Gears Going: Jason Martin's Blog

Beer & Star Wars

2012-01-30T18:49:00.000-08:00

What's the point of having a blog if I don't shamelessly promote myself on a regular basis??? Here's a quick painting I did for an art show in Sarasota, "Beer & Star Wars." The piece didn't sell, but that's okay, 'cause I wanted to keep it, anyways. :)

Why I Love Moneyball....and Cinema, In General

2012-01-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

Baseball, in my opinion, is one of the most boring sports in the world. To still call it, "The Nation's Past Time" in the 21st-century realm is an antiquated, nostalgic phrase that hasn't been modernized to take into account thousands of cable channels, on-demand movies, high-def 3-D flat-screen televisions that play effects-laden films, and copious amounts of the freakiest free porn accessible on your home computer.
Add to that the exorbitant number of baseball films that have already been done, and done well, might I add, and you wonder why an executive would even RISK making something like Moneyball.
But then you watch it, and it reminds you that, with every theme out there, there's a million different stories that can be told about it. Not only that, but this one had a combination of talent that, in a way, was accumulated together probably in the same respect and approach that the General Manager (and main character of Moneyball), Billy Beane, put together his Oakland A's.
Adapted from a the real-life story of Billy's ordeal of building a winning team with a fraction of the budget that a big-time team like the New York Yankees had, screenwriters Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin put together a story that both humanizes and intrigues the viewer about something that, from a very literal interpretation, was a very dry and statistical analysis of how players were recruited. But from a larger perspective, the story is about fighting and breaking the reins of convention; it's about taking bold risks; it's about how money overwhelmingly influences victory; but most importantly, it's about challenging the status quo, as well as people who call themselves "professionals", and asking the hard and honest questions of why do they do things the way they do. Zaillian and Sorkin are wonderful yins to each other's yangs. I ADORE Sorkin, and truly feel, pound-for-pound, he holds the Lifetime Achievement award for creating whip-fire dialogue, snappy dynamics, and clever banter with all his characters. That being said, you can also see his imprint on a script from a mile away. With Zaillian credited as the main screenwriter, you can see how there was added a more realistic and grounded foundation that added a more acceptable sense of tone, and added the intensity of the drama of watching a man make VERY risky and bold approaches to decision-making, and getting punched in the face mercilessly, both in the professional and social realm, when he did so.
From that same perspective of taking risks, using director Bennett Miller was a bold choice to combine with an A-Lister like Brad Pitt. They guy only has two other movies under his belt, one being Capote, which, although a critical success from a critic's point of view, financially didn't make huge waves (it did, however, make enough domestically by awards season to justify its small art-house budget, and eventually quadrupled the amount it cost to make it) Bennett Miller understands how to build drama, how to add a cinematic quality to the voyeurism of watching the industry from the inside, instead of from the bleachers.
He also recruited a spectacular sound editor that knew how to set mood just from the crisp crack of the ball on a bat, to even the complete absence of sound in scenarios that really would, at that time, probably be so epic, everything around you would seem to go silent.
This movie exhibits to me everything that I LOVE about cinema. It takes an overdone genre, and makes it fresh again. It challenges convention. It grabs your eyeballs, and won't let go until the credits. It folds you into the story, and takes you for the ride. It forces you to think of a bigger idea. Most cinema is just a fun ride, a temporary reprieve, and break from redundancy. Then you have movies like this, and it just reminds you of the power art really CAN have on a viewer. So please go see this and enjoy it as much as I did!

IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE!

2011-12-21T03:39:00.000-08:00

The Hobbit Trailer!! Man, those dwarves look amazing!!!

Fables: Character Sketches

2011-12-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

I've decided to make an entire sketchbook of drawings, based off my favorite comic book, Fables. Here's two of my favorite, so far: Mr. North and FlyCatcher.

Both of these sketches are rough, at this point, and don't have any trademark hand-drawn lettering of their names, as well, but just wanted to put it out there, show people what I'm doing. I've drawn over a dozen characters, so far, and each character sheet has multiple angles, emotions, and compositions. I'm really excited with how this is going, so far, and each night it's a huge thrill just to pour through the books to find the proper piece of reference material, or just seeing other artists' takes on the characters!

2011-11-28T18:32:00.000-08:00

A good associate of mine made a new fantasy pictorial book, and put a ton of MY art in it! Feel free to go to Amazon and buy it for yourself:

Machines & Magic

A General List of Advice for Aspiring Artists

2011-07-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

I've shared this before, but never here. Once again, a lot of these are just general life lessons, as well, but it's good to keep them in mind, as an artist, too:

