2022 Year in review

As 2023 comes upon us, I wanted to reflect on what I’ve learned, accomplished, and celebrated over the year and also what I’m looking forward to!

Personal Projects

The Making of The Great Muppet Mural

While almost everything about ToughPigs pièce de résistance happened in 2021 (including all the work that saw the project to fruition), the documentary premiered on January 29th of 2022 and it was a huge and wonderful experience. Recently I learned that this labor of love did not make it to the final selections it was entered into for a couple independent film festivals, but it still remains one of my own personal Crown Jewels of the year. I will be singing its praises and all those involved for decades to come.

This Blog!

I've been doing a relatively acceptable job maintaining this blog for over a year now, and there are a few posts I'm very proud of. I was also very fortunate to have so many wonderful people contribute as well, so if you haven't already, you should give some of these articles a read and support their contributors as well!

Do You Have to be Creative to be a Graphic Designer?

Seriously, I'‘m super proud of these posts!

Illustrative Stuff

I did not draw much this year at all (outside of commissioned work) but what I did do continued my understanding and development of my craft and the mediums I use to create them. I also did not keep up with my figure drawing classes to the extent I had wanted, but I’m already trying to arrange things for next year so that I don’t slack again.

Some of the illustrations I’m most proud of from 2022

Of everything I drew on my own time, my illustration of Luisa Madrigal in the style of Charles Dana Gibson was my favorite. I have plans for more redraw challenges as well as doing more artist games like I did with Will Carroll and Noah Ginex.

Freelance

For the first real time since my daughter was born, I started taking on serious freelance work again. I took on several more notable clients this time around the sun as well as connected with some old friends. The biggest one of course was getting the opportunity to work with Craig Shemin on his newest book, Sam and Friends: The Story Of Jim Henson’s Television Show.

Being back in demand was wonderful, but in many ways I feel that I jumped the gun and bit off more than I could chew, so…

Biggest Lesson Learned

I willingly and happily put almost all creative endeavors aside when my daughter was born with the understanding that someday when she was older, I’d resume drawing regularly (daily), taking on freelance again, and other passion projects. As she has grown more independent, 2022 seemed like the year to dip my toes back in the water for all of that. Unfortunately, I think I dove in the deep end and over–immersed myself. I’ve always been very good about my time management, but along with everything else, I’m a little rusty here too. 

In general, when you work full time (regardless of what your actual job is), it’s difficult at worst to manage your time properly and seemingly unnecessary at best if you’re good and well paid. The latter is very ambitious, but it’s an easy excuse to turn things down if you just don’t feel like doing them. These are all things I will consider in the coming new year.

New Year’s Resolutions 

Having learned that there will never be enough time to do everything, I am hoping to focus on expanding my tool set a little more in 2023. I would like to become proficient in Adobe After Effects, as well as the 3D modeling program, Blender. Part of this is a continued fascination with video production, but more than a few times in the recent past, I’ve realized the tools that I already know aren’t capable of creating some of the concepts I had hoped to present to clients. Learning new software will accommodate this tremendously.

So here’s looking to 2023 and everything that it has in store for all of us. Thank you so much to every wonderful, talented, and awesome person who has helped me on my journey, contributed to this blog, and taken a moment out of there day to give a blog post a read, an Instagram pic a double–tap, or a retweet on Twitter. See you all in 2023!

A.I. Art: Clarification & Controversy

I wasn’t even planning on writing a blog post this week let alone one on such a topic as art generated by artificial intelligence, but as it is part of my industry and I’ve seen so much outrage from my peers (many who are friends) I thought I’d do a little digging and put something a little more comprehensive together than, “Support artists! Denounce technology!”

I’m going to try and keep all of this as brief, simple, and informative as I possibly can, but I’m also going to try and approach this from a (slightly) less biased angle.

What is A.I., and is it Bad?

You don’t have to be relatively well informed to know what AI is. It covers all aspects of our lives from taking care of minor tasks we don’t even think about to the stuff of science fiction nightmares requiring Will Smith to show us that even machines can—and in fact do—love. 

Recently I finished reading Yuval Noah Harari’s Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, a follow up to his bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harari writes a lot about AI and its benefits. Without going into too much detail and wasting time here, the three big takeaways for now are that:

  • AI is actually a really good thing that can drastically help with all sorts of things to improve life everywhere for everyone 

  • Fundamentally, human life as we continue to understand how it works is not that different from how AI learns, adapts, and grows itself

  • It’s becoming clearer that creative things people believed AI could never reproduce aren’t far off and many areas like classical music are actually surpassing humans in quality, structure, and beauty 

I know most people will not believe any of what I have just written, and that’s completely fine. I would never insist you take my word (or anyone else’s) on anything as gospel at–a–glance. I would strongly encourage you to do your own research though. The point is, however, that whether we like it or not, the world is going to continue to change, it always has, and it’s certainly not going to stop because a few of us don’t like the idea of being replaced by anyone or anything. Automation has been changing how we do our jobs and live our lives for centuries, and the whole process has continued to increase at breakneck speed, especially since the 1980s. In other words, AI is most definitely here to stay, and it’s probably better we figure out how to change with it, rather than stubbornly anchor ourselves against it until the next generation sees us as living fossils who refuse to accept change.

