#i am by no means a comic artist im just a silly little illustrator

[aru-art]

two-headed calf by laura gilpin

[madamchiles]

Journal Entry One

Festival Scouting

At the beginning of this project I knew a festival that I wanted to do had to incorporate two of my favourite things, music and wine. Thus, this lead me to do a little research on some festivals that already exist which incorporate these two activities. Some light research lead me to two main festivals held around the Queensland and New South Wales area which were Wine machine and Day on the Green. After viewing both of their websites, I noticed that they both marketed towards a more mature audience and held their events on vineyards which is something that I wanted to expand on with my own festival.

Thus, I wanted to expand my market to not only older generation yet my generation as well, I mean I dont think im the only one in this generation who likes wine right?

This thought I had also lead me to a preliminary thought of a design challenge being to maret wine and music to a younger audience with a fresh alternative look that the competitors lack. Before going too much into a challenge my next task was to look at what some other festivals were doing and create a visual concept through inspiration.

Finding some visual inspiration

Whilst searching for inspiration for the a festival, the first look that came to mind was the Bigsound Festival which exhibits a very poppy, colourful almost psychedelic look to it as seen in these images I found:

These images I found were featured on Big Sounds website and also a Brisbane based marketing agency named Bigfish. Through Bigfish I found the illustrator which worked on this campaign named Niqui Toldi, I checked out more of her work through her instagram which also inspired me, things such as this appealed to me:

The things I admired about this artist was her ability to mix minimalism with a bit of pop art by making characters or typography a little abstract.

First Research on her style lead to another designer named Manuel Rios who also exhibits a similar style to Niqui however having more of that classic tattoo feel to his art.

Pop Art

A big art movement that I felt would suit this campaign the best was pop art, however not just typical comic strip pop art. The works of Keith Haring from the 1980’s was something that which really inspired me, as you can see by the images below I admire the use of bold and bright colours, thick black line work and exotic characters. According to the Art database Artsy (2018) Keith's work 

“... developed a distinct pop-graffiti aesthetic centered on fluid, bold outlines against a dense, rhythmic overspread of imagery”

Settling on a name and look

In my second class of the week I did some brainstorming techniques in class in order to come up with a name for my wine and music festival, here are some images of my brainstorming process:

With the help of a classmate writing puns and being silly, we came up with the saying wine not? As seen on my moodboard i circled that right away and thought that this name fit the branding ideas I had for the festival. With this name I was then able to settle on an identity graphic for the campaign.

Upon further research by putting together mood boards on Pinterest I found a path that could be a suitable look for this festival. Here is some a look at what I wanted the festival to visual be represented as:

As visualised through my moodboard, I wanted to stick to a Keith inspired art style which incorporated pop art themes yet also with minimalism, bold lines, colour, liquid and funky typography.

Where to from now?

After this week I am going to focus on the identity graphic side to my campaign, this will be done by thumb nailing some sketches of logo ideas and characters to practise the art style. It is vital for me to practise this art style as I am unfamiliar with it. Next week will have thumbnail peer reviews which will help direction me on what looks good and what I ned to work on.

Reference list:

Artsy. (2018) Keith Haring: Artworks and History. Retrieved Online https://www.artsy.net/artist/keith-haring

Bigfishtv. (2018) Bigsound Festival Portfolio.Retrieved Online https://bigfish.tv/work/bigsound-2018

Day On The Green. (2017). Festival Info. Retrieved Online https://www.adayonthegreen.com.au/

Rios, M. (2018) Artwork. Retrieved Online https://www.behance.net/gallery/34938279/Maussangif

Toldi. N. (2013) Artwork. Retrieved Online http://www.niquitoldi.com/tagged/2013

[pensurfing]

Caitlin’s Three Things List

Okay, so moments (probably hours by the time I finish this) ago I wrote a goals list that I think is good for self-evaluation. (Keyword: This is what I think. results may vary depending on what you’re looking for.)

I’m going to hop to it and answer some of these that I laid out in hopes of having a better idea of what I want to accomplish. 

The Three Things Lists!

1) Three things that went well this year.

* Audience growth

So once upon a time, I grew a pretty decent following due to creating an Inktober Prompt list. My expectations: Maybe two of my friends would do this, maybe. And then one stranger that has followed me for a while. (There are a few followers I recognize their username because if I post something they always like it and for some reason that keeps me going.)

