tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89602237235440668142024-03-05T09:00:14.776-05:00ColourismaChar Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459914038685888924noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-70961012794501076712020-08-12T02:13:00.001-04:002020-08-12T02:13:45.506-04:00Interview with Kristy Guenther<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2JIhBXU6sbc" width="560"></iframe>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-62044161692759782412020-08-12T02:12:00.000-04:002020-08-12T02:12:09.342-04:00Colourisma Interview with Bruce Brenneise <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U9A8JRhSkAM" width="560"></iframe>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-10852597113349426062020-07-28T02:28:00.000-04:002020-07-28T02:28:22.824-04:00You’re Just a Nobody?!<div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BjdwgBxwd0A" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>(Sorry for the quality in this one! I'm continually researching ways to attain better internet... Internet in an RV is more difficult than in a brick and mortar house!)</div>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-74245364770499551822020-07-28T02:25:00.001-04:002020-07-28T02:25:37.697-04:00Chasing Your Art Career Dreams!<br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xGTvHUG6nJY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-46712666786902261942013-01-09T08:30:00.000-05:002013-01-09T13:59:54.491-05:00Tool of the Trade: Rescue Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.rescuetime.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://www.rescuetime.com/images/logo_team_simple.png" /></a></div>
So you're a freelancer, you're either full time or part time, but either way you are dedicated to your craft.<br />
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And yet how much time do you spend playing that Facebook game, checking that Twitter feed or obsessing over those Google Analytics?<br />
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Confession time: Everyone does it. So do I. Several studies suggest taking downtime during the day can even increase productivity.<br />
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But when you freelance, time can be a serious commodity. When you don't get much done in a day, you only have yourself to blame. You're the boss.<br />
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Enter <a href="https://www.rescuetime.com/" target="_blank">Rescue Time</a>: Your new boss. <br />
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This little app measures what you do on the computer- from checking email, editing in Photoshop, productive social networking, as well as the less productive time sinks that can catch you off guard. <br />
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Rescue Time can help you:<br />
<ul class="homepage-bullets">
<li>Spot inefficiencies in your day.</li>
<li>Become better at self-managing.</li>
<li>Make measurable changes that impact your time in a positive way. </li>
</ul>
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Sometimes just realising how much time you're spending unproductively is a real motivator to keeping yourself on track. Perhaps even knowing something is tracking you and what you're doing helps you to stay focused.<br />
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The app can be controlled from it's interface online. You can tell it when to turn on and off, what to monitor or not to monitor, it's fully customisable.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Competition may be the best way to stay productive!</td></tr>
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It may not be for everyone if privacy is a major concern for you, but for me, it just keeps me on my toes and reminds me to keep working!<br />
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<br />Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-67584322886295341792013-01-02T08:30:00.000-05:002013-01-02T16:36:31.466-05:00Happy 2013!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3133/2693161493_191153491d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3133/2693161493_191153491d.jpg" width="167" /></a></td></tr>
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<dl id="yui_3_7_3_3_1355641719165_434" style="text-align: left;"><dd><span class="ccIcn ccIcnSmall"></span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" title="Attribution License">Some rights reserved</a> </dd><dd>by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayasaa/">bayasaa</a>
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Hi everyone, <a href="http://www.colourisma.com/p/about.html" target="_blank">Char</a> here. Back with Colourisma and more Tips, Tricks and Tools of the Art Trade!<br />
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I apologise for the lengthy delay in posts. My plan is to post every Wednesday and to be several weeks caught up. As all bloggers tell you, the most important things about keeping a blog are consistency and planning!<br />
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Part of the delay was finally finding my career path last year. It's been a long meandering road, about 10 years actually. Ironically, I ended up where I began... <br />
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I started off working at a pet store while doing my art on the side. It seemed to take 10 years to come full circle and smoosh "pet" and "art" together to come up with my current passion: <a href="http://petpicsart.com/" target="_blank">PetPicsArt.com</a>!<br />
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If you guys are interested, I'll post more about my journey so you can use it to inspire your own!<br />
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I want to help my fellow artists, those starting off and those continuing on alike (if I can reduce your path to be shorter than mine, all the better, right?). I hope to have a year planned with interesting
apps, helpful tips and tricks from fellow pros in the field to help you
on your path to artistic greatness!<br />
<br />Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-89632566564035281672011-05-16T09:00:00.003-04:002020-07-15T05:08:41.585-04:00Trick: The benefit of Picnik<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you're not familiar with <a href="http://www.picnik.com/">Picnik</a>, then now might be a good time to start!<br />
