Happy Easter!

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Today is Good Friday, the day when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. “Good Friday” seems like an odd name one of the most bloody and tortuous executions in human history. How could such a horrific event be “good”?

Because Jesus suffered and died for your sins. He paid for your crimes, then rose from the dead. He can forgive you, cleanse you, and give you eternal life. And that’s good news!

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A couple of years ago I illustrated a cartoon gospel tract to help explain it. So far about two million copies have been printed and its been translated into eight different languages. The tract is copyright-free (I make no royalties) so you can read it for free online. (If you know a ministry that would like to print and distribute the tract, or would like to help with a translation, click here.)

Good Friday is about death, but Easter is about resurrection. If Jesus died and stayed dead, then Christianity is a joke and we might as well close the church doors. But if he did rise from the dead, then his claim to be the Son of God is really true. For you skeptics out there, you may be surprised to know that unlike ghost stories and fairy tales, there is strong, intelligent evidence that the resurrection really did happen. I challenge you not to dismiss Jesus and his claims until you have checked out all the facts.

Thanks for indulging this “preachy” post. Now go eat some jelly beans and have a happy Easter!

Stay Tooned! Magazine

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I just received the very first issue of Stay Tooned!, a brand-new magazine for cartoonists from editor John Read. Since the magazine Cartoonists PROfiles is no longer gracing newsstands, Stay Tooned! is stepping in to fill the void. The magazine is published quarterly, and you can order issues or subscribe online. A copy of issue #1 is $10, or you can subscribe to five issues for $40.

This is not a skimpy magazine. It weighs in at 88 pages, chock-full of content and light on advertising. The layout is easy to read and there’s plenty cartoon eye candy. Other than a few photos that printed too dark, it’s a terrific first issue. There are loads articles and interviews from top-drawer talent:

Interviews:

Regular columns:

…and contributions by Daryl Cagle, Brad Fitzpatrick, David Fitzsimmons, and Richard Thompson.

Subscribe or purchase a copy. You’ll be glad you did.

Being A Dream Client

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As a freelance character designer I’ve worked with a lot of clients over the years: big ones, small ones, established companies and young startups. Most have been terrific and I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of really great people. Still, despite the best of intentions not every project runs as smoothly as it could. Even after eleven years of freelancing I still occasionally work on projects that get bogged down by miscommunication, misunderstanding, and avoidable delays.

If you hire freelance artists, or are thinking of hiring one soon, here’s a list of friendly tips on how to help things go smoothly. Of course project delays and difficulties aren’t always the client’s fault. Tomorrow I’ll turn the tables and give some thoughts aimed at all you freelancers out there. For now, here’s some tips on being a “dream client”:

1. Give the freelancer as much information about the project as possible. The more info the better. Who is the target audience? What is the project trying to accomplish? Is there a certain style or tone you are after? How will the art be used? Will it need to be enlarged or reduced? How will it fit into the context of the larger project? A lot of these are questions the freelancer should be asking you, but if he doesn’t you should offer the information anyway. There’s no such thing as too much detail.Read More

Free Animation eBook!

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Award winning animator Shawn Kelly has written a 90-page eBook called Animation Tips and Tricks. It’s hot off the presses, so to speak, and chock full of advice for aspiring animators. Best of all, it’s free! It’s being offered as a PDF download from the folks at Animation Mentor. Just sign up to download the book.

Here’s a neat little bonus: Animation Mentor has also just published a helfpul article called Myths Of The Animation Industry. Check it out!

(Thanks to Nimblepix Animation for the heads up.)

Nobody Knows Anything, or How To Make The Next Big Internet Hit

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Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman famously wrote that “in Hollywood, nobody knows anything”. What he meant was that nobody really understands how to make a successful film. Despite all the money and effort poured into every movie, it’s a total mystery why some films rake in mega bucks and others flop big time. If there was a secret formula to making a hit, Hollywood would crank out nothing but blockbusters. In reality most films actually lose money. Every year it’s a small handful of mega-blockbusters that keep the studios in the black.

It seems to me the same principle holds true on the internet. Every day legions of people upload YouTube videos, Flash animations, and funny pictures with the hopes of drawing the masses to their website. Advertisers are also getting into the act, spending thousands or even millions of dollars searching for the next big internet phenomenon. Everyone wants to be the next Numa Numa guy or Elf Yourself campaign. A few succeed. The majority disappear, washed under the waves in the vast internet ocean.

Nevertheless, it’s got me thinking. What types of things draw people to a website or YouTube video? What are the building blocks of internet popularity? Of course there’s no such thing as a sure-fire formula for internet success (if there was, everyone would be doing it). But it’s probably fair to say that there are at least a few common threads that run through most internet success stories.

Here’s a few off the top of my head:

1. Entertainment value. The content has to hold people’s attention and make them smile. Of course, how you define “entertainment value” is another topic altogether.

2. Interaction. People don’t want to just watch, they want to be drawn in and, if possible, play along. The latest gimmick is to paste your head onto an animated character, but it doesn’t have to be that complicated. The Numa Numa guy just had a catchy song that people could tap their feet to as they watched.

3. Surprise. Media consumers have seen it all. You have to give them something fresh and new to hold their attention.

4. Humor. Everybody loves to laugh.

5. Brevity. Our modern attention spans are getting shorter by the minute. Some of you may have already become bored with this post and moved on.

This is a short list and I’m sure there’s plenty I’ve missed. What do you think? What types of things make you want to share a website with your friends and family? Feel free to leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Resources For Art Directors

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To any art directors and creative directors who read my blog, this post is just for you. It’s a list of resources I found online geared towards art directors. I’m not an AD myself so I’m not too familiar with most of them, but at first glance they seem like they would be helpful:

 

Art Director’s ToolKit – Software with tools for working with fonts, colors, and measuring your layouts.

 

“Art Files” Collection Utility – Another piece of software from the same company. “Art Files is a stand-alone application that takes the tedious task of collecting Illustrator documents, linked images and fonts for graphics files and turns it into a simple point & click operation.”

 

The Art Director’s Club – An organization for art directors and creative professionals.

 

The Society of Publication Designers – Another organization for art directors.

 

The Art Director’s Reference Guide – For art directors who work in the animation and film industries.

 

The Art Director and the Law – Article about copyright and other legal issues art directors may deal with.

 

The RAIL – A blog by art director Dylan Thomas. Check out his “Tools” page.

 

What Makes A Good Creative Director? – From the blog Graphic Push.

 

Art Director’s Reference Set – From ThePowerXChange

 

EDIT: Here’s a few more links….

 

12 Breeds Of Client And How To Work With Them – Primarily aimed at freelancers, but it could also apply to art directors who have to deal with Clients.

 

Handling Difficult Clients – another good article on dealing with clients.

 

Ten Tips For Hiring And Working With Freelancers

 

Care And Feeding Of Freelancers

 

If anyone has any other links or resources to suggest, feel free to leave a comment.