· 9-to-5 will get you by, but it won't get you ahead.
· Whatever opportunity is given to you, do not snub your nose at it just because, "it's not what you're about." At first, you have no choice. As you progress, and you get better at what you do, a positive reputation is being built. If you start making a consistent surplus of money, THEN you can be picky. But I haven't got to that point, yet, and I don't know many that have!
· Only be an artist if you love it with every fiber of your being. Otherwise find a career that will make you MONEY.
· Starting out will more than likely suck. But just remember one thing--your worst day as an artist will be 100 times better than your best day as a waiter!
· Do the artwork you love first, find a market for it second. Every piece of "guilty pleasure" artwork I've done for myself has found an applicable sector of the industry that finds interest in it.
· Don't go to college 'til you think you're ready. There's no shame in taking a few years off to get the immaturity out of your system. Nothing will motivate you better at getting an education than working as a waiter or starving for a bit!
· Know thyself: Be honest with your talent, know your limitations. There's no shame in having a certain style nor being capable of copying the style of your favorite artist. Have you honestly been trying as hard as you can? Start with what you know and are good at, but continue to drive yourself towards being not only a better artist, but a better person.
· Hustle, hustle, hustle! Always keep an eye out for opportunity! Seek out new avenues and clients that may need your services!
· DON'T BE AFRAID TO TALK TO PEOPLE! That's the biggest obstacle the majority of artists have. Remember—it's not necessarily your art the client's sold by, but the person. Plus it gets easier the more you do it.
· In relation to the top one, word of mouth has been my best marketing strategy out of everything I've done. If people like you, and you're easy to work with, your clients won't mind sharing you.
· If you have a better idea for a project than a client, don't hesitate to suggest it. The worst they can do is say no. But in my experience, people appreciate creative, passionate individuals. And clients are always looking for creative and original approaches to promoting their product.
· Choose your battles wisely. Is it worth bitching about every little difference you have with your client's vision on a project? Very rarely. Is it worth going to court over a lousy $200, or would it be better to let it go and continue on the path towards new, better clients?
· Don't work in a vacuum. If you're dubious about a piece of your art, show it to other people and get their feedback. I don't necessarily take the advice too literally, but if five or more people point out the same issue in an illustration, dear God, change it!
· Be inspired. Read magazines, talk to artists, go to shows, take classes, keep practicing, try different techniques or medium. Doing so has a two-fold effect: first off, it keeps your mind open to different approaches to art. I went into Computer Illustration kicking and screaming. Now I preach the gospel about it. Secondly, seeing other art styles keeps you on your toes by showing you who your competition is.
· NOBODY gets their dream job, coming out of the gate. Suck it up, make it work for you, learn as much as you can, and if you're still not happy, figure out a good Exit Strategy. Everyone starts on the ground floor, but it doesn't mean you need to stay there.
· IT'S A SMALL WORLD—Any good businessman/woman lives or dies by their reputation, and none more so than in the microcosm of the art world! We're all going to the same conventions, hanging with people in the same fields, going to the art colleges, entering the same competitions, and talking the entire time. I've seen people get such poor reputations that their businesses dissolve—don't let that be YOUR story!
· Remember that freelancing is a business, just like everything else. This means you have to keep track of everything, just like you would in any other business. Keep track of your mileage for tax deductions, keep spreadsheets of expenses, invoices, food expenses. Keep track of your website traffic. Did that last promotional mailer you send increase the traffic to your site? If it did, what kind of percentage increase did you receive, and better yet, what percentage gave you a job?
· The point of an education is to work smarter, not necessarily harder!
· It never pays to be a dick. Just reinforcing the last point.
· Work for a company in a specific industry before trying it on your own. Every successful company 99.99% of the time is started by someone that worked for a company in that industry before trying it themselves. There are so many factors involved in really big projects, that to just blindly try to do it from scratch--and expect to get it right--is almost guaranteed financial and professional suicide.
· Sometimes you're going to have clients that are hard to please. If you're starting to gain momentum with what you're doing, and don't need certain difficult clientele, one very polite way to try to get rid of a client is to significantly increase your pay scale. That way, it'll either scare them away or at least make it more worth your while to deal with them!
· At the same time, remember that a client is only a temporary boss. With a normal boss at a full-time gig, you have to put up with the person on a day-to-day basis. With a client that's a jerk, eventually the project will be over and they'll go away. So take it on the chin, if you can, just to make the process go as smoothly and as quickly as possible.
· Know basic contracting lingo. Understand what the term "work for hire" literally means, and remember that ANY contract can be revised or negotiated. Never hurts to try.
· Promote yourself. With postcards, tearsheets, websites, banners, skywriting, business cards, phone calls, whatever! Just do it. No one gets "discovered"—they are made aware of someone's presence by that person.
· I'd recommend starting self-promotion on a small scale, and going from there. An e-mail with a link to your site is as cheap as it gets. It's got a 99% chance of being deleted, but it costs nothing but time, and when you're starting out, you typically have more time than money.
· Step back, reevaluate. I'm not necessarily talking about in painting, either. Make a list of what you want to accomplish, figure out HOW and WHEN you want to accomplish it. Timelines are very important. Not making self-imposed deadlines is the slacker's road to complacency! Don't be afraid to revise that plan, as necessary, as time marches on. What you thought would work, and what actually does may be two different things.
· If something didn't work, really do some soul-searching as to what results you were anticipating, and what happened. It may just be bad circumstances or timing, but more than likely you were in error in your judgment, and the plan needs to be altered, or a different approach needs to be taken. Remember--the definition of insanity is doing the same destructive actions and expecting a different result!
· Understand starting out that you will make mistakes. How you handle those mistakes, or make them work for you is entirely what will make you sink or swim! This applies to life, as well as your career!
· Diplomacy is a very valuable skill in any business, not necessarily just art. If you can diffuse a tense situation, convince a stubborn client to your vision, maturely handle a hostile coworker, or put out any other personal fires that sometimes arise from all of us just plain being human, you'll have acquired one of the most valuable assets needed in being a professional, regardless what field you're in.
· Don't fight fate too much. Let life take you where it will. Sometimes sticking too closely to an initial dream might cause you to ignore a better opportunity up ahead.

Sometimes You Just Gotta Draw A Lizard!

2011-07-14T11:41:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you just gotta draw a lizard!

OH MY FRIGGIN' GOD! MUPPETS ARE BACK!!

2011-06-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Holy crap, this just looks better and better with each new trailer! Really feels like they finally have the old tone, feel, and sense of humor of the original series right back here again, doesn't it?
Cannot WAIT, especially since I have a kid, now, to share this with!

So You Married An Artist. NOW what?