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If you use Firefox, there is a great little Addon called <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/picnik/">Picnik</a> (v2.3), which allows you to right click on any image and edit it all online.<br />
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In Chrome, you can use the <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hcifofgaphfkfdcjbdogpamghiihilkl?hl=en-US">Picnik Extension for Chrome</a>.<br />
Both versions allow you to edit images without having to login or sign up for an account as well. <br />
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If you're used to using the internet for reference, but have been frustrated by having to move the image from the internet to Photoshop, this little addon will greatly reduce the time fiddling with images online. Need to flip an image horizontally? Adjust contrast? You can do a lot all within Picnic without having to leave your browser!Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-50266014878372982872011-05-13T14:07:00.002-04:002012-12-16T02:34:15.883-05:00Tool of the Trade: Photoshop CS5.1 Subscription Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was so excited when I heard that Adobe was allowing a subscription of Photoshop that I went ahead and pre-ordered it almost a whole month in advance.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Benefits</span></b><br />
While a great deal at $35 USD/mo for a year's subscription, you do need to know that you are still only renting the software, not buying it through a payment plan. This works out well if you have your own business and can write it off as a business expense. And at $35, even those on a modest budget can manage.<br />
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A perk, from what I understand, is that you get updates as they arrive and unlike those who buy the software outright, you don't have to pay extra for it.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Disadvantages</span></b><br />
However, for the affordable price and updates, there are some downsides to the subscription edition.<br />
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The biggest one I've found so far is that you can only run the software while online. I realise this is an anti-pirating precaution, but it does become frustrating in situations where I will not have a wifi connection or I will have to pay to get one (ie: airports). I'd still have to count it as a major downside to the software.<br />
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While Photoshop ran absolutely fine before, it hasn't been the same since I tried to run it while offline. I'll save someone the hassle of a 90 minute phone call with tech support and give you the full blown version of the answer to the problem that I was actually able to cram into a single tweet.<br />
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If you accidentally (or purposefully) start Photoshop Subscription Edition up without being online first, you'll find the Adobe Application Manager pop up and presents you with this message: "We are unable to activate Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 subscription edition," informing you that you're not allowed to run the software offline. On my MacBook OS 10.6.7, when I tried to press "Try again", it went to the next screen to Activate the software, but stalled and never gave an error message.<br />
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<b>To <i>temporarily</i> fix this issue on a Mac:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Go to <b>Macintosh HD</b> -> <b>Library</b> -> <b>Application Support </b>-> <b>Adobe</b> -> <b>Adobe PCD</b></li>
<li>In <b>Adobe PCD</b> you might find a <b>pcd.db</b> file, delete it.</li>
<li>Go to <b>Adobe PCD</b> -> <b>cache</b></li>
<li>In the cache, you will find a <b>cache.db</b> file, delete it.</li>
<li>Open Photoshop and re-enter your serial number and Adobe login information.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><b>To <i>temporarily</i> fix this issue on Windows:</b></span></i><br />
<ul>
<li>In C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Adobe PCD</li>
<li>Move pcd.db out of the folder or delete it. </li>
<li>Then in the Cache folder, delete cache.db.</li>
</ul>
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The next major issue is that I have to do this every time I close then reopen Photoshop, extremely aggravating- especially since about 50% of the time, it also forgets my shortcuts that I've set up (I have a Norwegian laptop keyboard setup, so I can't use normal shortcuts). If anyone knows how to permanently solve the problem, I'd be forever grateful for the information!</div>
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For now, I have a quick fix, but I'm hoping on the next update (any time soon would be nice), this issue will get resolved.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Conclusion</span></b></div>
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Photoshop CS5.1 Subscription Edition is a great value if you go with the $35/mo yearly plan ($49 on a month to month basis), but with some of the early bugs to still work out and the inability to work offline, it might be a deal breaker for some. In that case, just keep saving for the full version!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Do you have any advantages or disadvantages to share about Photoshop Subscription Edition? Please share in the comments!</i></div>
Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-60781006342085063022011-04-25T16:11:00.001-04:002011-04-25T16:12:05.612-04:00Tip: References and LightingI have deliberated over updates for Colourisma. I decided I should go back to the roots of why I started this blog and move back to providing "tips, tricks and tools of the trade," providing information that's helpful in your artistic journey. I frequently think of little tricks that make my art process a little bit easier and I thought this blog would be the perfect vehicle to get this information out to fellow artists.<br />
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Today, I thought about lighting and how to work with reference that may be different that what you need. For instance, what if you needed a hand reference picture, but the lighting doesn't match your illustration?<br />