But we’re not here for a lecture on science or philosphy from some Muppet–loving Jersey boy whose blog readership doesn’t extend far past his own family and close friends. So let’s instead talk about AI generated art, specifically the latest fad known as Lensa or “Magic Avatars” because there’s a lot to unpack and it gets complicated. 

Avatar Insanity or High Art?

Remember Bitmojis? I hated Bitmojis when they first debuted. Not because of how well or poorly they’re drawn (depending on your tastes), but because I didn’t come up with the idea first. For those not familiar, Bitmojis aren’t too dissimilar from modern day avatars you create like Meta’s more CGI looking Facebook avatars or Apple’s Memojis. My argument at the time was also that they took away opportunities from artists like myself to create illustrations for profit. On the flip side, they give people who do not possess the skill to draw an opportunity to express themselves creatively quite literally. 

Bitmoji, Facebook, and Memoji avatars of yours truly, and one I drew myself (2017)

The point is that there will always be new technology to engage users and experience something they would otherwise have to commission an artist for. I don’t know a single person that has ever created a digital avatar using some type of technology and then claim that their “artwork” was anything other than a fun opportunity to represent themselves online or even just to “jump on the bandwagon.”

Now I recognize this is a slippery slope that could lead to something more nuanced down the road, but for the time being, let’s all try and remember a social media avatar is not the same as a portrait or caricature that you would give as a gift, hang in your living room, or rock on the side of your 1988 conversion van as you drive to your next gig.

AI Art Stink

The main focus of this article and the commotion that it’s caused is a program called Lensa by Prisma AI. At a glance, Lensa is a pretty standard photo and video app that lets you take and edit media with a variety of different features. It’s most popular of course are the filters that “turn your photos into works of art in the style of famous artists” and transform them “with popular art styles - anime, cartoons, sketches, watercolors...” all by using artificial intelligence. The app is free but offers premium monthly or annual subscriptions. 

Okay, so nothing too new there. I am very far from having my finger on the pulse of any social media platform, but even I’m familiar with these types of things enough to know there are tons of them. I’ve even used some of them before myself, so why is this app getting artists in particular so upset?

The Lensa Learning Problem

Not too long ago (like literally just several months ago) Dall–E 2 debuted to slightly different fanfare. Dall–E 2 is also an AI art generator but it seems it’s absolutely ludicrous creations were more comical than threatening (for the most part). Hence, many people looked at Dall–E’s attempts as technological proof that a computer could never imitate the skill of an experienced artist. Or that optimistically, it’s still a ways off. 

Dall–E (and Lensa) uses Apple’s TrueDepth API which most iPhone users know as the same technology that allows them to unlock their phones just by looking at it. Dall–E 2 learned how to create its images by studying tons of information to create images based on text prompts. This AI learning technique is known as Stable Diffusion. 

This is tricky, but basically when AI uses Stable Diffusion, it’s not just learning to recognize features and characteristics of someone’s art, but essentially manipulating and reproducing elements from that art. So the issue then is that artists are accusing AI of using this learning technique by having Lensa specifically build its creations from existing art without permission from the artists it’s emulating. Now it’s hard to find sources to corroborate some of the allegations I’ve read, but many artists have actively accused Prisma AI of stealing their art specifically, requesting the company stop doing so repeatedly, then Prisma AI allegedly refusing and even cyber bullying them about it. There is compelling evidence to lend credibility to these claims where remnants of the artists signatures from original works are sometimes still visible in the AI generated art. 

Darker Secrets

Okay, maybe I’m coming across a little too unbiased by praising what AI could (or hopefully should) be even though I’ve stated in the past how infuriating and hurtful art theft can be. So let’s look at how one of the more nefarious problems with Lensa isn’t even allegations of art theft, but how it depicts your pictures when they become “art.”

A big problem with AI in general is that it learns its lessons from its creators, and even modern day AI—which is touted as pure—has repeatedly displayed racism, nepotism, and sexism. Lensa has lightened skin tones of people of color, struggled with (re)producing Asian features, and sexualized women and children. Other AI art generators have done similar unwarranted things like taken on macabre tones when “crossbreeding” images that did not previously convey violence. 

I want to be clear: these are not alarmist warnings that AI will rise up and destroy humanity. Artificial intelligence reflects the zeitgeist, which includes everything from cute and fun to morally questionable. In other words, whether it’s an art–stealing bot, a perverted algorithm, or even an altruistic ghost in the machine, it’s all taking its cue from us.

Now What?

So where do we go from here? As artists, we tend to react more emotionally because, you know, suffering is kind of “our thing” (until artificial intelligence corners the market on angst too). But like I mentioned before, technology is going to keep moving forward regardless of how we feel about it and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A knee jerk reaction is to call out for regulation but that’s way easier said than done for two big reasons. 

