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CMYK

MARCH 23, 2011
It's not my birthday (Happy Birthday, Zimm!) but I got my copy of CMYK just in time for St. Patrick's Day.  Ronald Cala III, Creative Director at CMYK and I had a conversation many months ago about what I could write about.  He didn't want the usual question and answer thing but wanted something that was more organic and telling of what goes on in an artists life.

Since this magazine seems to cater to the 'New Creatives', the idea was to take some part of the illustration business and talk about it from a first person sort of view so new illustrators out there can get a sense of what it is like to get started and what it takes to be an illustrator.

Every year I see some seriously talented students hang up their shingle and see so few make it past 3-5 years in the business.  We just got done with the Student Scholarship for this year and the work is unfuckingbelievable but the numbers will drop pretty quick of those who will remain illustrators. This business is hard and in my opinion, you have to be very dedicated to it and push through all those hard times that will come.  Oh yes...they WILL come.  It may be oversimplifying but I think in part, brains a good work ethic, a love for making art and good work, you just might have a career.
Ron also thought it would be cool if I illustrated the number that has been adorrning the cover for the last couple of years and of course, I thought that would be fun to do as I've been toying with type here and there and want to expand on it.  I've been making 'spikey' images in my sketchbook lately and starting to put them in some of my work so I wanted to give this a shot.

I'd like to congratulate Yuko Shimizu and Drawger/Illoz/Illogator/Ohger/etc. creator Robert Zimmerman for both having articles in the same issue and Chris Buzelli for judging this issue's New Creative Competition!  A special nod to Victo Ngai, new illustrator tearing up the print world who has got a few pieces in this issue.
Thanks to Ronald and CMYK and thanks to everyone else who has emailed me about this article!
Also, to catch up with everyone else's postings, my piece 'Red Fish' is hanging at the Society of Illustrators Advertising and Institutional show this month.  It's one of my more favorite recent paintings and I am proud that is was recognized.
...and for one more little blast of happiness, unbeknownst to me, my client at Teaching Tolerance Magazine entered a few of my pieces I did for them in the HOW International Design Issue and 'The Only One' was accepted in the Illustration Category!  I've never personally entered the competition before and was thrilled to get the email from the client when all the awards were announced.
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