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<b>Step 1</b>: Collect Reference<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aurelijus/2285860618/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hands by Aurelijus Valeiša, on Flickr"><img alt="Hands" height="180" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2208/2285860618_6d040c6367_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><strong class="username" id="yui_3_3_0_1_1303761487117836" style="color: #222222; display: block; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 13px; margin-top: 0px;">By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aurelijus/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #0063dc; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white; text-decoration: none;">Aurelijus Valeiša</a></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>Step 2</b>: Desaturate the photo. In Photoshop, go to Image-> Adjustments-> Hue/Saturation<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLgRIwN2Kq1BUuRUYDyQ-ZKT2pD7ZE9vKnM2CHmwyiD0H6DIwpAzqa_PowmB6f0NlRuPUoPYMd5gUuXDtseiW04bkUVo72wM91eYV5OTn-tElxTQ_JqMAcMA1c5IHFBu18RZ6EQRAl6c/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+15.59.20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLgRIwN2Kq1BUuRUYDyQ-ZKT2pD7ZE9vKnM2CHmwyiD0H6DIwpAzqa_PowmB6f0NlRuPUoPYMd5gUuXDtseiW04bkUVo72wM91eYV5OTn-tElxTQ_JqMAcMA1c5IHFBu18RZ6EQRAl6c/s320/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+15.59.20.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>Step 3</b>: Move the Saturation slider to -100<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzlJ6xSML9GWbAAc9F6L2Aeda-BHBhu1ixs8WpN5Tfzvy_QSuoJ9us-vn87V6_3KNQSXmOf30JS_cHnk0ejn-QmePs1twt9lZEjaNwrCS4T9hnx6h5ZVfTXL2PMLzk7ukkfQ8uw8-ttM/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+15.56.57.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzlJ6xSML9GWbAAc9F6L2Aeda-BHBhu1ixs8WpN5Tfzvy_QSuoJ9us-vn87V6_3KNQSXmOf30JS_cHnk0ejn-QmePs1twt9lZEjaNwrCS4T9hnx6h5ZVfTXL2PMLzk7ukkfQ8uw8-ttM/s320/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+15.56.57.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>Step 4</b>: Go to Image-> Adjustments-> Invert<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKzhlqcLpIWGKBX3Slh2N6YJxV0DW-8QfpLxOZFltAVnheAJoelc0k5sE7FLGRycYlZWd-fR7ovchh8_bgZTCTEtMeLDA8DfV2hXUx1ZfSF7hc4RE7UQFMFzLNrVrwc7I_-23AtbKyrw/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+15.55.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKzhlqcLpIWGKBX3Slh2N6YJxV0DW-8QfpLxOZFltAVnheAJoelc0k5sE7FLGRycYlZWd-fR7ovchh8_bgZTCTEtMeLDA8DfV2hXUx1ZfSF7hc4RE7UQFMFzLNrVrwc7I_-23AtbKyrw/s320/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+15.55.02.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>Final</b>: Now you have an idea as to how the lighting works in reverse. So if you have a great photo reference, but you are frustrated by the lighting in the piece, then this can really help you reference lighting that works with your illustration.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbWY8XJHopCKaI4rvgfLRJOI-Xxk69cfpyxDiKmwOBLjiOLDBkAZym5tPpCJJA2R6x8BSRfBtClPNWMLrG0Sd_-gHDiHNxLlLgpWzd9BqDwe2eJryKTeQ115ib6fLJldQxAePAM7dttE/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+16.04.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbWY8XJHopCKaI4rvgfLRJOI-Xxk69cfpyxDiKmwOBLjiOLDBkAZym5tPpCJJA2R6x8BSRfBtClPNWMLrG0Sd_-gHDiHNxLlLgpWzd9BqDwe2eJryKTeQ115ib6fLJldQxAePAM7dttE/s320/Screen+shot+2011-04-25+at+16.04.00.png" width="320" /></a></div>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-59776139725868141112011-03-17T09:00:00.004-04:002011-03-17T09:00:18.644-04:00Get Inspired, Be Inspiring<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42931449@N07/5187987248/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Inspiration by photosteve101, on Flickr"><img alt="Inspiration" height="195" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1308/5187987248_31279aab47_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>Hello everyone!<br />
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First a big thanks to Char for giving other artist the opportunity to be a guest writer. Thanks Char!<br />
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In this article I’m going to talk about inspiration. It’s funny, because a while ago someone asked me what exactly inspired me to draw or to keep drawing. It got me thinking, because drawing has always been a part of my life, so I never really considered the ‘why’ part. Drawing is something that runs in both sides of my family. So this got me also wondering, because having the talent running in the family doesn't automatically mean that you will inherit the ability to draw. Why do I draw?<br />
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I've always been interested in creating things on paper. Armed with a piece of paper and a pencil, I started doodling stuff. Most of it was probably unrecognizable from my surroundings, but they told a story in my mind. I think when you are younger you are carefree, you see the fun in everything you do and you tend to draw spontaneous and carefree. As you get older you get more responsibilities and you tend to make things more difficult than they really are. I think this can eventually block the inspiration flow for a lot of people.<br />
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What keeps me inspired? Inspiration is a big word and has many layers. What inspires me doesn’t have to be inspiring to others. For me, inspiration can be found in the smallest and plainest things in life. Maybe you see dust twirling in a sun beam and it sparks a feeling, an image or an idea. I can't really explain how it goes, but it feels like it sparks forgotten memories or maybe even memories that haven't been created yet. And it's not that these memories suddenly flash before my eyes, but what I eventually grasp is this feeling that will be translated in a drawing or story piece. It's quite difficult to put it in words though, but I hope you understand what I mean!<br />
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Also, just talking to people, hearing others talk or watching other artists draw, can inspire me to draw new things. Sometimes just one word in a conversation can spark a whole new drawing. There are so many interesting things in the world that I often find myself just daydreaming and creating new worlds in my mind. So I try to capture all this in words or quick sketches and I will work on them in a later stage. The same goes for music or reading books or magazines. The way songs are composed or sentences are constructed can be an inspiration for new drawings.<br />