2011-06-13T10:52:00.001-07:00

For every non-art person that marries an artist, I think there's something that's very important to keep in mind: your spouse is cheating on you. And no, not in an actual physical, sexual way, a la any member of Congress, but in the occasional spiritual way. Every passionate artist is always married to two people: their spouse, and their muse.
The spouse of an artist is the one that, hopefully, married them because they appreciate all aspects of their artist hubbie/wife, including that they expose the non-artist spouse to a different side of culture that you'd probably not be aware of, otherwise. This includes all the eccentric artist friends, the strange exhibits/events that they are involved in, as well as the biggest factor: that their attention and passion isn't always directed towards their non-artist spouse.
This last factor is probably the biggest point of contention with spouses of artists, and understandably so. I've been getting more and more into film production lately, and you can only imagine the baffled look on my wife's face when I told her my film buddies and I are going to be filming a short comedic skit on the weekend about a jogger that gets stalked by a duck. It's a clever and quirky script (I think...), but to a merchandise analyst for a Fortune 500 company that got a Finance degree, you can only imagine how random and strange this notion is, especially when it means there is time taken away from her. These flights of fancy are met with confusion, and sometimes betrayal, because they realize--you've been seeing HER again, haven't you? That MUSE of yours! I thought I sensed her visit the other night, when you were typing madly until 2 am on your computer!
But that's just how creatives think. It's especially how we think, when the 9-to-5 job is working at a printing shop making brochures for church and school functions, or doing page layout for textbooks, or cranking out blase' signage for strip mall shops, or anything else that's cut-and-dry and not very creatively-motivating. Sure, our bodies are there earning a living, but our minds are already thinking about the next piece of canvas we're going to go to town on that night. When we're done having dinner, put the kid to bed...we then get to hang out with the muse.
I appreciate having such a polar opposite for a spouse. In fact, I highly recommend that very imaginative artists HAVE a more conservative spouse, because it just really helps keep you grounded with your dreams and ambitions. In my case, I want to do it all--animation, gaming, film, children's book publishing, comic books. I have my fingers in all of it. My wife, however, brings a good sense of pragmatism to the flights of "inspiration" that I have, and has been a very good rudder for my after-hours ambitions, as she has a very different point of view that's more focused on the big picture. Many a time, when I suddenly talk about how fascinating Chinese calligraphy is, and how I should go invest in a fifty dollar brush and ink set, she's very useful at putting things in a better perspective:
"Wait, Jason, what happened to that comic book you started? You got five pages into it, are you done with that project yet?"
"Did you ever wrap up that children's book and submit it to that agent? You know you have an open invitation from her, and that's what you're mostly interested in pursuing, so don't get sidetracked!"
"Whoa, hold on! You've got a week before that deadline on that freelance project! Are you done with that, yet? That check would definitely help us get ahead on that student loan you wanted to pay off!"
These are the best types of critical remarks from non-artist spouses, for they're not discouraging of what I'm doing, but just trying to keep me focused on main priorities with my career that helps move me forward, instead of just aimlessly floating off to the next shiny object in my view port.
If I married another artist, they'd either be just as distracted as I was, or just encourage every ridiculous notion that I had. Can you imagine?
"Honey, I was thinking about recording the sounds of hummingbirds."
"Well," my flighty artsy wife would declare, "you have to go catch them, first! Here, take this giant net, mating whistle, and hummingbird costume, and go!" My god, I'd get NOTHING constructive done!
Most importantly, spouses of artists need to understand that they'll always be competing with the muse for attention. If you love the artist you married, you definitely need to give them space to thrive in that facility. You knew about this aspect of them before getting married to them, and you have to remember to love and accept this aspect, after getting married to them. It is, however, a delicate line that needs to be balanced. Artists, by their very nature, can get self-absorbed, and it's just as important for the artist spouse to be sensitive to their non-artist spouses' needs, as much as they are about the needs of the artist. This means making sure that chores are done in the house before art is finished, not missing big dates like anniversaries because you're busy working on a new song, perhaps not doing every gallery opening since you had already made plans to hang out with another couple this coming weekend, or if you do drag your non-art spouse to the art opening, not spending all night there like you typically do. If you really lack self-control, you might even need to set an alarm to let you know when you need to walk away from a guilty pleasure project, and make time for your loved one.
In life, there is harmony in balance. Such is the case with the married artist, as well. There's great spiritual fulfillment with your art, but there's a whole lot more spiritual growth that you benefit from, spending time with your loved ones, too.

Weaponry

2011-06-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

For years, I'd been hearing Art Directors tell me, "Your art is good, but we'd really like to see a whole series of weapons and other armor in your portfolio, as well." This advice was very good, and I thought it was good...and then proceeded to ignore, for years.
Finally, I got wise, and chose to go ahead and finally succumb to good advice. Sadly, it takes a while for it to sink in, LOL...

It was almost as much fun naming these as it was painting them!

A friend of mine suggested making a small publication, almost like a historical archive, that showcases the weapons and armor (and I'll be doing a wizard's staff sheet, as well) and documents this lost history that only this book will be a testament to. I think this is a great idea, and would be a great small publishing endeavor that I could then spring into bigger and better projects, if this small one bears fruit. Only time will tell.

Drawing of My Daughter

2011-04-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

My daughter was sleeping in the car on our hectic drive across Florida this Easter weekend, and I took advantage of it to finally do a drawing of my cutie-patootie!

Village Furnace

2011-04-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

A sketch that quickly became an illustration. A lot of people looked at it on ConceptArt.org, but nobody commented on it. Never a good sign......

So Ya Wanna Be An Art Intern!

2011-03-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

I just got to hire my first intern for my department at work a few weeks ago! That was exciting! However, going through the slush of blah artists made it less exciting, but dealing with the people that couldn't follow instructions was infuriating.
I made very straightforward instructions: give me your resume', five of your best art samples, a link to your website, and send it to my specific e-mail address. People couldn't even follow those instructions. I'd get two samples of art instead of five, they'd go check out our website, and instead of the e-mails coming directly to me, as instructed, they'd just sent it through the company, meaning my boss would get inundated by e-mails HE didn't want to deal with (that's why he hired me!) and even when I said I was looking for local artists, I'd still get the random e-mail from Spain, asking if it's okay if he/she would apply.
So, in an attempt to REALLY CLARIFY what potential art applicants should and shouldn't do, here's a quick, concise list for any aspiring artist to follow. (Psst! A lot of these rules apply to ANY job applicant, too, so don't bail it you're not the artsy kind!)

RULE 1: I'M NOT LOOKING TO HIRE A COPYING MACHINE. Oh, look, here's several pictures in your portfolio that are either a few filters on a professional photo or just you duplicating a well-shot photo of a current celebrity! Know how much I care about that? Not at all. I'm looking for ORIGINAL CONTENT. I want to hire you as an artist to create art out of your head, not copy a pre-made photograph. If that's what I wanted, I'd just buy the stock photo.

RULE 2: DON'T JUST DO THE BARE MINIMUM. You can tell what assignments a class gets when you see a million of the same thing in the student portfolios from the same college. With 3-D at my old college, it was that old-fashioned Mr. Munch robotic penny bank for modeling, and then the standard bouncing ball and walk cycle for animations. With illustration, it was the acrylic animal eye and watercolor face portraits that was in EVERY portfolio. Obviously, if all you're turning in is what you were assigned to do for a grade, you're not showing that you have much ambition or imagination. So why would I expect you to give me either if I hired you?

