Its been a month or so since my last blog post and there are, of course, reasons for that. I won't go into them. Over all, things have been difficult as I try to get my life in order. It seems that is an ongoing project that I haven't figured out. Its like putting together furniture with no directions, not enough screws and all the wrong tools. I think I know what its supposed to look like and what I want it to look like, but fitting the pieces together is like herding cats. In fact, at this point, I think herding cats might be easier. Needless to say, I'm trying to reboot.
Marine Speedpaint
If you've been keeping up, you know that I've been attending classes at The Red Engine School in Los Angeles (and for those who know their geography, you know that this means a four hour drive to Los Angeles from Las Vegas where I live and a four hour drive back home after the three hour class). The second session of Red Engine classes was supposed to be Entertainment Design II, but there were problems and the instructor couldn't teach this session. Instead, they offered a Character Design class. Since that is what I was interested in doing, I decided to take the class and I'm currently going one day a week to that. My instructors are Dan LuVisi and Justin Goby Fields. Two very talented artists of course, who work in the industry. They decided to have this session be a real world experience by having us work on a reboot of a Starship Troopers. This means redesigning the human marines and the alien bugs.
Bug Speedpaint
Sci-fi is not my usual thing. If you've seen my work, you know I usually do more fantasy based art, so this project is a challenge to my skills and interest. It hasn't been easy but I think I'm getting better at it. Its just a matter of trying to give what the clients want and making it come together. Its definitely made me work hard to get the images done right and done well. So that's been a good thing.
Job searching has been a difficulty. I've applied to different places, but no one has been interested in hiring me. All the 'connections' I've made out here or been referred to all say the same thing, "The strip is where the jobs are, apply to the casino-hotels." Well, the issue with that, is the system the casino-hotels have. Everything is done on-line and many hotels fall under one company owner. So when you apply for a job, you can see jobs for many different hotels on the strip. It should make it easier to apply because you end up filling in one form with all your information, unfortunately, you can only apply to one job at a time. For example: If the MGM has a job for a graphic designer, I can apply to that one. The Luxor is owned by the same company and if they have a job for a graphic designer, I cannot also apply to that one. If I wanted the Luxor job, I would have to pull my application at the MGM job and then apply to the Luxor job. It makes trying to apply to jobs difficult because they do not send you a message saying whether or not your application has gone through.
I am afraid that my moving around for the last few years has hindered people hiring me. I haven't gotten any interviews which is frustrating because I know once I can get in front of someone, I can show how capable I am. I may have to rework my resume and see if that helps, but this has been a very frustrating situation. There isn't a lot I can do to change that since I only have so much power in how that goes.
This has left me with turning to my online shops in hopes of making some sales to try and get some income in. I haven't sold anything in a while, but the economy isn't great and I know people are not spending like water is money and most of my art is from previous years and requires some new stuff to get interest again. I am planning on selling some original artwork that either I have been holding on to or that has not sold before. I haven't sold original art online before, so we'll see how that works. I will also be offering commissions again in the future and seeing if that becomes successful. I am left to my own devices and seeing if perhaps, my future and finances are going to be all on my shoulders rather than being hired by someone else to pay me for work.
I have plans that I am making for this reboot. I am hopeful and I am
capable. It takes luck and it takes skill and I know I have the latter -
luck is harder to get. I have thoughts of a web comic, a book and some
new artwork and products. I have plans to keep up this blog with
artistic information that might help others and of course, continuing to
fill you guys in on what's new with me. An important new bit is this:
I am having an sale on my jewelry. Using coupon code: THANKSGIVUKKAH you will get 20% off all items you purchase. That is 20% off earrings, necklaces and bracelets. That's 20% off jewelry for men and for women. With Chanukkah coming so early (Thanksgiving is also the first night of the holiday) and Christmas coming soon after, this is a great time to order jewelry from me and making sure you get it in time to give to someone you love! Just go to my etsy shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StormwolfStudios and check out my jewelry there. Everything is on sale!
Even if you don't purchase anything, please spread the word and tell your friends... Thanks in advance for that.
So, as I reboot myself... or continue to do that, I hope you'll stick with me and root for me in your way. If nothing else, this long journey that I have been on has brought people into my life that I am grateful and happy to know. Each one of you has been kind and have inspired me and for that, I say: Thank you.
Kelly Thompson wrote a recent article regarding the Batwoman situation where its writers Williams and Blackman left due to editorial issues. She spoke about how no matter how upset readers have been about DC's decisions from this change of writers, to its announcement that its characters would not get to be happy, DC and Dan Didio have learned that we won't actually stop reading. We can throw a fit, posts memes, write blogs, scream and shout, but it doesn't stop us from picking up another issue and certainly not enough numbers to make it matter.
She went on to say that you can't blame the readers because the readers don't want to punish characters like Batwoman because of something that has nothing to do with her. After all, it has taken a very long time for readers to have an openly gay hero let alone a female hero, have their own title book. Do you protest the changes by not buying the comic anymore and thereby risk losing that comic book?
Its an interesting question and it made me think about the whole idea of minorities as characters in media as a whole.
Being Jewish, I have seen people of the same religion depicted certain ways on television and in movies and even in comic books. For the most part, I could not and did not relate to those portrayals. Yes, I was happy to see them because it made me feel like people noticed Jews existed, though I'll be honest here, I grew up not really feeling ignored either. I was not a child who felt left out at the 'Christmas' pageant because there was no Chanukah song. I was happy to be singing happy songs with my friends and cutting out snowflakes. I went to the mall and spoke to the cheap animatronic reindeer at the mall and yeah, I think I sat on Santa's lap probably and I watched Charlie Brown's Christmas special and all the other ones. And after all that, I lit the candles of the menorah and said my prayers and we had our gifts and we ate whatever greasy food was prepared for dinner. I didn't feel left out or excluded all that often. I was fairly comfortable with my Judaism and how we celebrated the holidays and yeah, I wished we decorated more like my non-Jewish friends, but only because it was pretty, not because I wanted to celebrate Christmas.
Having said that, I will say that the Jewish families I saw in media seemed rather… well… pointless or not really characters to relate to. Let me explain that.
yeah.... I know no one like these people.
See, the Jews were generally stereotypes: So over the top Jewish with their New Yawk accents they might as well have worn a bagel as a yarmulke (and generally portrayed as the old Jews who were someone's grandparents or neighbors) and worn woven lox shirts, they used more as a joke or to help with a punchline than to be fully developed characters - maybe sometimes they were there to help teach a lesson to the non-Jewish people. An example of that is Fran Fine from "The Nanny" and her family which was a definite caricature of that type of Jew. The other portrayal was the ultra orthodox, the Hasidic, which more people recognize as those Jews with the long beards and wearing all black. Again, they are presented to teach the non-Jewish characters about Judaism and about people being different and respecting another way of life. The other side of that are the Jews who might as well not be Jewish except they have a sort of Jewish last name. The best example of this is Monica and Ross Geller from Friends. Even Willow Rosenberg from Buffy, who was a great character... But what was the point of saying she was Jewish? Especially when seeing what happened to her character. There is no point to these people being called Jewish except to have them act a certain way… maybe a certain 'Jewish' way, of course that can just be interchanged with being 'A New Yorker'. Maybe it is a claim of diversity in cast but these characters never celebrate a Jewish holiday except maybe Chanukah and probably because that's the only holiday most non-Jews know exists and only because they see blue and white things on a shelf among the Christmas ornaments during the holidays at Bed, Bath & Beyond. These characters talk about eating bacon and having milkshakes and hamburgers (not Kosher) and basically live as a non-Jew. Also, almost all the Jews in whatever media scenario are Ashkenazi (meaning descended from Central or Eastern Europe instead of being Sephardim which are Jews descended from the Middle East).