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What I often forget that getting inspired also works the other way around. I often hear from others that I inspire them to pick up brushes again or do something new and I’m truly grateful for this. Have to say that I never considered this at all, but it makes sense. By being inspired by others, you improve your own skills and you inspire others to get better as well. It’s a vicious circle, but I often get stuck at the part where I only get inspired by others!<br />
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Finally, just one tip: Don’t get scared or too annoyed when you get an ‘artist block’. It’s only normal to have them and it usually happens when you start to over think things and are trying too hard. Well in my case anyway haha. Just let it go, focus on other things and it should get better.<br />
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Thanks for reading and feel free to share your stories as well.<br />
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Take care everyone,<br />
<br />
TJ<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><b>About </b></span></i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><span lang="EN-US">TJ Lubrano is a freelance illustrator from The Netherlands. She's self taught works mostly with watercolours & ink. Drawing has always been a passion of hers and most of the time she is to be found in her own imaginative world. To get to know more about her, just visit her site<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.tjlubrano.com/" style="color: #0065cc;" target="_blank">A Look in a Creative Mind</a>. TJ can also be found on Facebook and Twitter under the name TJ Lubrano.</span></i></span></span>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-54351265104256121992011-03-14T20:35:00.001-04:002011-03-14T20:37:37.641-04:00Creative Ways to Help Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5519121209/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Heavy black plume of smoke streams southeast from Sendai, Japan by NASA Goddard Photo and Video, on Flickr"><img alt="Heavy black plume of smoke streams southeast from Sendai, Japan" height="397" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5519121209_8f47f2710f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<br />
As you're probably well aware, Japan was hit on Friday with both an earthquake and tsunami. Here are some creative ways to help with the relief efforts on eBay:<br />
<br />
When going to the <a href="http://donations.ebay.com/charity_event_61.html">Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief</a> page on eBay, you have the choice to <a href="http://donations.ebay.com/charity_event_61.html#buynp">Buy</a>, <a href="http://donations.ebay.com/charity_event_61.html#sellnp">Sell</a> or <a href="http://donations.ebay.com/charity_event_61.html#donatenow">Donate</a>.<br />
<br />
Buying allows a portion (or all) of the cost of the item you are buying will go to the relief effort. Support a fellow artist by <a href="http://donations.ebay.com/charity/event.jsp?NP_ID=-61&id=&searchString=artwork&submit=Search&sortOrder=1#buynp">buying artwork</a> done for the effort.<br />
<br />
By selling an item on eBay, you can donate a portion of your profit to help those in Japan. Use your talent to help!<br />
<br />
Finally, you can donate directly, if you don't need anything and just want to help.Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-26049342835020859892011-03-07T17:34:00.001-05:002011-03-07T17:35:31.772-05:00Looking for Guest Artists!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenorton/2229437427/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Shadow of a Writing Hand by lowjumpingfrog, on Flickr"><img alt="Shadow of a Writing Hand" height="180" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2077/2229437427_40e2a1bb32_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><strong class="username" id="yui_3_3_0_1_1299537305629637" style="color: #222222; display: block; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 13px; margin-top: 0px;">Image By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenorton/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #0063dc; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: white; text-decoration: none;">lowjumpingfrog</a></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Due to my increasingly busy schedule, I'm on the look out for guest artists to contribute opinion pieces, how-to, insights or other art-and/or-business related topics. This is a great way to get blog writing experience, which opens the gateway to editorials in the future!<br />
<br />
<b>If you are interested in contributing to Colourisma, please email <a href="mailto:colourisma@gmail.com">colourisma@gmail.com</a>!</b>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-71101078833781174092011-02-28T12:31:00.000-05:002011-02-28T12:31:13.171-05:00The Importance of Following Up<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sudhamshu/3202963823/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="You're it! - Tagged by Sudhamshu, on Flickr"><img alt="You're it! - Tagged" height="160" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/3202963823_4eb493c963_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="name" id="yui_3_3_0_1_12989127686481444"><strong class="username" id="yui_3_3_0_1_12989127686481446">Image By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sudhamshu/">Sudhamshu</a></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Remembering to follow up is such an important business practice as an artist. <br />
<br />
<b>For getting jobs...</b><br />
<br />
It's easy to take things too personally. If someone doesn't respond to an email inquiry you sent, it feels like an insult or rejection letter. However, people get busy. More often than not, if a job was posted in a public place, they could have just gotten swamped with mail. You may have send one initial inquiry, but imagine how much you increase your odds if you send a follow up email? Suddenly, you're at the top of email pile again and it might mean the difference between getting a job and never hearing anything back.<br />
<br />
<b>For keeping jobs...</b><br />
<br />
