Wisdom Wednesday

When I sit down to my computer to work on an assignment or just for fun. I need, no, crave to have some kind of background noise to help set the mood. Something to give me some equalization to the ceaseless chatter that runs through my head while I work. In some instances I want my mind to be thinking and working out the problems within a piece as I work. And other times I want the experience to be instinctual and natural. To get to the end of a painting and not know how I got there. In both of these instances I have my own ways of helping the time pass and keeping other aspects of my psyche stimulated while I work. I'm sure that most everybody is the same way! The same way I have to have a TV or Fan going to fall asleep. I also need some kind of audible noise while I paint or draw.

My weapons of choice are music, movies, audio books and podcasts. For this Wisdom Wedneday I'll highlight a podcast that is stimulating as well as informative to my chosen industry, freelancing. Now, I listen to multiple podcasts that focus on the freelance creative industry. But for today I'll only go into one.

I've been listening to this podcast for months now. It's great! An extremely informative and diverse group of freelance individuals. Not all are illustrators per se. Some are web designers, graphic artists and copy writers. Yet and still the experience of working with clients and dealing with issues that arise are common across the board. Within this podcast you'll find tips on how to deal with clients, contracts, making initial contacts and then maintaining those realtionships. These podcasters share there experiences and there multiple ways of dealing with the similar problems that come up within their different industries. I would suggest starting at the beginning and working your way to the most current. 

This podcast is just a small part of a much larger website that has many reference sources and outlets for freelancers. You'll find articles, blogs, forums, resources, hourly rate calculators and job postings all within the site . So stop on by and have agood time browsing and investigating the site and seeing what it has to offer. You could find your next gig or make some great contacts within the industry of your choice. Enjoy the wisdom!

-Wilson

Just a Touch Up

I have an account on DeviantArt. One of the major benefits of that site is that I get to see which of my pictures gets viewed and faved the most often. There is a particular piece from my years in college that is far and away the favorite piece of my collection and it is below.

The Lion waited impatiently for the Mouse to explain his proposition.

For my senior thesis in college I did a giftcard set of African Folklore. That included Aesop's fables and that included, "The Lion and the Mouse". This was one of my first watercolors and I haven't been able to get it out of my portfolio SINCE!! LOL! It haunts me to no end! But I have to be honest with myself about why it is so popular.

But my problem right now is that I want my portfolio to be completely digital. No mediums other than a pencil sketch that is then colored in Photoshop. Watercolors are just too unpredicatable and difficult to edit for me to see them as a viable medium for freelance work at this time. In time I want this to change, but for now this is how I feel. I don't mind emulating watercolors in Photoshop, which I haven't figured out how to do quite yet. But I definitely want to make my entire portfolio digitally based. While I love this piece, I know that adding it ensures that I will get many requests to do work in this medium and style. So it can't be part of my portfolio in its current state.

So how do I correct this issue? I was wondering recently how this piece would look if I redit it in Photoshop? Created a digital version of it. And maybe not just this piece but some others of note from my previous portfolio. Does this sound like a good idea? Do you think something like this could enhance my portfolio and get "The Lion and The Mouse" monkey off my back? I definitely think I could add a lot more character to these and my rendering skills have improved a good deal since then (I like to think so anyway).

So what do you guys think? Below are more potential contendors for a digital do over. All of them are watercolor/gouache pieces. Any input is great!

Thanks

-Wilson

Wisdom Wednesday

From this point forward I will try to throw up some of the great advice and wisdom that I have come across in my quest to break into Children's' Publishing.

On the day after the arrival of the book 2010 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market . My mind is racing with all the possibilities available to me within Children's Publishing. Thank goodness my Portfolio and website are finally ready to go! Or are they?

This question led me to do some digging and double and triple check the things that editors look for in a Children's Book Portfolio. My search led me to Elizabeth Dulemba's website and a great article she wrote in regards to preparing your portfolio for this industry. (Follow link to article.) Read the article all the way through and find some great links to other resources at the bottom of the article.

