East Coast Black Age of Comics Countdown!!

Man Does time fly! Will see you there!!!

The Art and Business Battle

And when I say battle I do mean battle!!!

I have been spending a lot of time lately trying to balance being creative and being a business person, or should I say learning to be a business person.

These 2 things, at a first glance, just don’t seem to go together well, being a artist and being a business person. I think its cause there has been a huge disconnect create in our society that says if you are an artist you have to be a starving artist and if you make money doing art then you aren’t really a artist cause your work is commercial.

But, when I look back on even some of the great fine artists of the day like Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack, Leonardo De Vinci, or Michelangelo, I recognize they must have been doing something pretty big to get there work seen by the public. After all the 16 chapel was a co

mmissioned by the Pope. Doesn’t that make Michealangelo a artist for hire (a commercial artist) so to speak.

It also makes him a business man.

In some of my research I have been finding that being a good artist is only 20 – 30% of what it takes to be a successful artist. The other half is Hype! 

Marketing and getting your work in front of the eyes of the many individuals out in the world that might actually like what you do. It takes a great deal of time and effort because you aren’t just selling your art you are selling yourself.

I always felt like even when I do a caricature I am giving a little piece of myself away to the world. Some people appreciate it and some people don't, but I always want to give whoever I draw for my best. Even when it seems to take me forever to complete.

In the end creating content is important, but sharing the content is even more important, and making a living from your content is the most important. To me being a starving artist is not noble, it's just an excuse to not work hard for yourself. People that don't see the value in what we do or that want us to sell ourselves cheap lack respect and understanding of how art truly effect our society. 

So you have to step up to the plate, set the value for your work you feel you deserve and push you work out into the market place. In other words learn how to control your business life and create opportunities that will allow you to be a thriving artist.

Its ok to be a hobbyist, as well, but if you are trying to make a living as an artist you have to learn a lot more than just how to draw pretty pictures. It has been a long road and a difficult lesson to learn but a valuable one non the less.

Big Booty Jane Poster Vid Walkthrough

Hope you guys enjoy this.

Who's top are you reaching for?

I came across this video today and I was loving it. Made me think of that question.  Who's top are you reaching for? Is it yours? Are you making someone else reach there top? vWhat do you expect to see when you get up there?

"If you create the game then you create the rules"

A few more resources

I have really been thinking hard on things in my career and life and I realized that a lot of my interested and passions have changed or evolved. Sometimes I wish instead of going to  college I worked right out of highschool and saved more and researched more. Of course not all the same tools and resources were available 15  years ago. But then again, why cry over spilled milk.

I always felt like I had an idea of what I wanted in life, but now that i am older I feel like I really know. Like all those years I was wandering in the desert trying to figure it out.

I have friends that are my age that have been to college and gotten the jobs and so on so forth american dream stuff and yet they are still trying to figure out what they want out of this crazy existance.

At the end of the day its most important to live and be yourself. Figure out what is right for yourself and ignore the things  people try to tell you is right for you because in the end no one really knows anything at all. Most importantly, no one can tell you who you should be, especially when they cant even figure out there own issues.

Anyway, I am going to post this here as a resource. its mostly for me but I figure if it can benifit anyone else they are welcome to it.

http://www.laurbits.com/category/self-publishing

http://www.laurbits.com/category/press

http://www.laurbits.com/category/processes

http://www.laurbits.com/category/resources-2

http://www.laurbits.com/category/tipshttp://www.laurbits.com/

More cool stuff I found

I loved this animation. I wanted to share it

TERRIO from Shaz Lym on Vimeo.

Self Publishing

Really been spending a lot of time studying self publishing anf freelancing. so I am posting this so I can come back to it later.

Lets be CONFIDENT!!

 Its funny, the mast 2 months have been a BIG learning experience. I have been working hard to start valuing my work more and be more confident about it, but sometimes it just seems like an uphill battle.

I few people at my job have this saying, “How do you get an artist to work for free? Tell them you like their art.” I think it speaks to how sometimes artists can undervalue there contribution to the world.