While there has been initiative in congress to try and moderate how things like AI continue to develop, bureaucracy—love it or loathe it—purposely moves slowly to make sure it’s covering all its bases properly (and that is an exceptionally gracious and arguably naive platitude). On top of that, it’s an antiquated system that’s literally hundreds of years old. Technology moves ludicrously faster, meaning that by the time well intentioned and thought out legislation finally passes even in the best of circumstances, the applied science behind that technology is usually obsolete, meaning any government progress was all for nothing. 

The second problem is that government officials aren’t exactly young entrepreneurs anymore who even understand the technology they’re hoping to regulate, prioritize, or control. So when you ask older people using an even older system to help answer these questions, you eventually have to consider if the whole process wouldn’t be better served by the AI you want them to regulate in the first place! Understand though that this is not an endorsement to willfully hand the keys over to tech bros like Elon Musk or Sam Bankman–Fried. It’s pretty clear that being rich does not equal being responsible… or smart… or ethical… or competent… or sane. 

So if creative people only know how to get upset over it, and our leaders only know how to politicize it, as usual, it all comes down to you, the user. AI really can do incredible things, but moving forward, it’s up to us to decide how we’ll use it. 

And this is something everyone really needs to learn how to do better. Consider if that neat new AI avatar is worth the likes verses its privacy policy. Yeah, that’s a whole other kettle of fish because one thing practically no one understands is what kind of personal information you allow software developers access to when you agree to terms and services. 

Like almost every app, Lensa uses legalese to ensure you maintain the rights to your photos, but then vaguely explains they have the right to use those photos to independently aid in research, development, and improving new and existing products. 

This is not a dystopian outlook from a conspiracy theorist either. Your personal data is way more important to all of these developers than what kind of review you leave them on the App Store. A great rule of thumb when you download an app is its cost. If the app is free, then you’re the product that’s for sale.

Sources

I did a fair amount of research for this post, so if you’d like to read a bit more in depth on all of this, please check out these articles:

Lensa AI app: What to know about the self portrait generator by Meera Navlakha
Mashable

Understanding the impact of automation on workers, jobs, and wages by Harry J. Holzer
Brookings

Prisma is coming to Android, but there's a way to get it sooner by Stan Schroeder
Mashable

Careful — Lensa is Using Your Photos to Train Their AI by Shanti Escalante-De Mattei
ARTnews

Lensa, the AI portrait app, has soared in popularity. But many artists question the ethics of AI art by Morgan Sung
NBC News

‘Magic Avatar’ App Lensa Generated Nudes From My Childhood Photos by Olivia Snow
Wired

Stable Diffusion
Wikipedia

DALL–E
Wikipedia

If you’d like to track what some artists are saying, a lot of insight on Lensa’s theft I read came from Jon Lam on Instagram. He credited Lauryn Ipsum for the discovery of remnants of artist’s signatures on AI creations. Karla Ortiz is helping lead the fight for artists rights.

Incompatible Clients

Today I want to write about something that may sound like it’s just complaining about people, but that’s 100% not the case. Well, maybe 80% not the case, but I’ll elaborate more as we go along. As the title suggests, this is about incompatibility. Like every other relationship, there are just some instances where two parties aren’t meant for each other. This is a very hard pill to swallow when it comes to a client and server/service relationship because of one key difference: an agreement based on work for pay.

Okay, maybe 70% not the case in regards to complaining.

This isn’t prevalent in any other relationship, but when it comes to a client and server/service based relationship, it’s foundational. The issue is that from every other angle, it resembles so many aspects of traditional relationships. Whether it’s familial, friendship, coworker, romantic, online, or even temporary; a client and server/service relationship hits a lot of the same bullet points. At the core, its strongest relational bond is that of collaboration. When you work with someone closely on anything, you can’t help but learn more about who they are and what makes them tick. You may find you really like each other too, but nothing is getting accomplished. The client doesn’t seem to like any of the server/service’s (Good grief, I’m just going to call the server/service a “designer” from here on out) concepts, the designer doesn’t seem to be understanding the client’s requests or critiques, and before you know it; there’s a general consensus that everyone is just wasting each other’s time.

In my experience, there are two four key reasons for these failings. This is going to seem very biased, but usually the problem is the client (Crap, maybe we’re at 60% not the case that this is just complaining). This isn’t a character flaw, but let’s dive deeper.

1. The Client Doesn’t Actually Know What They Want

Shots fired! Of course it’s their fault! How could it ever be that of the perfect designer (or illustrator… man, I’m already confounding the language again—we’re really flying by the seat of our pants here!). Okay, hear me out: a client traditionally hires a creative person to accomplish something they cannot. It could be because the client doesn’t have the tools or talents to do so or because they don’t know what they should even be going for. A healthy relationship then builds from collaboration to create something. Sometimes that lack of knowledge or understanding can be too much of a hurdle and the client realizes they may need to do a lot more soul searching to figure out what it is they need.

Now this is rare, as I’ve stated in the past, many times the client legitimately trusts the person they have hired. It can become clear and possibly even a little overwhelming at just how much thought (should) goes into things like personal branding or creating something that is attached so closely to the client.

