:a slight return:

Peeking back in here for a brief update, as sometimes I can't resist some sort of year in review, or in this case, the later half of 2017, as I went on a blog hiatus mid-year. Why, if you've forgotten? To try to concentrate on the website redesign. Has it happened? Um, no but I'm closer than I was before. 

Taking stock of what I've done aside from that, it appears to me that I've been not as productive as I'd like to be, but never for longer than a week or two at the most. I still always have some sort of camera with me at all times. Instagram still gets a fair amount of those images, but I plan to return to more "real" cameras in the new year. I am hopeful to get a new smartphone as well, based on the camera that it has, of course.

Speaking of real cameras, I realized that my frustration with Polaroid film had to do with the model camera that I was using. Changing to another one produced somewhat better results. As another photographer pointed out to me, how much can you expect from a plastic lens?

I didn't do any more model shoots, alas. Sad to say I was somewhat affected by the lack of use of my  photos by the models, but I need to get over that. It's just one of the curses of social media when you can see the images that they do use instead, despite them saying that they liked mine. I want to get back to more surreal imagery in the new year. The indoor shoots were good practice and I certainly want to do more of those as well, but I need what I do to stand out more.

I still do more photography than illustration, but I did exercise the drawing muscles a few times. I made this to recognize the 30th(!) anniversary of the movie "The Lost Boys." Also saw it shown again in a movie theater, at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, of all places. I drew the lines in ink and colored it on the computer. I'm pleased with it but again I don't like how long it takes me to create just one illustration now.

Opposite of that was participating in Inktober, an ink drawing every day in October. Some hits and misses, of course. I chose not to sketch out beforehand, just straight ink, and I think my mistake ratio was quite low. You can see all of them on the sponge Instagram page. It was good practice, and I really should be sketching every day anyway.

Made more attempts to sell this artwork to people...twice I participated in the now-weekly markets at Mill No. 5 in Lowell, MA. I made enough to pay off the table fees, basically, but I still find that most people are more window-shoppers than art buyers. I tend to feel that way about gallery shows now too. I see that more as a way to get it out to more eyeballs at this point.

I also finally added a lot of artwork for sale to my Etsy page, timing it for "Cyber Monday" in November. But aside from a few initial sales, it's gone cold again. Etsy is not what it used to be. It seems to be anything goes, and not necessarily arts or crafts. Glue a gear onto something and it's somehow instantly Steampunk. I've joined an online community to hopefully get better insight into the selling part of this.

I can't promise that this is a return to the weekly blogging, but once that damn website is finished, I intend to!

:striving:

Sadly I did not get to work on any photos of Asha & Hex last week. Other things came up, as they do. Thankfully I've been told there's no hurry. From what I've seen they have no shortage of photoshoots. Here at least is one new shot, having fun with skulls. I've forgotten the names that they gave them.

I took a few shots with a Polaroid camera during the shoot, too. Still trying to make that work. It seems you have to be at this perfect distance to make it look decent. No close-ups possible. I think Asha's came out okay.

Otherwise I was working further on my drawing. I'd say it'll be done by next week, but I have two DJing gigs coming up as well, and that's two evenings that won't be used for drawing. This photo doesn't do it justice, the lightbulb on the drawing table lamp is great lighting for making the actual artwork, but lousy for photography. I've been having issues with my scanner as well, so I'll have to take it into another room for a better shot.

Still messing around with "products" to be sold. Some coasters and a print on slate. I figured that the already damaged effects on the photo would look good on the rock surface. Still need to get Etsy up and running and maybe into some festivals, but so far I've signed up for a bazaar at my workplace again, in May. Although to be honest I was hoping to not still be working there by then. Need to up that search, but it's so dull if you have no idea what you really want to do for a job. Or if you don't want a job, period.

I ventured out to another one of the regular open artist studio days, held in various locations throughout the year, this one in the South End of Boston, and I left feeling underwhelmed. Nothing that really inspired me and the usual envy of someone else having an actual studio to work in.

I am feeling a bit disillusioned by the whole art thing in general lately, to be honest. Sure, ultimately I create to satisfy an inner urge that I've had my whole life, and it doesn't have to translate into fame and fortune, but those are nice side benefits. But unless I can really figure it soon, I don't know if it's happening within my own lifetime. Perhaps I should just work on in isolation, and someone can discover my hidden cache of artwork after I'm gone, and they'll profit from it. As the story seems to go most of the time in art history. Yet still I strive on.

:closer:

This will be short update, and to be honest, most likely next week's will be as well, as I'm preparing for my photoshoot next Thursday. I need to go through props and also set up my "living room" to become a photo studio again. I must admit I'm looking forward to trying out my new camera lens, one that was recommended to me.

I'm still completing other steps in other projects, for example I was digging through the boxes and shelves of flotsam and bones and such to see what will be added to the new Homunculus doll.

Also started on a new drawing. Honestly it's partially to make sure that I can still do it. I've leaned more towards photography due to the length of time it takes to finish a piece, and that's relatively quicker. I'd really like the blue of the hair in this one to be extra vivid, which would be ideal in digital, but I'm starting with color pencils as I'm still not confident enough with my Wacom tablet. Or at least how I have it set up right now. I might have to scan this one in to enhance the blues.

I'm certain that I'll soon add the growing pile of mini-framed Instagram shots to my Etsy shop. I'll make it work, dammit.

:projecting:

As hinted at last week, I did indeed set up my first photoshoot of the year, to take place two weeks from now. It'll be with two models at once, a first for me. I don't have any concepts set in stone yet, but from what I've seen of their work so far there should be no problems with improvising. I'll just have to dig through my props soon. I do have these two masks that will likely get used.