I even had to laugh to myself a bit because I know I am guilty of it. Often feeling like what I do is not important or means nothing to anyone else. Reminds me how my roommate told me her mom got surprised when she realized that she was actually making money from her crazy ideas and artwork. Do we undervalue ourselves cause we have been told what we do means nothing by some person in our past or family member?

I got really excited last month when I went to Planet Comic Con. (I will share some of the pics from that show below.)

It was so fun drawing for people and seeing friends I had not seen since last year, since I live in LA now, and just catching up and chatting with people. But one person in particular really made my day. A guy stopped by my table and asked if I had new Tornado Alley Comics. He was disappointed when I said no. Truth be told I never thought anyone really cared that much except for a few select people.

When people ask for my original creations I always get amazed. I have started to ask myself where does this come from. Why am I like this and does it really make any since at all? You know Spiderman was once someones original idea that no one else had ever heard of.

Ever since I created Big Booty Jane I have had nothing but encouragement. Its been such a wonderful experience knowing that I can create something and other people can enjoy it. Its part of why I do caricatures as well. I love handing that drawing over to the person and seeing there face light up. Its one of the few ways I feel like I can brighten someones day.

In a way its like you are giving a little of yourself to the other person. For me when they respond in a positive why its a sigh of relief. I feel like I am contributing to this big crazy world and others are enjoying it.

I don’t focus or draw my own character nearly enough. Doing it makes me feel such enjoyment. And knowing it much touch someone else is a even greater enjoyment.

So thank you to everyone out there that has been checking out my work all these years and showing support. It means a lot to me and I hope I am able to brighten your day every once in a while. That has true value.

Smut Peddler Presents: Big Booty Jane Comic Preview

Did a little video to show my work process on this project I hope you can enjoy it.

Big Booty Jane!! Smutt Peddler!!

Been working on this thing since November last year and it is all finally coming together.  So excited. I am sorry I have not been posting more often.

My Short story will be Featured in Smutt Peddler 2014. This is the second volume and it features Adult fiction written and drawn by women. ( This book features adult themes guys so it not for the kids no mater how cute the drawing are.)

One of the rewards I am featured on includes one of my 2014 Daily Sketches Sketch book. (Sold Out).

 A Little about Jane:

Aside from her Wonderful Physical Attributes Jane is a space cop with a lot of attitude. She Kicks alien buts around the Galaxy and is also married to a awesome hubby who has his own special talents.

Check out some of my work in progress art for the comic.

  I have haad a lot of fuun working on this project. I hope to do more with her in the near future. I am also working on a pi up calendar which I thought would be a lot of fun to do.  Thanks everyone for checking out my stuff and checking out Big Booty Jane.

SMUTT PEDDLER 2014

ITS HERE GUYS!!

Smut Peddler is the world's sexiest anthology of woman-centric comic book smut. Pre-order the 2014 edition here!



Many, many years ago, in the late Jurassic (or maybe it was 2003), a black-and-white, anthology minicomic called Smut Peddler was released by Saucy Goose Press. It contained "sex-positive, female-friendly erotic comics from the best and the brightest in the independent small press publishing world," and participants included Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Layla Lawlor (Raven's Children), Sean Bieri (Jape), and Tom Beland (True Story, Swear to God). It was a fantastic series of comics, with three issues published before its extended hiatus.

In 2012, the title was pulled outta the mothballs by Iron Circus Comics (AKA me, Spike, alone in a room), but in the format of a square-bound, standard-sized, black-and-white book. This upgrade contained over 350 PAGES of ladycentric dirty comics, and it hit Kickstarter like a ton of bricks, earning over $80,000! Smut Peddler 2012 went on to win the Stumptown Comic Arts Award for Best Anthology of 2013, and become ICC's best-selling book of all time. And now, Smut Peddler is back with more, better than ever.

It's time to fund the printing of Smut Peddler's 2014 edition. So WHO WANTS SECONDS?

This Confusing Life Journey

Its a new year. So far its starting out ok. I am nervous cause there are so many things I want to do. I want to travel, do daily sketches, push for a new job, and get my confidence up. Tired of having regrets about everything I wish I did differently in life when it comes to family and friends and career.

