Art & Business

A couple of weeks ago I announced my new finger-puppet business cards. I designed them to serve several functions: To demonstrate my abilities as a character desginer; To stand out and be a good conversation starter at networking events; To display not just my contact info but list past clients and quotes/endorsements from satisfied art directors. So far the cards have been a big...

Tim Hodge (former Disney artist and an Executive Producer on 3-2-1 Penguins!) recently posted some great tips on assembling your portfolio: Portfolio Submissions If you are an art student, job hunting, or just trying to break into commercial art or animation, this is some great stuff to know when interviewing for a position. Since Hodge's background is in the animation industry, his...

Earlier this week I flew to Rhode Island to take part in the semi-annual Hasbro Freelance Fair. Twice a year the toy company invites freelance artists, designers, and sculptors into their corporate headquarters to show their wares and to hob nob with members of Hasbro's rather large creative department (in the hopes of landing Hasbro as a client). Each exhibitor...

On Monday Steve Jobs announced the new line of iPhones, the iPhone 3G, which will go on sale July 11 (exactly one month from today). My wife and I have had our iPhones for almost a year now and we love them. I originally considered it a "luxury" purchase, something fun and fluffy we didn't really need. Boy was I wrong. They are super practical. We use them all the time, so much so that it's hard for me to imagine getting through the day without one. Here are just a few of the ways the iPhone has come in very handy for me:

Recently I came across a terrific article about business cards from the ProFreelancing blog. According to the author most business cards are largely a waste of money. People will quickly lose interest in you and your work if all they have to remember you by is your contact info. It's even worse at a networking event where everyone is collecting...

I just received a brochure in the mail about a new conference tailored for creative freelancers (i.e. illustrators, designers, photographers, copyrighters, etc.) The 2008 Creative Freelancer Conference will be held Augut 27-29 in Chicago. The conference is presented by HOW Magazine and Marketing Mentor. Topics to be discussed will include: How do I balance finding work with doing work? What niche should I...