RULE 3: FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. If I ask for a cover letter, a resume, a link to a website, five of your best illustrations, and a specific e-mail to send applications to, you better do every damn step EXACTLY how I told you to! If you can't get those instructions right, trying to teach you the complexities and intricacies of how our company is run is just going to annihilate you! Or worse--waste a lot of my spare time trying to hold your hand through the process. P.S. Have another person read your cover letter if spelling isn't your strong suit. If you can't expend the extra energy to spell-check or proof your own cover letter, the employer's going to interpret that you don't care enough to get the job.

RULE 4: BASIC ART PRINCIPLES. Don't send me half-finished artwork! Don't send me art that clearly isn't applicable to what we do! If you include a figure drawing, finish the hands, feet, and face! Unfinished art always sends the wrong message to the art director.

RULE 5: WALK THE WALK. Don't act like you know a program or are familiar with a process that you're not. Eventually you'll be put to task on this thing you don't know, and if it's on a tight deadline and you don't deliver, you've pretty much given yourself your own termination notice. Downplay your ignorance, but emphasize your ENTHUSIASM to learn more! Honesty is always the best policy, and if you show a basic knowledge of the principles, it might just be enough to encourage a boss to give you a chance.

RULE 6: DON'T CALL US, WE'LL CALL YOU. Did you send your contact information via e-mail, on the cover letter, and include it on the resume? Was the e-mail bounced back to you? If yes to the first question, and no to the second, okay, assume we've got your information and art. Don't e-mail me right after, asking if I got your stuff. Follow-ups can get REALLY annoying if you're a busy art director. Obviously, you get an interview, sure, do a follow-up. But silence from the company is usually the best critique you can get about the applicability of the art you submitted. NOTE: It doesn't necessarily mean you're a BAD artist, but perhaps that what you submitted doesn't fit the need of what we currently are looking for.

RULE 7: THE JOB INTERVIEW DOESN'T END WHEN YOU'RE PICKED. If you're hired as an intern, it's basically a litmus test to see if you're a good fit. Hiring an intern means, "Hey, we're willing to give you a shot here, professionally, for cheap, and perhaps if things work out, we MIGHT give you full-time employment!" So don't act like you can relax. The real test starts, the minute you start working there. Be punctual. Be respectful. Get to know people. Get those people to like who you are. But most importantly, work your ASS off. Interns are hired to do menial tasks that higher more experienced labor A) Doesn't WANT to do, and B) are way too knowledgeable on other aspects of the company to do such a menial task. As an intern given the petty jobs, MAKE SURE YOU DO THEM RIGHT. And with a smile on your face! If you can't get the coffee order right, or scan things properly, or put files in the correct folder, how will they ever trust you with larger responsibilities on a giant team project? In addition, if you mope and complain about every task I give you, what makes you think I'll be eager to continue collaborating with you? I know it seems like a common sense philosophy, but I've seen many a person dig their own grave with just their attitude, alone, when it came to getting a full-time position. I will gladly take a more personable yet less talented team player under my wing than a more talented prick. People are already complex and demanding enough. Please don't complicate that for any one!

So those are the big rules. I'm sure I'll add to this as I think of other things. But it's the big strokes, and if you follow these rules, you'll probably at least have a better head-start than most applicants do. Good luck, and most importantly, keep on drawing!!!!

Promotional Postcard, and the Hustle

2011-03-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

The biggest weaknesses that most artists have? Two big ones stick out to me: the lack of self-promotion and no ability to hustle (aka negotiate).
A lot of artists have this amazing contradiction going within them--they're COMPLETELY self-absorbed in their work, but have no urge to try to promote themselves. It seems if you're THAT into yourself, you'd be telling THE WORLD about it, but not the case, with most artists.
I don't know if this is because artists have no idea how to even START promoting themselves, or if that's just energy they'd prefer to waste on doing artwork. Well, I'm here to tell you, when you're a fledgling artist, you've got more TIME than money, and in all honesty, you need to spend about 50% hustling/promoting and 50% doing art. I know that's a horrifically discouraging ratio to any artist, but in all honesty, ANY new business would be spending about that same ratio of time on actual trade and promotion. One cannot create within a vaccuum! Same goes for promotions, too! You need to beat the pavement, shake hands, make phone calls, send e-mails! Nobody gets "discovered", I don't give a shit WHAT you hear! You put yourself out there to EVERYBODY, and then about 1% of those people you promote yourself to will give you work.
Which brings me to my latest promotional effort, a new promotional postcard! Here it is:

The alligator in the center of the composition has given me a TON of work, so I figured I might as well give him some reptilian friends, and see if this gets me more enjoyable work! As much as I pride myself on diversity of style, I definitely gravitate more towards cartoony.

So, the Hustle, the second Achilles Heel of artists, and other workers, in general. I'm convinced that most people just accept the first wage thrown at them when it's offered to them at a job interview. Same thing applies to people that get a freelance offer. They simply say "yes" or even let themselves get talked down on price. Well, I can tell you, from personal experience, you need to REVERSE that approach. Even if they don't budge on price, get them to budge on other things, like the amount of finished material you receive from them as promotional materials, paying for room and board if you're on location working for them, per diem, etc.
With my postcards, the printer was raving about my cartoony cards, and then mentioned that she wanted to redo her bland flamingo on her logo. A week later, I needed more postcards than what I initially bought (500), so I made a work-for-product deal: Print me out another 100 postcards, give me an I.O.U. for the other 400, and I'll render that flamingo for you that you've been craving for. Well, here it is:

She's THRILLED with it, and has become a strong advocate of what I do for the last few weeks, sending me phone calls from her business! So, it just goes to show: you can print postcards 'til the cows come home--your reputation and networking ability is what REALLY gets you work!

I'm On "The List!"

