DaniDraws.com

The year is coming to a close and the holidays are in full swing. I will be running around gathering gifts, spending time with family, and getting last-minute projects done, so I’m going to take a moment to wrap things up here on the blog.

Join Me on Twitter!

I discovered Twitter several months ago, and I have to say I am loving it! I originally intended to use it to just share links and tidbits too small to dedicate to full blog posts. Now, I am also using it to chat directly with readers, ask questions, and keep up with fellow artists. This is the best way to keep in touch with me in between posts. You can follow me here: http://www.twitter.com/danidraws

Notable Posts of 2008

A list of some of the highlights from the past year.

75 Artists You Must Know and Where to Find Them

This was a very fun and educational list to put together, and also the most popular post of the year.



http://danidraws.com/2008/03/17/75-artists-you-must-know-and-where-to-find-them/

Illustrating a Children’s Story: The Three Pigs Project

It was great to keep up with a project on an ongoing basis, and over several posts. I liked how it helped me stay productive, while also allowing me to teach a little about narrative illustration. Hopefully, I will have something similar to share in the upcoming year.



http://danidraws.com/2008/02/22/illustrating-a-childrens-story-part-1/

http://danidraws.com/2008/03/07/illustrating-a-childrens-story-part-2/

http://danidraws.com/2008/04/24/illustrating-a-childrens-story-part-3/

http://danidraws.com/2008/05/21/illustrating-a-childrens-story-part-4/

http://danidraws.com/2008/07/22/illustrating-a-childrens-story-part-5/

http://danidraws.com/2008/08/05/illustrating-a-childrens-story-part-6/

And the finished product can be viewed here: http://www.danijones.com/extras/3pigs/threepigs.html

Just Draw! and the Daily Doodles

This was not necessarily a big or popular post, but it seemed to hit a strong nerve for some readers. It was motivated by my Daily Doodles project, which I’m happy to say is still continuing today (but not without a few bumps. Heh.). I was happy to see several people taking on their own daily drawing goals because of it. Keep it up!



http://danidraws.com/2008/10/22/just-draw/

You can view my full archive of Daily Doodles here: http://www.danijones.com/dailydoodles.html

Reflections on 2008

I have been blessed to work as a freelancer for a little over three years now. I don’t have the most experience in the world, but with what little I know I have tried to be open and giving. As a result, I’ve gained an audience here who is willing to listen and read and learn. This year has been especially hard on the industry and world in general. And so, as the year ends, I am going to contribute the little advice and words of hope that I can.

The hardest part of building an art career is not the drawing, the learning, or the business hurdles. It’s staying motivated and courageous enough to keep doing it - learning to support yourself in a fickle economy, getting past the stigma of a not-so-typical career path, dealing with rejection and criticism, all the while trying to get better and stay creative.

I wish you all Happy Holidays and a very joyous New Year! This will be my last post until 2009. Enjoy this time with your friends and family and be happy you are involved in this wonderful creative community.

All the best,
Dani

I am truly blessed to run this blog. It has been a great outlet for sharing my experiences and serving my fellow artists out there in the world. It has been over two years now since my first post. THANK YOU all for giving me the motivation and support to keep the site running.

It’s time again for me to put a call out for donations. These help me pay for the fees to run the site, plus compensates me a little for the time and effort I put into it. Please, if you enjoy the blog and it has helped you learn something new, feel free to leave a tip via PayPal. Address it to contact@danidraws.com or use this button here:

You are not required or obligated to contribute, but I appreciate every little bit that comes in.

Of course, there are a lot of other ways you can support me and DaniDraws.com. All efforts in these areas are also greatly appreciated:

• Spread the word - Tell your artist friends about the site or post a link to an article.
• Submit comments, questions, or ideas to help fuel future posts.
• Buy my artwork in prints, original sketches, commissions, or other merchandise via my personal store. http://www.danijones.com/store.html
• Purchase recommended books through my Amazon.com bookstore. http://astore.amazon.com/danidraws-20

Thanks for your support!

You work hours and hours on a digital painting. You render in tons of details, play with the values, and fuss with color until it is just right. You finally get it about perfect. And then you go to print it…

If, for you, this story ends in disaster this article is for you.

Let me start by saying that I am not an expert on this subject. Printing can get complicated and messy, and terms like ICC profiles, color spaces, and monitor calibration can really make your head spin. For the most part, I leave these things for the professional printing arena. In my own work and in this article, I try to keep things simple - creating good quality prints to display, promote, or sell without them looking stupid.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a question I received from reader Kyle:

What does a professional portfolio for possible employers look like? How many pieces of work should I use? How large is the physical portfolio? Do I take the physical portfolio into interviews or do I take in a resume and a disc with all of my work? Also, how did you go about shopping this portfolio around?

Truthfully, I don’t use a physical portfolio very often. My website does most of the grunt work, which is true for many freelance artists nowadays. The most an art director will usually see from me in terms of printed pieces are postcards and tearsheets. So if you haven’t already, BUILD A WEBSITE. They are extremely useful.

However… there are many occasions where you would need a physical portfolio, such as job interviews and reviews. Here is my take:

Art directors want to see ART. So do NOT make this more difficult for them than it needs to be! Keep the images neat, organized, and easy to see, and the presentation simple to browse through.

There is a tendency to over-think the physical presentation of a portfolio, as if the right amount of trickery or decoration will magically transform the the artwork. Just make it look nice and let the work speak for itself.

General Portfolio Tips

• Follow any guidelines set by the employer to which you are applying.
• Never use original art. Use good color copies/scans. Original art might get lost or damaged. Plus with the copies, you can make all the images a uniform size.
• Include samples such as postcards, business cards, or tearsheets that you can leave behind for the employer to keep in their files.

Read the rest of this entry »

When you paint digitally, one of the most intimidating tasks can be choosing colors. On a traditional palette, you might have 6-12 tubes of paint to work with, but on the computer there are millions of colors available. How do you work with options like that?

Here is how I have tackled this problem.

Read the rest of this entry »

I was recently interviewed by Danielle, a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She asked some very interesting questions that made me think about my career and why I took some of the steps I did, and how I work today. Here’s the full interview…

Read the rest of this entry »

Video: Franky (Quicktime, 2:28, 3.85 MB)

As October comes to a close, here is a small Halloween treat for you. It is a quick painting I made from one of my Daily Doodle sketches. I liked experimenting with painting right on top of a heavy texture. Enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry »

Do any of these statements apply to you?

• I have trouble keeping my portfolio up-to-date.
• I never have new artwork to show.
• I’m behind in my postcard mailings.
• I can’t paint/draw as well as I’d like.
• I often get stuck in a rut and don’t know what to paint.
• I haven’t created any good paintings lately.
• Most of my sketchbooks are only half-full.
• My blog hasn’t had a new post in weeks.
• I am having trouble coming up with ideas and staying creative.
• My work has stopped evolving/improving.

etc., etc…

Well, here is your solution…

Read the rest of this entry »