work..work..work

The above image is the poster that i'm doing for the bowling alley and is nearly completed. It's a redneck, tailgating theme and I'll be adding a barbeque grill and some beer cans to finish it. The picture only shows about six feet of it, which is all the wall I have to spare. My studio is so small I can't even work on my projects. The poster is 3 X 10 foot, which it was originally going to be 4 X10 feet.
I have to have the poster done by Saturday, which shouldn't be a problem. I've found that when money is on the line and when there are bills that are going to be paid with that money, I have to get that project done on time, no matter what. That's just the way it goes for a starving artist I guess.

I also have a meeting set up this Friday for a possible illustration job for a children's book. So my personal projects will be put on hold even longer so I can build up a good portfolio to show. The book is a children's book about a horse, and I'm not sure how many illustrations are needed, but I guess I'll find out the rest of the details when the meeting happens. I'm just trying to get more jobs and to get my name out there more. So wish me luck!

Getting paid...maybe

The above image was a cartoon I did for the paper this Saturday, which of course, is a political one. With Obama and Clinton in Wyoming this past week it seemed necessary. It's funny, but a little cliche I suppose. What cartoonist out there isn't drawing a Obama and Hilary fighting cartoon?
By the way, you might have noticed the "Vines" name along with my last name. That's my editor, and he basically comes up with the ideas for the cartoons and I draw them. He jokes and says 'I'm the talent.'

Anyways, hopefully getting paid for some commissioned work soon. Designing and painting a 4 X 10 foot poster for a bowling tournament that they will hang on the wall. It's basically going to be a redneck tailgating party, so it should be fun and pretty simple. Nothing fancy about it, but I have only 2 weeks to complete it. So, I guess that means I'll have to put my numerous other projects on the back burner until this is completed. That's okay though. I'm trying to make a living as an artist and writer and this is how you do it I guess. You have to sell your work to put a roof over your head and put food on the table. I'll post some pics of the process and the final piece.

I've never been a big fan of doing commissioned work. I always like to think that I can sell my own creations, and by that I mean creating what I want to. Sometimes it can be a pain in the ass when people come up to me and say, "Oh, can you draw or paint me a pretty picture of a fairy."
It can be kind of a pain just because I want to get paid for my work, but at the same time, I want to create the things I want to create.

Oh, well. I guess it's just the 'don't sell out' artist in me. Yet, I don't think it's selling out when you are just trying to pay your bills. I stay true to my work and create ideas that are original and unique, or at least I like to think so. Doing this sort of work can only broaden my mind and make me a better artist. I hope...:)

The studio

For some odd reason, and maybe I'm not alone in this, but I love to look at other artists' studios.
I love to see the area in which a creator works and the creative mess they leave while shelling out work.

My studio is a mess. I try to clean it out at least once a month, but with all of the projects I have going it seems futile. I always add to the pile no matter how much I clean. There's paintings and drawings everywhere; some finished and some still in the process. I have easels set up all over the place, but I still work on the floor.

Even when I got my first studio, it was small. It was a spare bedroom in my parent's house. In fact all of my studios and the one today, is a spare bedroom. I've only had one large studio before and that was in the very first house I lived in outside of my parent's house. This studio was huge! I had room to work and room for storage. But my new house that I bought is a small two bedroom and both bedrooms are about the size of my first studio, which is probably around a ten by ten room.

But I'm not complaining. I have a place to work, and in a smaller space I feel closer to my work. With my work all around me, sometimes even literally falling on top of me, it somehow inspires me to keep creating. I love to see the fruits of my labor shining before me while I work and have them around while I create more pieces to add to the collection that is building in my house.

I think as a creator, my wide and sometimes busy imagination tends to leak out into reality, which of course can be the cause of my crowded studio and house. Not only is the studio full of work, but it has leaked out into the hallway, into the living room and all the way into the kitchen. Before long, I can see myself painting, drawing or writing in the bathroom.

But whatever it takes to get my work done and to relieve the pressure that builds in my brain from all of these ideas I have, then I guess it's worth the sacrifice.