None of these people represented me. A Jewish girl who grew up in New Jersey (I don't have a Joisey accent) with an Ashkenazi mother and a Sephardic father (we followed mostly Sephardic traditions), who were not well to do upper class, who didn't have doctors and lawyers everywhere in the family tree and who lived a sort of normal life style while celebrating the holidays and traditions of our ancestors.
So what does this have to do with the Batwoman comic? I'll tell you…
Should we be happy with whatever representation of minority we get?
As a minority, should I just be happy that there are Jewish characters like Kitty Pryde and Joel Fleishman (Northern Exposure) and shut up and support them no matter what? Should I keep watching the shows and keep buying the comic just because there is a minority that represents me? Even if I'm not happy with the portrayal? Is it my responsibility to support these characters regardless of my feelings of the company behind them or the way they behave?
I'm not a lesbian, but I can see how having a gay lead character with a monthly title would be something I would be happy about. I'm happy as a woman that a female super hero has her own title when there are so few of them - and fewer written well. But when the company that makes that comic is doing things that I don't like, am I obligated to continue supporting that title simply to hold on to the fact that it is a character that somehow represents me or ideas I support? Should I go out an buy Wonder Woman comics, even though I'm angered by how they changed the history of the Amazons from peace loving, strong women to rapists and murders of sailors just because it is still a female comic lead?
This isn't just an issue in comics. I know there are many complaints about movies and television shows that lack minorities and the response back is usually that those films don't bring in the numbers to make them viable. I look at a movie like Blade (featuring a black superhero) and that did pretty respectable numbers… the later ones didn't fair as well, but part of that was poor story and Wesley Snipes apparently being high most of the time in the third one. Does that mean that when a movie like "Because I Said So" comes out and the family is (supposedly) Jewish, I have to go pay money to go watch it? Is every African American supposed to go see every Tyler Perry film because it has people of color? Are we supposed to put money towards anything that has a minority in it just because it does? Are we beholden to this? The companies may interpret our refusal to do so as a reflection on the minority cast and characters, when in fact, the product just might suck - or the readers/viewers are unhappy with the company or people involved in the production. A perfect example would be 'Ender's Game' written by the vocally anti-gay rights Orson Scott Card. People are planning on boycotting it simply because of him - and may do so of his writing run on Superman. Granted, neither 'Ender's Game' or Superman are dealing with minority characters but if the movie bombs it won't be because it was a Sci-fi film.
But back to my point…
If we are unhappy with how a story is going or how the company is handling things, are we obligated to suck it up and say, "Well, at least we got a lesbian character as comic book title". I don't know the answer to that question honestly. Each of us have to decide how we handle it. But I do know that I, like others, are held hostage by the situation. If people decided to stop buying Batwoman, DC would probably not respond by changing their actions or policies, rather, they would discontinue the comic voicing drops in sales as the reason. Then all the readers lose out. Its the same way movie companies don't put effort into having more minorities in their movies as leads because they can claim they won't get a return on the investment (One company used the failed movie Sucker Punch where women were lead characters as a reason that female character lead movies weren't getting green lit: "Because they weren't viable" This of course is completely ignoring the success of The Hunger Games which featured a strong female lead character). Yeah, if you stick a gun to my head like that, I might suck up a lot to not lose something that represents my interest, just so it exists.
If there were more good, well written LGBT characters, female characters, people of color, and/or different nationalities out there in the media, this obviously wouldn't be a discussion to worry about. Losing a comic book like Batwoman might be sad, but there would be other characters and sources to turn to in her place. But looking around, we all know that isn't the case. There is a limit to those types of characters in all media, especially strong, well written and well rounded ones.
So what are we to do?
The only answer I can think of to the situation is for those of us that aren't being represented, is to get into the industries: The changes have to come from within. When you yell at the companies making these decisions, you hit the wall, but when you are in those companies, its easier to put cracks in that wall and knock it down. Or we just wait for a regime change which has happened and will happen. Times change and attitudes change and so while we may not get the characters we want now, perhaps in the future it will happen.
Till then I will be stuck with what I can get and left to feel grateful there is a minority in any media format around me while trying not to wince too much… Oy...
Thinking on this current Batwoman not being allowed to marry issue
that came up today... Someone in the comments of an online article said
it might be because DC is looking at all of its characters as potential
stars in tent pole movies and they didn't want them married because it
would hinder the ability to make a movie attractive to the public -
specifically, having a lesbian character would make it less attractive
to the movie going public.
I can understand that idea,
but I also find it very short sighted by a company who has a poor
history with its movies (outside of its big two characters of Batman and
Superman who have and probably always will be, the big DC pull for
readers and viewers). Catwoman wasn't a bad movie because the lead was a
woman - Catwoman was bad because it was a horrid script and story.
Green Lantern wasn't bad because it had a lead that was a man - Green
Lantern was bad because it was a horrid script and story. See? Both
suffered from the same problem and it had little to do with the sex of the characters.
My question here
is, why would a potential Batwoman movie have to focus on her being a
lesbian OR being a 'gasp' married lesbian? I'm not a lesbian, but I
would love to see a movie where that aspect was a part of a greater
picture of a HUMAN BEING. This is potential for a great story telling
moment! But it makes me realize why there is STILL no Wonder Woman
movie... Because DC is caught up in the 'issue' of having a woman
superhero story rather than a superhero story. At no point did this
seem to be a problem in telling the superhero story of Superman or
Batman. We weren't hung up on the issue of them being men were we?
Then why do we have to get hung up on the issue of Wonder Woman or
Batwoman being women? Can't we just tell a super cool story about some
superheroes?
Take a moment if you saw the Man of Steel movie and imagine that
WHOLE thing with Wonder Woman instead of Superman. From beginning to
end (maybe Lois Lane is Lou Lane or Larry Lane... whatever). The same emotions expressed,
the same issues dealt with, the same losses and triumphs. But instead
of a man, it was a woman. Would it still be good? Would you have still
enjoyed it? Would you still be yelling about the plot holes and
problems? Did it matter so much that it was a woman?
Personally, I think it would still hold up. Why? Because the same way we didn't have to have a moment to address that Superman is a man, we don't have to address that Wonder Woman is a woman. We can SEE that! We don't have to point it out or have some dumb guy make some comment about "A woman? What can she do?" then chuckle in some macho way before Wonder Woman punches him into next Tuesday. Its not necessary and it takes away the power of the whole movie by funneling it all into this focus on her being a woman and being able to compete in a 'man's' world. We just saw her break Zod's neck right? Guess she can handle herself... Move along, nothing to see here... AND, you still got a cool superhero movie.
Its not that complicated, nor should it. For some reason, the comic guys and the movie guys seem to think that the fact a woman is a woman, has to be addressed and focused on. It doesn't. I think we all pretty much know the differences. Thanks.
And
as far as Batwoman being a lesbian? Why is THAT your focus? She is still a human being with an interesting story to
tell, lesbian or not. And what if the love interest was a woman? How
interesting would that me? How developed a story line would THAT be?
Can DC not challenge itself to be something more? Going back to my earlier idea of Wonder Woman in the Superman film.. What if Lois Lane was still a woman? Would it be so weird for movie goers then? Would they not go to see it? Possibly. But it would be a hell of a story wouldn't it?
I hate to compare Marvel and DC, but I have to for a moment. Overall, Marvel's movies have been successful, more so than DC's. Marvel also has no problem depicting gay marriage - even having whole comic book issues devoted to the subject. I'm not saying Marvel poops gold every time they put out a comic or movie, but they are more aware of the times they are living in - and have been for a long time. Their superheroes have done more to touch on current social issues than DC has and I think that is a lesson DC really should be waking up to. When DC was asked about the stories of the new comic featuring Superman and Woman Woman, what came across was not a discussion of men and women working together to do something, but more a 'romance' story. How is that progressive? How is that touching on current and social issues or concerns or even the desires of current readers?
