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.

Some cards I like

Artist and blog reader Sylvia Shanahan sent me these images of her beautiful pastel note cards. I think her colors and textures are very heartwarming and inviting.

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

Mechanics Are Artists Too.

You might wonder why you haven't seen a post on this blog for the last 11 days -- well, I've been in Indiana with family.

One thing I learned from being there is that mechanics are artists too.

My uncle Tom Allis built this specialty truck that tows semi-trailers (when they break down). He took an old Walmart truck and cut it in half and added a towing attachment.  I call that creative! 

Notice the mix of red and green colors in these pictures.  Using images like this can be a great way to personalize a holiday card. You can print the picture and add your own text, or you could design a card with an open blank space where someone else can add their own photo.

(Bennett's Garage and Towing Inc , Earl Park, Indiana)

 

Photo Credit: Peter Mui

Homemade Postage Stamp Art

I met an artist at the Papergirl Art Show who makes her own postage stamps.  She uses a sewing machine to create the ridges and there is glue adhesive on the back just like the old fashioned stamps.  I like her humor. She has some pretty amazing art on her flickr page.

ABOUT GINAVISIONE

GinaVisione works and plays in San Francisco, CA., a re-transplanted native.  Her primary work is focused on maximizing the available rehabilitation service and independence options to all persons with visual impairments and blindness, however, this often spills over into her artwork.  She is a printmaker with linoleum carvings and monotype image techniques, but she is also very active in the MailArt (including arti-stamps!) and letter writing networks around the world (SF Correspondence Co-op, Letter Writers Alliance, PostCrossing, to name a few).  Gina really enjoys the amazing levels of creativity that artists share in her mailbox daily! Check her out on Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ginavisione/

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"Burning Man" Supplier Will Suprise You.

You would not expect that an old electronics store would be a popular place for Burning Man artists, but the owners of Al Lasher Electronics  in Berkeley say these indeed are some of their best customers.

This is a one-of-a-kind store is down the street from my house.

Burning man display featuring foam covered light sticks.

 

LED's are popular with Burning Man artists.

An endless supply of electonics from all eras.

Display box carefully balanced between 2 counter tops and decorated with lights.

 Ellen (below) is the daughter of Al Lasher (deceased).  

She likes collecting foreign money (behind her).

The only place left in the world where you can still buy Beta video tapes. 

Whether you can find a Beta player is another question.

 

Need to find an original copy of Windows 95 book?

Need to have your old TV tubes tested?

A lot of things are under a $1

Interesting floor treatment.

The window display features an empty shelf.

Their books must have sold out.

Sign posted in window to make mothers feel welcome.

Al Lasher's slogan:  "I found it in Berkeley."

 

Store sign reminds us that "life is short".

Window sign invites Burning Man Artists.

Free Photoshop Brushes for Designers

Check out 15 different sets of cool Photoshop Brushes on the blog graphic design Junction.



See all 15 sets here.




See all 15 sets here.





See all 15 sets here.



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Most Embarrassing Trade show Moments

Lynn Felter said...

At the end of the last day of the 2010 NSS, I was exhausted. Lots of booths were already tearing down so I decided to "let my hair down". I took off my shoes, sat down on the floor and started devouring a tuna fish sandwich.

Soon a man wandered by and looked in my booth. He said, "I'm from The New York Times." I replied (with a mouthful of tuna), "Yea, sure you are dude."

Um, turns out he actually was a reporter from The New York Times. He liked my story - army wife/soccer mom who writes dirty cards - so he ended up writing an article about me.

What I learned? Don't take your high heels off too early ... great things can happen even at the very end of tradeshows!

Sheila Meehan said..
Working a trade show in the 80's, I had spent a day chatting with people and my energy was high. There was a long lull between customers and I decided to look down the aisles for incoming possibilities. Lo and behold, a man was walking towards me and I thought "I KNOW him but am not sure WHO he is." He wore no badge. So, I mustered up my courage and when he walked by my booth, I stuck out my hand and announced "Hi, I'm Sheila Meehan". He laughed, shook my hand and said "Hi, I'm Chubby Checker!" I could no longer speak. He smiled and kept walking.

Don Nelson said...

My most embarrassing trade show moment so far: by Don Nelson:

I was in New York at the Javitz Convention Center and it was my first big-time professional card show. I registered and because I was so loaded down with my well worn briefcase with all my samples and my portfolio, I had somehow put my name-tag badge on, upside-down. And because I had to get up early to get to the show, (I was staying at a more affordable hotel across the river in New Jersey) it was dark when I got dressed and so I had put on my best shirt, inside-out. (Remember, my wife isn't with me to catch these little fashion details).

So I walk up to one of the biggest booth at the show, and I simply said to the well dressed lady, "Hi, my name is Don Nelson and I write humorous greeting card verses."

