I had a great time at last night’s New Hampshire Creative Club meeting.

We viewed a live demonstration of Adobe’s Creative Suite 4. That is some sexy software I must say. I was really impressed by some of the new features in PhotoShop and Illustrator in particular. I especially liked a new brush in Illustrator that allows you to paint flats fields of color that the program will then convert in to vector shapes. It seems like a powerful and convenient tool that would allow folks uncomfortable with the bezier tool to put it aside and work more intuitively. Very cool.

Shame I can’t afford to invest in the programs, but then I am pretty fulfilled by Corel Painter for the type of work I do. :)

Maybe some day….

I made the acquaintance of an illustrator named Katie Vernon who has recently moved into the Dover area. She maintains two blogs,” Ten Days Of… ” and ” Katie Vernon’s Adjunct Website” in addition to a terrific portfolio site that is ever-growing. A lovely person who does some fantastic work with mixed media.

I also met Guy Lessard, a Manchester-based Fine Art Photographer, who also happens to be the president of the Manchester Artist’s Association– a group I am actually quite interested in. A very friendly fellow.

One of the topics of casual discussion before and after the presentation was the prospect of a “sketch group” that would meet locally and just draw for the pleasure of it. The idea had been playing at my mind for some time and I finally decided to put the wheels in motion. I put together an email list and have posited the idea to my circle of artist-type friends. I hope it is able to gain steam because I think that such a group would be a valuable resource for anyone who takes part. I love drawing amongst friends and it would be a terrific time.

Here’s hoping. :)

I’ve also gone to the trouble of creating a daily/weekly schedule that I hope will be a good outline for success. I need to find ways of budgeting my time so that my studio can grow along with my work while maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

The primary problems I saw in my current habits:

I spend too many late nights here in the studio and I am primarily a day-person. There must be a way to be more productive during my more energized hours.

I don’t do enough to promote my studio and expand my list of potential clients.

I don’t do enough for my mental and physical health. 

Here is what I decided upon as a tentative breakdown of my day divided by activity type:

*Personal health (alternate activity daily) 8:30am to 9:30am:

Go to gym. 

Go for jog or walk.

*Business Building Things you must do each day (10am to 11 am) :

Lead Generation—

Make a new business connection ( email, on-line networking sites, phone calls).

Clerical Tasks—

Business Email correspondence.

Business paperwork ( contracts, etc.)

Creative Writing/Marketing—

Post in your blog.

–and/or–

Post in Ninja Mountain Scrolls. ( I also oversee Ninja Mountain’s Blog)

*Art Things you must do each day (11am until 6pm) :

(This schedule is a malleable thing, but typically the following will take place.)

Sketch in your sketchbook in quiet moments.

Work on a personal piece for one hour ( fantasy pieces. Humor pieces.)

Work on contract assignment. 

*Weekly Things you must do (6pm onwards as time allows) :

Head out to sketch away from office alone or with friends.

Work on NHCC Art Show.  I am the chairperson for this year’s upcoming Art Show. A lot of work ahead.

HAVE NOTHIN’ BUT FUN…

It was fun to put this together and I have already started to put it into effect, though I am sure the time I spend on each task will shift about on a daily basis. This does seem to provide a good rule of thumb for now. We’ll see how it goes.

Well, back to the grind.

—Jeremy

Hey all,

I finally wrapped up my black and white interiors for Green Ronin Publishing and Expeditious Retreat Press.

They were great fun. Now all that is on my plate are a comic pin-up and a private commission for an old friend. I’ve already started sketching on those and am enjoying the results. I’ll be sure to post the finals here when they’re available.

I have recently discovered the joys of on-line networking both for business purposes and for finding old friends and making new ones! I joined LinkedIn, Plaxo, and FaceBook and I have been endlessly surprised by the people I am finding. Fellow pros I’ve known for years. Connecting with some of my art heroes. Friends from high school and college. I liken it to walking in on a big surprise party.

It has been terrific having all sorts of people visiting my studio as I work ( over the world wide web, of course). 

One of my biggest weaknesses as a freelance business owner has been promoting my work and reaching out to the wider community. On-line networking has been a good thing for me and my work. I encourage business owners to get out there and meet folks. I’ve also made it a point to get out in the “analog” world and meet people. I’ve made some  good friends. It would be awful easy to cloister myself here in my wee studio, but I think both my mood and my work would stagnate for it. 

I love to talking to other artists and creative folks. I learn so much. 

I went to the Day For Kids 2008 and drew with the kids which was wonderful. I played the “Let’s make a Monster” game where I ask my young collaborator a series of questions and from their answers I quick-sketch and ink a monster. The kids loved it and the parents were very appreciative. I picked up my pen at 10 am and did not set it down until 3pm. I was flat-out drawing the entire time. 

There in the trenches with me was fellow artist and new friend, Jay Piscopo. He did an awesome job drawing the kid’s favorite characters and introducing them to his comic book hero, Capt’n Eli. His assistant, the lovely Tami,  made sure we didn’t pass out from thirst during the long day. She was a true heroine.

A terrific book that Jay has been working hard on . The style of the book is drawn from the ol’ Hanna Barbera Action shows such as Johnny Quest and Space Ghost. Alex Toth’s expert hand ( a primary influence on Jay’s strong style) is well in evidence. He gave me a copy and I’ve been enjoying the read and the walk down memory lane. :)

Check out the artist and his book over at: http://www.captneli.com/artist.php

I’ll be doing a pin-up based on characters from the book and can’t wait to get started on the final. I’ve been having a blast just doing thumbnails! 

Can’t wait to hang out with them again at a convention down the road.

Now I am just seeking my next contract assignment. Checking my email is like going downstairs on Christmas morning. You never know what you’ll find under the tree. A card assignment? A book assignment? A magazine job? Hmmmm…..

Thanks for reading my random thoughts, folks.

Back to the grind.