My overall point here is that, until the movie studios and comic book companies grow up and stop making this idea of a female comic book character an issue, there won't be a good woman lead comic book movie. Women are human beings with stories, depth, pain, hope, light and darkness inside of them as much as the men have. Instead of making it the focus or some hurdle to jump, just write a good story! That's what its all about. Its what it has ALWAYS been about. There's nothing complicated about it. Stop making it that way.
DC has some of the best female characters and one of the most iconic in Wonder Woman, but they appear to not really get what's going on outside of their offices and some weird idea of how to make themselves relevant. So far, the only way they have stayed relevant is upsetting their loyal fans and readers with poor and confusing decision making recently.
Hey, I'm back with some more advice in my ongoing series of "How To Be A Con Artist". Again, I'll let you know that when I say "Con" I mean convention. And when I say "How To Be" I mean that I am giving some advice based on what I've learned over the years through personal experience, reading and advice from others.
Today is going to be a simple one and it has a lot to do with taking the steps towards being a professional. Behavior and process at conventions are one thing, but you should also be thinking about how to handle your business at home when you aren't creating artwork. You are essentially setting up a home based business and for your own mental well-being you should create some space for that in your life.
Early on, when I returned to my parent's house a year or so after graduating, I was lucky enough to have an extra room to turn into a studio space. Somewhere there are pictures, but this was before digital cameras so I'd have to find the physical photos and scan them to show you. Needless to say, I worked hard on the room to make it a space I could work in and it was really great. I made the closet into an art supply cabinet, I had shelves for my books and space for my large art. The best part was, I could leave the office/studio space and be a part of the rest of my life without tripping over my work. When I moved out of my parents house again, I had to make that space wherever I lived and it wasn't always easy, but it was definitely necessary. Most times it was a corner of the room I had to use - living room, bed room, etc... The area became half studio and half office.
Since I am still settling in and trying to figure things out, I don't have a studio/office set up - its under construction right now and I do find that I am missing it a lot. Not having that area for my work makes me now feel up in the air and disorganized.
Seriously I tried to find a good 'home office' image and this is what I found. But hey, its The Oatmeal!
But as for you... Setting up your home office hopefully won't be a big deal because you probably have a lot of the stuff you need already. Here is a basic list of some office essentials:
* Desk - Could your drawing table or part of your work space serve as a desk too? Think about how to make the most of what you currently have.
* Comfortable Chair - If you have an office chair that works or even a normal dining room chair that you can sit in - you don't want it too comfortable because remember, this is part of work, not hanging out.
* File Cabinets - I've mentioned that you should print out all your paperwork for conventions in previous entries in the series. You should have the paperwork for each convention in a file and you need a place to put those files where you can find them easily or they are within reach should you need them. Also, contracts, emails and things like that. You'll also want place to put important papers and such for tax reasons. Piling things up is a good way to lose things (I've learned this the hard way repeatedly). Some people may argue that the computer can hold all that stuff, but there are plenty of horror stories of computers dying and losing all those files. Hard copies are still necessary!
* Sufficient Lighting - This should go without saying, but to work, either on paperwork or artwork, you should have good lighting.
* Calculator - Are you good at math? I'm not good at math. Why drive myself nuts when there are inexpensive things called calculator's available to do it for me and do it right? I know for some of you that's like owning an abacus at this point with computers, but its easy enough for me to have a separate calculator to type on than pulling over my laptop for it. And as I said, basic calculators are pretty darn cheap these days.
* Photocopier/Printer/Scanner - I lump these together because basically, what I mean is, a way to reproduce things. Again, pricing has gone down on personal office supplies, so getting a combo photocopier/printer/scanner isn't too expensive. If you already have a scanner and a printer, you can use that too. In the long run, you probably would need a printer and scanner anyway... so... yeah.
* Wastebasket - This might seem obvious but its not something you might automatically think of at first. Trust me on this: You'll notice right away that you need it when you have the crumpled piece of paper and you're looking for a place to throw it.
* Paper Shredder - Identity theft is real. There is no reason to put yourself out there. Again, there are fairly inexpensive ones out there.
* Telephone - Your business number and your personal number should be different if you're using it as a form of contact with people for business purposes. You might think that its not a big deal to have them combined in one, but one thing I encourage with all young artists is to keep the personal life and the business life separate. Its good for your mental well being and honestly, its good for your personal safety. DO NOT give your personal phone number to people at conventions, even if they have business cards and promise you work. Getting a business card made is easy and cheap and doesn't mean they are legitimate. If you have to give a number, it should be a separate business one that you have for just business purposes. This might all seem obvious, but you'd be surprised by how many people make the mistake.
* Desktop Organizers - Might seem obvious but many people skip on this. Then they have to find a pencil that they were sure was right there on the table, but its gone now and where did it go? And didn't I put the scissors like, right here? Who is coming in here and taking my stuff? ARGH! It was like here a second ago?
* Computer cart and stands - Sometimes having your computer or printer etc. RIGHT on the work table or desk isn't the best. Especially if you are a more traditional artist. Having it sitting off the work area (if that's your office area as well) is the best way to handle it. This is especially true of your external items like scanners or printers. I had it set so my printer was on a rolling card that I could then roll out or under the desk.
* Fax/answering machine - With modern set-ups on the phone and services, again, these seem like rather archaic items to have. But you'd be surprised by how many businesses still use fax machines and require you to fax things to them. If you have a computer program that does the same thing and can dial to fax machines, great! Same thing with answering machines. * Postage meter - Should you be doing business selling items online, this will save you some time and trouble and will make your life easier in the long run.
*Hooks, racks, hangers, organizing system - These are good to have just to keep yourself organized and to have a place to put things where you can find them and where they will be safe from getting mixed up in other items.
Some of this stuff you might already have or may have something that will work as an equivalent for your office. For example, if you don't have a postage meter machine, a kitchen scale can help you determine postage cost. The organizer could be as simple as plastic cups cut do different sizes to hold different items... It doesn't have to be expensive or store bought. Don't let the matching sets at Staples lure you in or fool you.
You'll want some office basics like pens (black and blue), pencils, scissors, manilla file folders, sticky notes, white-out or white-out tape, binder clips, tape, and glue. I know some of these seem obvious, but you never realize what you need, till you need it and you don't have it.
The biggest issue of course, is space. If you can manage it, try to set it up some place where it can be untouched by the general populous of your home. Sometimes, your business area will be the area that all house business is done at - that's fine. Just make sure your files and your business specific items are separate from everyone else so you can access it and find your things quickly. You can only do the best that you can with this. I know many of you might still be living at home and that may not be a big home. Maybe find a box to store your office items into that you can open and create a space that way. The point of this is - you have to have an area that is able to be used for business purposes without it being contaminated by a lot of other things. If you get it all mixed up, its easy to lose things and then you spend more time being angry and frustrated than being able to work on art.
Going back to the files and hard copies.... Having your registration forms and confirmations printed out and in a folder is a smart idea. As I said, I've mentioned this in previous entries. These forms include any communication between you and convention staff regarding your attendance and participation with the convention.
For example: If you are doing a panel and spoke to the coordinator for convention panels with a special request you made asking to have your puppy in there and the coordinator agreed, PRINT THE HISTORY OF EMAILS OUT! Especially the email where the coordinator agreed and gave you permission to bring the puppy. The panel coordinator is not always going to be available and certainly won't be able to come running to meet you and escort you and your puppy personally to your panel room. That doesn't happen. So when you get a con-staffer frowning at you and telling you "No puppies!" all you then have to do is pull out your file folder and the email where the panel coordinator gave you that permission. Then its up to con-staff and you to figure it out and get the panel coordinator in there. I'm not saying you will definitely be able to have a puppy at your panel, but you sure as heck have a better chance of it WITH the confirmed email printed there, than not.
