Independent App Maker Seeking Artists

Micah Russo wrote to me and is an independent developer who is planning to launch his first web app called "Toon Talks" and is looking for artists to participate in his project.  Here are the details from him:

"I am seeking a few artists who would like to have their work featured on Toon Talks in exchange for a byline and a link back to their website or portfolio.  

Users of Toon Talks:
1. Browse art from various artists, 
2. Select an image, and 
3. Craft a personal message to post on Facebook or share with friends via email.  

-The long-term vision for the project is to support independent artists through revenue sharing and mictro-transactions.

-Images should be submitted in a set of 4 so that I can dedicate a whole page to each artist.

-Art images may be modified and shared by users of the site.  

Try out the Facebook App at http://apps.facebook.com/toontalks

Artists should visit www.toontalks.com to look at the 'Goopymart Talks' page as an example.  

He can be contacted via the form at http://www.toontalks.com/contact.php for more details.

You can also visit his kickstarter page at:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1010833921/toon-talks-express-yourself-with-toons

Buddhist Minister Brings Her Spiritual Life into Her Art

I fell in love with Kuon Kubo's art when I first discovered it at an art show at the Institute for Buddhist Studies, part of the Graduate Theological Union, here in Berkeley.  She is a visiting minister from Japan who incorporates her Buddhist experience into her art.

She uses watercolor images and then cuts them into shapes to make a collage. Each one has a story.

This picture above represents the rain of gifts that fell upon her from her spiritual path.  She said there are so many, she cannot catch them all.


Below is the piece I purchased, along with the verse that goes with it:

 This is the back of her business card.  Very wonderful graphic of her life.  A great idea for making a business card more personal (and humorous!)

 

Her postcard.  Koun's mother was a survivor of Hiroshima.

A cute pin she made.

Meeting her reminded me that it is important to bring your spiritual life into your art, to celebrate what matters to you, and to share it with others. When someone is joyful about their art like Koun is, it is infectious.

My New Check Designs

Just received proofs today of my check designs today.  They are now live at CheckAdvantage.

What would you do if your computer was stolen today?

This could be you. And if your art is irreplaceable, then you should have online storage that is in a different location from your computer.  For only $5 a month you can save yourself a lifetime of trauma from losing 5 years of artwork.  External hard drives are not sufficient because they can be damaged or stolen also.

I use Backblaze and Crashplan.  They both backup your computer automatically in the background and I have found they have more free features and better customer service than other storage systems.  Some companies like Backblaze even have mapping system that can locate your computer if it is stolen.

Taking Pride in Our Work: Policeman and Artists

Boston honors a fallen policeman this week, and I am reminded of my own encounters with policemen.  I've found they have a unique skill where they are able to transform discipline, authority and responsibility, into spontaneity and humor when the situation requires it.  Perhaps this is because they must be open to everything, all the time.

On my first trip to New York City, my girlfriend and I saw a policeman in the middle of Broadway directing traffic.  I had this sudden urge to meet him, so I ran through the traffic, weaving in and out of taxis, which appeared to cause him alarm.

But I couldn't let this moment escape me. I thought it might be the only time in my life I would ever meet a New York City cop, who I considered one of the toughest guys in the country.  Little did I know, four years after the photo was taken, this would be proven on September 11, 2001.

While I pleaded my case in the middle of Broadway, requesting a photo, his scowling brow transformed into a gravelly laugh. And while honking cars zoomed by, he opened is gun-ready posture, gave me a bear hug and said "HEY, why NOT! It's PUUblic RElations!"( in his New York accent of course).

Once again, I witnessed that transformation taking place... from responsibility to spontaneity.  As an artist I hope to develop these same qualties in my own job.  I think they are the two elements that make our work the most complete.

Where to submit your greeting card designs.

I have just updated my list of greeting card companies who seek out submissions from artists and writers.

These listings include companies that have guidelines on their website and I have provided a link to that page.

Check it out at http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/10-card-publishers-artist-and-writer.html

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Adobe Suite Alternatives

Here's a great article on how to get low cost alternatives to Adobe Software for artists on a budget by Geoffrey Goetz
http://gigaom.com/2013/04/06/how-to-build-your-own-adobe-creative-suite-with-cheaper-mac-app-alternatives/#_=_

Here's an excerpt:


Through apps mostly available via the Mac App Store, you can decide which components of the software set matter most to you and build up your own custom suite over time to meet your creative needs.  Here are the best alternatives I’ve found that offer similar functionality to what is available in each of Adobe’s products.

Photoshop to Pixelmator ($14.99, Mac) By now it’s no secret that Pixelmator is one of the favorite apps on OS X for many. When you think of Photoshop, you think more than just applying filters to your images; you want to edit them. With its multilayered support, you can easily touch up and enhance your images with Pixelmator.  Many of the same tools that Photoshop users have become accustomed too are here too, like the smudge, sponge and brush tools.  Pixelmator also comes with some basic vector tools that may be all that you need from a full-featured vector editing tool like Illustrator.  For most of your day-to-day image editing needs, and at the current low price point of $15, it is hard to beat Pixelmator.

article continued...

More Street Art

Here's another piece of street art near my house...or perhaps it is mini library? I'm not quite sure.
This is a perfect way of how an artist can make people smile when they walk by on the street.

Do you have any of your own art on the street?

New Pizza Greeting Card

Here's a card I designed for Leanin' Tree that was published recently.

My favorite pizza is at Zachary's Pizza in Albany, California.  What's yours?

How to Send Large Files Digitally

Here's an important article by Joan Beiriger on sending large art files:

Art Licensing: How to Transfer Multiple & Large Hi-Res Files

[article excerpt] "...If three or more images are requested, they usually cannot be sent in one e-mail because it will most likely be rejected by the e-mail carrier. And, if a large Hi-Res layered Adobe Photoshop image needs to be sent it may be at least 250MB in size that is impossible to transfer via e-mail... " continue reading.

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