State of the Artist: 2013 Year In Review

View halloo, all!!

**This is the last State of the Artist update for 2013. There won't be any State of the Artist updates posted until after the Sketch-A-Day Project for January 2014 is completed, since those get posted every day.**

Wow, it's hard to believe it's December 30th, isn't it?! The year has just flown by, and, I don't know about anyone else, but I'll be happy to usher OUT 2013 and usher IN 2014! I'm looking forward to the new opportunities, new outlook, and fresh start that comes with starting a new year!


Weekly Words

What is a thousand years? Time is short for one who thinks, endless for one who yearns.
- Alain (Émile-Auguste Chartier), 1868 - 1951



Year In Review

Let's see... what's happened in 2013 on Planet Kit?

January:
saw the launch of the Sketch-A-Day Project AND the Monthly Postcard Project, both of which will continue into 2014. (The Sketch-A-Day Project starts on January 1st and will have a new sketch posted to the blog every day hence the gap in State of the Artist updates.)

Some personal favorites:




There are still original sketches from the 2013 Sketch-A-Day Project available for purchase HERE!


The Monthly Postcard Project resulted in 12 brand new, exclusive, small original works mailed out to subscribers over the course of 2013.

Some personal favorites:


February:
saw the Work-A-Week Project, spinning off the Sketch-A-Day Project, to produce 4 new finished pieces from the selection of sketches of the previous month.

There's only 4 pieces produced during this project, but I do have a personal favorite... and this one was quite the challenge!


March:
saw the enjoyable madness that is MegaCon in Orlando, FL (which I will be at again in 2014, March 21-23) which I greatly enjoyed and will do again next year.

April:
saw the launch of the Moleskine Notebook Commission concept, which I had a great deal of fun with! Once, Sketch-A-Day 2014, Work-A-Week 2014, and MegaCon are over, I'll most likely do another batch of these, so keep an eye out!



May:
saw a new, random traditional piece that evolved from a Sketch-A-Day 2011 doodle



June:
saw the completion of another abstract acrylic painting commission, which I TRULY enjoy doing! I get such an amazing artistic thrill working on abstracts. They're such a change of pace from the tightly rendered illustrations I usually spend my time on. That said, I've come to the conclusion that, when it comes to abstract acrylics, bigger is better! The cathartic rush that moves through me when painting an abstract cries for a BIG canvas.



July:
saw mostly random doodlethingies and Florida SuperCon commissions and the start of the Comics Nouveau Project

small selection:


August:
saw work on another abstract acrylic commission series (for book covers!!), my attendance at AFO (another Orlando con) and convention commissions along with more doodlethingies!

small selection:


September:
saw the completion of the book cover series of abstract acrylic paintings for author and soul sister, (MCA Hogarth. With the independently-completed medallion images and text, these paintings made for some absolutely AWESOME and unique book covers! And the completion the inaugural Comics Nouveau pieces)



October:
saw my attendance at Necronomicon in Tampa, FL and dipping my toes into Inktober for the first time... a totally awesome project that I may add to my annual project list!

samples:


November:
sadly saw only ONE doodlethingie the entire month (although, most of November was trying to come up with a Holiday Card image I liked... >.<)

December:
saw a few more doodlethingies AND the mailing of the 2013 Holiday Card!

This year's Holiday Card Project exceeded any expectations I EVER had for the project, considering traffic/noise/responses on my blog/LJ/dA/twitter are *very* quiet, but the addition of posting the Card Request Post on tumblr this year resulted in a veritable explosion of requests. This year saw the mailing of 500 cards! (Really, it's not the cards that are the main issue, most printing companies have amazing deals on cards during the holiday season, it's the postage that's the killer.) So, this year's Holiday Card Project resulted in 362 domestic US card requests, and 183 international card requests, bringing postage to a staggering, eye-popping, wallet-weeping $309USD... Those of you who donated to this project have my everlasting gratitude for helping alleviate the cost of the project.




The Silvertales Studio Zazzle shop saw the addition of oodles of new projects over the course of the year, and that will continue into 2014. If you'd like to see full-size prints of popular pieces added to the Zazzle shop, please let me know in the comments, especially if you have any suggestions for pieces!


Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!

State of the Artist 12/23/2013

View halloo!!

Christmas is almost upon us, as is the end of the year, and what a year it's been! Personally, I'm looking forward to saying goodbye to 2013, and welcoming the new opportunities of 2014.



Weekly Words

You can't help getting older but you don't have to get old.
- George Burns, 1896 - 1996

As we see the passing of another year, it's important to remember that, while things may be tough, we're only as old as we feel, and there is always something of joy and wonder to be found. I'll admit, this is a challenge for me, but certainly something to pin up somewhere I can look at it every day and strive to find the positive, no matter how dark, gloomy, depressing, or hopeless things may seem.