Following up is also really important for keeping up on current projects. Everyone gets busy for any number of reasons. The client really <i>meant</i> to pay that invoice, but it got buried under the pile of mail or work. Following up on current projects allows you to keep better track of your potential income. It also allows you to check in regularly with your client to see how the project is moving along.<br />
<br />
<b>How to follow up</b><br />
<br />
My system for following up occurs every Monday. I use gmail and rely on it's Priority Inbox system to keep my emails organised. I use it as a make-shift to do list. Items I want to follow up on or keep track of week-to-week, month-to-month get starred. Items that I need to work on that day do not. Unread mail stays at the top and right in focus. I keep my starred items collapsed and follow up on them once a week on Mondays, as it helps me to get my schedule for the week in order and payments processed ASAP.<br />
<br />
I find writing follow up emails to be really easy. It's supposed to be a gentle reminder, so make sure to keep it that way. A quick message explaining you are trying to schedule your weekly plans and would like a response is more likely to get a response than a demanding letter. <br />
<br />
<b>When following up doesn't work</b><br />
<br />
It happens. You've sent a follow up email for 3-4 weeks in a row without result. If it's an important matter like an invoice due or the next step in the project, you should either consider finding an alternate email address to use (sometimes accounts DO get hacked and there's no way for them to let you know!) or find alternate methods to contact them. Refusal to pay disputes may require the services of a lawyer.<br />
<br />
If it's a potential project, but you do not receive a response, perhaps change your cycle of following up to once every 2-4 weeks. It could be the project is delayed and they are just waiting for more information before sending out another email. Maybe they decided to give up the project all together and your emails are just hitting the bin. Don't waste too much time on potential projects, there are always more around the corner and your time would be better spent finding and applying (and following up!) to new ones.<br />
<br />
<i>What are your follow up techniques? Please share with us in the comments!</i>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-20152101524537517132011-02-25T12:05:00.000-05:002011-02-25T12:05:26.025-05:00Friday Feature: Dave Rapoza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPk1mnvoS3dxMUwbAXiA-r4q-IQHy1joIeCifLkBXEQytNCQNlskvF6_n1ONBgSaZFML-TXodNMYsqehW7CFgrwK3ctPhH8mO_pkmNqtMMv5f2BXdqb0x6MTbHsPUh2VhyphenhyphenJ7C_MIrB514/s1600/513_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPk1mnvoS3dxMUwbAXiA-r4q-IQHy1joIeCifLkBXEQytNCQNlskvF6_n1ONBgSaZFML-TXodNMYsqehW7CFgrwK3ctPhH8mO_pkmNqtMMv5f2BXdqb0x6MTbHsPUh2VhyphenhyphenJ7C_MIrB514/s320/513_large.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><b>Dave Rapoza</b><br />
<a href="http://daverapoza.blogspot.com/">Portfolio</a><br />
<br />
A great inspiration of mine, Dave rocks the fantasy illustration market with his vibrant colours and phenomenal lighting. With credits such as Magic the Gathering and Paizo Publishing to his name, he's an accomplished illustrator who also offers classes on the online art school <a href="https://www.schoolism.com/">Schoolism</a>. Be sure to check out his crazy monster paintings!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><i>Want to be featured? Feel a friend is deserving of the limelight? <a href="mailto:colourisma@gmail.com">Send an email</a> with a name, portfolio link and a sample of the work to be showcased on Colourisma!</i></span></span>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-52644530800770442982011-02-23T16:23:00.000-05:002011-02-23T16:23:06.298-05:00"Improve Portfolio's Style" Experiment Week 5In week five of the Improve Portfolio Style series, I've gotten one piece retouched, and now I'm working on another piece that could be a lot better given a few improvements.<br />
<br />
Here is the original piece:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQBfLgRi-wDT11mOENxFtg8zKZ9jmYIKyLf5YAdG-oLcIPnfjL6rjTR3mmJAfnIhfbA0CgrVSv_DxZNbHj8QvjW0d6-JkYklt3b_VKKvZN-Olrf9wWDWreo0DTMHW6FTgdEvWmfjrWjQ/s1600/WerewolfCalendarContestWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQBfLgRi-wDT11mOENxFtg8zKZ9jmYIKyLf5YAdG-oLcIPnfjL6rjTR3mmJAfnIhfbA0CgrVSv_DxZNbHj8QvjW0d6-JkYklt3b_VKKvZN-Olrf9wWDWreo0DTMHW6FTgdEvWmfjrWjQ/s320/WerewolfCalendarContestWeb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here is a WIP of the piece:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN__d0wnPzsCBWE8N-wI_MZoBLO-u75s5PdQvjVBHcwbmplXN51OP29eN4mhAKLVvuPVKU7Xh06Ec63w9Il9UcPoNwnz90PgYyzuU_OL4-taA02HgLQ41Z0jFHtrBNLQqK5KdijHmIlY/s1600/WerewolfWIP1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN__d0wnPzsCBWE8N-wI_MZoBLO-u75s5PdQvjVBHcwbmplXN51OP29eN4mhAKLVvuPVKU7Xh06Ec63w9Il9UcPoNwnz90PgYyzuU_OL4-taA02HgLQ41Z0jFHtrBNLQqK5KdijHmIlY/s320/WerewolfWIP1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Some of the things that were changed:<br />
<ul><li>I added a better underlying story, making the rider a Pony Express mailman.</li>
<li>I changed the saddle after doing research into the Pony Express and added the special removable mail bags onto the tack.</li>
<li>I added a moustache and jacket that better depicts the time period.</li>
</ul>Some things I'd like to add:<br />
<ul><li> Adjust the anatomy on the werewolves.</li>
<li>Add Native American décor to the werewolves to help push the underlying conflict and emphasise that they are werewolves.</li>
</ul>I'd love to hear any other suggestions!Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-81246280592003444442011-02-21T11:28:00.002-05:002011-02-21T11:46:45.425-05:00Invoicing Choices<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cybrgrl/2693815369/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Invoices by cybrgrl, on Flickr"><img alt="Invoices" height="180" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2693815369_d554854cf9_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo <span class="name" id="yui_3_3_0_1_1298300833173888"><b class="username" id="yui_3_3_0_1_1298300833173890">By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cybrgrl/">cybrgrl</a></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>A little favoured task of artists... Invoicing.<br />
<br />