The puppy is judging you right now.
Now, you might say that, "Yeah, but the coordinator said I could!" You're right, maybe they did. But even THEY might not remember giving permission and under the hassle of the live convention and having to put out fires left and right before YOU showed up with your puppy, they might be too harried and confused to side with you. Maybe they are disorganized and don't have access to their files or they lost them. And under pressure, they may tell you no anyway. "That's not fair!" you say? You're right. But people are human and they make mistakes. So that leaves the onus on you! You have to be prepared and ready when you walk in. YOU have to be the one with everything in order. Its your responsibility, not theirs.
And yes, there is the magic of your iPhone or Android or whatever right
there in your pocket. And you could simply pull it out and look up the
email, searching through all your emails to find that ONE email where
you were given permission. Yup, that could work... If you're always in a
place that has great coverage and it loads fast. Of course you know
the rule - if its important, all things load at a snail's pace. Who
says anyone has time to stand there with you while your phone loads the
email? Staffers are busy. Your panel is only a certain amount of
time. How long do you think everyone has to wait on you? How long do you think the puppy can sit there without whizzing on someone's foot? Why waste the
time when you could simply have a piece of paper that says exactly what
you need it to, right there in your folder?
Obviously you are not going to bring a puppy to the panel, but you know what I mean and you get the gist of what I am saying here right?
That goes back to the print outs. Having a folder of items specific to the convention also makes it easier as you pack up for trip. Instead of having to look for or gather papers or make the mistake of leaving them behind, you have it all in one folder that you simply yoink out of your file cabinet (where things are orderly) and you are on your way.
This doesn't work as well if you don't have space in your home (or your life) for your business. Being organized may not come naturally to you, but if you plan on being a professional artist in any way, shape or form, it is essential to set yourself up for success.
I made it through my first Session at the Red Engine school and finished Intro to Entertainment Design. The 12 weeks are done and I am left with that strange happy/sad feeling. Admittedly, there was more to the whole thing than just the classes - though that was the reason for the 4 hour drive to L.A. from Las Vegas. My cousin lives in L.A. and I was able to visit with her and got to do her H2yOga sessions.
One of the sights on my drive to L.A.
My cousin Sue and I were very close when we were young, being only a year apart and much younger in age than our other cousins. I remember many of the sleepovers at my grandparent's home, visits to her house and holidays, making up stories, and having our own epic adventures. As we got older, the distance between us seemed to grow and when we started college we didn't stay in touch. Being able to reconnect now has been a blessing, to say the least.
The classes have been a challenge for me. Its been a new way of thinking when approaching my art and a new way of working. I know I mentioned it before, but everything took longer than I thought it would. I have been taking my first steps into knowing what I have to learn and what I have to perfect as I go towards this new career path. During the class, I have wondered if I had any skill for concept art. I was nervous about asking and really, just wanted to focus on the work I was doing.
Thursday was my last class and we had some guest speakers. One of them ended up doing a critique of our work and I have to say, I was pretty happy with what he said. Overall, he liked what I was doing and gave me some good advice. He liked it so much he said that he hoped that I continue working on the project because he wanted to see what I would do with it. When I asked my teacher if I had the talent and/or skill for this type of work and he said I did, which definitely gave me an internal boost.
Giving my presentation on Saturday
On Saturday, we had a review session where all the classes presented their work from the 12 weeks. It was nerve-wracking to think about showing my work when we ended up showing after the advanced class or even the intermediate class. In the end, it went very well though. The other instructors again had positive words for me and even better, said that my work was unique and they hadn't seen it before (in a good way). My instructor Zach spoke on my behalf, telling the others how well I had done in class and mentioned my coming in once a week from Las Vegas - which drew gasps of disbelief, but also showed my dedication. Walking out that afternoon with Sue, who I was glad was there to see the presentation, I was feeling pretty good about where I was and where I was going.
Giving my presentation on Saturday
For those wondering about the project, I am working on the concept art for a video game based on a Scottish ballad titled Tam Lin. The ballad is interesting enough, but more so because the female character is the one who must save the male character. The setting for the game is a future world that is sort of post-apocalyptic so everything will have an industrial feel. Magic is cyclical and it has come around again - unfortunately the Earth is poisoned and half dead so the magic is warped. Janet is the main character and I wanted a female character that both men and women would want to play. She is strong, capable and smart. The beasts that Janet faces are all warped by magic and the industrial world.
Janet concept art
Red Forest concept art
Cave Exterior concept art
Bear concept art
I'm going to continue working on this. I know that normally with concept art, there is usually more than one artist working on things and there are hundreds of concepts drawn and worked on till the final is decided on. Time and ability kept me moving a bit faster towards a finished product. I'm excited to see how I develop the world and the characters and will continue working on and maybe, one day, it can become a real game.
So after all of that...
When I started school, I had began applying to jobs - mostly connected to the gaming industry since that's where I wanted to work. There are more than a few places in Las Vegas where I'm located right now so it wasn't out of left field that I might be able to find something. Unfortunately, that hasn't come through and I find myself facing another possible 12 week session at Red Engine without incoming money.
I'll admit, I didn't take into account the cost of gas and food when I went into the idea of attending Red Engine and that was a mistake on my part. So entering the next session, I'm left trying to figure out how to have more income coming in so its not all going out. That has partly meant that I have not invested in more materials for jewelry as the Etsy store has not been financially successful. My hope had been that it would provide enough income so that I wouldn't have to go out to get a job to help support myself: That hasn't been the case. This leaves me with having to look at a real job, but mostly likely something like Target, or Petco. Its not the ideal but I can't shy away from hard work to get to where I want to go.
Now Ashton Kutcher has never been my go to guy for inspiring, intelligent and meaningful ideas. He wasn't even an actor I enjoyed watching all that much or respected. That changed after watching the video below as he gave a very meaningful speech at the Kid's Choice Awards. Definitely worth watching:
I'm going to try and build the life I want, not just live it and I'm not better than any job. Its going to be hard - the travel to and from L.A. was draining - but in the end, I have to believe it is worth it. I have to believe this isn't a mistake or that I'm screwing up again or that I'm not good enough. The fears I have that make me over-think and worry and stress have to be ignored. Its time, once again, to put on the big girl pants...
This wasn't the post I was intending to make today, but due to things I learned yesterday, I felt like sharing my feelings on the matter of how we treat animals and how that reflects upon us as human beings. I suppose I should give it a Trigger warning.
Yesterday, from a random Facebook post petitioning against Ashley Nicole Richards*, I learned about 'Crush' videos or animal crushing. Apparently its been around for a while, but being the naive individual I am, I hadn't heard about it before. If you don't know what it is, its videos that depict animals being tortured to death by humans. What's worse is that the videos are apparently produced to satisfy the
sexual fetishes of those who watch them. In the case of Ms. Richards, she dressed in dominatrix gear. I have never seen one of these videos but on a search through the webverse (because I wasn't sure this was a real thing or not) there were plenty of descriptions of what went on in these videos to make me sick to my stomach: some descriptions in regards to the court case involved Ashley Nicole Richards and videos featuring her. A run down of the situation can be seen here: http://www.houstonpress.com/2013-05-16/news/ashley-nicole-richards/ (It can be pretty graphic in the depictions of the videos and what goes on).
Basically Richards and Brent Wayne Justice (who filmed Richards) were charged after a video in which Richards
tortured and killed a cat made its way to PETA. In it, Richards is
dressed in few clothes and heels, first immobilizes, then tortures and eventually kills a
cat. You'd think that would be the end of it as justice was finally being served, but that isn't the case. A federal judge determined that the videos contained no obscenities and that the charges actually violated their First Amendment rights. The judge in this case determined that “the
acts depicted in animal crush videos may be ‘patently offensive’ under
community standards, but under no set of community standards does
violence toward animals constitute ‘sexual conduct.’” While Richards and Justice are still in custody for animal cruelty, I am left still feeling sick over this.
