I recently bought myself a brand new Wacom Cintiq 24HD tablet. Here are all my first impressions, opinions, reviews, photos, and video of my new toy. And if you don't have time to read it, here's a summary: This thing is SWEET!
For some reason, I’ve been getting quite a few comments and questions about the Modbook recently. (The Modbook is a Macbook computer that’s been modified into a tablet computer. They are sold by a company called Axiotron.) Not sure why I’ve been getting so much renewed interest and curiosity lately – maybe a lot of artists are contemplating tablets with the release of the iPad. But anyway, I thought it was about time to post an update about my opinions and advice about the Modbook and clear up some things that I’ve said previously.
Are you a new art school graduate who needs help getting an illustration business up and running? Are you an experienced illustrator looking to recharge your career? There’s a great new resource available today that I highly recommend for you.
It’s called 15 Steps to Freelance Illustration. It’s an ebook by Thomas James, creator of the awesome illustration website and podcast Escape From Illustration Island.
I’ve had the chance to read the entire book, so I can personally confirm that Thomas has made an invaluable resource for all types of illustrators out there. In the book, he outlines 15 steps to starting an illustration business. The process is simple yet thorough, covering general stuff like finances to current issues like social media promotion. I like that it outlines a set of necessary goals in an easy and doable manner. This is essential for new artists who are at such a critical stage of their careers. Experienced illustrators will also find plenty of helpful info for revamping their existing business.
In addition, buyers will receive a workbook that takes the goals outlined in the book and gives specific assignments to help accomplish them. It’s a great supplement to an already solid resource.
Given that there is a general lack of business education among art students (read Thomas’s Open Letter to Art Schools – a great read), you can’t pass up such a great resource like this one when it comes around. Most beginners are left stumbling and fumbling their way through the start of their careers. Many do not succeed. However, you’ll improve your chances greatly if you read and follow 15 Steps.
15 Steps to Freelance Illustration is on sale starting TODAY. Those who buy the book within the first week get a special introductory price, so be sure to check it out as soon as you can.
You’ve heard the hype and now you want to know – what’s it really like to own an iPad?
I have been fortunate enough to be able to order one for myself and it finally arrived last weekend. Here is a super-sized blog post with all my first impressions and reviews. If you don’t want to read it, here’s a summary: It’s freakin’ awesome.
From what I’ve been hearing from you fellow artists and tech nerds lately, many of you have doubts, concerns, and criticisms and I try to address them all here. While I try not to sound like a complete Apple fangirl throughout this entire article, I do think some of the common crits that have been made about the iPad are making mountains out of molehills. Yes, the iPad is missing a few features; however, I believe the strength of this device lies in what it CAN and WILL do for creatives and their various industries. So yeah, I gush a lot. You have been warned. If you have further questions, please feel free discuss in the comments section.
Here we go…
Several artists have noticed that I have a profile on a site called HireAnIllustrator.com, and have inquired about its service and quality. This post is meant to answer a lot of those questions.
Hai! is a portfolio website service for artists, created in late 2007. The artist pays a fee to the site, and in exchange is able to post their work to an online gallery. If you are familiar with sites like CreativeShake.com (formerly Portfolios.com), ChildrensIllustrators.com, or theispot.com, then you have a general idea of how this site works. They are not an agency or representative, and do not take commissions from the work you gather there. They merely collect the artists and put them in a place that is easy for art directors and potential clients to browse through.
The site is run by a guy named Darren Di Lieto. He used to work as a freelance illustrator and designer, and is best known as the creator of another website called the Little Chimp Society, an illustration news portal.
This book is several years old and tons of artists and websites have recommended it already, but I’m going to put in my two cents anyway in case you happened to have missed this gem.
Making Comics
Even if you’re not interested in drawing comics, it still has a lot to offer about storytelling and basic art principles. Any illustrator can learn a ton from this book. McCloud explains all the topics simply, yet interestingly, and includes different exercises and techniques to help the reader absorb the concepts along the way.
You can get a good idea of the format of the book on Scott’s website where he has posted a small sample, called Chapter 5 1/2. It expands upon Chapter 5 in his book “Tools, Techniques, and Technology”. It includes a tutorial and notes that cover optimizing color art for the web.
In 1936, Ted Geisel wrote his first children’s story, called A Story That No One Can Beat. But he had trouble getting it published.
Twenty-seven publishing houses rejected Geisel’s story, deemed “too different” for children’s books. Frustrated and fed up, Ted started walking back to his New York apartment and decided to return to his career as a magazine humorist and cartoonist. He planned to burn the manuscript when he got home.
That’s when he ran into an old colleague from school who just got hired as a juvenile editor three hours earlier.
A Story That No One Can Beat was subsequently published as And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