All of these resources seemed to point out to me that my portfolio isn't quite there yet. At least not for Children's Books specifically. The biggest thing I feel I'm missing are pieces that show I can handle continuity of characters. The markets I do seem prepared for currently are Magazines and Educational materials. Which works out just fine. This will cut down the amount of research I need to do and let me focus on specific fields separately. Most new Children's Artists cut their teeth with Magazines and Periodicals.

Looks like it will be my turn to do so next!! Now to figure out how and what I will use to promote myself! And come up with a list of potential people to mail those promotional items to! Whew! Looks like it will be a long but rewarding weekend of research! But I can't wait to get the eventual rewards! No matter how long that may take!

"Little Susie had to modify her cheering tactics if she was to motivate her brother's team to victory!!"

Double W Illustrations is a go!

So my new web page is up and running. Take a look and tell me what you think! And let me know if any of the links don't work and stuff like that!

Thanks folks!
-Wilson

Shy Rhino Before and After

This is the image before I changed it up some. I needed to add something to it to make it relevant for a children's book portfolio. I thought making it an Alphabet book page made perfect sense.



There was also some concern that the grass in his/her mouth doesn't look like it was actually in the mouth. And that the portion of the rhino's body below the face was hard to read and understand. I wanted to address those issues too.



At the end of the day I did struggle with adding the letter in. I wanted to make it composed of grass or 3-D in some way. But I settled on simpler being better. I integrated the letter into it's environmemt but kept it fairly non-rendered and easily readable. The objective of the piece should be that the letter is legible and easily identifiable for the young reader. I think this change makes the piece have more of a story and purpose and considerably more relevant to my portfolio.

I'll probably also submit this piece to Illustration Friday for the word this week, idle. It'll be my first time and hopefully it'll be received well. Here's hoping!! :)

-Wilson

Penguin Family Colored Up

Here is the colored version of the Penguin Family Ice Skating. I had a lot of fun on this one and there were a bunch of different stages! Click on the above image for a much cleaner and larger image. (Less pixelly(sp?))

Below is a link to an animation that kinda takes you through the process. From sketch all the way to full colors. ALl done in Photoshop. The only thing this revealed to me is that I really have no process. LOL! I'm always amazed when someone posts a tutorial online and it's neat to see how organized and thought out their process is. The only thing that I learned about myself from doing this is that I have NONE!! LOL! Hopefully that'll improve now that I am paying attention to it.

Having a process seems to allow others to attack their images with speed and clarity. That is something I would imagine is very helpful when running up against a deadline. I'm also going to really start timing myself so that I have a more accurate gauge of how long it takes me to complete an image depending on the complexity and familiarity of process being used.

Here's the link to the animation. http://mtykwan.deviantart.com/art/Penguin-Family-Process-130522890

Also, I should have a website by the end of the weekend, hopefully. It'll be at DoubleWillustrations.com. When I'm done I would love for you guys to come check it out and tell me what you think. Troubleshoot it and make sure everything works and views properly! Thanks again!! :)

-Wilson

Next Sketches

Here is a sketch for the next piece I'm working on.



And here it is with me adding a base of color. I'm thinking that I may do the primary figure to the right and the finish line in full color, while leaving the other racers rendered monochromatic. It would put a great deal of emphasis on the kid to the right and set a very specific tone to the piece. I'm still pondering that though. This is also a double page spread and you can see where the middle is by the vertical line I've drawn in the middle.




In the meanwhile I will be working on making some changes to older pieces of mine. I will probably post those too once I'm done. I don't know about anybody else, but I have the hardest time going back to pieces once I have decided in my head they are complete. The problem is you get some wise person who comes along and points something out in your piece that's wrong, so glaringly wrong that it knocks you on your backside! Those are the changes that I'll be working on next. And some of them are doozies!! If I can I'll post the originals and the draw overs that were done by this wise person or people.