I continue to test out more products to put my artwork onto for sale, some more magnets this time. Hey, if certain companies keep sending me discounts or freebies, I'm going to use them (these were through Shutterfly). Time to start piling them onto Etsy, until I get a space at some art festival.

I returned to the Boston Dr. Sketchy's drawing event this past Monday. I haven't been to one since last April. Bad. But I'm pleased with the results, especially on the one and two minute poses, as in the past there wouldn't be much more than a scribble. Our model was one Gigi Marx, from Montreal.

We had unseasonably warm weather this past weekend, and I escaped to the woods at one point. I came across what I believe was part of the remains of a deer, at least as long as my leg. Sadly it was wasn't completely cleaned off by nature so I wasn't going to bring it home in that state. I'm still soaking off the dregs of a bird skull that I found last summer, and I have nothing big enough to put a deer's backbone into. So I'll return in a month or so to see if it's still there and cleaner. I also found someone's lost iPod and I'm going to see if that's recoverable as well.

:the tyranny of time:

I didn't post on Wednesday as per usual because of the issue I'm going to go into now; the lack of (free) time.

I recently unearthed some old journal entries of mine, from the early 90s. I started writing pretty regularly in 1992. It's clear from what I wrote then that I was mostly angry and frustrated, partially from the atmosphere that I felt trapped in, but also because of the lack of time to do what I really wanted, namely create art. That much hasn't changed, even if the world now has a lot more distractions. I only "discovered" the internet around 1993 or so, and that required a dial-up modem. Be glad if you've never had to depend on that method. But even then I could see the pull of it.

I voiced a lot of the struggle to create the artwork, get it seen or sold, or to actually find a job that utilized my actual talents. I've lost track of how many places that I applied to! Possibly why I don't try as hard now, although job searching is an entirely different world now too.

That said, the main purpose should be just be to create the damn artwork, not looking ahead to where it might end up. One unofficial resolution for this year was to produce more, and in that I've technically faltered so far, but what I seem to be doing is little parts of separate projects, and I'm not sure if that's the best method.

My attempts to sell Valentine-themed artwork through Etsy didn't succeed, so I need to further tweak that. The next idea is to further push my Instagram photos. I keep ordering small prints and buying small frames for them.

Progress on the new Homunculus doll has stalled. Trying to decide on what else to do with the face for now. Drastic eye makeup, and maybe an extra eye or two. And even so I spot other dolls and buy and add them to the pile of future ones.

Which is a theme in other creative avenues too. I find or buy things that I think I'll use some day in something. Found some interesting papers that can either be backgrounds or drawn/painted on themselves.

The bones keep piling up.

Haven't done a photoshoot since last spring!! But truthfully I was working on final shots from them for a good portion of this time. And I find things for future shoots, like hanging lights, and surely I can get someone to wear a cat mask or wield a samurai sword.

But the need to reschedule my life so that things get done is still there. Outside distractions are okay as long as they don't sidetrack me too far. I have to literally keep myself out of bookstores, my to-read pile is ridiculous, and am in dire need of another bookcase or two.

:piece by piece:

As promised, I put up a framed original art piece up for sale on my Etsy page. It intentionally has a Valentine's Day theme (through my twisted eyes), so who knows, maybe someone will consider it for a last minute gift. But I'm just trying to get more of the artwork out there, a sale would be a bonus.

I also keep taking advantage of print sales that I manage to come across. Bought a ton more of these small prints of Instagram shots that I intend to put into equally small frames, and will probably add them to the shop, along with selling them at any markets and fairs that I manage to get into. Been trying to get into one of the monthly ones in Lowell, but twice so far they've passed on me, citing too many vendors applying for spaces. Try try again.

The current Homunculus doll is slowly progressing, yet if I spot another one out in my travels, I still buy it if I can. Of course I have no idea what this one will become either. The long hair on it is just ridiculous.

Much of creative time lately has actually been taken up by continuing to work towards a final draft of at least one of my NaNoWriMo novels, and that's not really easy to show in this blog. I've been editing with the aid of a online tool called AutoCrit, which literally goes through the novel piece by piece in various ways. It's amazing how much you can change when you go sentence by sentence. And already I know I need a whole new first chapter. A title is still up in the air for it. The working one is "Devices," but that sounds a bit too plain to me. Another idea is "#embraced," which is from a major plot point, but I'm worried that a hashtag in the title would date it, even though I don't specify a time in the story other than the near future.

:commerce:

Moving steadily along, as per usual juggling several projects at once, doing little parts on each one.

One goal for the year is to get my artwork out and for sale more, so I've been looking into art markets and fairs, though some of the booth space costs for some of them are ridiculously high. I also continue to look into different ways of presenting and selling what I do have. I'm definitely going to keep pushing more of the Instagram shots, which are easier to frame in smaller sizes.

At one place that I was selling them at recently (a bazaar at my day job), a few people thought that they were coasters. So, I ordered a few actual coasters to see what that would look like.

I'm still enamored of metal prints too, so when I see sales or Groupons and such, I try to get another one.

We're in February now, if you didn't notice by the excess of hearts and the color red about. My Valentines are still available through Etsy, and I'm going to offer my original framed artwork of the zombie valentine drawing, probably putting it up in the next few days.

I regularly discover the advantage of always having some sort of camera on me, even if it's just the phone's camera, for you never know when something will catch your eye. I saw this as I was heading out the door this morning. That's a doll in progress hiding beneath the mask.