. . . and she starts laughing. It is not exactly what I am expecting for my first trade show but I took her moment of levity to put my briefcase on the counter in order to show her my samples when oops! --- both locks popped open on my briefcase -- and everything inside falls on the floor at her feet.

And . . . then to my amazement, she says, "We'll buy what ever your selling. You had me the moment you walked up and your shirt was inside out and your name tag was on upside-down."

It was my first sale of the day; all because of a "wardrobe malfunction".

Merry Lynch said...

My husband and I were importing stationery and cards from Europe and were showing at Javits for the stationery show. Being in the business for quite some time I was able to get a great space first time out and was very excited. At the time we were living in Maine so we packed up everything in a U-Haul truck (truck being the important word) and began our travels south to the. Big Apple.

To save money or penny pinch not sure which one really. We were staying in New Jersey, a hotel that had a FREE parking lot for the truck. On the way down we traveled vis the Garden State Parkway, whcih by the way, does not accept trucks but my husband says ..I am not driving a truck iy's not that big. So I continue in the car driving ahead of him in the "truck."
I go through the toll booth and travel on and happen to look in the rear view mirror. No site of him anywhere. I decided to pull over and wait. Some time past and I finally see him travlling along but something is not right but I just don't know what. We get to Javits and begin to unload and he tells me that the toll booth was not wide enough for the "truck" and he got stuck, held up traffic, had to pay a fine, scratched up the rental "truck" and lost a rear view mirror, and still was able to blame it all on the transit authority.

We make it through set up without killing each other and drive to the hotel, part the vehicles and hit the hay. The next morning we get up for our first day at the show and the management asks us to move the truck to a different side. Of the lot, the side for "trucks." My husband gets in, starts the engine and backs up to begin moving to the correct area. Not realizing he is in a "truck" he backs up enough to rip the whole canopy of the front entrance to the hotel off, further damaging the truck, and literally destroying the entrance.

I make it through the rubble to find the manager and attempt to begin begging for forgiveness when we are pushed out of the way by 20 tourists carrying cameras and speaking a mile a minutes in their foreign language. They all huddle outside and begin taking pictures, we all burst out laughing as I passed over our insurance information to begin the payback process.

Thankfully the show was a success although extremely expensive and my husband and I are still married. There is hope for everyone that wants to pursue this crazy lifestyle but the key to remember is laugh out loud, joyously meet new people, and don't ever take yourself too seriously.

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Free Book Today on the "Sharing Economy"

I just finished writing a book on Peer-to-Peer Sharing, a directory of new ways people use the mobile web to connect to each other in order to exchanges goods and services.

This ebook is available today for free at http://goo.gl/p9pci on Amazon. It can be read on multiple mobile devices and your computer.

For artists, some of these groups are quite relevant like Skillshare.com (for teaching art classes) and Kickstarter (for acquiring funds for art projects) I have collected over 100 unusual organizations I find personally interesting that are involved in this new emerging economy.


Book Description:
Peer-to-Peer sharing is happening all around us. By using the social web and mobile apps we can meet up with like-minded people all over the country to borrow items, save money, make money, or help out an organization. We can swap clothes, find a taxi mate, rent out parking space, or lead our own specialized tour that goes off the beaten path.

This guide is a list of peer-to-peer networks that:

-Exchange goods or services.
-Is conducted through a website or mobile app.
-Allows the recipient to save money, giver to make money from underutilized goods.
-In some cases items are free and can be borrowed.
-These groups encourage less consumption and waste, and have a positive impact on the environment.

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Valentine for Bikers

Here's one of my favorite Valentine cards. It was designed by a local artist, Marie Jensen http://www.februarystarsinc.com/index.html

Big Growth: Chinese New Years Cards

Check out the article today in the San Francisco Chronicle. Here is an excerpt:

Greeting Card Universe, the world's largest greeting card store, announces robust and growing sales of 66% year over year of Chinese New Year cards for 2012 to herald in the most auspicious of the Chinese zodiac, the year of the Dragon, celebrated this year on January 23rd. Boasting over 520,000 original card designs, Greeting Card Universe has quickly become the online destination for shoppers seeking the perfect card for both traditional and uncommon holidays and events.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/01/18/prweb9116562.DTL#ixzz1jvqHotbi

Article continued...

3d Printers get cheaper and easier to use.

Heard a podcast today on "Buzz Out Loud" talking about how etsy fans would love these new inexpensive, east to use 3D printers. To me, they are really 3D manufacturing machines, rather than printers. This one is $1,299, made by Cubify and will be on the market sometime in the next few months. Sounds like a great way to start a business or make prototypes.

5 Ways for an Artist to Start a Free Blog

Here's a great article that covers the in's and out's of where you can go to get a free blog. All artists should have a blog...even if you only post once a week or once a month! It's a great way for the public to get to know you and see your art.

