Posted by Paula Richey on September 27, 2012 at 4:31pm
I am actually very proud of myself this week. Not only have I been proactive about getting some commissions and writing work, but I have prioritized them and worked on them in the order in which they are due.Of course as soon as I say that, I'll remember one I've let fall through the cracks.So far, I've entered art in a local fair - one pen & ink won first place and is now on display in a local gallery! I should go visit there soon and talk art with the owner. My other piece, a reverse painting on an old window, didn't win anything. But a lady at the fair was impressed with it enough to hire me to paint a stained glass window pane, and if she's happy with my work, she has more.The window is going up for auction at another fair, and I can enter as many as I want. Incidentally, my brother-in-law next door has a window installation business and his backyard is full of old windows he needs to get rid of. I should try to get another painted before Oct. 4, which is when they need to be there. I'm supposed to write a minimum bid amount and hope it goes up from there. This is the first reverse painting I've ever done, and I am nervous to pieces. Of course I picked a complicated subject, because I'm insane like that. It's morning glories in the foreground, a young buck in the middle ground, and three does in the background on a grassy hill.Yesterday I mailed off Lesson 2 for the Kubert School Story-Graphic course. It should be eligible for the contest they're running. That would be great to win, but it's okay if I don't. I have a couple weeks before I should start on the next one, and that suits me fine, because I have those paintings to do.I've also done some writing and promo work for a new book I'd requested a free PDF of, so I fulfilled most of my obligations related to that. Unfortunately I couldn't get the Amazon review done because I haven't ordered from them in a year :( but I'll get it done as soon as I can. (Ethics note: I was pretty sure I'd like the book before I asked for a promo PDF, and it surpassed my expectations. I'm so happy with the free PDF that I'm buying the hard copy.)I did some work on my own comic script, in actual script format! Unfortunately it's for a moment much later in the series and I'm still having trouble working out my first few pages.The reason everything is running smoothly right now is not because I've wanted to work on everything in that order. I didn't. As soon as I got that pane from the lady, I wanted to sit down right then and paint it. But, she doesn't need it until the 15th. So all week I've been wanting to tackle this job, because she came to see me in person and because she's paying cash and because she has other projects she might want me for - but I had shorter deadlines for the other things. And I actually stuck to them and finished them first! :) Now if I can get another window painted before the 4th, I can get the little pane done, call her back, and add a block to my reputation as that rare creature - an artist who beats deadlines.
Well, this is the first year I've actually taken into account that fall *is* busy, and instead of doing what I feel in the mood to do, I've done what needs to be done first. Especially with the kids both going through challenging phases right now, I need to make efficient use of my time. It's a simple concept, I know, but hard to put in practice.
Thanks for the tip, Brien :) I'm thinking this will end up being a graphic novel (or three - recently realized my story has a three-year timeline, and three books appeals to my sense of symmetry), but I'm working on how to lay out everything on the final pages so my art will be as versatile as possible and work with whatever format I can get it published in. My idea on considering the pages a spread at a time seems to be more useful than I first thought, since I read about full-bleed pages in perfect bound graphic novels.
Wow you sound busy. Very inspiring. It's tough to make deadlines and stick to them. Keep up the good work. And I pray that you will be blessed with even more work!
Excellent. Its a lot of fun when talent, training and time coincide.
Sometimes beginnings of Graphic novels are hard to start because we under-rate our viewer's attention-span. A bigger project means that a reader has a bigger commitment to you when the start, and you can spend a little more time introducing your character and story, often in a low-key way.
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Thanks for the tip, Brien :) I'm thinking this will end up being a graphic novel (or three - recently realized my story has a three-year timeline, and three books appeals to my sense of symmetry), but I'm working on how to lay out everything on the final pages so my art will be as versatile as possible and work with whatever format I can get it published in. My idea on considering the pages a spread at a time seems to be more useful than I first thought, since I read about full-bleed pages in perfect bound graphic novels.
Wow you sound busy. Very inspiring. It's tough to make deadlines and stick to them. Keep up the good work. And I pray that you will be blessed with even more work!
Excellent. Its a lot of fun when talent, training and time coincide.
Sometimes beginnings of Graphic novels are hard to start because we under-rate our viewer's attention-span. A bigger project means that a reader has a bigger commitment to you when the start, and you can spend a little more time introducing your character and story, often in a low-key way.
God bless your deadlines.
Outstanding Paula, and well done! May God continue to bless your art and honor your faithfulness and timeliness to Him and to others!