Prioritizing...

I think I need to take a few minutes to list some of my art related goals this year. Last week, I had a conversation with my good friend Mike Moss who spent some time trying to put things into perspective for me. As always, after thinking about it for a bit, I realize that he's right. So, what I want to do is list the things I'm going to be working on/towards in the coming year to have as a reminder when I lose focus. So here we go:

1. I will learn to be patient with my art. I get frustrated too easily.
2. I will learn to be more deliberate with my art. I tend to spend 50% of my art time doing whimsical things rather than staying focused on the project at hand.
3. I won't put aside my personal goals and projects for for quick and easy commission work. I completely neglected my own goals for about 5 months while I peddled my skills for cheap. Work is good, but it can't come at the price of progress. I lost sight of my own goals and progress for a little recognition and a few bucks. From now on, I'll limit the commission work to a manageable amount so that I can do both... Unless there's a shit-load of  money involved...
4. I will give as much attention to backgrounds and composition as I do my character art. It's obvious I don't spend enough time on that stuff. I can do it well, I just have to actually do it.
5. I will attend and perhaps participate in more conventions. The only art communities I'm a part of are online communities. I'm hella busy and it's difficult (VERY) for me to socialize and meet people, but it's something I need to do, not only to learn about the industry but also to be in an environment I can feed on.
6. Lastly... I will launch my web comic this summer. 

I guess it's not-so-exciting a list to the observer, but these are all tremendously huge steps that I really need to take. I'd really like to thank Mike and also Will Corpening for being so supportive of my endeavors. So, thanks guys =)

Matt

Balancing Act

Let's try this again...

Break on through...

So, I'm hoping people are seeing the progress I'm making with the inking and coloring. It's been long and frustrating, but I've kept at it and I think we're seeing another step of progress. The last couple of days I've made an effort to slow down, which has really helped a lot. Hope you folks like it =)

Matt

Dain Bramage

You tell me which one looks better...

huckleberry

Somebody to lean on...

Protagonists from the upcoming web strip.

Oops, forgot one... Gemini Gold

5 and out... Gemini Black

2011

Happy New Year to everyone. Not that I've fooled myself into thinking people actually visit this blog but I'd still like to put the good vibe out there. I hope everyone's holidays were good. Mine were as good as they could possibly be. I worked almost every day for the month of December (That's not true, but it kinda is... hard to explain so I'll just move on...). I did upgrade my phone for Christmas, which had been bugging me for 6 months and I did get the most wonderful gift in the form of Photoshop CS5. I couldn't ask for more. Well, I could, but I didn't. Anyway...


Update time. First, I cleaned out a lot of the old posts in this blog. I essentially wiped everything out from before I got my tablet last year. All of the old art is still in the gallery links, if people want to go back and look at that stuff. The direction of my art changed once I went digital. Also, I discovered that artists have trends that I figured out will continue to repeat themselves until the day the artist dies. So I found that a lot of what I talked about on the blog, I had almost certain talked about before on the blog. Recurring themes of, "I have an artist block", or, "I think I'm making progress", followed by identical details every time made want to get rid of all that blabbering. 


2010 introduced me to the world of freelance commission art. WEEEEEE!!!!! As awesome as it is for me to actually get a little money for what I do, commission work has exposed a number of my weaknesses as an artist. Mainly, my inability to draw backgrounds. Not that I can't, but I don't do it well.  So, I'll be dedicating a lot of time to getting better at that this year...


...Also, I'll be drawing a lot more sexy women...


People love it. Don't be fooled. Sexy does not mean stereotype. If I have any skill as an artist or any salt as a human being, I'll deliver "SEXY" in all it's forms. I'm doing this for a couple reasons. First is that it draws attention to me and my work. Shameless, I know, but it's what I'm in this business for... The attention that is. Second is that I need to get better at drawing the female form in action. I've been a pin up guy most of my life, so this is an exercise I need to do. Lastly, the women will help balance out the background crap I'll be drawing while I learn to do that... at the very least the girls will distract from that.


In terms of actual projects I have lined up for 2011, I'll post on that later. I still plan to release the Four Horsemen web strip this summer and I'm working on a couple of collaborations with some good friends. I can't put deadlines on any of that because the commission work will continue and probably take precedence (yay for making money!) for a while. In the mean time, please enjoy the work I put up here. Speaking of "put up", thanks for putting up with me =)


matt