But because of this prompt, I was exposed to MANY new creators and illustrators that I now enjoy chatting with and following! Instagram had the biggest maintained growth. I’m excited to create for an audience that actually expects me to create and not just for friends who see my things “whenever they aren’t busy”. (Not to bash them or anything, just there are a lot where unless I tell them, they don’t see the posts I make.)

Another surge of growth in my audience was due to tabling at conventions this year. I was terrified to show my work let alone attempt to sell it to someone. Tabling at cons not only boosted my confidence but also quieted one of my ever going demons. “YoU sUcK aT dRaWiNg CaItLiN.” “How do you have a degree? oh right, you just barely passed.” I can’t say this is the case, there is an audience that genuinely enjoys my scribbles. So I am forever thankful to Atlanta Comic Con for giving me that chance. It honestly opened a few doors for me.

**Process

I’ve gotten more comfortable with showing my process. It can be messy, crisp, and illogical. But turns out the people who enjoy my content enjoy my scrambled thoughts. It’s something about not being alone in this sort of sense that calms the nerves.

So I can say with chest poked out that sharing process has gotten MUCH better. I can thank a self-help book I bought this year that was a FANTASTIC BUY. Austin Kleon has [two] (currently? If he has more then I’m buying it like people buy a name brand.) books that helped me see that it is GREAT to share not only the process but advice. “Show Your Work” is the book I’m talking about for now. Great tips, the outline is on the back of the book. So if you’re like me, I need to clearly see what I might be getting into, you might have a ball.

And finally, (not calling myself out on this but other) If you’re going to respond to people when they ask you “how do you___?” do not answer “Google it”. That is the rudest thing I’ve seen some of even my FAVORITE illustrators do; that response can burn in hell. PERIODT. (my one typo allowed.)

*** Art Style Exploration

For those who think college will help you establish an art style that you’ll enjoy or help nourish the one you currently have.... Let me save you over 80K.... No, the fuck it won’t.

That was the biggest thought I had going into art school. If anything, it confused me more and utterly destroyed what little confidence I had in my drawing style. After graduating, I had a huge swing from how I used to draw to how my art currently looks. I stopped trying to please the one professor who stood between me and my degree and started drawing to please my tastes. And guess what? That did something. And that something WORKED. I love what I draw now; I see why I chose this as my career path. I’m genuinely happy with how my pieces turn out versus in college just wanting to turn the damn thing in and hoping it isn’t an F.

2) Three things you could have handled better.

* The loss of a good paying client.

Now hear me out when I say this: A good paying client DOES NOT EQUAL a good client. Say that three times and then exhale.

Back earlier this year, I had the opportunity to work with a writer who gave me hell and back. And even that is an understatement. I dealt with her because in school you were taught “if they pay on time, finish the work and get the exposure.” 

I’m here to tell you my lesson learned: A good paying client DOES NOT EQUAL good exposure, good pay, a good client. 

I was doing the work of three for the price of one and a half. (And was always told I charged too much.) She tried abusing this power with friends of mine, with other illustrators. When things turned out bad, she tried saying it was my fault. She read my contract and then tried telling me I changed the wording, I purposely did this thing, another thing was my fault. I could go on with this story.

The part that I wish I handled better?

How I treated myself afterward. I’m so used to people telling me, “Cait, this is what you do wrong. This is how you fix it.” that I don’t consider my own feelings, and when I bring my feelings into the scenario they no longer matter. Because they tell me they don’t matter. In this case, I wish I had treated me better, because my feelings, my mental health, DOES matter.

**My Patience Getting Into Conventions.

Pretty self-explanatory. I got into one, finished one, and wanted to do eight more in a week. But this sort of thing just takes time and I need to accept that.

***My losses

I had to listen to a Little Mix song to actually learn this one. The context of the song is nowhere near the topic at hand. But a verse from Power feat Stomzy really packs a punch after this year: 

“ You look him in the eye and say, "I know I'm not a guy But see there's power in my losses and there's power in my wins" “

I had to look one of my demons in the face, and state something similar. My loses mean I’m trying. My loses piling shows I’m not willing to give up easily, and that is something that took a while to be content with.

3) Three things artistically you want to improve on.

*Composition

It’s not awful, but it can be better.