I was told when I posted about this to Facebook that yes, these 'Crush' videos exist and that like 'snuff' films, there are a lot of fakes. But, that means there are still real ones, as in the case of Richards and Justice. Sometimes there are people that send their animals to the people who make these videos and pay to have the animal tortured and killed. People make a living doing this.
These are just a few situations in which the treatment of animals is unnecessarily cruel - where people go out of their way to torture or kill an animal which, for all intents and purposes, has done nothing to warrant it. Yet we, as a civilized Western culture (as we like to claim) see nothing wrong with it and do not consider it to be that much of a crime. Certainly I would not expect the same uproar over the death of a dog as that to a child. I'm not a crazy animal lover shouting that we should kill all the people so animals can live free. I'm not saying don't hunt animals or eat them. But there is something inherently wrong with a society that doesn't put any weight upon the torture and death of animals. Because, in my opinion, it reflects on underlying issue in that society.
I have always been sensitive to the treatment of animals. When I was little, I'd watch the news and apparently it affected me deeply as my Mother noticed I was drawing animals being hurt and hunted by people. I had whole little books on the subject. My Mother didn't allow me to watch the news any more after seeing what I'd drawn but I do specifically recall a story on men beating baby seals with clubs that haunted me. So, I'm aware I'm coming from a place of emotion in a lot of ways. When I got older I watched Animal Cops for a bit, but found that the sense of justice I longed for against those that harmed animals was not really there and seeing those poor creatures suffer was still hard for me. In the end, the people charged never really understood what the big deal was. They didn't get that what they had done was wrong. They were only angry that they'd gotten caught and because of the dog or cat or horse, they now had to pay a fine or spend a few nights in jail. Chances were, it only created animosity towards animals because to them, it was just a stupid animal. Who cares?
I am Jewish and Judaism places great stress on proper treatment of animals. Unnecessary cruelty
to animals is strictly forbidden, and in many cases, animals are accorded the
same sensitivity as human beings. For a full reading on it, you can look here: http://www.jewfaq.org/animals.htm (its actually very interesting!) Part of the reason for this thinking is that a person who is cruel to a defenseless animal
will undoubtedly be cruel to defenseless people. Judaism doesn't say whether or not animals have physical or psychological pain as humans do, or if they have feelings like humans do - but it recognizes that it doesn't matter, you don't have the right to unduly cause an animal suffering. Yes, the Lord gave man dominion over the earth and that includes animals, but it does not give man the right to cause pain and destruction.
Speaking up on the treatment of animals previously has gotten me a response of "Well if people worried more about children and other human beings as much as you do animals..." As if to say, I should worry more about my species than another. Please don't think I don't care about children or adults or the suffering of other human beings. I do. Very deeply. The point here is that, if we can be casual about how animals are treated, then it isn't a long step to be casual about how people are treated. Its pretty well known that serial killers or people with
severe cruel aspects will start on animals before moving on to people.
Harming animals is their testing ground, their first steps before moving
on to something bigger. How much do we let slide in the way we deal with things like animal torture or killing?
I'm sickened by the idea of the 'Crush' videos as much as by any snuff video or even a cell phone video taken while a person is tortured, raped, abused and killed (which sadly, there are in existence). My point here is that it is a true reflection of our mentality if we don't consider such things as torturing animals an issue. It IS an issue. It says something about us as human beings, put on this earth, as a society in a 'modern' culture. What is our worth if we cannot treat animals with some sense of respect? Even if you don't believe they have emotions and are just 'some dumb animal', what does it say about you if you can't manage to treat that defenseless creature well? To me, it says a lot. We are the caretakers of the earth and we need to teach that to our children even as they innocently pull a dog's tail, that there is a living creature beside them and it deserves to live its life without the pain of torture for the sake of torture just as much as he or she does. If we can't manage that, how can we manage it in regards to our fellow man?
*While there are many images of Ashley Nicole Richards and pictures of animals, I have chosen not to post any here. I know pictures make blog posts more interesting, but considering the sensitivity of what I'm talking about, I didn't want to use any. This is my opinion and not just a fun posting for the sake of it. Richards and Justice are people you can look up on the internet as well as 'Crush' videos if you want to learn more.
My Intro to Entertainment class is near to done... Just a few more classes and then its over. I'm not sure if I'll be able to take the next class - certainly not right away - due to funds, but I'm going to continue trying to work on this project I've taken on. I have mixed feelings over all on the class. It was one day a week which was good and bad of course. I don't know if I got everything out of it that I wanted to, but I know it did make me do things I hadn't done before and that was important. It also has given me a bit of a direction to work towards and I did get a lot of good information from my instructors. Information is always invaluable.
The following is some of the work I've done so far. I'll do a final post showing everything and a bit of what the actual project is. Maybe it will end up being a game some day?
The finalization of the main character:
The finalization of one of the environments:
The start of the next environment:
Beginning character development of one of the creatures:
We'll see how this all develops... Does it look interesting so far?
Before moving on to any other subject, I am going to get into the sticky mess of something that can be a bit controversial for many artists - specifically those that attend Anime Conventions.
Fan Art.
(dun dun DUN!)
This is probably going to upset some people and I acknowledge that.
I, and other artists, have had a love/hate relationship with fan art. Not that there is anything wrong with fan art, so before you click off the page, let me assure you, I'm not condemning anyone for doing it or for selling it. It is a part of the Artist Alley and convention art and will be for years to come. But it is an issue more so than in the past as conventions have gotten more involved in limiting the amount of fan art allowed to be sold in the Artist Alleys.
Ein: Yellow Puzzle
When I was doing conventions, initially, most of the art being done was fan art. It made sense as we were all fans of the anime and so we did the characters we loved and the other attendees loved. But at that time, we were not doing much in the way of reproductions of our art. If you recall from my first How To Be A Con Artist blog, I was one of the few that had started selling copies of my art, but few of it was not an original character. Most of what we did was commission work. Slowly, over time of course, the items sold in artist alley started to grow. The internet and the ability to have items printed at places like Zazzle and such helped artists get items made featuring their art in relatively inexpensive ways. This helped the stock at the table expand. Now it wasn't just copies, it was prints. Then it wasn't just prints, but t-shirts and then key chains and mugs and now ipad covers and so on and so forth. The artist alley, in many ways, doesn't look much different than the dealer's room sometimes.
Then of course, this can lead to people using copywritten art and putting it on products and selling it. It has happened, it does happen and you have probably seen it - and it has happened in the Artist Alley.
I used to teach a workshop on being a convention artists and I always took the time to cover copyrights. I gave information about the website to go to and how to copyright your art and ideas - because its important to know that as an artist. And important safety tip kids: If it is posted on the internet, that doesn't mean it is free use. In fact, if you post YOUR art on YOUR website, it does not mean it is free use. It doesn't mean its copywritten, but it would be like... using an image from your book in real life. It can get hazy yes, but be aware of your ownership.
Anyway, I then would go into fan art. There is fan art in all genre's of course - comic books, science fiction etc... But the issue of fan art seems most prevalent in anime and manga. I suppose it has to do with the fact that early on, access to anime and manga was limited so, you got what you could where you could, or that the fan base of anime is sort of different than other genres... who knows? I'm sure I could do a study on it and write a small book on it, but that isn't the point here. Many young artists don't understand why there is even an issue about fan art or selling it. To them, I present this situation:
You are an artist. You have created a manga with original characters featuring your art and your story. You've worked hard on it. You've put in long hours for no money creating this thing. It is a labor of love and you love these characters. You manage to self published a few issues and lo and behold, you have started actually selling some of them! It takes a while, but you start to get a following! You present your work to a publisher (at the time I was doing the class, I threw out Tokyo Pop - sadly they are no longer with us) and they like it - they see it has potential and agree to publish your manga. You are making some money now, doing what you love! Maybe an animation studio comes along and offers to make your manga into an anime - This is your dream! All of this is happening and your hard work is paying off! Now, companies are approaching you. After all the story and characters are still owned by you - Its your copyright. These companies want to make your characters into figurines... put them on some shirts and posters - maybe some iphone covers or what have you. They have to pay you money for the right to do that. But you get to see your work on things that people want. This is your livelihood right now. This is your job, this is your rent, this is your food on the table, this is your life.
