The Quest to Cure Shyness!

I went out again tonight and I sung for the second time. I totally choked again. I was so freaking nervous. I slaughtered the song I sang and just had them cut it off cause it sucked so bad.

Still though they asked me to sing for this concert in the park thing. I think I will do it for fun. I just got so freaking nervous I have to fight it!!

I keep hoping that if I can do this and be comfortable maybe I can feel mor comfortable talking to people. I just find I get behind my drawing board by myself and when I have to come out it is a shock to the system to suddenly have to deal with people.

Anyway. I have one more sketch card to do and I will be completely caught up on sketch card commissions and them I have to start the larger pin ups. it is only 4 of them I wish I could do them all in one day the way my friend sherry tells me I should but I really just can't seen to rush this whole process. I want it to look good, ya know.


I was funny. the other day I finished a sketch card in less than an hour and I freaked out cause I thought maybe I forgot something. lol. After that I nitpicked it to death and hated looking at it cause I felt like I could see all the flaws. I feel this way when I approach all art. like when I got up and sang the first time I could think of all the things I wish I had done better.

Ms. E the women that runs the open mic nights said she want to work with me on it, but it will all be a matter of if I have time to do all that. we will see.

Anyway, back to the drawing board.

God Bless,
Arie

Back to the drawing board

I have to draw more. Just finished this PSC today. Been up very late the last few days trying to work on stuff and finding myself pulled away from the drawing desk. I need to put a cap on that so I can stay productive.


Anyway, I am planning another sketch card print of this card. I think it would be fun to offer a batman set of some of my cards for people but we will see. I know you can get into trouble when printing things with licensed characters on it even if it is your art. I was thinking of offering a new card every month or something. we will see. I am also thinking of doing a Mainasha Sketch card set of my character. I think that would be fun.

Meetings Meetings Meetings

You might want to cover the kids eyes on this one,
of course I would hope kids don't visit my site, to often. lol

It is crazy; when you go freelance you become your work marketer, the shipping department, the artist the secretary the guy that hands business meetings. But I wouldn't change it for the world. Aside from trying to make time to be at the drawing table this last 5 days I have been out doing meeting with people and stuff.

I went out today with a friend of mine. We are looking into putting together a studio and stuff with about 10 other artists if possible. The space would also have a store space up from so people could come in and purchase items. This I am hope works out well cause if there is anything I want more it is a personal studio space and a place where I can showcase and sell my work to the public. As a result I will be doing more personal work with my own characters on top of commissions and stuff so my plate, though there is no money coming in, is pretty full.

I am praying this all works out. It will probably be a good six months before things are cemented and we know this thing wills definitely happen. Kansas City really caters to its local artists and will provide them with funding for studio space and start up costs so I have a lot to learn about all that is going to go down and how to make it all work out.

It is a beautiful building too! We will just have to see what happens though.

God Bless,
Arie

You Get What You Give

My finished Boba Fett

I sometimes think that people forget how the things they do and say directly affect others. Either that or they get where they just don't care or they are bitter.

I stopped by my friend Darryl's house to day and spent some time with him and his wife. Both of them just welcomed me into there home and man talk about an impressive portfolio. I person could swim through the volumes and volumes of art work that Darryl creates. I felt like man I don't draw enough at all. It was so inspiring.

He told me Arie, on my Birthday I don't like to get gifts I like to give gifts, because I have been so blessed in my life that I don't want people to do for me I want to do for them. So on his birthday he said he had food brought in for all his co workers and fed them cause he wanted to celebrate the blessings they allowed him to have.

He told me Arie if you need anything; draw me something and I will take care of you. So I have me this huge stack of water color paper. Like really good water color paper, better than some of the stuff you get at art stores and now I will not need to buy anything for a very long time. I will use it for painting and sketch cards!

Art as Currency!

Anyway he and his wife are very loving and giving people. They show a great example of how when you give of yourself you get back ten fold. He works a full time job and he still gets to draw 8 hrs a day cause people want to give support to him being able to share what he loves with others.

God keeps showing me the wonders of his love. I have been trying to get Mandy reference for sketch cards for the longest and he handed me 2 Mandy books. I find the stronger my relationship becomes with God the more he does for me. I wanted a place where I could go to sell my artwork in the public and the Art Flea Market appeared.

God provides when you ask and when you give back to him he gives to you.

I will always try to do good for others no matter how much bad they do to me.

God Bless,
Arie

Arts, Flea Among Other Things

Yesterday While I was at Art Flea I started this Card.

I am exhausted yet again. The art flea went ok, it was a holiday weekend and there are all these festivals going on so I didn't sell much but people that did make it out showed a great amount is interest and curiosity about what I had to offer.

Special thanks to Darryl Woods, Becca, Lawless Times Comics, Randy and Sholan for coming down to show some love and keep my company.

I also met a few other wonderful people there as well. You will be surprised just how much women love comic’s anime and manga. I don't just mean teenagers. There honestly were a lot of women that stopped over and asked questions. One young woman and her daughter just really touched me. Her little girl really enjoyed my comic stories with Mainasha as a chibi and her mom enjoyed the stuff I had of her as an adult. The cool thing about the mom, I shish I could remember her name. Is she was also a writer, a jewelry maker, a comic artist and a seamstress. She was selling her had made clothing and jewelry while drawing at her little booth.

there were 2 other young ladies that did performance art and they put on a short play. That was really great! One of the young ladies did jewelry and fashion and her partner at the table did jewelry and hand made sculpture. All and all it was really a great group of people that were there trying to turn there craft into a way to support themselves and there family.

I was told Christmas season is really big so I plan to make and sell Christmas cards. I think this will be fun.


The cool thing about this whole experience is I got to really get out into the community and see what is really going on in the arts in KC. Even found a local Art auction where they accept artwork to be auctioned off.

If seems though I a one of very few Illustrator/comic artists that try to be involved in these things and people were so excited about seeing me there, too! I asked one friend to come out to First Friday and when he realized he would have to out in public he shied away from the idea. I guess we are a really shy bunch. But I don't want to be shy anymore. I miss out on Gods blessings when I am like that.

God Bless,
Arie