**Color

I told this BOLDLY if I might add while critiquing someone else’s portfolio; “Your color palette is boring. All your [things] look as if they are from the same universe, during the same time of day, with the same kind of mood. After three photos it’s bland, boring, and understood you have a preference.” 

Can you say damn Cait? The statement was, in fact, true, but I certainly could not talk. My color palette is mainly bright, pop, and happy. In order to tell a story, I KNOW it is best told with color. And I failed myself this year. But I sure won’t next year.

***My Damn Tag

Okay, alright. Why is it well-established artists have their tag figured out? Even some who’s art style is so recognizable (I’m looking HEAVILY at you Gabriel Piccolo.) we know it’s theirs, seem to have a tag that suits them and works for them. But more importantly, they put it in A VERY DECENT SPOT. SOMEONE SHARE THIS SCIENCE WITH ME? CAUSE APPARENTLY I DON’T GET IT.

4) Three things you want to focus on trying.

*More backgrounds.

As much as it pains me, I need to improve on backgrounds and perspective. When I do make backgrounds, I’m told I make great pieces. That I should look into becoming a background artist. And don’t get me wrong, I like them. But I don’t like them.

I feel as though I need to improve in that region so that way I don’t feel as though it’s a weakness of mine. My backgrounds are nice, but they aren’t nice to my standards.

**More designs

I love character designs, but let’s be real. If you were to scroll down my site or my Instagram page, or even this Tumblr archive, could you tell? 

I draw characters a lot sure, but none are designs. No process, no sheets, no turnarounds, none of that. So that’s a huge goal of mine for 2019.

***Scheduling posting

At one point I was pretty good at this. Live stream in Instagram and Twitter, cool. Videos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Cool. Everywhere gets a photo, everywhere gets a silly one-liner. Yay. I’m not leaving anything out.

Well by the end of this year that totally crumbled. 

SO I want to try getting better at that thing there. Because having attempted this at the end of the year was cool, but it still wasn’t enough apparently.

5) Three positive things to tell yourself.

* You are an inspiration. That’s all you wanted to be in life, you did it. I’m proud of you.

**You didn’t kill yourself like you tried to; you opened up about it for once and used that pint up anger creatively. That is very hard to do, trust. I’m proud of you.

***You moved on, matured, and let it go. Even when the goddess inside you told you these peasants didn’t deserve your light, your friendship, your greatness. I’m proud of you.

I’m just proud of me for not snapping when I had every right to; not everything deserves a reaction.

6) Three negative things you want to leave for 2018.

*Comparisons 

Oh boy. I am extremely guilty for this: I’ll compare myself to a well-known illustrator my age. I’ll compare myself to friends who are in the field having a blast and getting work; I’ll compare myself to friends who aren’t in the field and they struggle at getting work. I’ll compare myself to the kid I graduated high school with who is traveling the world, is able to eat, come home to his dog and relax because he doesn’t have tuition to pay. I’ll compare myself to these goddamn baby boomers who keep repeating “We didn’t have it hard, you’re just being stupid. Millennials aka our children deserve to starve. We’ll just put our faith in our grandchildren because screw the kids we raised and refuse to pay accordingly. $7 an hour worked in my day, they need to make it work now.” I’ll compare myself to fake people I created in my head and purposely made scenarios and wonder why I’m not like them, said creations I made because I was pretty low for ten minutes...

I just compare myself too much. To any damn body. It’s draining, obnoxious and most of all pointless. My new motto for next year is: “Unless it is helping you grow yourself, your brand, your spirituality, don’t do it.”

I’m not comparing my chapter two to someone’s chapter thirty-five. I’m not even comparing my chapter two to someone else’s chapter two. I need to stop doing that PERIOD! My journey is different, unique, and worth seeing through.

**Listening to negative others.

A couple of years ago, I lost a close friend around the time my aunt passed away. During this time I was hypersensitive to any and everything done or said; I also kept many walls up to hide my mourning. He caught the crossfire of all of that. I kept secrets from him I was too prideful of admitting and lashed out because of the emotional turmoil I kept suppressed. While in the midst of packing his things and leaving my life, he mentioned that I was a failure because I was unemployed and artistically speaking I hadn’t accomplished anything; that I would remain that way because that’s just the person I deserved to be. Now mind you, I graduated college that year; he was a flunk out. I changed my art style dramatically compared to when I started school to pass; he thought just posting crappy pictures of lukewarm sketches were equivalent. I started attempting trends and all he could do was copy. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t to bash my old friend. If he were to come back into my life and move on like nothing had happened I’d do the same. (With some limitations.)