2010-09-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I've never worked so hard for just the POSSIBILITY of being employed, but after jumping through several hoops, I've convinced one of the editors of Archie Comics that I'm qualified to be a colorist for them!
After sending him the pencils I did, he was complimentary about them, but said it was more organic than the polished style their comic book typically subscribes to. He was cool enough to send me some samples of finished pencils from previous comics that they had done, and I took one look at them, and said, "Oh, I can TOTALLY do that!" Fortunately, I just need to simplify my style, instead of having to step up my skills. But he also liked the colors in my original art, so he sent me a coloring test. Here's the first whack I took at it:

He liked it, but said to focus on the depth of the characters a bit more, and make sure there's a specific heirarchy to what takes the make attention of the viewer, and then sent me ANOTHER color test. Which ended up looking like this:

On this one, a few more notes were given, but he was confident that I had the right work ethic and skill to work with him, so I got the paperwork and contracts to sign, and I'm now on the "The List" of people he'll call when he needs some work done for colors.
He was also cool enough to send me another script to take a look at, so I could send him another pencil sample, 'cause I KNOW I can give him what he wants, it was just a matter of knowing what they were looking for, specifically. And since he sent me the pencil samples, now I'm confident I can pull it off. Coloring isn't the "pie-in-the-sky" dream that I imagined, but I also have been in the industry long enough to know that all you need is a foot in the door, and eventually the rest of the body will be invited, as well. So here's to having someone cool enough to give me a chance! Only better and better news from here on out!

My Take On Sonic

2010-09-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

Been talking to a few editors since my return from San Diego ComiCon, and have an active dialogue going on with one of them from Archie Comics. Here's some spec work I did for them:

Sonic, Different P.O.V.'s:

Sonic, in action!

Knuckles Character Sheet:

The final Page Layout/Illustration, based off their page script:

No! Sleep! 'Til ComiCon!!!

2010-07-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

T-Minus Nine Days and Counting! Man, TOTALLY stoked about going this year! I'm at the point in my career where good friends of mine that I went to college with are now becoming movers and shakers in the industry, and a lot of them are going to be doing presentations and networking at ComiCon. Disney, Hasbro, Dreamworks, Sony, Blue Sky, Pixar, i09, G-4, Image Comics, Sideshow Collectibles, cosplay bitches....basically, if you're a nerd, this is your Woodstock. My bud, Andrew, brought up a good point the other day about ComiCon:

At sports games, they gotta line every square block with tons of cops and riot squads. Don't have to do that with Comic Book conventions!

True fuckin' that! Us nerds are WAY too busy having fun and playing make-believe to ever be violent. 125,000 people going to be there this year, and I'm confident not a fist will be thrown. Probably 'cause the nerds with weapons always have a play fight "arena" they can jump in, and swing their PVC pipes and cardboard creations around for hours, if they want.
So, gotta get back to finishing up pieces of artwork and stories to knock the socks off of editors and art directors with! Not leaving there until I've got five potential commissions lined up!! Either way, I'm gonna have a spectacular time! More news and pictures soon!

Finished SOMETHING.....

2010-06-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm always a little shellshocked when I've suddenly finished up several projects, and somehow between the made rushing through of projects, contacting clients, touching base with sub-contractors, keeping myself on schedule, then find myself panting, and looking around frantically for the next thing to do...only to realize that the main priorities are already DONE, and that's why the dust is finally settling. Website project's been greenlit and posted, and just finished up this final illustration for the potential comic book gig:

Hopefully I'll know sometime today if I got a commission off all this work. It's so strange to have several projects going, and the difference in your work ethic when it comes to something you love, versus something you're not so keen about. For instance, the website? Yeah, hate those kinds of gigs. Part of the reason why I charged a lot--if you want me to do art I hate, I won't say no, I'll just throw a number out there that might make YOU say no. If you don't, well, sure, I'll do the gig, and at least that way the money will motivate me to get off my ass.
The comic book I did the spec work for--Flash Gordon--has a species of natives from the planet that back in the day they just called Lion People. The original comics from decades ago never really made such an interesting name an equally-interesting illustration. They just basically made a human have tan fur, and a mop on their head that'd put Tina Turner's to shame. But the new editors now have done a KILLER job of making them look REALLY cool, and it's been an absolute BLAST playing around with the species, and really feeling out possible stories through their artifacts on them that'd add texture to their fictitious culture! Visual storytelling, that's what it's all about! Here's a head illustration I did of a Lion person General:

Now the amusing thing about this whole wacky career I have as an artist is this: my parents just plain don't "get it." They can't quite wrap their heads around the fact that I receive checks from people for doing silly cartoony or fantasy characters, or animating a cartoon for a commercial spot. Like most people, I think they just default to the assumption that these things just magically appear on the screens, and takes no "real" skill, whatsoever. When I was talking to them yesterday on the phone, I was telling them about this potential gig, and how it could be a game-changer for the types of gigs I get. My mom's response? "Yeah, well, don't hold your breath!" You'd have to know my mom to know that as she gets older, the filter between her thoughts and her mouth has pretty much been removed, and she really doesn't actually mean anything by that. In other words, she sometimes doesn't realize when she's being a bitch. :) I, unfortunately, sometimes suffer from the same epidemic, and so I worry how I'll be treating my daughter in the future, as well.
Either way, MAN, I love what I do! It's exhausting, but also insanely enjoyable! Who said, "If you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life?" Goddamn right. Seven years after college graduation, I'm feeling like I'm finally hitting my stride....

Character Sketches

2010-06-15T02:59:00.000-07:00

Don't wanna say too much too soon, but got approached by a good mid-sized comic book company last week to potentially work on one of their flagship comics! Here's some sketches of the main character I did for them to prove I can replicate the style:

2010-05-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

A picture of the Battle Grounds, otherwise known as my art desk! Critters illustrations, as well as character sheets for my comic book commission all over the walls, paints all over the desk. I think there's more paint on the desk than there is on the actual papers!

