Happy Holidays!!!

Creative Biz Note #18

The Illusion of Promotion

I listen to the podcasts and read many forums...one thing that seems to pop-up is the disgust for paid promotional websites and source books. Are these forms of advertising nothing more than deceitful, magical illusions of grandeur swindling all the artists? Many will argue...that you have to spend money to make money. Yes, you have to do your research, work within a budget and be smart about your advertising. But an artist will never survive on postcards or word-of-mouth only. Remember, this is coming from a guy with a background in promotional advertising--so, maybe this is not of biased opinion.

As a beginner, have a budget and take it slow. Join free portfolio sites. Postcards and cold-calling will work just fine too. Build your own client list by doing bookstore or online research. And possibly even purchase an email listing of art directors and art buyers. Exposure and persistence are key!!

Creative Biz Note #17

PixelBoy's Studio Set-Up

I think it's always interesting to see how other artists set-up their studios. It's as though you're getting a glimpse of their creative soul. I thought that I'd talk about how we laid things out and why.

SIKids Cover--Dec. Issue!

Sports Illustrated Kids magazine has a monthly back page comic and the lead character is "Buzz Beamer". Bill Hinds, the comic artist, did a few rough sketches for us and then we took it from there. The left half of the cover had one of those extra cover flaps glued on with an advertisement on the inside. The reader flips it open and a photo of the SportsKid of the Year is revealed--he's standing on stage with Buzz.

Clients from Hell--A Collection of Funny Stories

I found this site with a collection of anonymously posted client quotes. Though I must add that all "OUR clients" would never be quoted on this list.  : )  Actually, joking aside, we're very fortunate to have a mountain-load of friendly, intelligent clients.

Here are some of my favorites:

“I understand that you prefer to use photoshop, but we don’t feel like that program is universal enough. If you could do all of the design work in Microsoft Paint it would be easier for us to edit what you do and give you an idea of the changes we want.”

"We didn’t think that you would finish in time for the deadline. So we hired a bunch of other freelancers to finish your work. Since the new freelancers were more expensive we won’t be able to pay you for all the work you did”

Check it out:
www.clientsfromhell.com

Creative Biz Note #16

Email Campaign Tactics

I pulled together some points I found in my notes:

- Each time you send out postcards or emails you are creating a brand for yourself. Keep it consistent and have a strong design. Just because you illustrate doesn't mean you can design well. If needed, find a friend to help out. Branding is more than your business cards or website--it can be as simple as the presentation of your project estimates to the greeting on your voicemail. Get feedback. Sorry--big tangent here.

- Make sure your email images and information are within the preview window. They need a sneak peek to lure them in. Most people don't enjoy scrolling down. A click-able link to your website should be available within the preview window too--it could be the image itself.

Sketch Pad 05

Project: WalMart Sticker Program 
I recently did these sketches (with their finals) for a pitch going to WalMart. I had very little time to  come up with the concepts--most of the characters have only one sketch because that's all the time I had!!! LOL Each character had two small iconic images to go with it. Plus, I did some pattern work too.