Sometimes it feels like I just don’t know whats right or wrong. Whats the difference between getting taken advantage of and doing something for someone because you care and want to see the best for that persons future. Either way they benefit right?

I have met people last year that are good people with bad habits and poor ways of thinking about life. Negative people and positive people. Motivated people and unmotivated people just going through the motions.

I have a tendency to be really hard on myself. I think its cause I was just raised that way. Everything always had to be perfect or done a certain way and you couldn't deviate from that cause if you did you were a bad person. Then I move to LA and every aspect of that is challenged. How do you know a good person from a bad person? How do you classify someone as good or bad other than the classic definitions in the bible or what your parents told you as a child? The world is this big confusing ball of dirt to me these days. All I can thing to do is just be myself and live the best way I know how.

Should a person not speak their mind when they feel hurt for fear of hurting the other party and destroying a relationship? Or maybe they should risk it and say what they gotta say and hope the person wont hate them forever.

What does it really mean to live a good life? Being a wife having your own family, or having a amazing career and money? Chasing your dreams and doing all the things you always wanted to do, is that important? Or is it more important to stand by family and friends in hard times even if they are not caring or concerned about your needs as a human being living in this crazy world?

Should a person be transparent to the world about who they are or should they share it with the world no matter how explicit or no matter the criticism? Maybe not, maybe its better to stay hidden. Read a quote today that I liked from Zora Neal Husrton, “If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” Its interesting, I related to it.

At what point is self preservation selfish fulfillment of personal desires no matter how it effects others around you? At what point does loving yourself, taking care of yourself, and protecting yourself, become nothing but a impractical display of egotism and arrogance intended to display your elevation above others.

They say its a thin line between love and hate. To me Love and hate are so black and white and we live in this very gray world.

The world confuses me. Might as well just stop thinking about it and just go make stuff. Back to drawing. Enough of the nonsense.

Big Booty Jane Forever!

~Arie

The Big Booty Jane Calendar.

So I am working on a Calendar. I think i might have mentioned this before. I decided to do a pin up calendar but I wanted to have it feature a fun plus size character and have it be different from what I usually see in pin ups. I just hope it accomplishes that.

I have laid out a lot of pages, but I am going to put project on hold for a little while while I work completing the first  story of Big Booty Jane, Galactic Space Cop.

I always liked sci fi and I wanted to do something that would also make me laugh and in a way make fun if sci fi so I put together this story!

The first story is going to debut in Smut Peddler so I cant share to much with you guys. Oh and by the way, its a erotic comic. Will be drawing lots of naked people. LOL!

I stopped doing nudity for a long time in my work. But I realize its not that I don't like drawing that sort of thing, I just don't really like drawing it for other peoples requests and commissions. I would rather do fun playful stuff that I find appealing and personally enjoyable. If other  people enjoy it as well then cool.  If not then they don't have to look at it.

I guess it all comes down to self expression.

I already get the occasional on looker that thinks something is wrong with my drawing pin ups. I don't know how many times I have heard other say I draw women as if I am a man.  I had a older women at a comic convention scold me for drawing pin ups and then buy one of the drawings I did of storm lol!

At the end of it you cant make everyone happy. So you draw what makes you happy instead. Be yourself and be creative!

The Wrong Environment Can Make or Break You

I spent a lot of years fighting to be what I thought other people wanted and finding I was never satisfying enough for the individual I was trying to please (especially when it comes to family.)  Pleasing people has been a bad habit a long time and I am looking to change it.

The reason why is cause people often project their own personal experiences, both good and bad, onto you and then expect you to handle situations the way they would have handled it. But then, there is no guarantee they would have handled it correctly themselves. 

I think one of the most important things a person can do for their careers is finding the right environment with the right like minded people where everyone is giving each other room to be themselves. That is when innovation and creativity really begin to take off.

Trying to convince someone, that knows nothing about what it is you love to do, that you are doing the right thing when they think it is wrong, is like trying to fit an elephant into a small glass bottle. People who are not artists or business owners always want to tell the artist or business owner to get a real job and do what they love on the side.  Meanwhile, you got all these people out there that are running their business on a full time basis, successfully. 

