16 May Update
Greetings, faithful blog reader. Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I’m in a bit of a time crunch. I’ve taken on a large project that I’m super excited about. I can’t say too much, but thanks to a referral by the guys at FunnyPages Productions I’ve been hired as a character designer for a new animated tv show that will be airing soon (this fall I think) on one of the major networks. The show is funny, the concept is clever, and it’s produced by a company that I’ve always wanted to work for. In many ways it’s my dream job.
There’s only one catch. The gig will likely only last a couple of months and then its back to regular freelancing. Which means if I turn away my regular clients now to focus on the show, they won’t be there when my involvement with the show is over. By then they’ll have found other artists. That would not be good. So, I’m essentially trying to work two full-time jobs for a couple of months. Fortunately I have a very understanding and supportive wife, and because I work at home I can take short breaks throughout the day to spend time with her and our baby girl. But for now I won’t be posting as often as I have been. But there are plenty of great art blogs listed to the right to tide you over. Give them a looksee!
In other news, I’ll be down in Orlando next weekend (May 24-27) for the Reubens, the annual get-together of the National Cartoonist’s Society. It’s a weekend conference on cartooning capped off by an awards banquet. The awards (Reubens) are named after one of the NCS founders, I think. I’ve been an NCS member for several years but this will be my first time attending a Reubens weekend. From what I hear its a ton of fun, and the event is attended by some pretty big names in the fields of cartooning, illustration, and animation. Personally I don’t put too much stock in awards when it comes to the arts (Oscars, anyone?). When you reach a certain level of excellence, there’s no real way to single out one excellent artist as “more excellent” than all the others. But it should be a fun weekend nonetheless.
Finally, I’ve discovered a new website called Illosaurus that seems to be a great collection of resources for illustrators. A lot of it is UK-centric, but the site is helpful nonetheless. Check it out.