Here's an excerpt by Clair at the "Tips and Tricks" blog. To read entire article, go to http://www.namase.com/blogging/choosing-perfect-free-blog-provider.shtml/

The explosion of social networking and micro-blogging has lead to a corresponding explosion in the popularity of blogs and article writing. If you're looking for a free provider to host your blog, you probably want to choose one that you can stick with in the long-term.

Here are five popular services that offer free blogging potential, and some reasons why you might want to choose them as the host for your journal, website or photo blog.

1. Google Sites

You may be quite familiar with Google Docs, but have you tried Google Sites? Sites is a lesser-known addition to the Google Apps family that allows you to pull in data from your Google Docs and some Google Gadgets. You can then sit other elements around it, such as blog posts, RSS feeds, forms and static pages. Layouts are reasonably fixed, though, so if you need to adapt the appearance of your website and tinker with code, you're probably best off looking elsewhere.

Sites aren't the most intuitive service, and many writers still choose to use Google's long-standing platform, Blogger. Blogger is undoubtedly more suited to 'pure' blogging, but anyone who uses Google Docs extensively may find Sites offers them the flexibility they need as they outgrow more basic blogging solutions. It's also great for users to work extensively in the cloud through Google Apps.

2. WordPress.com

WordPress is undoubtedly one of the most popular tool on the web. It comes in two flavours: WordPress.com is a hosted blog site which gives you limited control over your posts, whereas WordPress.org provides you with the necessary tools to install the same software on your own server. If you head to WordPress.org and download the files needed to set up WordPress on your own server, you'll be able to pick up some basic programming knowledge as you tinker with the code, making it a good choice if you're learning PHP.

But even just being familiar with WordPress is useful to know if you plan to get into blogging on a freelance basis. It's so widely used for blogging now that it has almost become a standard, and a huge amount of regular article-writing work is based around some knowledge of the WordPress interface. Having said that, if you just want somewhere to post pictures or a journal, you may find WordPress is overkill for your needs. And if you're planning to install it yourself, you'll need to spend a little time setting it up before you begin.

To see 3., 4., 5., see the rest of article on...To read entire article, go to Tips and Trips Blog http://www.namase.com/blogging/choosing-perfect-free-blog-provider.shtml/

40 Photography Shots that Change Your Mood

Here another article I found interesting. Note: This is only excerpt. To read the entire article go to the blog post at WDL blog

This is a perfect example of how an images can communicate a message (something to think about when designing greeting cards).

San Francisco Bay Area has Highest Percent of Working Artists

I'd always felt this but had never seen the statistics. The Bay area has more than twice the the percentage of employed artists, when compared to the national average of 1.4%.

I know I am only one person in this statistic, but I felt like my art career took off when I moved here. It is especially an interesting area because not only artists live here, but creative tech people live here too. I've always felt this area was a blend of technology and art, which results in a lot of innovation and interesting things.




*National Endowment for the Arts http://www.nea.gov/research/ResearchReports_chrono.html

7 Tips for Freelance Success

Here is article I found interesting. This is an excerpt. To read the entire article go to vanseodesign blog.

7 Things You Shouldn’t Do, But I Did Anyway

I’ve been in business about 6 years now, so I assume I’m doing something right and yet I started by ignoring some simple and fundamental tips in regards to starting a business.

Here’s the advice on what not to do offered in the Vandelay post along with a comment or two about my ignoring them.

• Going full-time too soon – For me it was all or nothing. I didn’t think I’d have the energy to come home from another job and work on my business the way I would need to get it going.

• Not having savings set aside – I wish I had more savings when I started, but the timing was right for me to start out on my own even without. I did have few needs and had lived on little money before. I also had a couple of credit cards I freely used for most everything I could.

• Assuming it’s easy because you’re skilled at what you do – This is the one I didn’t really do, though I did initially think skills alone could set me apart. I learned very quickly that more than your own talents are needed to build a business.

• Not having a marketing plan – I had no clue how to market myself when I first started, though I did know I needed to market myself. I learned on the go and even now only have a loose marketing plan where specifics are concerned. I do have an overall marketing strategy to guide me now, but again it was mainly on the job training in the beginning.

• Lack of organizational focus – Something I always work toward improving, but by no means was I organized early on. The one thing I had in great supply in the beginning was time so worrying about using that time efficiently wasn’t at the top of my list.

continued.......

Do You Want to be a Children’s Book Illustrator?

• 

Great Post by Artsy shark. To read entire article, go to blog post at Artsy shark. Here's an excerpt:

• Break the manuscript into a storyboard layout, creating a thumbnail sketch of what happens on each page spread. The focus of this step is to make sure the story flows visually.


• Get the publisher’s approval of the preliminary work.