Current Project

The Current Project on my plate is holiday preparation! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena. In our house we celebrate Christmas with both Cuban and English traditions. So, in effect, we get Christmas twice... and the food is definitely the best thing about it! Christmas Even is celebrated with Cuban roast pork, black beans and rice, fried yucca and plantains, and either a flan or rice pudding. Christmas Day is celebrated in the English fashion (although we skip the goose... not easy to get in Miami, you know. ;) with standing rib roast or lamb, roast potatoes, and Yorkshire puddings, which, I have to say, I've actually gotten pretty good at! Dessert is apple pie, since no one makes trifle like my Nana used to, so we don't even try.

That said, I've only got one doodle for you this week, just something random, as I'm also getting ready for commissions, a new year of the Monthly Postcard Project, and the launch of the 2014 Sketch-A-Day Project!





Monthly Postcard Project

The 2013 Monthly Postcard Project started out as a 12 month experiment, just to see if I could do it, and if people enjoyed the project. The response was enthusiastic and had such a good time exploring the possibilities and just having fun with how random the project could be, I'll be doing it again for 2014.

The goal of the project is to put original and random art postcards in people's mailboxes, wherever they may live to make sifting through bills and junk mail just that little bit more rewarding. I don't know about anyone else, but when I get random letters or postcards sandwiched between my monthly bills or junk mail, it always puts a smile on my face.

If you'd like more information regarding the Monthly Postcard Project, to sign up (there are 12, 6, and 3 month domestic US and international subscription options) or to give a subscription as a gift, please check out the info page: HERE!



Near Future

As mentioned above, I'll be launching the 2014 Sketch-A-Day Project come January 1st, and I'd love to hear your suggestions! I've got 31 days to fill, so if there are themes you'd like to see, please go ahead and leave your suggestions in a reply!

I've got two commissions on my plate for the beginning of the year, along with new, personal pieces, and the next 4 pieces in the Comic Nouveau series to get done... hopefully, all before my first convention appearing in mid-March.

Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!

State of the Artist 12/16/2013

View halloo!!

It's yet another Monday here on Planet Kit, and so it's time for another State of the Artist update!


Weekly Words

A child's attitude toward everything is an artist's attitude.

-Willa Cather, 1873 - 1947



Current Project

Current project, now that the Holiday Cards are in the mail (on their way to me) is gearing up for January's Sketch-A-Day project, and some tiny thumbnail doodles for two commission projects.

But, I do have a small doodle that I worked up while sitting in the doctor's office waiting room.



I'd started the lines for this doodle a while ago, but never got around to finishing it, but sitting in a waiting room is the perfect place to get half-done doodles finished! I was also delighted when I met the new Physician's Assistant, before seeing my doctor, to find he was a huge comics/sci-fi/fantasy fan... and during the routine Q&A and taking vitals and all, we watched movie trailers on YouTube on the exam room computer. I love my doctor's office. :)




Shop Silvertales

Christmas is right around the corner, and there's still time to take advantage of the deals and discounts available on Zazzle for products featuring original artwork! Pick up a Coffeeeee Zombieeees" mug for a friend, or a Polar Bears in SPAAACE tshirt for yourself, all for 15% off!

Use code LASTCHANCE15 at check out to take advantage of the offer, valid through 11:59pm, Pacific Time, December 16th.

Shop Silvertales



Monthly Postcard Project

The December postcards for the inaugural year of the Monthly Postcard Project have all been mailed, and so that marks the end of the first year of the Monthly Postcard Project experiment! Whew!

I enjoyed the project, and had some wonderful feedback from subscribers, that I'll be continuing the project for 2014.

If you'd like more information, or to sign up for the project, please check out the info page: HERE. Subscriptions are available in 12, 6, and 3 month options, both domestic US and international.



Near Future

We're coming up on the end of another year, and so, as we approach January, that means I'm preparing for the Sketch-A-Day project for 2014! There's 31 sketches in 31 days to get done, so if you have any themes you'd like to see me try to tackle, please leave them in the comments!



Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!

State of the Artist 12/9/2013

View halloo, all!!

Yet another Monday, here on Planet Kit, and so it's time for another State of the Artist update!


Weekly Words

The end is nothing; the road is all.
-Willa Cather, 1873 - 1947



Current Project

Sorry to say that my general level of productivity has been somewhat sidelined by a few recent medical issues, and work on the holiday card art which pushes everything else to the background this time of year. But, the Holiday Card artwork is DONE and off to the printer, woot!

I haven't done much this past week except doodle and reject ideas for the holiday cards until I figured out what I wanted and then getting that done, but I do have one little doodle.



Pencil, white pencil, white ink, gold ink on toned gray paper.

Random head shot of a woman, somewhat inspired/influenced by the clothing and traditions of the Bedouin tribes of Saharan Africa.



Holiday Cards

Whoooeee.. the 2013 Holiday Card Project request period is over, and the total count for requested cards has been tabulated... this year, we top the count EXACTLY 500 cards. *falls over*

Due to the sheer number of cards, I went ahead and included a message on the reverse instead of leaving it blank for a handwritten note. The cards will all be signed by hand, but there just isn't any way to write personal notes to everyone this year, and for that I do apologize!

Unlike previous years, where I've ended up with around 20-25 extra cards because they come in certain count batches from the printer, there will be no extra cards this year... which I usually sell in sets at conventions the following year.