Then, someone comes a long and maybe does some ok fan art of your work or even really awesome fan art of your work and they start mass producing items featuring your characters. They sell it for less than what the actual licensed stuff is and people are buying it. They are buying it instead of buying the items you gave the right to a company to create.
No big deal you say?
I'm going to throw reality back at you.
If your items don't sell, the companies stop making them and they stop paying you for the right to use your images. That's YOUR money you are losing.
When you are young and just starting out, its easy to fall back into this 'whatever' kind of attitude because you may not be at an age where you have to support yourself. Maybe you aren't hungry yet for success or self-support. When you get older, living on your own and maybe start a family and have those sorts of financial responsibilities, your attitude will change.
Again, I'm not condemning fan art or fan artists. My point in the workshop was to present a reality that was just as real and true as the reality of young artists trying to make sales in the artist alley.
The Artist Alley existed for those that loved art, loved the art of manga and anime. We showed our love with our craft. s-girl wrote an amazing blog on the change that has happened to Artist Alley that I suggest you read: HERE
While the focus of her article is on Anime Expo, I can tell you that I saw the same thing happen at Otakon and Katsucon and others. As an artist just starting out, it is important that you be a smart business person. You are there to make money, but keep in mind, are you selling yourself or are you just selling stuff? Anyone can sell stuff. Heck, I sell stuff! But I also wanted to sell MY art and my self. Artist Alleys now seem less about the skill of the artists and more
about what they can sell - and I get that, I really do. I made fan art
too for resale, but only in the first few years... Then, at my table, I
sold original artwork. The fan art I did was only originals that were
put up in the art show. It was a one shot that would never be made
again. I still showed my love, made some profit and a person got a
chance to have a pic of a character they loved. At the same time, I was
at my table, selling my work - selling me and what I loved. And over
time, I developed my style and look and skills. I saw that I didn't
have to cater to one style or just have anime type art to sell. People
would buy my other things - sometimes BECAUSE they weren't anime style.
Faye: Serene
So now, when conventions start to limit the artist alley work to percentages of fan art, it is not because they hate people who do fan art. It is because the purpose of the Artist Alley was for artists to be there, not overflow from the dealer's room. Some of those who run the Artist Alley now remember what it was in the past and they don't like what they are seeing now - because, again, that wasn't the purpose of the Artist Alley. And also, there are legal issues that might be rearing their ugly heads in.
Here is another thing to think about: Otakon (just using this as an example) has companies from Japan and across the world coming to their Dealer's Room to sell items. They pay money for that space and pay money to ship their items or transport their items to the Dealer's Room. They pay money for hotel rooms and pay the staff attending to represent them. Some of those displays are pretty pricey. Now... these companies that paid to come here get to see what they consider knock-offs being sold in the Artist Alley.
Or the creators of the anime and manga come to these cons and see people selling their characters on items in the Artist Alley... Otakon looks bad now because this is being allowed. Sure, some creators might be cool with it, but what about those creators and companies that aren't? Otakon has a responsibility to these people who are guests - because they are the reason people are coming to the convention, not the artists in the artist alley. What if those companies and creators decide not to attend Otakon because of this? To them, it might be the same as allowing someone to sell blackmarket dvd's in the Dealer's Room.
Again, I'm not saying fan art is bad, but the purpose of this blog is to discuss being an artist. And part of being an artist is growing and stepping away from other people's work. Do you want to be known for YOUR art or for doing other people's art? As s-girl said in her blog "when I die is what I leave behind going to ever be seen as mine?"
Yes, fan art sells. Yes, its hard to sell your own work. Yes, its hard to put yourself out there.
Welcome to the scary world of being an artist.
Let me repeat here at that end that I AM NOT AGAINST FAN ART! But I would hope that we can be open to the realities of it, on all sides.
Now, I'm going to duck all the items you guys are going to throw at me....
I do not count myself as some big innovator or doing art that is breaking new ground. I do the art and jewelry I enjoy making, or I experiment with what I have. Having limited space and resources, I can't do some of the things I'd like to, how I'd like to do them. So, I find things I can do, simpler things - mostly in regards to my jewelry since I haven't been drawing or painting very much outside of what I'm doing for my class.
"Wood Elf" pencil on wood by Georgia Horesh
During my time doing conventions, I had people who would come up to my table, look at my work and say, "Oh, my cousin paints." or, "My nephew works at Disney." or "Well, my daughter draws." Now, these comments come with no build up with conversation. They look at my work and I smile and say hello and they smile back and then inform me that someone they know does art too... Not a big deal except it all depends on how they say it. Some people might just be trying to make conversation, and I usually would respond to, "Oh? That's really great." Because, really, I don't know what else to say to them. Sometimes I follow up with, "What type of work do they do?" because I'm trying to be polite and I'm curious as to what made the person inform me of their artistic relative. They explain what those relatives do, (ie; watercolors, still life, cartoons.. what-have-you). Sometimes though they say, "Oh, you know, stuff like this..." gestures at my work, "They're really very good."
Now, I don't pretend to know what all this is leading up to or what their intent is with the conversation. Others might have better insight than I do though I am an excellent 'Devils' Advocate'. All I know is, regardless of intent, I would end up feeling annoyed and belittled. As if the person was saying to me, "Well, this person that I know can do this sort of work... if someone I know can do this, anyone can do it... You aren't all that special."
Obviously, that may not be what they meant. But that is how I felt.
At the table at the time, I would smile and manage some more conversation with the person and then that person would walk away. I would never gain any insight as to what the purpose of the conversation was, but would always have that feeling like they were just saying it to feel... superior in some way. I was younger, granted and not sure of myself or my skills so I look back at it all with a an attempted grain of salt.
Now, working on jewelry and coming up with different ideas of how to make things, I find different challenges - mostly monetarily. Buying supplies for jewelry isn't cheap, even if you can manage to get things wholesale. I look around and see what I can use, see what projects might work while keeping costs as low as possible to make them - in fact, till recently, I had abstained from doing new work because I'd have to buy new supplies. Its hard because I felt the itch to make things, but couldn't afford to do it.
So, when I post something and people comment that they like it, I do get warm fuzzies. It makes me happy. The same happy it made me when people came up to my table at conventions and looked at my work and smiled, or oohed and aahed, or called friends over to see a print. It made it worth it to put my work out there. Yes, I won't lie, selling my prints and work was great, but it was made better when people expressed how much they loved the work, or how it made them smile. Even when a group of deaf and mute people came by my table at a show once - I remember because they gestured for their friends to come over and signed excitedly. And no, they didn't buy anything and that was ok because the smiles on their faces communicated to me, all that they needed to say.
On the other hand, when people post, "Oh, that's easy to make. Just go to the store and pick up a few things and you can make it yourself." or, "I could make that." the old feelings reappear. Again, let me assure you that I do know that the intent is not to hurt my feelings or say something negative! They might actually be saying, "Oh! That's not a complicated piece so even I could make it!" in an positive and excited way.
But the old ghost comes a spooking... And I feel deflated, as if they are saying my work isn't all that great... after all.... Anyone can do it.
That's when I have to do something that's really hard. I have to remember that I am me... I do what work I do as it comes to mind because that's what inspiration is. Sometimes I can't follow through because I don't have what I need to make the art happen and the idea will flutter away or it will stay, waiting till I can create it, but I have to follow what my internal muse whispers to me. There will be times I make something complicated and other times when I make something simple. There will be things that I make that are beautiful and things that, yes, are ugly. And some things that people wouldn't be able to create and yeah, things anyone can do...
