I finally joined Dribble.com and uploaded my first few samples. There’s a limit of five uploads per day so I’ll have to wait to upload more. But if you dribble, give ‘em a looksee.
Window Clings for Goldfish Swim Schools
One of my regular clients is Goldfish Swim Schools. A little over a year ago they hired me to design a mascot for their company, named Bubbles the Goldfish. Recently they asked me to do a couple of jumbo window clings of Bubbles to hang in their facilities. They wanted something fun that kids could stand next to and have their picture taken. This is how they turned out.
“Storyteller Cards” on Kickstarter
I’ve decided to dip my toe in the water at Kickstarter and back my first project. A gent named Jason Tagmire has come up with a creative idea called Storyteller Cards, a fun, versatile game designed to encourage creative storytelling. Campbell Whyte is the illustrator and he seems to be doing a pretty great job. They are 90% of the way to their goal with ten days to go. If the goal doesn’t get met the cards may never get made and that would be a shame. Let’s help them get across the finish line.
Cartoon Vehicles for Spaner Marketing
Recently I was approached by a new client, Spaner Marketing, with an advertising concept for a company called SageQuest. SageQuest uses GPS technology to help delivery drivers, technicians, and other employees who spend time behind the wheel by tracking their locations, vehicle efficiency, etc. The ad tagline was “Talk To Your Trucks”. They asked me to illustrate some cartoon vehicles to go with the ads.
The challenge was to try to avoid something that looked like a knock-off of Pixar’s “Cars” franchise. I thought about using the eyes as headlights but that’s very cliche and it crunches the face down too low on the vehicle. Also, most headlights aren’t round these days so it might look odd on modern vehicles. So here’s a few doodles I submitted playing around with possible ideas:
Eventually the client decided they wanted to float pupils over the hood and use the windshield wipers for eyebrows. To help differentiate from Pixar I also left teeth out of the mouths (except for when it was needed for a big grin), and kept the windshields nice and dark. Here’s the final ads with copy:
Updated PDF Portfolios. Get ‘Em While They’re Hot!
It’s been over a year since I last refreshed my PDF Portfolios. Since I just posted a brand spankin’ new logo, I thought it would be a good time to update them as well. The new portfolios come in four flavors: Character Design, Toy Design, Illustration, and FPO/Comp Art. Click the links to download or grab them off my Downloads page. They’re yours to keep so print them out, file them away, or share them with your friends.
Contact me if I can ever be of service and, as always, thanks for your interest in my work!
Illustrator Will Terry On The State Of The Illustration Biz
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My friend and fellow illustrator Bob Ostrom pointed me to this video from illustrator Will Terry, who takes to YouTube with some candid thoughts on the current state of the illustration business. It’s long (49 minutes) but a must-see for anyone interested in trying to make it as self-employed illustrator. (Is there any other kind?)
Terry has been freelancing for twenty years, most of it in publishing and advertising, and has worked on thousands of projects over that time. Over the years he’s seen much of the market erode and he does a good job of explaining several reasons why things are much tougher now than they were when he started in the biz. He is also hopeful, ending the video with some inspiring thoughts on where to go from here. I really appreciate his honesty and candor, and I found many of his closing statements to be inspiring.
In my fifteen-plus years of illustrating I’ve only dabbled in publishing off-and-on so my vantage point is a little different, but by and large I think his observations are spot on. The times they are a-changin’ and many of the traditional methods of making money as an illustrator are paying diminishing returns. Some well-worn paths are getting craggy and overgrown, and new trails will have to be blazed. To stay successful we are going to have to be more saavy, more passionate, and more entrepreneurial.
Give it a listen, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Oh, and after you watch the video be sure to check out Will Terry’s blog. There’s some good stuff there.