One Week 'Til Convention

2010-05-30T07:48:00.001-07:00

It's Memorial Day weekend! Guess what I'm doing? Beach? Barbeque? Beer? Nope, nope, and maybe later. I'm knee-deep in watercolors, making Critters for my in-process children's fantasy picture book, Lil' Book of Critters.
It's a little bit of a drag, 'cause I'm running a few weeks behind where I wanted to be with the book. I was hoping that I'd be finished with a website commission a few weeks ago, but in standard Jason fashion, I misestimated how long this project would take. S'kay, I got it taken care of. And I'll GLADLY sacrifice a weekend of fun for....well, FUN, honestly. I lovelovelove art, and it's SO nice to just be able to focus on your own wacky project, for once.
I have the SCBWI Florida Children's Book Mid-Year Workshop this coming weekend. I'll have an Illustrator's Intensive on Friday, Picture Book Workshop on Saturday, finished off with two critiques of my book that Saturday evening. I went to the event last year for just the one day, unsure who or what this convention had to offer. But after seeing the big-name authors, literary agents, and other "power" people there, as well as the direct-access addresses and other inside help the organization offered, I realized it's worth me taking this seriously.
In amazing synchronicity, this year had two big industry editors coincidentally really gravitate towards this book that I just had mentioned on a lark. One was an editor from io9.com, who found my art on a site like DeviantArt or something like that, and did a whole little blurb about me. I felt like I should have my Professional Geek card revoked, because I wasn't familiar with io9.com! I checked it out, and just marveled at the amazing stuff they had on there! Comic books, fantasy and sci-fi book and movie reviews, concept art from big-time video games....and now an online article about lil' ol me?? No way! She asked me what current/future projects I was working on, and decided to mention this children's book I was toying with. She was really interested in it, and in addition to my other illustrations that she wanted, I sent her some scans of the rough illustrations I had done. She asked me if there was a story in addition to the characters, and I'd discovered through sharing the book with others that people had more fun making up their own stories, so felt it was more enjoyable for the viewer to just have the visual of the critter, their name, and then let others make up what the critter's story was. The editor loved the illustrations from the book, and then did exactly that--she took the critters, and made up what she felt these creatures do, what they eat, where they live! She even changed the gender of what I felt some of the critters were, which was once again affirmation that leaving these critters this open truly gave people their own imaginary playground to enjoy!
A few months after that, I contacted an editor from one of my favorite art magazines, ImagineFX. I sent him some samples of my work, as well as a link to my site. He liked what I had to show, and asked for three print-ready samples of my work, as well as to answer several questions that he sent along. One of the questions that he asked was, once again, about current and future projects I was working on. In the same way, I mentioned the Critters book. My work was supposed to appear months ago in the magazine, but due to circumstances out of his control, ended up postponing my blurb in the magazine 'til June of this year. As that date approached, in early May he revisited my information, and realized that I was doing this Critters book. He asked if I had some information about the book, as well as some pictures of some of the critters, and if so, he'd put it in their "Products" section in addition. Holy shit!!! I was now going to have an internationally-known publication helping me sell my book, free of charge! This has made me suddenly have to move in fast-forward. I immediately contacted the information architect that helped me put together my own site, and told him, "Hey, here's some scratch! Can you please set up an e-commerce site for me, stat?" I've looked into Paypal, and am setting up a new bank account to just focus on money earned from that project. Hopefully if I get enough pre-orders from this, it'll help me seal a deal with a publishing agent or better yet, a publisher.
It's really amazing how life works, sometimes. I never really thought very much about this book, except for it just being an exercise for my imagination. But after seeing two industry people react so positively to it, I suddenly thought, "Holy shit! I might be on to something, here...."
I REALLY hope this convention and children's book does well! I'd love nothing more than being a daddy that takes care of his kid during the day, and earns his keep, working on his art during the evening. That, in my ideal mind, sounds pretty much like a dream come true, no doubt! Wish me luck!

An Open Letter to our 44th President, Barack Obama

2009-01-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

Dear Obama,

Congratulations on your landmark election! Now get to work.

I won’t lie—I was rooting for you. I had the bumper sticker, I canvassed for you, and I even volunteered to be a poll worker in Palm Beach County to ensure, personally, that elections went smoothly.
But don’t think that means I’m going to give you a free ride. Yes, I know you’ve had a long, hard ride to this point. In every part of this election, you’ve had to bring you’re A Game. Hillary didn't give an inch, even with a statistical loss. McCain kept throwing you curve balls, but you were still able to hit singles. You’ll still have racist backwoods yokels and sore-loser Pubbies to deal with, but you’ve already dealt with this, and the bulletproof glass walls around your victory stage and Obama-sized podium/shelter made me realize we’ve still got a long way to go with a lot of ignorant people.

However, we put you in here to get things done! Eight years have passed, and we’d all agree our country’s moved backwards. Not only that, but W’s chosen to set the house on fire so the next guy’s gotta start by hosing the place down before he can move in. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that W expects a black guy to clean up the mess that a white guy made, but I suppose I thought we’d moved on from stereotypes like that.
I’m putting faith in you to quickly disarm all the landmines he’s left, and most importantly, have the dignity to fix the problems made without blaming the former guy.
We need a drastic facelift, and we need it ASAP. Between the wars Bush started and the economic crisis he’s leaving, you’ve already got an uphill battle. But these issues won’t excuse you from still pushing forward with most of the things you’ve promised. You’ve already lost a bit of integrity by voting for a bailout that’s not going to help, recruiting some people into your Staff that are highly questionable, and proposing an Economic Stimulus Plan that’s a bit too much on just plain spending, and not enough on shifting the energy paradigm of this country, so I need to see something of substance, proof that you have a spine, but most importantly that you’re not like most politicians—completely full of shit.
Because as much as I jumped up and down like a five-year-old on Christmas day when I found out about your victory, I won’t hesitate to vote you out in four years if you don’t show significant progress. I want to see the Patriot Act revoked, Guantanamo Bay closed, troops out of Iraq,diplomacy happen in Afghanistan and North Korea, and Clean Energy and Universal Healthcare implemented. I want our American dollar to gain in value, mass transit to be common in every mid-sized city, the SEC to become a true enforcer, and exports to increase while imports decrease. I want our country to stop waging the only REAL war that seems to be happening—the war on the Poor, and once again blaze a trail in pioneering technology.
I know I ask a lot of you, but those who don’t ask won’t get. You’ve proven naysayers wrong, time and time again, in their skepticism of you, and I hope that you can continue to happily surprise us. Good luck to you, and don’t hesitate to call if you need some help.

