con art pics

   While working at the cons, I try to remember to take pictures of the work I produced.  Thank goodness for cell phones with cameras!
   I tend to keep track of how much work I do a year.  I keep notebooks with a print or artist proof in them.  At the end of the year, I count pencil, B&W and Color -  also fantasy and furry.  It lets me know how much work I seem capable of in a year.

   I wish the lightning was better.  I wish that I didn't take cock-eyed pictures.  But, I think the real wish is that I could travel and set up a scanner.  Ah well, at least I have some record. 

Keep it loose

   Sundays are always the last minute rush around - trying to get that last sketch before the artist leaves.  For me, I need to make enough money before I run off and spend some on sketches.  So, I sympathize with people who show up at my table on Sunday looking for sketches.  Heck, some people only come on sunday (depending on the con).
   So.  I do have Sunday - Pencil's Only - sketches.
   These are sketches I have to do at the table - interruputed by sales, costume gazing, friends saying bye and the like.  I would certainly rather do sketches overnight, back in some hotel room - where I can drag a lamp over the work.
   I find myself trying to work quickly on those sketches - loose.
   Sometimes those sketches turn out better than the ones I have sweated over!  It's the immediacy of the line work.  I usually hit the poses I know pretty well or have worked out before in my sketchbook.

   I'm just surprised how these things work out.

Toronto Fan Expo

This is the second weekend in a row that I am off at a convention - one more to go.

   I saw Neil Adams.  The first comic book con I went to I bought something from a pro artist and gave him a check - he said 'Oh, you live on Neil Adams Road!'.   Since then, I have wanted to meet him.
   There were some great costumes, and I seem to always forget to take pictures.  There was a guy dressed as Batman on vacation - bathing suit, snorkel, towel cape, cowl...  There was a girl in power armor cleverly made from thick floor mats which will sculpt to shapes when heated.

  I did art - as usual.  I had a gentleman who said he was a tuxedo cat, and didn't go into details.  It's so hard to get all the bits exact when I am busy at the table.  Got many very happy people.  I could totally make prints from the white fox girl above.

 Chained!   As a dealer, I can sometimes get some nice scenery pictures before all the lines get there.  Gotta scan our 'Game of Thrones' pics.

   Took this pic of Batman and Robin playing games.  The thing that makes it is the amazed kid!  Totally a random happy!
   Had fun with Heather Bruton, she's my booth partner.  Met Obbi from the Devil's Panties (who was with Jennie) and he is my hero.  Made it across to talk to my Blind Ferret friends.  Spent a lot of time staying behind the booth so I didn't spend money.
   Made enough by Saturday to get a Jill Thompson drawing - but it turned out she was leaving on Sunday, so I missed her.  I shall now regret it.

Color vs GreyScale

   At the Furry Cons I go to, there are a levels of art sketching that I do.  Pencils, inks and grey scale.  I mostly do grey scale because 'everyone' else is doing it.  I put a high price on it to chase everyone away, and they still come. 
   I bought markers, which I guess I like well enough - but often I forget them at home.  I switch to my box of watercolor, which I love.
   So, there I sit - doing art late at night.  The watercolors are out....  what harm is putting color on instead of grey, grey, grey.  I've done it a few times.
   Now my mind spins through the implications.  Color overnight sketches at cons.  I would be able to charge more.  I'm charging $80 for greyscale - so that would be $100 for color.  tempting.
   I charge $100 for take home colored pencil pics.  I can't charge the same for at home work (where there is a lot more detail and un-distrurbed, unrushed work done) then I do for at come homework.  So, this means I will probably up the price of my Take Home work (or lower the at con prices...)
   I also need to figure out what to charge for watercolor Take Home work.  I have a price for colored pencil, and one for acrylic... but I like doing the watercolor now.  I feel confident in offering it.

Thinking.
   I spoke with Donato once and he said I should put my commission prices up fairly high so that I would be available to do the work I wanted to do - instead of directed things.  I see what he was saying.

Your own Artistic Voice

   There's a lot of different styles of art out in fandom.  Having just gotten back from GenCon, I saw a lot of lovely work.  Much of it, I would certainly buy.
   Am I allowed to say that I am tiered of the slick winged girl in a bikini look?  Where is something romantic?  Where is something even Disney-like in the show?  Even the Disney movies have a style guide where Hercules looked greek, and Emporer's New Groove was aztec-ie.
    My voice isn't like all the others.
   That's not a bad thing.
   I have to remember to make my own work good without just doing what everyone else is doing except this time I drew a red-haired girl....

GenCon

   Where else can you tell someone to take 100 experience points and they smile at you?  You can get into an interesting conversation about gaming systems at the nearby sushi restaurant?  Squeee.  What a blast!