2. The Client Is Too Passionate About Their Idea

I considered making this a subcategory of the first reason, but I have personal experience that’s unique. I was commissioned by an absolutely lovely human being who had a very clear vision for what they wanted. There was a lot of passion behind this project; real honest–to–goodness love that wasn’t just important to the direction, but the overall feel as well. If I were obtuse, I’d just brush it off as emotional baggage as the project was very much a tribute to people who are no longer alive. The truth was that this client had a lot invested in the project and had a difficult time disconnecting some of those emotions from the people they were now celebrating.

Maybe you can’t be too passionate about anything and the subtitle for this section is a little callous (I swear this post is 58% not about complaining about people). The point is that the world will continue to move on—even from the worst of tragedies—and that’s always going to be a lot harder for some people over others. This particular client really is a wonderful person, and we parted ways amicably. Just as I ended the last reason, when this happens, the client may need to do a lot more soul searching to figure out what it is they need, and it may not be something a creative person can fix.

3. The Client Is Insane

54% not the case that this post is complaining about people. Of course, while every human being has horror stories in regards to dealing with anyone, I have been very fortunate that I’ve never had a truly bad client. However, my friend and fellow creative Scott Modrzynski has. Here is his story.

There was a sobriety house in Los Angeles that I got in contact with through a mutual. The owner was looking for a logo, and I was more than happy to help. I don't remember what we settled on, price-wise, but it was inexpensive because 

A) I'm terrible-to-me at pricing, and
B) I have the additional guilt of charging people money for doing the lord's work. 

The initial concept, as it was conveyed to me, was vague, so I came up with something based on the operation's initials. The owner thought my usage of negative space to create letter forms was cool, but not his style. No problem. He sent me some examples of something he liked. It was sleek, classy, and minimalist. I mocked up some examples, and they weren't working for him. He liked Viking runes. I came up with something gruffer, that had a Nordic tilt to it. He thought it was great, but was hoping for something with a SoCal vibe. Throughout all our email exchanges, and occasional phone calls, there was a lot of flowery, bullshit language from his end that made no sense, and completely divergent ideas that seemed utterly incongruous to our previous contact. At that point, I realized what a piece of shit designer I am, because I don't know how to make a minimalist, Viking-inspired, SoCal logo that dives into the beating heart my own soul. I gave it a final go, and he said he'd get back to me after the weekend. That was at least five years ago. 

It was my first experience with a nightmare client, and made me appreciate my day job, since I wasn't really in a position where I needed to chase down these side gigs for any reason other than making some extra coin.

4. The Designer is Overly Ambitious

Every so often during a total solar eclipse while a volcano is erupting on your birthday as you and your ambidextrous twin sibling ride a two–headed Laquita porpoise on your way to pick up a winning lottery ticket in the Namib desert; a creative person will bite off more than they can chew. It’s easy for an inexperienced designer to insist everything they do needs to go in the portfolio and will go out of their way to convince the client that because of their creative experience (however extensive or limited it may be), they simply know best. That is to say it’s possible if not improbable that it’s the designers inability to communicate or properly deliver what’s been discussed and promised.

Such instances require a federal judge to prove such a rarity in which most cases prove it was actually the client who was wrong.

Okay, this post is officially drawing a line in the sand insisting that it is 52% not the case that it is complaining about people.

Yes, But What Should You Do?

Okay, let’s talk practically about solving these problems. Patience is key. Word of mouth about incompatibility is going to spread faster than any good work that you do, so remember the client is paying you and not everything has to go in the portfolio! Bad design is everywhere and the real shock is that good designers continually add to that because some clients just don’t care about the golden ratio, proper kerning, that a caricature is meant to exaggerate certain features, or that what you offer is actually a niche service that can’t be obtained at Target or created by AI (yet). Sometimes the best way through is to accept all directions regardless of how counter–intuitive they actually are to good taste, get paid, and forget about them; making sure to make a mental note to always be on vacation should they return for repeat business. Most importantly, separate your personal feelings from your work. I know I sound like a broken record, but not every piece has to go in the portfolio or on social media. Keep your emotions out of your responses and if you are feeling particularly revved up, make sure to burn off those heavy feels before contacting a client. I have seriously over–soured one or two bad business relationships because I didn’t walk off some anger and frustrations first.

Inevitably, there may come a tipping point where it’s clear that a particular relationship just isn’t going to work. Be honest with your client. It’s always good to know a bunch of other creatives in your field that you can recommend in place of yourself. Obviously make sure you give your buddies a heads up first, but having alternatives and providing other solutions really helps you out here. I always strive to never say, “no” to a client. That doesn’t mean I roll over and let someone take advantage of things, but saying, “You know what we can do…” shows you respect their opinion and that you’re listening as well. Solve the problem before acknowledging there actually is one.

If money has already been exchanged, there are a number of variables that could determine if anything is returned or still owed, so there’s no definitive answer you’ll find here. However, Scott’s nightmare is reason enough to consider applying the formula of deciding how much of a loss you may be willing to take just to bail. There may be zero chance of salvaging the relationship, but see what you can endure to make sure your reputation doesn’t take much shrapnel.