With great love and respect,

Jason

Hit the Road, Jack: A Farewell to George W. Bush

2008-12-27T06:23:00.000-08:00

A Farewell to W

It’s stunning that someone who has succeeded in screwing up every major decision possible somehow STILL got reelected. Then again, it’s honestly really debatable that you ever LEGITIMATELY got elected, ever. A perfect storm of right-wing media influence, a hive of your daddy’s political strings, and no paper trails have had to make honest people suddenly try to think like a dishonest person in order to figure out what will be the next stunt your kind will pull to try to stay in power. As a politician, your base requirements for any political position are only two things—be a competent public speaker, and step up to the plate when things get bad. You’ve failed horribly at both. You couldn’t give an adequate speech if you had teleprompters surgically implanted in your eyes. And as for handling disasters….well, if your mission was to fuck things up almost to the point of complete ruin, all I can say is, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.”
Congrats on crippling our economy by trusting corporations that were larger than first-world countries, and deflating our country's power so much that the majority of the world is rooting for our enemies. You’ve succeeded in only encouraging minor antagonists like Russia and Venezuela to become very aggressive against us, with you’re your demonizing labels against them, instead of trying a little something called, “diplomacy” first. I guess that’s just not how they do it down in Texas. Shoot first and ask questions later seems like a much more sensible approach for a privileged half-retarded fundamentalist like yourself.
You’ve made the United States go from being the idol of the virtues of democracy and capitalism to looking like the bully in the schoolyard. A country that was once the vigilant protector of freedom has now made the words democracy and freedom sound like a sardonic punch line to a bitter joke. Our country’s façade of respect was shredded away to reveal a country that looks like a spoiled teenager—fat, lazy, irrational, and selfish.
Just the fact that you chose to lower taxes on the richest in our country months after the largest catastrophe our country had experienced for sixty years was the first sign of your blatant lack of leadership and your contempt for the regular Joe. But it also demonstrated who you were really looking after--the rich, not the middle or lower class. Your encouragement of people to shop several days after the 9-11 disaster when the market was crashing showed the biggest truth--that money mattered more to you than the security of our country.
The justifications you made for invading countries like Iraq that had no real threat, except for the one to your father’s reputation, stunk from the very beginning. Yet you’re so inept you can’t catch a giant Afghan in the middle of the mountains that needs dialysis daily. Just be grateful that you had a Congress so scared about reelection that they went along with you on the invasion fiasco, and enough jingoistic nodding heads in Congress to go along with you. Nixon got pressured into bailing on his job after just getting caught sneaking into his political opponent’s office looking for political strategies, yet somehow you’re not tried nor convicted on leading our country falsely into war and killing over 4,000 soldiers and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians within that country. God knows the official number of military casualties would have been higher if you hadn’t privatized your own personal group of assassins, known as Blackwater. You know, Nazis had their own “special group” of henchmen as well, known as the S.S.
I hope in future elections, when people choose to vote for the, “guy they’d want to have a beer with”, they also remember that this kind of guy is typically the same one who gets ripped out of his mind, try to pick fights for no reason, and throws up and passes out in the bar, as well.
You’ve changed me into a totally different person, as well. I have to admit, I didn’t vote for you in the first election, but that’s only because….I didn’t vote, period. I wasn’t involved nor concerned about politics in my country, and didn’t really care about who ran the place. I have to admit that I was part of the disinterested mass that didn’t feel that voting nor community involvement had any significance to the welfare of my life. But you’ve made me realize the true value of a certain quality of life, and how being a citizen of a country you love is very similar to a marriage--you have to work like hell to keep things good, ‘cause it’s way too easy to make it bad. I love this country, but didn’t realize how much I had taken it for granted until recently. You’ve opened my eyes way the hell up, and as much as its made me partially paranoid towards all people in power, it’s almost made me realize the kind of bullshit people will try to sell in order to take advantage of good, innocent people.
I realized that things have to get really bad before things ever get really good, as well. If gas was still $2.50 a gallon and the grand percentage of citizens weren’t going through foreclosure, clean alternative energy and real policy change wouldn’t even be real discussion points for the future president-elect.
So let me say in my final words, these statements: hit the road, Jack. Turn away, run away, and never, ever look back. I don’t EVER want to see you nor any of your kin, ever again. Not you, not your daddy, and for the love of god and all that is holy, none of your spawn, either. I can only be grateful as hell that you didn’t have any boys to carry the name on. Your daughter DID just marry a Congressional leader as well and you’ve already been giving her a lot more media coverage, so I see what you’re trying to pull. But trust me when I say that it’ll be a cold day in hell before we fall for that kind of bullshit again. And think about all you’ve done when your Day of Judgment finally comes, because you might have been able to fool a lot of the small, trusting people, but you’ll have a lot harder time explaining things to the Big Guy. And at that point, you’ll have all of eternity to think about every crooked thing you’ve ever, ever done. Good bye, go away, and NEVER come back.

Solutions for the Big Three (Since THEY can't seem to think of any...)

2008-11-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

So the automotive executives ended their day with a resounding, “Thanks, but try again in December” from Congress today. I can’t blame Congress, either—if I was going to my parents for a loan, I wouldn’t just show up with an open palm towards them, and a look on my face like they owed me something. Part of the reason is because I’m in my thirties, now. But another reason why is because I’d have to come to them with a very convincing argument that yes, I’m broke now, but here’s steps one through fifty as to how I plan to not just get out of debt, but also pay them back. This would probably involve a few spreadsheets, graphs, and a five-step program summarizing my expectations, with each directive bullet-pointed. Maybe even some glitter on the graphs would help. I’d also probably dress up a bit for them, but not TOO much—don’t want to give the wrong impression.

Unfortunately, that’s not what some of the titans of American manufacturing did today. They flew in on their private jets, told the Congressional leaders about their problems, and then just asked for money. Not only that, but there wasn’t much of a tone of humility, but more of a tone of resentment—a resentment towards the workers that made their company so successful for so long, and the same ones that had no authority to implement change to this colossal machine that they were but a cog within.

Like a classic magician, they misdirected the hearing by offering to take $1 salaries NEXT year, but never mentioned refunding the myriad of bonuses and other benefits they received from this current year. And when called out, none of them offered to sell off their private jets and fly back on coach. Clearly, the arrogance was stunning. Even Henry Paulson had enough sense to act penitent when grilled at his initial three-page proposal for financial dictatorship, and that was enough for him to get 90% of what he wanted.