So you mean I should quit doing what I am doing and go work for someone that is already doing what I am trying to do for myself. Yeah I would call that bad advice. It’s hard though. Especially when the bad advice comes from family, that have certain expectations of you to perform a certain manner. Usually that means doing what they did growing up to get where they are now.

Unfortunately not everyone is meant to be a follower in this world. Some of us have to be leaders too!

School Can Pull You Down

   Seen to many friends get lost in their expectations of what school was supposed to bring them and they ended up forgetting who they were.  The bad thing about art school in particular is that not only is it way to expensive, but you got all these individuals claiming to be an authority on how to have a successful career telling you that you need to do things the way they did them when the teachers aren’t even working in the field they are teaching you about.
I learned this the hard way!

I heard of people going to school graduating and then becoming teachers at the school they graduated from and teaching the new students coming in how they think they should be drawing or painting and then failing them if they don’t do what the teacher expects.

The funny thing about animation is it’s not just about entertainment. Animation is an art form, as well. You are an artist first and animation is only an expression of that. After all it’s the next stage of progression in creativity. We love seeing our imagination bloom to life.  I am coming to find there are a lot less rules and regulations than I thought there were.  Your lines don’t have to be perfect all the time. The colors don’t have to be bright and vivid to get people’s attention.  Hell you may not need color at all! You just gotta go out and be creative. Fuck what they say!

Side note: I am not discouraging getting an education. just saying be careful how you let it effect you.Make sure you always think for yourself and avoid letting others make decisions for you. ( times out of 10 what is right for you is going to be wrong for someone else and vise versa.

Value your art work more than anyone else no matter what!!

Sometimes when you get use to doing something all the time you start to see it as not all that important of a thing. For a long time as an artist I have to admit I didn't understand the value of what i do. That it could effect people or be important to others. Especially when it comes to fan art.

 I figure its not my characters its no big deal, but there are some people out here that see dollar signs when they see your abilities and those individuals will do what ever they  possibly can to get in your favor if it means they can get a little peace of what you do and they can use it for themselves.

We live in a world where we are told to be good, and how to act, and how to not hurt others, and to love others as they love us and treat them how we want to be treated. But underlying those old sayings there is a pit of snakes waiting to grab hold of the next over excited artist looking to "get exposure" or that is just excited that someone liked there stuff, so much so, that they are willing to give it away.

I heard a saying the other day at work. it goes like this. " How do you get an artist to work for free?    Tell them how great there art is."

Since moving to LA I see it more now than I ever did. a cesspool of disgusting people waiting to find there next sucker so they can walk all over them and make them do what they want all while making the person being victimized feel bad about not liking how they are being treated.

Artist if you don't value what you do I have news for you. There's someone out there waiting for the chance to take the things you don't feel like are important and turn it into profit for themselves.  They are waiting for the chance to take that sketch you through in the trash heap cause you didn't like it and flip it for there own benefit. They might even claim to be you just so they can get some attention for themselves.

Protect yourself at all costs. You deserve better than being used and abused for someone selfish greed.

Being Yourself in Your Art/Looney Toons

I was watching bugs bunny cartoons the other day! I love the old Bob Clampet stuff!  So much fun.  What I realized is that there is no perfection in the animation. There are all kinds of weird things going on and being done just to get a laugh out of the viewer.

Like one second a horse might have hooves and the next he has hands!

They really played! The artists just had fun and were creative. They were themselves! Sometimes the cartoons barely even had a story. Characters would commit suicide and then sit up and address the viewer. One scene bugs bunny gives a dog a gun and encourages him to kill himself! WHAT! Insanity!

Reminds me how much I just love cartoons.

My mom told me this story once about how when I was a kid, she asked my uncle to baby sit for her. So he did! Little did he know that this 3 year old was an insane cartoon maniac!!  He was so mad at her because she dropped me off and I told him I wanted to watch cartoons, but there were no cartoons on tv. So I screamed and cried the entire time he was babysitting me because I wanted to watch cartoons! He was so mad when my mom returned that he told her he would never babysit me ever again!

HAHA! Sometimes I guess you are just born with it.

Be yourself it is so much more fun!