Don’t write off the client’s frustration either. They may not be able to communicate their ideas well at all, and as a non–creative person that can be difficult. It bears repeating to make sure your head is out of the fire when responding so that if there is a strong hate–hate relationship; you’re not the hothead. Openly admit you’re not the right fit for the job and that you don’t want to waste the client’s time, even if they’ve wasted yours. Remember, you want out of this, so take it on the chin and never look back. If the client is a real problem, make sure you warn all your creative peers on the down low.

If all else fails, start a blog and write about how you’re totally not complaining about people and vent your problems there!

A big thanks to Scott Modrzynski for taking the time to share his insights today! The dude is a very talented artist and designer who I’ve had the privilege of working with on three different collaborative projects together.

Just some of Scott’s incredible work!

Check him out on Instagram and Twitter, and also take a peak at some of his really cool stuff like this Batman Typography or his Cereal Freaks. You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter and come back here on Fridays for more creative thinking!

Starry Eyed & Tongue Tied

Last Friday I ended a 25 week streak posting my blog and while the world did not end because I didn’t post, I was bummed out. The problem is I am over my head with freelance and full–time work and some of what I’m working on is super cool and very loosely and indirectly related to this post and I cannot wait to share it with you!

Anyhoo, starting in the early aughts, I began attending comic cons regularly. Before I go any further, if you have never been to a comic con, you absolutely need to go. It doesn’t matter if you’re 8 or 88 and it also doesn’t matter if it’s a humongous convention like SDCC or a tiny one in the basement of a VFW hall. Of course, comic cons back in the first part of the 21st century were slightly different than they are now. For starters, they really were all about comics. Today they tend to be more of a “pop culture convention,“ but they are still a blast.

Wizard World Philadelphia. May 30, 2003

Over 20 years ago, they were also primarily populated with mostly male attendees. When my girlfriend (now wife) would accompany me and our friends, there would be somewhat of an awed hush for a moment when she would first walk on the convention floor. This was more of an initial reaction to her sex over her radiant beauty, but times slowly changed and soon conventions became a much more homogeneous experience. Now that we are married, she will often mention she no longer does comic conventions because she “served her time.“

Anyway, in 2006, I dragged her along yet again to Wizard World Philly with my primary goal of meeting comic artist Skottie Young. He is a well renowned artist today, and while he was certainly hot back then, he was arguably still an up-and-coming creator. This can be proved by the fact that he had his own table with no line of swarming fans or even an assistant! It was just Skottie hanging out and drawing alone all day and excited to talk to anyone. 

At the time, he was working on a run of Venom, continuing Marvel’s unconventional trend at the time of showcasing more cartoonish and exaggerated styles on Spider–Man titles along with other artists like Humberto Ramos. I was a super fan, constantly visiting his site to see all his sketches and drawings of any and everything. He wasn’t just an incredible artist, but a super cool guy as well who seemed to have similar pop-culture interests as myself. Not a surprise considering he’s barely 2 months younger than me!

Checking our convention guide, I located where Skottie’s table was and we made a B line so I could ask him to sign my Venom comic and maybe even take a picture with him. As I mentioned, he was alone and just drawing away. When we approached, he lit up like a Christmas tree with excitement. What a fantastic guy! I was so pumped and excited to gush over how great he was. I opened my mouth to greet him and introduce myself only to discover I had completely forgotten the English language. 

Skottie’s table was our very first stop at the con and the one and only thing I truly wanted to do and now that we were finally here I was so star struck that I literally couldn’t speak. I was like Ralphie Parker meeting Santa Claus at Higbee’s in A Christmas Story. I stood with a dumb, open–mouthed smile for a ludicrously long time that made Skottie and my wife shift awkwardly as they waited for me to do absolutely anything. Finally my wife stepped in to save me with a prompting and encouraging, “Hello.” Yes! Hello! What a novel way to start a conversation! I will try saying that, and so I blurted out much too loudly and abruptly, “HELLO!” “Hey! How’s it going!” Skottie replied with renewed energy and a warm friendly smile. I resumed my blank admiring mannequin face as if I was a Make–A–Wish patient who no doubt suffered severe injuries from his love of drinking gasoline straight from the pump. My wife—now staring at me incredulously—saved my bacon again with another encouraging prompt. “He really likes your art.” she said sweetly as I stepped over her last word obnoxiously, “I REALLY LIKE YOUR ART!” 

For the next few minutes, this was pretty much how we communicated. My wife patiently told Skottie what I admired about him and his work and then I would loudly repeat her words in the first person. It was like a bizarre avant–garde ventriloquist act where I was the dummy, my wife the puppeteer, and Skottie as the beleaguered volunteer pulled randomly from the audience. What a complete and total $#!t show. Somehow I managed to get my comic signed and a picture as well. Skottie was polite, patient, enthusiastic, and so kind. He was exactly the type of person I anticipated him to be and I blew it. 

