Film Prop Illustrations, Kids, and College

Concept Sketches

The link shows my first sketches for this job, but I haven't talked about it in much detail.

A couple weeks ago, I was emailed by Al Berg, who had seen my DA account. He's an independent film producer, hoping to make a movie about a girl who goes to the library and finds a book an illustrated book about a kickboxing fox beating up a fat owl. He asked me to make the illustrations for the book, a series of 13 modern-manga styled illustrations that he hopes to make into a film prop book for the movie he's writing and hoping to produce. I would love to say more about the possible film itself, but I can't release too much detailed info about the plot.

After a couple of days of discussion Al and I quickly came to an agreement on price and time-frame. The concept sketches are a 2nd draft of the owl, and actually a 3rd draft of the fox-girl, although the first draft that I showed him. Now I'm happily working on the sketches for the first 3 illustrations.

I'm very excited about the project, despite the extra time constraints it puts on my already limited schedule. It will mean extra money just before the holidays. What a great time for it. The project is also a lot of fun.

On the backburners, I still have a weekly comic commission and a sketch commission (which I hope to finish this weekend). The comic isn't as big as the illustrations, but it still means a little extra cash every week even after I finish illustration project. I couldn't be more grateful for the work. I've noticed a few skilled artists who, unlike me, hold a bachelors degree in fine art, only charge about the same rates I do, and still seem to struggle with keeping commissions going.

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In other news...
All of my kids are in grade school this year. Cadance is still only half day in Kindergarten, but it sill amazes me how much they're growing up. All 3 are doing well in their classes, yes, even Christopher. They all adore their teachers and are working hard to make new friends.

I'm nearly done with my current Algebra and Pseudocode programming classes. The Pseudocode programming is the most difficult class I've taken so far and I just hope to make it out with a decent grade. College Algebra hasn't been difficult, but it is stressful. I hate taking tests. This summer I should be finished with my Associates degree in Web Design in the IT field. Very exciting. I see it as a great way to expand creative services that I already offer. Still not sure if I'll continue straight on and work on my Bachelor's degree. Guess I'll just have to wait and see how things are going.

<3

Coolin' down on a hot Saturday

After a couple of stormy days and nights, we have clear skies and hot weather. The combination of rain and sun over the last week has gotten my lawn into poor shape. I spent about 2 1/2 hours mowing and clipping branches in the sun and need a break. So...here's a recap of what I've been doing.

Last Saturday was my Birthday. I'm 29 this year. Yay! Ha ha, I won't let age get me down. I spent a nice, quiet day at home with the kids. It was a nice Birthday. I'm not much for parties about me, anymore. Save those for the kids. I'm just happy to have a break.

On Sunday I took the kids to Lake Huron. The water was still chilly, but we went swimming anyway. It was fun. We made sandcastles, played with tadpoles and got sunburned, despite multiple sunscreenings (XD).

Monday was Cameron's Birthday. All of the kids got to talk with him. We can't really get him anything until he comes back home. He's already spent a bunch of money on shipping the rest of his things back here.

Tuesday through Friday were mostly spent on homework and playing with the kids. Thus I am stuck doing yard work and cleaning the house today. I'll try to put some time in drawing and having fun, too.

I included a fairly recent watercolor painting, which can also be found on my DevaiantArt account here.