early 80s. It no longer is a stable work space and if I want the table to be level, I end up having to hold it up with my knees while working. Not the most ergonomic of positions let me assure you. The new table also has storage drawers on either side. I am very much looking forward to its arrival!
I am making a list of large projects I need to do during my off-travel time this summer. One is a complete overhaul of this web site. I am searching for an easy to use gallery which will make keeping my portfolio updated much less of a chore. As it is now, I have to recode the entire page anytime I want to add or remove a piece of art. So I avoid doing it until the site is so stall, I am embarrassed to give people my link.
I also want to finish up 3 WIPs in various stages of undone. And then there is the filing system that is just “shove it in the drawer” method right now. I don’t have to tell you how hard it is to find something when it’s files away like that. At least it is NOT on the horizontal surfaces like my drafting table, light box or computer table. That is something.
I think I will call the massage place today and get the kinks worked out of my hip and thigh. Maybe then I can work without having to hop up every 10 minutes and walk around!
daily doodle for May 13, 2010