It’s just while typing out this scenario, of our four-year friendship I can’t think of one nice thing/compliment/gesture he has said to me. That’s my problem.

I can be praised, admired, and look highly upon for years straight. But my problem is I let others negative thinking and comments marinate with me for a long while. Too long of a while.

Another example is my mother’s friend. (My mom has many friends that do this shit, but this one stung more.) 

This friend always roots for me; treats me like a person, and encourages my artistic journey. I consider her family before my actual relatives. 

We went over for some barbeque the family was having and I was ready. Black Hallmark Cookouts, laughing, good food, good music, shit talking others teams. She asked me a harmless question of when was I going to quit my day job. Seemed like nothing at first, until the added gest of what she continued with. “All I’m saying is you can’t do [your day job] forever. That will get old. If the art thing doesn’t work out next year what’s plan b?”

I’m not a calm person (usually). Normal Caitlin would have cursed her out and mentioned how just because she chose a job to settle and be miserable at for most of her life doesn’t mean I have to follow suit. But again, of all the nice encouraging things she has done, said, and showed, for a while, I couldn’t think of it. 

So I pray I let go of this nasty behavior in 2018; it’s going to be hard but it is dire.

***Saying I’m Not Enough

Alright, now put the combination of the two above in a bowl and what do you get? A Caitlin who struggles in interviews and applying for jobs because I let comparisons and negative comments rule my thoughts. This stopped me from applying to jobs I would have been perfect for; internships that could have helped me; posting art online.

We (including me) have to stop thinking that in order to be an illustrator means we have to pass a certain threshold of struggle, success, and a huge number of followers. That isn’t the job description. NO JOB DESCRIPTION has ”must have at least 10K followers on Instagram or Twitter.” nOnE. 

So we (including me) need to stop treating ourselves this way. Period.

7) Three things you’re looking forward to in 2019.

*Going to move conventions.

**Adding pieces to my portfolio to try again at job hunting.

***Becoming content with the fact that my current situation isn’t my permanent situation. Unless I laze around and make it so.

Alright, so this was basically me calling myself out on my noise. Lashing out my demons and putting it in writing what I want to accomplish. I hope this inspires you to write yours, even if you keep it private. I hope it guides you and maintains your vision.

I’ll see you in 2019

A new wave

Caitlin xx

[lynseylags]

WOW, have things gotten wild over the past week! I’m currently in self-imposed quarantine, as is almost everyone I know. Several close friends have fallen ill. It’s scary out there right now. I sincerely hope that all of you readers this are safe and healthy. And that you’re washing your hands, avoiding contact with other people….and not terribly bored if you’re working (or not working) at home. Sounds like a good time to support and read some indie comics, if you ask me.

A cheap shot? Maybe.

But, hey. In the midst of all this COVID-19 madness, I’m…uh…still trying to fund this book I wrote. I’ve got a few days left before the Kickstarter to fund Tracy Queen, V2: Dangerous Experiments ends on Friday, March 20. And, well, that’s looking just about as bleak as the outside world right about now. I’ve worked very hard on the book itself, and on the Kickstarter campaign to fund it. And yet, there’s more than 50% left to raise in just over three days.

Yeah. I’m scared.

Not just because I have a compromised immune system due to medication I take for my autoimmune condition. (Although I am scared as heck about that, not gonna lie.) But also about my future as a writer. I rely on Kickstarter as a means to market, print, and distribute the comics I write, as well as books by other creators that I publish. So far, I’ve never had one fail. But with COVID-19 on the loose, interest in funding my work seems to have taken a precipitous dive. I’m not mad, because everyone is terrified. And it would be selfish and silly to be mad that folks are a little preoccuppied.

But I am scared.

Because, you know all those people who are losing income and afraid about whether they can make rent in the midst of all this fear and uncertainty? They’re me. And the future of my business as a comics writer and independent publisher may rely on this Kickstarter. If this campaign doesn’t get fully funded, we don’t get ANY of the money people have pledged. And then we may have to give up on, or at least severely alter, the future of my company—Oneshi Press. The proceeds from this campaign were meant to fund printing of this book and also help us stay afloat for the next few months, pay some of the artists who are creating work for our projects, and pay some bills. If we don’t make it, well…

I’m an indie creator, and my business helps support other indie creators.

