Taking a moment before I start a summer of selling myself....

It's like being an actor. You have to audition and audition, give your best audition for the right part, be right for the part, in front of the right director for the right movie- at the right time. And we all know how many actors wait tables. That is how I described what I do today.

Momentum in art is like Mario Kart

We have Mario Kart for the Wii. I find it very, very stressful. On some level, it's proof that I should never have passed driver's ed. (especially after driving over that divider on route 22 in NJ).

In Mario Kart- you try to go as fast as you can. The driving requires quick reflexes - great eye hand coordination and a steady heart. You try to get around the obstacles while performing at your best. There is a moment when you feel the  'groove'- you are careening along... passing your opponents... going fast, hitting turbo boost...  when some big, black, too cute bullet explodes your Yoshi. You try to make it to the finish line without loosing all of your lives and while scoring the most points. After that- you try to get on the "List". The high scorers page.

This is my metaphor for today. I try to ride the momentum of life. I try to use the momentum of one project to the next to be in that "groove". But things in life do explode my Yoshi.

It is almost June. June! The careening around avoiding my obstacles tends to make life fly by just like that Coconut Mall in the game. Deadlines were met last month. Spring holidays and birthdays are past. We lost a loved one. Now, Summer kicks off this weekend. One event leads to the next - head down at the drawing board makes me forget objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are. They are all there and it's all coming up so fast.

I am going to SCBWI NJ next week. I just finished a new postcard.

  

The idea came from my daughter's friend saying "One day we will all drive donuts"

-then it was a sketch over @ The Sketchables.

I am now redoing my homework. We were given the assignment to choose a manuscript. Take one passage and sketch a double page spread. The sketch gets turned in to an actual art director, member of the faculty. Their feedback comes back to you- then you take it to final art, present it at the conference and get feedback/judging. 

Here is the passage I picked:

"’Cause maybe I’ll be a gorilla masseuse Or an artist who sculpts out of chocolate mousse Or a rodeo clown or a great film director Or maybe professional pickle inspector Or big sumo wrestler or hedge fund investor Or smelly pit-sniffing deodorant tester"

I rushed this. I did it in one evening- after weekend guests left Easter Weekend. There are things I like a lot about it : the gestures - the life in the drawings. Things I don't like: the composition. So- the feedback came in and pretty much nailed me to the wall... good feedback, true feedback is not like a frying pan to the face - it's like Mario Kart also. When you play the game and make the same wrong turn over and over again... and you yell "WHY DO I KEEP DOING THAT!?" - The real feedback yells that at you and you know it's true. - Yoshi explodes. Start over.

"Dynamic,playful and eye-catching layout. Good gesture and sense of action in spots. But  I have an issue with the order and rhythm of the images. So much going on it is not clear what to look at first and in what order.What should I look at first, how do you want my eye to move across  the page? Think about the hierarchy of the images on this spread and  what you want the viewer to see first, second etc. Size of the images  and how they fit together as well as the shape of each will dictate  that. If eyes move left to right over the page, use a  progression of  sizes to direct my gaze,  make the text flow in a logical way in the correct order so its not misread. In the end the images need to work  together  as a whole and not just as separate discreet spots

Also, think about the whole book: With a lot of text, very few spreads can  be handled this way or you will end up with a 60 page book! so be  selective about what you show and make sure the images count for the real estate they take up."

Ok- So- I'm reworking now.  I will try to avoid my usual obstacles.. as I build momentum on my journey through Coconut Mall on my way to the finish line in Los Angeles this summer. My goal- new art, new portfolio... hoping to get on that high scorers page. "C'mon Yoshi... hit the gas."

Nana Gerri

Nana Gerri - my husband's Grandmother passed away this morning. There was no designing this "character"  - Nana was one of a kind. Nana Gerri, Thanks for never making me feel like a shiksa wife and for all of the Yiddish I learned from you. A Brooklyn Bubeleh for the ages.
There is one more bright, sparkly, appliqued star in the sky now. 

Rainy Days and Mondays

 

Monday was never Dad's favorite day-

this one especially was extra dark gray.

Business was bad, meetings were planned.

Off to work Dad went - briefcase in hand.

Grumbling and groaning , he did complain,

"The last thing I needed today was rain."

He didn't notice it as he pulled it out of his case..

the umbrella he usually used had been replaced.

His daughter had wanted to brighten his day,

as soon as it opened- his cares went away.

He'd tackle this day with a smile on his face,

His head was now in a pink stripey place.

A spring in his step and a warm fuzzy heart,

His day was now off to a much better start.

I actually saw this guy this morning as I drove to the gym. I was myself grumbling and groaning and feeling quite blah. I bet that little umbrella worked it's magic on lots of people!

THIS WEEK'S THEME SONG

Let's all move that rubber tree plant!

Hello Blogger- Are you feeling better now?

Blogger was down. I have been neglecting this blog- caught up in work, life, exercise, facebook, twitter...feeling like I want to junk all I've done and start fresh, new website, new blog, new exciting things out there now...... and then blogger goes down.
What if it was gone forever. All of those posts? 4 years of my life- the proof of my journey- woosh! gone! This blog was my toe dip into the water after staying home with a kid for five years.

Well - PHEW! It's back and I've heard I can download it and save it- that I did not know. So- Blogger, I am glad you are better.