Me still in complete disbelief that is indeed Skottie Young. June 2, 2006

As soon as we were out of earshot from Skottie, my wife turned to me shocked and somewhat exasperated. “What in the world was that?!” she asked. I had returned to earth at that moment as well and was equally stunned. “I have no idea!” I admitted. It was at that exact moment that I had a very serious problem on my hands and I needed to rectify it immediately. My main concern at the time was the realization of just how much this could hinder my own illustrative career. Thanks to sites like ToughPigs and the exposure I was getting from such a niche fandom, I was sure it was only a matter of time before I would have the opportunity to meet actual Muppet performers and maybe even work for them. At my core I knew it was vital they saw me as a peer and not just a fan. Of course if I couldn’t chat up a fellow artist just because he was successful, how would I speak to someone who was partly responsible for molding my childhood, affecting my overall trajectory as a creative person? 

It turned out it was even worse than I imagined as not long after that, I bumped into a family friend—yes, a family friend—whom I greatly admired. Now I had never met him prior, but I had seen pictures and heard recordings of him (he was a very talented musician) so imagine my horror when I got tongue–tied chatting with him as well!

I took the “Face Your Fears” approach by attending every book signing I could find, hung outside every service entrance after a concert, waited in autograph lines at conventions, and attended any speaking engagements featuring celebrities that interested me; all in the hopes I could act like a normal human being around anyone with a modicum of fame so that one day I wouldn’t completely lose my mind if I met someone really famous.

Weird Al Yankovic (2/2/2011), Jesse Ventura (4/7/2011), and Gary “Baba Booey” Dell'Abate (11/9/2010)

I very quickly realized “fame” wasn’t the crux to my star struck nature, it was admiration. If I somehow found myself face to face with someone like Hugh Jackman—something that actually happened —I was excited but maintained my composure easily. However, if I met the likes of Trace Beaulieu, Lorraine Cink, Doc Hammer, Louise Gold, or Stanley Lau, I’d start to choke up. Interacting with them at events did become easier and was also very safe. I was able to see them as actual people and before you knew it, I could at least fake acting casual. When I finally met those lofty Muppet people, at the very least I wasn’t a hot mess. 

MST3k’s Trace Beaulieu (11/27/2010), Marvel’s Lorraine Cink (7/24/2016), and Doc Hammer (4/19/2008) co–creator of The Venture Bros.

I still get very excited when I meet someone I admire—famous or not—and on the inside I’m fan freaking out. If I ever meet Lois Van Baarle or Frank Oz or Jamie Hewlett I think my heart would still explode. At the very least, my wife knows I can control my basic bodily functions without her by my side the entire time. 

Skottie Young, if you’re reading this, thank you so much for being so pleasant and patient and inspiring. Not just to draw better but to get my act together and focus. It changed my career. You really are the GOAT!

I’m not posting much now on Instagram and Twitter but follow me anyway so when I clear my slate you’ll see what I’ve been up to! And come back here every Friday for more creative thinking!

The Redraw Challenge: Part I

I am super excited about today and next week’s post because it is all about progress and rediscovery! If you’re truly passionate about anything, you’ll notice growth in your endeavors. Experience and patience develops all skills, hence the old axiom, “Practice makes perfect” or more to the point in today’s post, “Practice makes progress.” I can very clearly remember many specific moments all throughout my life where I would draw something that made me feel like I just leveled up. I don’t just mean I drew something a certain way and was proud; I remember where I was, what I was drawing, and very clearly understanding I had just crossed a new threshold. It’s always exciting but more than anything, it’s rewarding.

Now every time I’ve experienced leveling up (can you tell I’m also a gamer?!)—particularly when I was younger—I believed I had just hit the apex of my ability. In my mind, I had reached my full potential and I was elated. As time passed, I began to understand I was comprehending things I hadn’t fully previously and in looking back, those breakthrough drawings I felt were the best of the best I had ever done and would ever do, in reality kind of sucked… like a lot. What’s also become a revelation is how those specific illustrations—however good or bad they actually were or still are—only now mark any level progression to me. Those moments are very important because they push you to do better, even when you believe that’s your best. They don’t end an era of creating a certain way, they mark the start of learning new techniques and styles. And the absolute best part? They don’t stop when you’re young! You keep leveling up well into adulthood! There are few things in this world that can bring that kind of joy as you age, but furthering your talents is totally one of them! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, an old dog really can learn new tricks!

Now reevaluating those pinnacle moments is nothing new; redrawing old artworks can be seen all over social media and other artistic platforms, so I’m not doing anything groundbreaking here. However, today I’d like to look at a few instances where I hit some personal milestones only to go back and figure out what made them so special. This is part one of my Redraw Challenge!

Okay… let’s make this super awkward and embarrassing. As a cisgender male, I have been intrigued with drawing the female form since I was a child. One of my earliest leveling up experiences was drawing ladies as inspired by comics artist Mark Badger, specifically his work on Marvel Comics Excalibur. Even more specifically the mutant Meggan Puceanu. I got really into comics starting with Excalibur Volume 1, #37 and would redraw the panels from it. I stuck tight with Excalibur and gravitated towards Alan Davis’ work on it as well. My versions were much cartoon–ier but they helped me understand some basic structure and lead to an aforementioned level up. Side note: I am actively hoping for an Excalibur movie or Disney + series in the MCU. Come on Mr. Feige! Make it happen!