And I have to remember that even though anyone can do it... not everyone does and they certainly can't do things the way I do because they don't see the world through my eyes: And that's what makes me special.
Previously I talked about organizing yourself to choose what shows to attend and a way to keep track of those conventions. I'll repeat what I said before: Go to conventions that are interests you have. If you like fantasy, go to a fantasy convention. If you like Star Trek, go to a Trekkie convention. If you enjoy the show, you'll have a good time and feel excited about being there and that will translate into sales, even if your items aren't specific to the convention's theme.
I'm going to talk a little bit here about what you are selling and also, the big issue of pricing.
Many people who are anime artists worry about selling at other cons. People who do fantasy illustration worry about selling at anime cons. These same artists will change their style and attempt to do other styles to try to appeal to the audience of the convention. This tends to be a mistake. The most important thing I can tell you as one artist to another is this:
You be you.
Do your art. Do your style. Create your work. Its possible that audiences won't buy your work at a specific type of convention. If that's the case, then you don't go to that convention to sell your work. If you keep changing to try to make sales, you aren't going to develop as an artist and your personal style will get lost. We are all selling art, no matter what form it is, but most importantly, you are selling you. You are selling YOUR vision. No one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can create what you create.
Red Dragon Hatchling by Georgia Horesh
When I started at the conventions, I drew what I was inspired to do. Some of it was anime style, some of it was fantasy... I sold both. As time went on, my work stood out from the other artists because my way of drawing wasn't what anyone else was doing. My most famous pieces were my cute dragon sets, which at the time, no one had or were doing. And those sold at all the conventions I went to, whether it was anime, literary, or sci-fi fantasy. Heck, they even sold at comic-book conventions. I did do fan art, but those pieces were one of a kind that were placed only in the art show. I didn't sell fan art at my table - but I'll get into that in another blog.
Create the work you love to create. You will eventually find your audience and place to sell it and it may be in places you didn't expect. I'm not saying don't go out of your comfort zone and don't grow -
experiment, try new things and don't be afraid of change. My point is,
don't try to be everything to everyone.
Now on to the rough stuff.
Pricing your work a huge hurdle and there are many ways to go about it. First, lets talk about prints, photos, jewelry, paintings, plush or what not.
The most important thing I can tell you is to not undersell yourself. Selling items cheaply does get you sales, but a lot of times it won't get you profit and it makes your work... well... cheap. I undersold a lot of my work and it wasn't till I was going to conventions like Dragon*Con where I was meeting full-on professionals that I saw I was really undervaluing my work. Remember, you can always lower prices at a show if that appears to be the big hurdle of attendees buying from you, but you really can't raise them at the show. And here is a secret: if YOU think your work is worth something, then guess what? So will the customers looking at it. I mean, do you really want someone to buy something from you just because it was cheap?
Drowess. 1 of my 1st copies sold for $2 at my table.
The other side of this, is that we as artists have to train the audience. What you are doing, what you can do as an artist, is a skill. See how I bolded that and underlined it? That's because its important. Art is a skill. It is a skill like any other that is worth paying for. Electricians get paid, plumbers get paid, mechanics get paid - and even if people complain about paying, they pay. Why? Because they can't do what electricians, plumbers or mechanics do! If someone comes up to your table and likes your work, even if they are artists, there is something you can do that they can't, or something you captured in your art that they didn't. They should pay for it! By undercharging, you undervalue your work and you undervalue ALL art work. If people see they can pay $2-$5 for art, they think others are overcharging for the same work for more money. They believe those other artists are snobs or demanding for some reason. So as a community, we have to stop that thought process and teach the audience that they should pay good money for good art! (And trust me, that's training that will carry on through your professional career in the arts - ask any professional graphic designer!)
This is also why you should rarely, if ever, do work for free. Anyone who says to you that if you do the work for free for them, you'll be paid in "experience" or "free publicity" or "free exposure" or "to add to your portfolio", should be sending out a bunch of red flags in your brain. Basically, they want you to do work for free and are using those excuses to get away with not giving you money. The creative industry is one of the only places this happens for a good reason. Its because they get away with it. Artists are a needy lot and we want people to like us and our work and we fall under the sway of those who approach us with offers and say they want our art. Its acceptance. And it all sounds good. But think about this... Let's go back to our electrician... Have you EVER heard of someone saying to an electrician, "I'd like you to wire my living room... Instead of paying you though, you'll be getting free publicity. I think it will really be great experience for you and it will be a great opportunity for exposure. I mean, I'll tell everyone what a great job you did and your signature will be on the wall by the light switch." That wouldn't go over well... but that's the same thing that happens to many young artists all the time.
Below is a great rant/speech by Harlan Ellison and while it is regarding writers, I think it applies to other artists as well. I'd give it a watch if I were you.
Yes, he is vehement, but there is a reason for it.
Now, let's look at pricing...
You need to look at this as a long range situation. You need to be thinking in regards to a year rather than convention to convention, you should be thinking of yearly income... How much you want to make a year as an artist. You have to decide if you want to sell a lot of inexpensive pieces or go with a few expensive ones. Below is an example of price thinking assuming that the artist wants to make about 20,000 a year to see it in simpler terms:
2 for $10,000 each
4 for $5000 each
8 for $2500 each
16 for $1250 each
32 for $750 each
64 for $313 each
128 for $157 each
256 for $78 each
512 for $40 each
1024 for $20 each or
2048 for $10 each
You also need to be asking yourself the following questions:
How much are you comfortable selling your work for?
How many pieces can you realistically sell in a year?
Who is your audience?
For pricing individually, you can follow this sort of formula:
1.
Add the cost of all the materials (cost of print, cost of mat board and
tape or cost of plastic bag if it isn't matted, cost of frame and
glass, wire and screws, clay, fabric, stuffing, buttons, thread: EVERYTHING you used to get the final
product.)
2. Estimate how many hours it took you to create the item and multiply this by how much you'd like to make an hour. ($8 an
hour? $10?) Add that to the previous figure. For example, if it took you an hour and you want to make $10 an hour, you add $10 to the previous number.
3. Multiply the total by 2 at the minimum.
4.
Now compare that price to others in the area or that you've seen. If
your price is much higher, you may have to look at cutting the costs of
producing your work. If your price is much lower, then you might to
raise them to be a bit more competitive.
Don't confuse income
with profit! Income is what you get from the customer. Profit is what
you have after you've paid your expenses. You don't want to just cover
your expenses, you want some profit.
Here is an example to figure out a pricing. I'm rounding up to keep it simple.
1. I made a necklace. The cost of chain was $7. The pendant was made from two different pieces which add up to $15. Jump rings come in a package of 10 for $2 so, figure each jump ring costs $.20.... I used 3 of them so that's $.60. The lobster clasp was $.50. That leaves the total of the cost to make the necklace at 23.10. But wait, I include packaging and price tags to add another 1.40 to bring my total to $24.50.
2. I want to make $10 an hour and it took me an hour to make the necklace so I add another 10 to my total, bringing it up to $34.50.
3. Multiply by two and that brings it to $69.
4. Now I can look at my pricing and decide if that is too high or not. I can look around on the internet and see what other similar products are selling for and adjust my price accordingly. Even if I lower the price, I can still make a profit - you don't want to undercut yourself.
Even if you are making prints at home on your epson (which I did), I had to pay for the paper and the ink cartridges. I had to take that into account when I charged for my prints. I bought mats wholesale so I got a good price and that got put into the cost. (If you can, buy wholesale!) If you can't make a profit you need to figure out where to cut costs and what is putting you over the edge. Always keep in mind that it isn't just about selling, its about making income!