   Hauled in, unloaded with ease, got my cheap no-problem parking place, found April, checked into the hotel.  All like I've done this before.  Spent most of Wednesday finding friends and saying Hello, hello!
   A dealer friend on mine said he doesn't get a booth because he can just bring his old Magic Cards, sell them, make the same amount he would normally make by working hard all 4 days.  He just enjoy's himself the rest of the time.  he bought me a Remorhaz figure as I mentioned it was my Favorite Monster.
   Had my picture take with Loth!  My husband tweeted back to me about things that happened in my game - and I smiled.  He might be taking credit for something one of the other gamers said - but it was wayyyyy excellent.

    Lar came and found me and showed me I am in the new Least I could do game!  I'm on the cover and everything.  Turns out, I'm a cheap date.  How did they know?
   Every year, I look at the Dwarvin Forge mini's and want them!  This year was no exception.  And - I don't even run minis!  This year it was undead, bones and skeletons.  Yeah,  sounds just like parts of my game - I can totally see what to do with them... and I don't use minis.  They use to have a contest - and I would be totally perfect to win, 'cause then, I would buy so many more.
   D&D Next (Dungeon's and Dragons Fifth edition) is on everyone's conversation list.  I pounced on so many people to tell me what happened at the playtest.  So many interesting viewpoints.  It won't be out for a while, and I am hungry for it already.
 

   Did art - as always.  Sold six originals (the little ones) and was left with two.  I had homework (drawing over night) every night - and have been teaching new buyers how this whole commission thing works.
   Picked up 9 take home commissions!  Ran out of forms to give people (Thank goodness Kri could get some copies made for me).
   Didn't find Elizabeth Vaughn - who's novels I LOVE.  Karen said she mentioned me to her, so I'll look for her online.
   Sold out of all sorts of things! 
   Bought Dice, $2 game books of spells, traps and monsters, a game supplement (Pathfinder as I don't have the time to search for something more appropriate to my game).  Tome Smith gave me stuff!  I traded art for one of the Drow dice.  Traded for these art card portfolio things.  Found a 20sided on the floor so that closes my con well.
   Packing out is hard on me when I am alone - because I have no one to stand guard over my trunk and stuff while I walk to the van, and wait in the staging grounds (which are packed at close).  Everything was great!  Dealers, con staff and convention staff look over over things.  Long drive home alone, which means I sing my fool head off - which is also hard as my voice is going after all the talking, talking, talking.
   Signed up and looking forward to next year.

GenCon

Well, I'm off to GenCon today.  I'll be set up in the artist alley, and having a blast.  Hopefully, I can keep myself from shopping.  I'll try and pick up the D&D Next packet.

I'll be doing pictures for people - overnight usually.  Come by and say hi.

Commission Forms

I tell people right away, I'm a gamer girl.  As such, I believe in character sheets.  Character sheets lead to Commission sheets - as usually, the art needing to be done centers around a character.

I've seen a lot of character information write-ups that include a lot more information then I need.  Uh-huh - yes, I see her eyes flash at you from across the room...  but what color are they?  After six pages, I now know too much about your character - when what I really want to know is stuff like hair length, hair texture and hair style (three different important facts).

So, I made a commission form with the information I need to know, like a character sheet.

Then, I made it a two part form!
This means my client gets a copy as well.  We are both safe!  The money down as well as money agreed for the total picture is easy to see.  If they come back later and say she has green eyes, I can check.  I have been mistaken in the past, and so have they - it goes both ways.
I also have a bit of information about how long they will wait at most, and the fact that I have the right to make a few prints if I want.  Information is important.

After I get it home, I hole punch it and get it in my 'Art Brain' (My daytimer for art stuff).  Now, I have the order to do them in as well.

Sticky notes get added later for contact notes.

It works great!  Keeps me working.

Coming soon to a Con Near You

I've got three in a row!  Three!  GenCon, The Toronto Fan Expo, and The World SF Con in Chicago.

I try to have new things at the shows.  It's important to have something new for people to come and see. - but this time, I don't think I am going to manage it.  At least, not for all three!

Right now, I'm busy trying to get a commission at least onto paper, and a couple of new things for the con sets.  I have a week.  Prioritize!  And, get to work!

The Blank Page's Rival

Some people say the most intimidating part of a picture is the blank page staring at you at the start - I think it has a rival.  When you have the pencil's all full of hope and potential.... then you must lay down the first bit of color!

It never seems right!  It is so full of pigment against the white of the page!  What if I have chosen the wrong color at the very start of things?

Take a breath.  Keep going - you can balance and move through areas later!  Just get started!

Circles

First, you draw a circle.
- then, you hate that circle and erase it.

Then, you draw a circle.  same place, same size, same amount of circle-ness.
-that one, you love and you go on!

This is the process of art.

As a young artist, I would sketch a lot.  For some sketches, I would think - yeah, this turned out.

Now that I am more experienced, I get to that point where I think - no,no!  I can make this.

While before, I was pleased with what happened, and the fact I was learning - now I look and know what I am trying to capture.  I know it's not a fluke, but a practiced series of constructed lines and ideas.

When I get frustrated, I know it's because I've improved.  I've come so far from the surprise of it turning out to expecting it to be what I am shaping.  It's a good thing.  Frustration is a sign that you are improving!