As always, to help offset the cost of production, or in this year's case, the overwhelming postage, donations are always welcome! There is a donation button at the bottom of every State of the Artist post.



Monthly Postcard Project

The December monthly postcard was mailed out this afternoon, and with that, the first full year of the Monthly Postcard Project is COMPLETE! *happy dance* It's hard to believe that in November/December of last year, I first floated the idea for this project, to some great responses.

THANK YOU so very much to everyone who believed in this project and signed up to show your support (and get goodies in the mail!) There's been some fantastic feedback with regards to the project. I enjoyed this experiment immensely, and will definitely be continuing into 2014. Unlike the Holiday Card project, there is no time limit to sign up. Subscriptions are available in 12, 6, and 3 month options, both domestic US and international.

If you'd like more information on the Monthly Postcard Project, to start a new subscription, or to renew your subscription, please check out the permanent info page, here:

Monthly Postcard Project FAQ



Shop Silvertales

Seeing as it's the holiday season, Zazzle is having some absolutely Ah-May-Zing discounts on products sitewide. Nearly every day there is a new set of sales and discounts. The current deal is 75% off cards, 40% off cases, 30% off mugs, and totes, 20% off tees and hoodies, and 15% off everything else.... no matter the store!

This is a great opportunity to pick up some holiday cards to mail out, a Polar Bears in SPAAAACE tee for a friend or yourself) or oodles of other goodies featuring original artwork!

This particular Zazzle deal is valid through December 10th 11:59pm Pacific Time, and to take advantage of it, use code ITSWONDERFUL at checkout.


Browse other gifts from Zazzle.




Near Future

We're rapidly approaching the end of the year, and with the exception of waiting for the Holiday Cards to arrive and then mailing them out, I'll be busy working on new art and a brand new commission into the New Year.... AND... another launch of the Sketch-A-Day Project for the month of January!

If you've got suggestions for the Sketch-A-Day Project for 2014, please leave them in the comments!

My first scheduled convention appearance will be:
MegaCon in Orlando, FL March 21-23 2014.

There should be art appearing at other conventions nationwide between now and then, but those details haven't been finalized just yet. When they are, I'll definitely post to let you know!



Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!

State of the Artist 12/2/2013

View halloo, all!


It's another Monday here on Planet Kit, and so it is time again for the State of the Artist update!

In the realm of "when it rains, it pours," I have been sidelined on the couch (or in the bed) with a pinched nerve right smack between my shoulder blades. As such, I've been slowed down by some pretty restricted movement. I'm getting stuff done, I'm just a lot slower than I prefer to be, especially at this time of year. that said, the December Monthly Postcard has already been finished and ordered, so those are already on their way!



Weekly Words

If you cannot find peace in yourself, it is useless to look for it elsewhere.
- François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, 1613 - 1680



Current Project

Right now (since the December Monthly Postcard was actually finished a little early YAY!) the current project on my plate is working up the 2013 Holiday Card.

The request post is still open HERE and will remain open until Thursday, December 5th, 11:59pm Eastern Time. So, if you'd like a card and haven't put in your request yet, there is still time!

Requesting a card is simple, you must leave your mailing address in the linked request post ONLY as the comments there have been screened for privacy. If you've requested a card in the past and would like one this year, please leave your address in the linked post.

Please, be aware, there will be NO unsolicited cards mailed. The comment count in the request post allows me to count how many cards I need printed and where they will be mailed. Last year's project resulted in over $180USD in postage *alone*, and the count for this year has already passed last year's record of 350+ requests. (Definitely a surprise, given how I shortened the open request post time!)

Given the sheer number of cards requested and the increasing cost of this project, this will be the LAST year I undertake this project without a required payment or a crowdfunded kickstarter. While I am immensely pleased so many people out there enjoy receiving original art postcards for the holidays, I'm sad to say, that I simply cannot afford to keep doing this out of pocket.

If you'd like to make a donation to help fund the production of the 2013 Holiday Card Project, please click on the donate button at the bottom of this post. Thank you!



Monthly Postcard Project

The October Monthly Postcard Project original is now available for purchase!



October's suitably spooky original is ink, marker, white pencil, and white ink on toned paper, measuring 5.5"x8.5" and is available for $30USD + shipping ($6USD domestic / $9USD international.) Please email silvertales[at]gmail[dot]com with "October 2013 Monthly Postcard Project original" in the subject line if interested.



Near Future

The Near Future sees me scrambling to finish my Holiday Card original (eep!) and getting everything ready on the homefront for holidays with the family, which means lots of food and lots of general Cuban craziness! :)

There's also pre-planning for January's Sketch-A-Day project (yikes, where does the time go?!)



Well, I think that's all for this week's State of the Artist update here on Planet Kit.

I thank you for joining me again this week! Feedback is the food which fuels the creative discussion between Artist and Audience, please, feel free to comment or leave suggestions for new projects!


If you enjoy seeing posts of new or in-progress artwork, please consider a donation.

Become a patron of the arts!

Feel free to post links to this journal/community if you feel there might be interest in my artwork!