...But you might as well know and understand your options. Fortunately there are several.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Online Solutions</b></span><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://paypal.com/">Paypal</a></b><br />
Paypal is a free solution for online invoicing. It's the one I use the most often, even though I did buy a desktop solution. It allows as many clients as you want, though it's invoicing interface isn't as pretty as the invoice-only online solutions. However, since most people online nowadays pay and buy via PayPal, it's a succinct, accessible solution.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.siwapp.org/"><b>Siwapp</b></a><br />
Siwapp is an open source invoicing site that has a great looking interface. The site comes with a <a href="http://www.siwapp.org/community.html">Community</a> section, which can help with questions you may have. Every application is slightly different, but at the price of free, it's worth trying out to see if it meets your needs. There are other free, open source options out there as well, so be sure to do some homework and look them up if you feel Siwapp doesn't quite meet your needs.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.invoicemore.com/">Invoice More</a></b><br />
Invoice More offers a tiered pricing plan, which is common with online invoicing apps. The free version allows you to test it out and see if it meets your needs. Both free and the $15/mo plan offer unlimited invoices, recurring items, PDF generation; emailing and <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/mrb/pal=XRWSXXQ67P576">PayPal Standard</a> payments. The paid plan offers credit card payment integration, unbranded emails for a more personal touch and Secure SSL Encryption. There are many, many invoicing products like this that offer a limited free account option. I find that the free accounts are usually too limiting for an illustrator, as we have a lot of different clients, but perhaps you can finagle it so it can work for you.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.freshbooks.com/">FreshBooks</a></b><br />
FreshBooks is the self-proclaimed leader in online invoicing that has popularity with a lot of different types of freelancers. It's geared to a small business, accommodating several employees, which is a feature that is probably not much use to artists who usually operate via sole proprietorships. It has a tiered price plan with the free version allowing for three clients and all the options of the other price plans except it has branded emails and no project managers, time management and team expense reporting options. <br />
<br />
<b>Pros and Cons to Online Invoicing</b><br />
There are many pros to online invoicing. The ease of access to your information on the go makes this a great solution. Also, cross-platform issues become non existent, as these options work on your Mac or PC. The sheer volume of choices make it really easy to pick the best solution for your business. This can also be the start of the downside. It can be hard to pick a solution that has everything you need and it can be time consuming to go through all the options. You should be careful that the solution you pick offers a sufficient level of protection and security, as being online provides more risk than being on a desktop with no access to the internet. I feel the pros of online invoicing outweigh the cons and my solution through trial and error is simply just PayPal.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Desktop Solutions</b></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.billingsapp.com/"><b>Billings</b></a><br />
Billings is the desktop app that I decided to buy. It worked well and makes nice looking invoices, but I ended up not using it much because it was a chore to keep track of the invoices and income as it all had to be entered manually. It also is Mac only, which is common platform for a lot of desktop invoicing solutions (at least the pretty ones), but this can single a lot of people out of using them, especially artists who are pretty even in Mac/PC usage.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nchsoftware.com/invoice/index.html"><b>Express Invoice</b></a><br />
This is a free option for both Mac and Windows. It lacks a bit of the polish of Billings, but most of the functionality remains. There is a pro version for those who need more than five users, which probably won't include many reading this article! I say give it a go and see if it does what you need.<br />
<br />
<b>Pros and Cons to Desktop Invoicing</b><br />
If you dig, you can find more options, but they generally fall under the Mac-only, moderately expensive or "free-but you get what you pay for" model, which doesn't work for a lot of people. The pros of having desktop invoicing software is that it allows you to work offline and still invoice. Another is some desktop applications have accompanying smart phone apps which allow for "on the go" invoicing. The manual entering of each invoice to track records and sales can be tedious and time consuming, especially when you have deadlines. Many desktop solutions don't brand their name on the invoices, so it allows for better customisation. You'll just have to experiment with online and desktop software to see which option works best for you.<br />
<br />
<i>Do you use any invoicing software not on this list? What are it's pros and cons? Leave a comment!</i>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-64444324661000848392011-02-18T09:00:00.005-05:002011-02-18T10:46:55.207-05:00Friday Feature: Michael Kutsche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJil3EDcgeWT0J5Hl_9yBjphMWgStWTWR7HBxUphUR8qACl_qj1dUDqGBjlI-2l20QBqAsx4cW6He0_CefwQ8ZdL8u3KFvm5GBBSM-pliPW9QcJ3TO05rm2f-oWLVInMWKzJJmMJ8O9s/s1600/Alice___Cheshire_Cat_by_michaelkutsche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJil3EDcgeWT0J5Hl_9yBjphMWgStWTWR7HBxUphUR8qACl_qj1dUDqGBjlI-2l20QBqAsx4cW6He0_CefwQ8ZdL8u3KFvm5GBBSM-pliPW9QcJ3TO05rm2f-oWLVInMWKzJJmMJ8O9s/s320/Alice___Cheshire_Cat_by_michaelkutsche.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Michael Kutsche</b><br />
<a href="http://michaelkutsche.com/">Portfolio</a><br />
<br />
German-born artist Michael Kutsche is self taught in both traditional and digital mediums. His hyper-realistic, other worldly characters and creatures have landed him such clients as Sony Imageworks, Dreamworks, Disney Studios, Marvel Studios and SEGA.<br />
<br />