Like teenagers caught smoking in the courtyard, they were sent away with a slight tap on the bottom, told to think about what they did, and what they’ll do to fix this situation. For some reason, this thought hadn’t seemed to cross the executives’ mind when preparing for the hearing.

So since I’m a firm believer in what seems to be evolving into a more interactive citizen forum for policy, I’m hoping somebody’s eyeballs that may be of great influence will rest upon this page and take away some constructive ideas that might tip the scales in the positive direction with this entire fiasco.

STEP 1: CONDITIONAL LOAN, NOT BAILOUT!

If the word, “bailout” is uttered one more time, I will literally put that name caller on a boat, set it to drift in the Pacific Ocean, shoot a hole in it, and toss the poor catch-phrase spewer a bucket to make the person understand the literal interpretation of the word, “bailout”. What we should be emphasizing is no longer just throwing money at a problem, and expecting it to take care of itself. Clearly these corporate stooges had already taken a company full with cash and succeeded in doing nothing more than flushing it down the drain. So if they want a cent, it should be met with a wide list of aggressive conditions, signed in writing, and a sensible timeline be attached to it. If Iaccocca was capable of pulling that off in the Eighties, no reason why it can’t happen again! We the People want to see what they plan to do to create positive change, not just for their company, but for our NATION, our WORLD. This means spectacular fuel efficiency, environmentally-friendly production processes, and producing cars that people WANT.

STEP 2: NEW BLOOD

Clearly the executives in the companies lack the vision to make ideal change happen. Make them eliminate 30% of the ones least effective, and bring in not just new executives, but engineers with revolutionary designs that just might be the next big thing! When Iaccocca took over Chrysler, he brought with him some engineers from Ford that developed the minivan and the K car, two automobiles that were affordable and offered options drivers wanted in a vehicle. The minivan was a revolutionary concept that consumers really were craving—a more sensibly-sized vehicle that still offered all the space a standard family of four needed combined with better fuel efficiency. Stunning to think that these executives didn’t continue to push this idea to see if they could top themselves. I think they would, financially, be surprised with the results!

STEP 3: INCLUDE THE UNIONS

No union wants to see thousands of workers laid off. The retired workers put their time in, and in a city that has an annual per capita of $36,650 for the average worker, I have a hard time imagining that these worker’s pensions and health benefits are what’s really putting the company under. Regardless, these workers invested in this company so that the company would invest in them in the long run. The Unions made concessions during the Chrysler crisis, it can happen again. HOWEVER, retroactive rewards should also be included to these unions if concessions are made! If the companies come out of this making more money and running more effectively, the union workers get compensated for it.

STEP 4: TRIM THE FAT!

Clearly this one company owns WAY too many subsidiaries and other automobile brand names. GM alone owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, GM, Opel, Vauxhall, Holden, and Daewoo. If there’s one thing that all of us as citizens have realized, it’s that there’s no such thing as, “too big to fail”. We have, however, realized that there’s, “too big to succeed.” And when you’re that big, the failure affects a country in a devastating way. The bigger the company, the harder it is to manage, and most importantly, the more difficult it is to maneuver in a different direction. Not only that, but a lot of them are practically making the same product! Sell off the less-profitable factories to entrepreneurs that might be more effective with the name! That’s right—ENCOURAGE competition! At least you’re giving them the least-impressive piece of real estate, so you’ll still have the advantage, and it’ll help you keep your edge! But right now the ship is sinking, and if you lighten the load, the small leak much be enough to waterlog you, but it’ll still keep you afloat.

Some of these theories are basic business and economics philosophy, but the last thing I want to hear ANY of those executives say is, “Well, we hadn’t considered that…” Well, now you can. And if you STILL can’t consider it as a viable option, put ME in your position! The more I see our government leaders and other executives flounder, the more confident that I feel that we’re putting the wrong people in charge, and that these jobs don’t seem as complicated as some of them make it sound. I just look at something like a tree grow, and realize something very important—it takes decades to make something grow and be successful, but only minutes to destroy it.

My Recommendations for Secretary of Treasury

2008-11-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

As Obama starts filling up his cabinet with members, there's been talk of Larry Summers or Robert Rubin becoming the next Secretary of Treasury.

These are not very good choices.
Robert Rubin and Larry Summers helped dismantle regulating bank laws such as the Glass Steagle Act that, with additional "help" from the W presidency, made a perfect storm.

I would like to recommend two people that have more of our interests in store: Paul Krugman and Sheila Bair.

If you've been paying attention to the bailout news over the last few months, you've probably heard their names brought up time and time again.

Paul Krugman was vocally warning of a mortgage bubble burst for months before it happened. As an economic professor at Princeton and a regular columnist for the New York Times, his intellect and sensible business theories have just recently awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize. He continues to rally against the crooked behavior of Henry Paulson and other powers in Washington.

Sheila Bair is a current executive of the FDIC. If you've ever heard her talk, she sounds like a human computer. Economic policy, financial theories, and statistics run through her head like lightning. This a woman that has made many sensible proposals to the members of Washington, and just recently has butted heads very violently with Henry Paulson in a recent hearing on money management of the Bailout funds.

If you agree with me, send these recommendations to change. gov! It's a public sounding board for what you feel the newest administration should do, and it's only with our perpetual and unceasing insistence upon what we, the people, feel is right will we even stand a chance of being heard!!!

Concept-A-Day

2008-05-13T10:49:00.001-07:00

Each day, I try to draw a concept to keep my mind fresh, and keep the gears going. Some weeks I'm way ahead on my concepts, other weeks I've got so much work backlogged, I start to slack.
Remember, I've got a full-time job, plus a little lady to keep happy, PLUS I gotta work out or exercise on occasion (or what I like to call, "Fat Control"), so these sketches are done afterwards, on top of all of that. I also try to theme them, each week. I also like having the opportunity to experiment with different styles than what I normally do, or have the freedom to work on something different than what I currently am. Like most artists, very short attention span. Feel free to subscribe to this RSS Feed, in case you like a bit of visual inspiration each day!

April 30-May 11, 2008: Car/vehicle designs