Why am I posting BG images in my Blond World Blog? This blog is also part of my portfolio. These images are of a story I am also working on, (Voyager meets Galactica) this type of story is less comic book, looking more like computer animation. This demonstrates a more detailed use of colouring and how I've learned to apply it than what Blond World would show.
To answer another question, why has it been so long since my last update?
I was / am working in a busy office, in a Customer Service capacity. That job is very exhausting, I had no energy for anything except work for about 2 years (2010 - 2012) I did continue working on images, and Blond World, but it was at a snails pace. Since I wasn't able to progress my work very much, it was here I decided to further my graphic arts education. Part of the reason for my lack of energy is because, as it turns out I have issues with anxiety, I always have been without knowing it. How I discovered this is, I had a heart attack in March of 2013. I recovered from that by Aug 2013, but I was depressed, and experienced mood swings, high and low energy, extreme reactions to situations, memory loss, and social anxiety. Making a long story short, thru doctors and medication, unipolar drugs made me worse, and everything I experience now I have always had, but not at this level. I recognized what I was feeling as familiar, but now it was magnified and coming at me in spades.
Since Sept 2013 until recently, I had depression attacks that are completely debilitating, or were until I finally got onto some meds that made a difference. Now I am somewhat back on track, continuing where I left off. As this is about Blond World- my efforts to get published/recognized, and not an Anxiety blog, I will stop there with what happened to me. Suffice to say it was hell, and I am moving on.
There were other events and things that took place in that time, I was unable to post them previously due to being so busy with work, and having no energy after work. I attended another Comicon in 2011, which was quite amazing. As I feel image is everything, here are the pix for that event:
This was our table, at Bonaventure Comicon 2011, my wife Laurie is my biggest fan, she helps me at these events, promoting and talking with people. We packed a 6 ft table with as much art as possible. A busy table however did not translate into a lot of sales, but it was fun to be part of this. Each time here, you learn more on what to do, but having the means to get proper displays, is not always possible. Most of my efforts is placed on the art work itself. ( Art tools, printer ink, photo paper ). I had concentrated much of my art on Blond World, a brand that is little known, and that didn't help people to recognize what I can do. There are other pieces here as you can see, some of them sold, as well as a few Blond World books. I decided I would focus more effort on doing more established characters that are more recognizable for future events.
I worked on some images while there, something I've seen other artists do, so I did the same thing. Did it help? I think it got peoples attention, some like to see a work in progress, but, since I didn't do any drawing at the last comicon, and I did do better at this one, I'd say it does.
Here's what we saw at this con, always love the cosplay:
This is mine:
"So, ..mini me….you should not have come back…" "Mini??? My Dark Helmet is bigger than yours" "Shrimp parody padawan, make yourself useful, goto Starbucks, get me a double double"
"She's way the hell on the Galactica, bite me" "Idiot, the coffee chain!"
So after this Con, work was hell, busy as sin, no time for anything else, lasting until late 2012. Then I furthered my knowledge on colour, graphic arts education with you tube videos, books, articles etc. 2013 was the heart attack/anxiety discovery, most of that year was out as far as accomplishment went. In mid 2014, I came back with this:
Here is some of what I featured;
I brought large sizes of Blond World images, the colouring turned out amazing for this one,
The following are interior pages of Blond World 1, fully colorized. This is my baby:
So far the Comicons are the only venues I have used for advertising. In the later half of 2012 I started getting on Linked-in on 4 groups, 2013 put an obvious damper on that. I made a few cool connections, but I have to get back on that. Haven't been on in over a year.
I created a page on Comic art commissions, and have responded to a few job offers that were generically posted, nothing has come of this so far. I have more than a 1000 hits on my page, but I haven't figured out yet the pay aspect of the site. I have work posted there, but, how do you arrange the 'this is how you buy my art aspect?'
In the meantime, I have more Cosplay pix, on Saturday of this con I dressed as Gene Simmons from Kiss, and 'posed' in on the fun.
file://localhost/Users/user/Desktop/For%20Spock/Spock%20Vegas%20and%20Gene%20Simmons%20copy.jpg