• Research and acquire photo reference to create final line drawings for each illustration.

• Develop character model sheets.

• Work on black and white value studies. This adds drama to the illustrations and carries the concepts throughout the story.

• Color versions are created for each page. Working with the publisher, they show the finished set and consult on any changes that will be needed.

• After any modifications are made, the final illustrations are produced.

• Scanning of the illustrations is done by digital image capture. A color press proof is made and final files are delivered to the publisher on disc or FTP.

• Cherish and Ben may design covers and packaging for the book as well, taking the project from concept to final product.

...continued. To read entire article, go to blog post at Artsy shark.

Art Licensing on Tech Products: Artist Interview

Alisha Wilson

Alisha Wilson is one of our Art Licensing Group members here in the San Francisco Bay area, and she licenses her art onto video cameras. I asked her if she would be willing do an interview for this blog and she kindly agreed. Here is her story:

Can you tell us about the tech product you license your artwork on?

I create designs for Flip video cameras. These are the world’s simplest shoot and share video cameras. Each camera is about 2" x 4" in size and can be personalized. The personalized designs are printed directly on the camera and are permanent. On their website you can choose from thousands of designs. You can see my designs here: http://www.theflip.com/sweetooth

How would you describe your art style?

I would describe my style as light-hearted and fun. I create my designs with watercolor and then I manipulate them in the computer. My designs are trying to communicate happy feelings about my favorite things, most of them showcase food and friends.

What gave you the idea to pursue tech products, as a place for your art?

Anything I see imagery on sparks the question: "does my art fit here?" With Flip the style is fun and young and I thought it would be a good fit for my designs.

How do you think designing for a tech product is different than a typical gift product?

When designing for a tech product vs a gift product the main difference is the way it is sold. Gift products are tactile, when you purchase them you can usually pick them up and look at. When buying a tech product it's usually sold on line. So you have to see if your designs look good in the way your tech product is being sold on it’s web site. Every tech product and company has a different way to sell your work so it’s important to do research about each company. You can see my Flip video store here. The images of my designs are very small and need to look good a small scale to get a buyer to click and buy.

A lot of artists don't like the idea of licensing to online manufacturers that sell direct to consumers. What is your feeling about this?

I don’t have any negative feelings about selling to online manufactures. I think you have a closer relationship with someone who is dealing with the inner workings of that company and can ultimately be a good person to talk about making your designs work for their company and brand.

What other high tech products would you like to license your art on?

I would like to license my products on TV’s, Tom Toms, The Kindle, headphones and USB drives, just to name a few.

PRODUCTS:

I license for aprons, oven mitts, kitchen towels, PJs, underwear, tableware, greeting cards, gift wrap, gift bags and much more.

EDUCATION

I went to college at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA. My major was in illustration. I have taken Graphic design classes at CCA as well as many licensing classes. I am always looking for ways to grow and improve my skills and knowledge.

ALISHA'S FAVORITES

Design book or publication: How Magazine, Communications Arts, and the new Banksy book Wall and Piece

Conference or show, and why: Surtex – Because it is so full of amazing people, artists, and classes.

Class or workshop worth attending, even if we have to fly there: Cheryl Phelps teaches an excellent class about Licensing. I loved it.

Decor8 teaches an online blogging class that so far is pretty awesome: http://www.decor8eclasses.com/

Design tip: Always have a contract and make sure there is an exit clause. If something doesn’t feel right trust your gut!

Tech Products You Use:

Computer: Mac Book Pro

Printer: Espon Photo R2400

Scanner: Epson 3200 Photo

Adobe Master Collection CS5

Message or quotation you have on your bulletin board: “Luck is when preparedness and opportunity happen at the same time.”

Website you visit often for Design information: www.aigasf.org

Blogs you read: www.designsponge.com, http://butdoesitfloat.com/, http://ffffound.com/

Podcasts you listen to: I don’t usually listen to pod casts but I am taking an e course from this site http://www.decor8blog.com/ on how to become a better blogger and they have pod casts.

Twitterers you follow: @nomadicmatt, @ifneedb, @997now, @ecdesignz, @cindyannganaden, @decor8

Tech device you can't live without. My Flip video camera, and my iPhone

Contact Info:

e-mail: alisha (at) alishawilson.com

web site: http://www.alishawilson.com/

blog: http://alishawilsonblog.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @AlishaWilson

...More Articles on Technology and Art Licensing:

• Licensing Art for Electronic Devices : Artist Interview

• Art Licensing on Tech Products: Artist Interview

• Licensing Artist goes "high tech" in Surtex Booth

• How I Use Email to Sell Art & Get Leads

• How I Sell my Designs Online: Jude Maceren

• Selling My Art Through Social Media

• How Artists Can Use Twitter in Their Business

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