He's probably most known for his work on Time Burton's Alice in Wonderland concepts. Be sure to browse through Michael's <a href="http://michaelkutsche.com/">gallery</a> for images that seem to glimpse into a parallel universe!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Want to be featured? Feel a friend is deserving of the limelight? <a href="mailto:colourisma@gmail.com">Send an email</a> with a name, portfolio link and a sample of the work to be showcased on Colourisma!</i></span>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-88092457328842092162011-02-17T11:08:00.000-05:002011-02-17T11:08:04.319-05:00"Improve Portfolio's Style" Experiment Week 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzymVx7S03yf0-XaxiwuHIitW8zX8edmq8FAj_o7qQDwsr9qs-Mi7Bx95HbWr9pOH-abunSWjRcBNEQRhvHRTLlGnbv_DgEVov2EgqO-cP5T2aMLFVDxKZbalDB-j4GG5e4aN8s2wm08/s1600/CommonStoneCrabRedoWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzymVx7S03yf0-XaxiwuHIitW8zX8edmq8FAj_o7qQDwsr9qs-Mi7Bx95HbWr9pOH-abunSWjRcBNEQRhvHRTLlGnbv_DgEVov2EgqO-cP5T2aMLFVDxKZbalDB-j4GG5e4aN8s2wm08/s320/CommonStoneCrabRedoWeb.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><br />
I've completed my Stone crab piece, improved upon the original that can be viewed <a href="http://charreed.deviantart.com/art/Giant-Stone-Crab-179918235">here</a>. I'm happier at how this piece looks now. I've learned a lot by continuing to push the piece and adding more to it and developing more of a story.<br />
<br />
But now I am moving onto the next piece I'd like to improve upon! Stay tuned next week to read more about it!Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-42240602332641870142011-02-15T10:00:00.002-05:002011-02-15T10:06:19.542-05:00Find Your First Illustration Client... Now on Lulu!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.colourisma.com/p/find-your-first-illustration-client.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xsg294UBWZFQpK2N7ae7R5rdIdGEvn1B3BTYpaR50d7gCVRp78Xm_ABJEGFgtMnmfRW5X8K2NDp5thm7FxWfqSXVvxRuuM6IiJXz-xxvDCsttSZGyuk1oMikeAm8JZw2pbZMJbSPltE/s200/FindYourFirstIllustrationClient...TodayCover.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><b> Good news!</b><br />
<br />
I've provided another way to purchase the <a href="http://www.colourisma.com/p/find-your-first-illustration-client.html">Quick Reference Guide</a>! If you love <a href="http://www.lulu.com/">Lulu</a>, it's now available as a digital download for your convenience.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/find-your-first-illustration-client-today-quick-reference-guide/14742757">Be sure to check it out!</a><br />
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<center><a href="http://www.lulu.com/commerce/index.php?fBuyContent=10144900"><img alt="Support independent publishing: Buy this e-book on Lulu." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jqmZdhvAMGphZdMBkoDRpfu_-hcWgEmMgFX37k4aGjg7Dcx1qiTjLCjOxiJb6guBIWR-BcCVF-2ociaezBdgbCMFOflilbiMIPYfsK7d9drTJnpzA8hV13OZM48UMg2DSa8h0dyzTVk/s1600/LuluBuyNow.png" /></a></center>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-10904950911989153152011-02-14T11:02:00.000-05:002011-02-14T11:02:32.232-05:00Fire up the Passion<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/strelitzia/291479315/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Rouge Passion by strelitzia ---, on Flickr"><img alt="Rouge Passion" height="160" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/109/291479315_51a617b2d9_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rouge Passion <span class="name" id="yui_3_3_0_1_12976980128921095"><strong class="username" id="yui_3_3_0_1_12976980128921097">By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/strelitzia/">strelitzia ---</a></strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We all have a love/hate relationship with our art.<br />
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<b>Today, focus on the part of your art that you love.</b> I've recently been exploring, trying to find a niche I belonged to. Somewhere I could leave a mark and my art could prosper.<br />
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But lately, I feel as though I'm spreading myself too thin, becoming unfocused and forgetting the things I'm passionate about that got me into the illustration business in the first place.<br />
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I'm going to go back to my roots and focus on fantasy art. I'd neglected it in favour of a few different avenues, but I'm starting to feel the old adage really is true: <b>Jack of all trades is the master of none.</b><br />
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I'll inform everyone on the progress in the shift of my business plan in the next <a href="http://www.colourisma.com/search/label/Experiment%20Wednesdays">Experiment Wednesday</a>!<br />
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<i>What makes you passionate about art? Let us know in the comments!</i>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-18782157453441216352011-02-11T11:12:00.000-05:002011-02-11T11:12:44.092-05:00Friday Feature: Jordu Schell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://schellstudio.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hN1SIeREio2ptkIBR169rAXQl6FjRVKGzfs6deQSJCIX3Zcc_-OM7dN-lB0K32Y0u6bD8uiCVww4wi1ZCsPA75Q2x3XhrUZxVbct7IimXpswvzJ8Ap1pFNcbkf8to8eAMMGCZxS0owU/s320/mask-ixana.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Jordu Schell</b><br />
<a href="http://schellstudio.com/">Portfolio</a><br />
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With amazing, life like sculpture work, Jordu's work has been featured in Hellboy, Aliens vs. Predator, Planet of the Apes,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Men in Black, and even Avatar- for good reason! Looking at his <a href="http://schellstudio.com/">portfolio</a> is like going at an alien zoo. Be sure to check out his work!Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-58508315350797490802011-02-07T15:43:00.001-05:002011-02-07T15:45:33.357-05:00Project OverloadI know I'm definitely guilty of project overload. The upside to having too many projects is that you are never bored! <br />
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The downside is that you can neglect one project or another. Sometimes this is a natural way to prune out old projects, making room for more constructive or profitable ones. Other times you have a project that might take a lot of your time, but isn't generating the results you want. <br />