So, hey. If you’re looking for ways to support folks whose livelihoods are on the line right now? Folks who work for themselves, have no paid time off, no sick leave, and usually really crappy health insurance? Look no further.

Hey. I know things are massively uncertain right now. I know people are losing income left and right, the stock market is taking a nosedive, and not every government is exactly stepping up to help people get through. *cough cough USA* I know shit’s scary.

But I’m literally trying to sell some comics. For cheap. For you to read while you’re in quarantine.

Folks. For $10, we’ll give you FOUR full-length digital comic books absolutely stuffed with art. That art took multiple artists thousands of hours and lots of money to produce.

For $25, we’ll give you all that and a printed comic book, too. The pot sweetens with every increase in pledge level after that. We’ve added new rewards of hand-drawn, gorgeous art, awesome stickers, and so much more. No matter what level you back at, I promise you: You’ll get more than your money’s worth, and you’ll likely get most of it while you’re still in quarantine.

Because those comics? They’re ready to go.

We’ll have digital rewards out within two weeks of the Kickstarter, if we get fully funded. That means, just when quarantine cabin fever is beginning to truly set in…BAM! Digital comics! And a few weeks after that (assuming our printer is operational) BLAMMO! Printed comics and art!

So, even if you’re not into supporting artists. If you’re just looking for something to do to keep yourself busy while you’re at home, bored and/or scared and/or desperate to stay entertained? Look no further. Our books will entertain you and get your brain going and let you immerse yourself in a world that’s not our messed-up situation in this world.

Help me give people comics!

If you’ve got a few bucks to spare and you want some comics, please pledge. If you don’t have anything to spare but you want to help, you can share the link. Or any of the following links, which provide interesting listening, fun-as-heck viewing, fascinating reads, and links back to my Kickstarter:

Smash Pages Q&A: Lynsey G.

Adrian Has Issues Episode 153: All Hail The Queen (with Lynsey G & Jayel Draco of Oneshi Press)

Which Tracy Queen Character Are You?

(NSFW) KILLER CAMGIRL TAKES OFF ARMOR, PUTS ON LINGERIE, TAKES OVER THE WORLD…

Let’s Talk About Socks, Baby! (And Changing the World!)

support tracy queen: a weird, wild, sex-positive graphic novel

My Sex-Positive, Feminist Graphic Novel, Tracy Queen, is Being Shadow Banned

Hot off the interview, we had reinvited our friends from Oneshi Press, Jayel and Lynsey, to talk about the TRACY QUEEN Volume 2 Kickstarter!

Here’s what’s in it for you.

Freaking ART. So much art! Tracy Queen, V2: Dangerous Experiments is a graphic novel, which means there’s art throughout by illustrator Jayel Draco. But there’s also cover art and fan art on the line by five other guest artists!

“Dangerous Experiments” front cover art by Tangmo Cecchini

Tracy Queen character turnaround, art print by Jayel Draco

“Dangerous Experiments” Chapter 1 cover art by Shaydens Doodle

Tracy Queen dominating Patience, fan art by Pink Pitcher

“Dangerous Experiments” Chapter 2 cover art by Jason Johnson

Tracy Queen in Mr. Guy Socks, art print by Jayel Draco

“Dangerous Experiments” Chapter 3 cover art by Dylan Jay Fox

“Dangerous Experiments” Chapter 3 cover art by Sophia Murphy

Plus comics! We’re offering Tracy Queen volumes 1 and 2, as well PACK issues 1 and 2, to everyone at $10 and over. Higher-level backers get even more comics in the form of our anthologies, which feature dozens of short comics by well over a hundred creators!

We’re also sending out stickers, postcards, a paper doll of Tracy, hand-drawn sketches, tote bags! The whole kit and caboodle!

Look. You’re in quarantine. I’m in quarantine. Let’s help each other out.

Please. Help if you can. Every pledge and every share means the absolute world to me right now.

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In Quarantine? Want a Comic Book? I’m Making One. WOW, have things gotten wild over the past week! I'm currently in self-imposed quarantine, as is almost everyone I know.