Excalibur #37: the first comic book I ever bought, Meggan (and other art) by Alan Davis. Meggan & Kurt Wagner (AKA Nightcrawler from the X–Men) had a very flirtatious relationship and I wanted them together more than her main squeeze Brian Braddock (AKA Captain Britain)

One of my biggest moments came when I started taking figure drawing (or life drawing) classes. Even at my first class, I began to understand what I needed to do, and a few months later it all clicked. I had one of the best sessions ever and I noted it was a level up experience and I was thrilled, even though I popped a tire on the drive home from the studio, I was still on cloud nine.

A flat tire right after one of the best classes I ever had. February 19, 2014

Before all that though, in 2006, I was hired to illustrate my first book. Man, what a thrill to be able to say you’re a published illustrator! I had just settled in on a technique to marry my traditional line art drawings with digital coloring and effects that eliminated most residual imperfections/digital debris after scanning. I was ready and I was excited. I worked very close with the author and editors and even the printer to make sure everything I did was exactly how we all envisioned it. I was very proud when it came out, but it didn’t take long at all before I leveled up further, and soon my pride of being associated with an ISBN number felt embarrassing.

Just a couple years later and my techniques had changed again. The figure drawing classes pushed my abilities further along, so my book now felt dated and subpar at best. Eight years and even more classes later, I decided to at least take a second shot at the cover. The cover was something I wasn’t happy with originally anyway, so it felt like a good exercise. Applying what I had learned as well as using new tools like Daz 3D to create a virtual model for reference, I upgraded my original art. Although only a brief yet serendipitous moment, at that time the author had been contemplating a second printing of the book, and my art director excitedly showed him my new and unsolicited art which he liked. The new cover never got the full green light and the book stayed out of print. I would imagine the idea to re–do all the interior illustrations came up as well and possibly added to the decision not to do a separate printing. Regardless, here we are another 8 years later and I’m still not only proud of my redrawn cover, but content with it as well.

A 3D poser model was my reference for the new pose

The original 2006 cover and my 2014 redesign

Not all redrawing is a calculated exercise. Many artists will sketch a rough draft with the intentions of completely redrawing it some other time. The sketch merely acts as a note or reminder to draw it properly later. Anyway, I had seen a picture of an Instagram model posing and taking a mirror selfie and really liked the pose. I did a quick sketch and saved the photo for reference so I could do a better render some other day which I totally did and—as I already mentioned the process—the second illustration came out much better. What I didn’t do however was finalize the drawing immediately after I did the second sketch. I left it alone for awhile and then picked it up again several weeks later. The problem was I used the original sketch! Even as I was inking and coloring, I was wondering why I thought this illustration was worth completing. It wasn’t until I finished it that I found my second attempt. I basically redrew this twice and for no good reason.

The original photo that inspired plus the first quick sketch, and the better second sketch, 2020

Finals up close. Even the phone is done better!

None of these particular creative forays were the inspiration for this post though. The real deal and nightmare that made me want to write and try this exercise will post next week and man was it a journey! Follow me on Instagram and Twitter and please, please, please tune in next week for a real redraw challenge in part 2!

Opinion = Influence

Several years ago I learned a very valuable lesson about how an innocuous and common gesture all creatives deal with, can dramatically change an entire concept. Now that that weighty and boring introductory sentence is out of the way, let me tell you a story.

I was creating concepts for a client who is very talented, smart, and respected. She held a significant position in management where I work and had impeccable taste, especially when it came to design. She was genuinely invested in the work I was helping her to produce and we worked very well together. I was really proud of the final concept I had done for her which I have to admit was a truly collaborative effort. I was excited for it to go into final production when on my way out of her office she uttered a very common phrase I hear many clients say, “I just want to show it to a few people first to get their opinion.”

Sure, no problem. All designers have heard this and usually it results in either a few changes or the client deciding they’re not interested in others opinions and just moving forward. This time things hit a little differently though. For starters, my client had a real eye for what she wanted and worked very hard with me to attain that aesthetic. She was also a trend setter herself who exuded class, grace, and style. The only reason she even needed me was because she didn’t have access to Adobe Creative Suite. We created something perfect for her needs. Naturally I assumed this was a courtesy she was extending to her colleagues and little, if anything, would change.

A few days later, she came back to me with a long list of notes; things her peers suggested and boy was it a tedious list. What bothered me was her commitment to making these changes, not because she believed in any of them, but out of professional courtesy to her coworkers. None of these changes made any logical sense (change the font color to a slightly darker blue, move this text box a quarter inch up, make the logo 5% smaller, etc.) That’s when I recognized the big problem: A smart and successful person asked someone their opinion and they then felt obligated to give one. As I mentioned before, this particular client was a very prominent person and everyone felt special when they got to interact with her. The changes they suggested reflect that as they were inconsequential and insignificant. Having been able to work so closely with her though, I definitely understood the excitement those people felt at the chance to be a part of her project. “She wants my opinion?! Wow! I must be important!”