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Here are some ways to combat project overload:<br />
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<b>Start a mind map</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.xmind.net/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://img.skitch.com/20110207-x6fydsdnhhmqdg8qgty8bf9xhd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I really like mind maps. My favourite free mind map software is <a href="http://www.xmind.net/">XMind</a>, as I've mentioned in my <a href="http://www.colourisma.com/p/find-your-first-illustration-client.html">Quick Reference Guide</a>.<br />
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I find mind mapping allows you to have free flowing thoughts without feeling trapped in a linear way of thinking.<br />
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Start with listing all the projects you are currently working on. Then, you can start branching out and add tasks to each assignment. You can mark it's relevance to your career, it's deadline, it's possible impact on your time and how important you think it is. Mind maps are great as they allow you to keep coming back to them over and over again with new ideas and revisions. <br />
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<b>Image you are helping a friend</b><br />
Pretend for a moment that it's not you who is overwhelmed with too many projects, but a friend coming to you with this issue. It's a lot easier to stay objective when you aren't thinking about yourself. Ask your "friend" which project is the most important or has the most rapidly approaching deadline. Figure out the order of the projects your "friend" should consider by marking them in importance by numbering them from most to least important. This should allow you to step back far enough from the chaos to figure out what the next step should be.<br />
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<b>Keep track of your day</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.google.com/calendar" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://img.skitch.com/20110207-fu11ity24yj3axd5a6csuy7nhr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Nothing makes a bad situation worse as easily as being unorganised. Keep a desk, wall or desktop calendar handy and make sure it's constantly updated. Even down to the hour or minute can help you put things into perspective and keep you focused and on task. If you don't know where your time is going, then you won't which projects are time wasters and which are worth the time you are investing into them.<br />
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<b>Curb the new projects </b><b>back</b><br />
You have a great idea. In fact, it might just be the next BIG thing. However, you already have several projects currently eating up your time and you just can't start work on a new one. Start a mind map or even just a plain notebook and write down the ideas. Nothing is worse than having a great idea, then forgetting it later. Keep the notebook or mind map file handy and refer back to it, adding new ideas or updating the old ones. Once your idea is fleshed out enough, you can then schedule time into your day to make it a reality. Doing so before your idea is fully ready to take form can lead to a lot of wasted time.<br />
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<i>Have you every experienced project overload? What have you done to defeat it? Share your tips in the comments!</i>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05459914038685888924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-22104067937964733282011-02-04T09:00:00.004-05:002011-02-04T15:52:36.357-05:00Friday Feature: Matthew Stewart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWwGgv1Er0TBy8POfouLS-bU5hlLKZ0wEHu64vGpynTE67ShiObcMKvM2ss3_h8zI8BLl7Fqb6lt0z_3HDuh1J2d8sSLtd6RVAB7IyTIgD0pN8vGoRBaA6EQiH7KOJsLuvQ65ArlNiY8/s1600/uploaded-file-16176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWwGgv1Er0TBy8POfouLS-bU5hlLKZ0wEHu64vGpynTE67ShiObcMKvM2ss3_h8zI8BLl7Fqb6lt0z_3HDuh1J2d8sSLtd6RVAB7IyTIgD0pN8vGoRBaA6EQiH7KOJsLuvQ65ArlNiY8/s320/uploaded-file-16176.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><b>Matthew Stewart</b><br />
<a href="http://www.matthew-stewart.com/">Portfolio</a><br />
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Dynamic composition. Excellent lighting. Marvellous characters. There's a lot that can be gleaned from viewing a few pieces from Matthew's portfolio! Be sure to check it out, you won't be disappointed!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Want to be featured? Feel a friend is deserving of the limelight? <a href="mailto:colourisma@gmail.com">Send an email</a> with a name, portfolio link and a sample of the work to be showcased on Colourisma!</i></span>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-67093171727600897632011-02-02T09:00:00.002-05:002011-02-02T09:00:22.457-05:00"Improve Portfolio's Style" Experiment Week 3Even after making an improvement on my crab piece last week, I got some great tips on how to push it even further:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://img.skitch.com/20110202-e6sygg7a5fubp8mbunbqk81ny8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://img.skitch.com/20110202-e6sygg7a5fubp8mbunbqk81ny8.jpg" width="287" /></a></div><br />
<ul><li>Removing some debris on the antennae</li>
<li>Lighten the contrast on the ship</li>
<li>Break up the seaweed and make it smaller to make the crab look bigger</li>
<li>Make the shadow more looming</li>
<li>Add a shipwrecked crew member to add scale and size to the crab</li>
</ul>Sometimes you just want to move on to the next piece, but it can be good to stick with an illustration until you learn everything you can out of it. It will be a better piece in the end!<br />
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<i>Have you reworked a piece to make it better? Post before and afters in the comments! </i>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960223723544066814.post-23123919976525854842011-02-01T09:00:00.002-05:002011-02-01T11:35:06.269-05:00Last Day of the ebook Sale!The introductory offer for <b>Find Your First Illustration Client... Today!</b> ends <u>TODAY</u>!<br />
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<a href="http://www.colourisma.com/p/find-your-first-illustration-client.html">Pick up your copy for <b>$9.99</b>!</a>Char Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315064804888369195noreply@blogger.com0