Now... about Commissions. This is a big issue for many artists. I'm going to give another sort of list to follow:
Start with the cost of the actual materials that you will be using. (note: This is an example and so, I'm throwing a few numbers around, but you'll get the idea)
Full color commission
In this example, a customer wants a full color copic marker commission. My 12 x 18 Bristol pad cost me about $20 for 10 sheets,
so I'll start with $2 for the paper. The markers aren't too expensive and are
pretty darn cheap when you realize how many pieces you can get out of them, so I'm just going to call that another $1. I almost
always ink my drawings before I color, and since
this is a pretty complicated piece, maybe I'll use up a whole pen. Let's
call that another $3, which is pretty generous and can include the
pencil and eraser wear and tear and some sketchbook pages making the
initial sketches (if I decide to do that). So, I'll have about $6 invested in actual art
materials.
In the case of digital art, you've got the cost of your computer and
your tablet to consider, but there aren't any tangible costs, unless you
count the price of electricity. Do include the price of a print here, if you will be mailing a hardcopy
of the final version of a digital painting. You need to figure out what you are printing it on and how much a pack of that paper is so you can determine the cost of printing on one sheet. Its hard to figure out how much printing you can get from a cartridge, though it sometimes does say on the box... Figure at least another $4 - $5 on top of the hourly rate - more for the paper to get a digital print. Each print you make of digital art should include a percentage of the cost of the ink and paper and added to your commission rate.
The customer wants the original mailed to him, so I'm going to charge him $5 to
cover priority mail and insurance on the image.
Now I'm up to $11. No matter how I decide to charge for my time and
efforts and extras, I don't want to go below this number, or I'd be
losing money on the project. And that's just bad business.
Again, now its time to add in my hours. Again, you have to ask what kind of wage you want for doing this. I want to make $10 an hour so... I add that in because I'm guessing it will take me about an hour to do the piece (it always took me longer but we'll keep this simple for now) Now its $21.
There is also a little something called overhead. This is to take into consideration the situation in which you find yourself doing the work. Overhead is the cost of electricity, or studio space, the past cost of your tablet or computer, the past cost of your drawing table if you do a commission at home. Overhead is the cost of your artist table, your parking spot, your hotel room, convention registration, and other such costs if you are doing the commission at a convention. You can always adjust, but $5 is pretty good start. So, the work is now up to $26. That's a lot better that some starting prices I've seen for a full color commission but the price should be higher. I just threw this together as an example of how to approach pricing your commission.
When making your sign for your commission rates, make sure you leave leeway for pricing. For example, a black and white shouldn't just be $20. It should be shown with a scale so the customer understands that if they ask for more, they will be paying for it. So you could have it as $20 - $30.
Make sure you note differences in prices for pencils, black and white and color, whether its traditional art or digital. Those can be divided down further to head portraits, upper torso, or full body shots. One person or two people. Full illustrations with backgrounds. Character design and so forth. On your sign, you should have small illustrated examples of those things as well. This will help people understand what they are getting when you say a pencil drawing or a full color one. If you can, I also recommend a commission portfolio, featuring previous work you've done for others - again to give customers an idea of what they are getting and to see your skills.
But I will say this - no one should be charging less than $10 for a pencil drawing. You can disagree with me if you wish, but I'll point to my arguments above.
Here is something to give you perspective (it is directed at attendees buying art, not artists, but you get the point):
You'll figure out what you are comfortable with, but be fair to yourself as well. See what others around you are charging and figure out how long it takes you to do the work. As I said, if you start out high, you can always lower it. Remember, you shouldn't be thinking just about the show itself, but about your income for the year. You'll be doing taxes and will have to take into account the fact that you will be paying taxes on that income as well.
So you've set your prices and are ready to go. You are approached by an attendee who likes your pricing and wants you do work for them. What do you do now? You should have a commission list ready to keep track of customers. This is where you are going to write the person's real name if possible, an email address and/or phone number and a brief title or description of the commission they are getting. This should be a numbered list so you see how much work you have to do and can give customers later on an honest answer for a timetable on when they can expect their commission to be done. On the same piece of paper or a different one, write down notes on the image - especially if its an original character.
Ask what the customer wants and make sure you can give it to them.
If this person wants you to draw robots and you aren't comfortable or able to do it, then you aren't doing yourself any favors by attempting it. I personally didn't draw characters in explicit sexual situations. If a person requested that type of art of me, I apologized and explained that I didn't do that type of art, BUT I was aware enough of the other artists in the artists alley and I would direct the person to another artist who I knew was comfortable with the subject. Yes, I lost the commission, but I didn't force myself to do something I didn't want to do AND I established myself as an honest person who could be trusted. Trust is important when you are selling yourself as an artist.
Black and White Commission
Sometimes the customer has unrealistic expectations that you might not be able to fulfill - turn the job down. Better to lose out on the money than go through the time suffering and ending up with an unhappy customer and an unhappy artist. The headache isn't worth it.
Ask them what they want to see in the art.
Look for broad answers that have to do with the way your art makes them feel. Get details and specifics about what colors they want and what that want to see. If its an original character, ask them for personality aspects, maybe a brief history so that you can bring something extra to the work. If the character thinks danger is fun, then drawing them having a grand time killing something will make it a better drawing then them standing there staring at you - the customer will appreciate the aspect that won't take that much more time to do and may become repeat customers. I had customers that found me at EVERY con so I knew walking in I had at least 3 - 5 commission slots filled before I even sat down at my table.
Ask them if there is anything they don't want to see.
The last thing you want is to put in something the person won't want. If its pencil, sure you can erase it, but removing ink or marker is a bit harder.
Ask them if they have any other questions or requests.
This is the moment for the customer to make a change or to clarify any confusion about what they are getting. This is when you give them a quote on the price and you can make sure you are both ok with that before starting anything.
If everything seems ok, give the customer an idea of when they can pick up their work. I started getting people's cell phone number so that I could call them at the con when the work was done and they could come get it when they were able rather than having them swing by repeatedly. That way I wasn't feeling pressured by them popping in a lot asking "Is it done yet?" and they could relax knowing I would let them know when to come get it. Or, you can say it will be ready for pick up on the last day of the convention and everyone comes for their work then. Having the phone number also helps you out so that if you are there with work and someone is REALLY late picking it up, you can contact them and see what's going on. Sometimes people forget they even commissioned work. I remember standing at my table on Sunday afternoon, everything packed and ready to go, but I had a commission and the person hadn't shown to pick it up. They were closing the artist alley down and I finally called. The girl was actually just getting into her car getting ready to leave and if I hadn't called, she would have been gone. Luckily she was able to run in and pick up the art.
Payment depends on each person. Some artist like to take all the money up front. Some like to be paid only after the work is done. I think doing half up front and half when the work is done is also fine too. What ever works for you! Just remember to mark down what has been paid by who. I'll discuss receipts another time, but this is a moment when that will be a good idea. On the receipt you can say it is a commission and write down what has been paid. When they pay the rest, you just add that in and know its all set.
There are many different ways to handle the payment art exchange. Some artists do a situation like a coat check at a laundry mat. You give the person a ticket and they return it and get the art they paid for. You can mark it on your commission list. Whatever you are comfortable with.
Don't feel badly if this all feels overwhelming. Pricing is the hardest part for any artists, no matter if you are making jewelry, plushies, illustrations or sculptures. Our first instinct is to go for a lower price due to our ideas of our self worth, but keep in mind, EVERYONE is feeling that way. Some of what you'll do is trial and error. What might work well in one aspect, might not work in another. What I've posted here isn't law and might not be your cup of tea. Use it as a guideline - something to help get you started as you try to figure this out. Be patient with yourself and remember to have fun!
If you have any questions or even some suggestions, PLEASE feel free to post it in comments. Even if it isn't directly connected to this posting.