Don’t get me wrong, it can be hard to get a proper perspective on something you’re working on, especially if it’s your pet project or you’ve been working on it for an extended period of time and have tunnel vision. Another set of eyes can be crucial. What needs to be considered is the validity of those changes and opinions. Do they bring about substantive change or does someone just like hearing themselves talk? Since this interaction, I always reflect on that when a fellow designer or illustrator asks my opinion. First and foremost, I consider what I would have done and how in line with their concept that idea fits. Then I consider their past works and how those align with their current concept. Then I take my own feelings, tastes, and methods into account and decide how and if they align with this concept. It’s a long thought out way to actually consider if

  1. I have strong feelings about anything related to the concept one way or another

  2. If I have any past experience with the design aesthetic, client, designer, or subject matter and how it might affect my opinion on it

  3. And if any immediate changes I would personally make would have any purposeful impact on the other designers concept or is simply my own personal tastes vs. what I know of theirs

9 out of 10 times I come to the conclusion that my own opinions are simply reflective of my own taste and don’t necessarily impact the message or overall aesthetic of the concept. In other words, my opinion might just be a suggestion for a whole new concept rather than changes to what’s already been done. So despite being quite fond of my own voice, I have to objectively say I have no opinion and that it looks fine. Of course different associates will get different responses depending on how well I know them, but I think that when it comes to getting feedback, it’s important those being asked be honest with themselves as well as the client and recognize that sometimes not having an opinion is just as valid as having one.

TL;DR Just because someone asks you what you think does not mean you have to create a whole new set of values so you sound important.

This can most likely be extended to all areas of life, but the bottom line is this: if you commission someone to do work for you and you really like it, trust your gut. Now if you really don’t know and want honest feedback, trust your designer. You didn’t hire them just for their access to design software.

As always, I would love if you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, and please check back here for creative thinking ideas!

I NEED THIS ASAP! What Every Client Should Know About Actual Deadlines

Recently I had a chat with my boss where we (unfairly probably) lambasted clients behind their backs for not fully comprehending deadlines—both for their own sake and ours. Indeed, it’s a mindset everyone gets into for any number of things. Most people don’t fill up their gas tanks when they’re 3/4s full. If you’re like me, you might push your cars understanding of just exactly what “empty” actually means and push the record of how far you can get after your display informs you the range has been passed. In those instances, filling up really does become “as soon as possible.”

Now from an illustrator/graphic designer’s perspective who tends to like busting chops, if you commission me and say, “I need this ASAP!” I’ll respond, “Okay, so that’s sometime three years from now.” I’ve got Netflix shows to catch up on, comics to read, video games to play, and my daughter and I have tons of toys to play with; so if prioritizing my work based on how important I think what you’re asking for is any kind of barometer of our relationship; you should expect that to be very low.

Okay, okay, but we do it for the money, right? Sure, but let’s really ask about your timeline. Sometimes that’s obvious. “This is a Christmas present, I need it for Christmas and I’d like a few minutes to wrap it.” If you’re making that request in October, we’re looking at a reasonable deadline to get that to you by the beginning to middle of December the absolute latest. Screaming “AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!” before Halloween makes you so full of baloney that you could open up your own deli (my daughter and I came up with that sick burn!).

Now sometimes ASAP really means right away. “I have a wedding in 3 weeks and I still haven’t sent invitations out.” First of all, yikes. Secondly, that’s now a rush and ASAP probably means, “What I really need is a time machine.” Now we’re talking lots of cash too, and don’t think for a minute I’m not going to charge you out the wazoo for your own procrastination. Not just because I have to bust my hump getting these invitations done, but also because your nervous energy is really going to cramp my style as well.

But none of those are what my boss and I were talking about. No, my experience is that most people request ASAP because they are projecting their own self image onto you, the creative. Sometimes, we really don’t take the time to actually figure out when we need something, but more often than not, we just want to be done with it. That’s understandable (if not insulting), but a good freelance artist of any kind is going to manage their time in a way that’s conducive to their client. Again, if you’re like me, you’ll even be up front about that. I have not been very good at all managing my creative free time since my daughter was born because I just happen to love devoting as much time to my own family as I possibly can. Having the benefit of a full–time job also allows me to turn down requests and commissions relatively freely. When a client is persistent or the job seems fun, I’ll lay out my parameters and let them decide if I’m still worth it.

The bottom line is that it’s so important to trust a professional with your deadlines. I can tell you that if I have a super long time to get something done, I’m not putting it off until last minute. I’m either planning, getting it to the client early, or working within my own schedule to properly accommodate the work and clients expectations. In other words, try to avoid saying “ASAP.” The work will suffer for it.

If you are a freelance creative person, Philip VanDusen has a great video on time management you should check out below and follow him for design trends to digital marketing and everything else in between.

As always, please follow me on Instagram and Twitter and thanks for stopping by!