This blog is about creativity and some people are really creative. But their abilities are about creative avoidence. How not to work or do things. Its amazing all the exscuses that people come up with to keep from doing work. Oh, my portfolio isn’t done. I don’t have the reference or the right paper, i have to make dinner or wash the car.
Folks we only have so much time on the planet. You need to get started on that project that you have in the back of your mind. It’s time to get of your duff and start. You don’t have to have and end in site but you need to get going. You can always change directions later or even start over if it really is the wrong direction. But you won’t know unless you get started.
Even if your on the right track you can get run over if your standing still. Start that project now.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
A PROPER PORTFOLIO
All right, lets get back to portfolios. This is what you are using to represent you to prospective clients or employers.
Your portfolio should always be professional and clean. Purchase a standard portfolio or if you are inclined you can make your own. It should contain only your best work. It should start off strong and should end strong. I always like to see a section in the back of a portfolio with life drawing or concept roughs.
What you put in the body of your portfolio is up to you. But do not put in unfinished work. If you like a piece enough to present it then you can finish it. I like to see the work presented in a format. Meaning a consistent border or layout. I would recommend that you have titles and explanations if necessary on each piece. There will be times when you can not present your work in person and the work will have to speak for itself. Have your name and number easily found and consistent in the layout.
Always have a leave behind for clients. They may not have work for you at the moment but maybe later. A handout will keep you in there thought process.
Also as a tip I recommend that you always ask for a recommendation of an associate to show your portfolio to. Even if the showing didn’t go as well as you would like it to they may know someone who could use your work.
I have been speaking of the old school physical portfolios. Now days a professional also has an online portfolio too. But again the same rules apply. Create a format. Keep it clean and easy to use. A mistake of online portfolios is that they do not create a print page. A single sample page that can be printed with a couple of samples and your contact info to go into hard files.
Remember that your portfolio will never be finished and you can always change your portfolio. So get to it!
Your portfolio should always be professional and clean. Purchase a standard portfolio or if you are inclined you can make your own. It should contain only your best work. It should start off strong and should end strong. I always like to see a section in the back of a portfolio with life drawing or concept roughs.
What you put in the body of your portfolio is up to you. But do not put in unfinished work. If you like a piece enough to present it then you can finish it. I like to see the work presented in a format. Meaning a consistent border or layout. I would recommend that you have titles and explanations if necessary on each piece. There will be times when you can not present your work in person and the work will have to speak for itself. Have your name and number easily found and consistent in the layout.
Always have a leave behind for clients. They may not have work for you at the moment but maybe later. A handout will keep you in there thought process.
Also as a tip I recommend that you always ask for a recommendation of an associate to show your portfolio to. Even if the showing didn’t go as well as you would like it to they may know someone who could use your work.
I have been speaking of the old school physical portfolios. Now days a professional also has an online portfolio too. But again the same rules apply. Create a format. Keep it clean and easy to use. A mistake of online portfolios is that they do not create a print page. A single sample page that can be printed with a couple of samples and your contact info to go into hard files.
Remember that your portfolio will never be finished and you can always change your portfolio. So get to it!
CHASING THE MUSE
Knowledge is power and Einstein has said that imagination is more powerful than knowledge. But where does imagination come from? Imagination is the ability to take limited and random information and make a leap into magic.
A simple process of training your mind. We all have the creative spark when we are children. It’s as we grow older that we become ridged and stifle our imaginations.
A way to restart our imaginations is to see the imaginations in others. Seek inspiration where ever you can. to that end I have a couple of fun web sites and magazines that I can recommend to inspire. Spend time in the book store just checking out the magazines to find something on your own. But while your there look for Step by Step magazine, How magazine or Cinefex just to name a few.
The web is an infinite source to inspire. some really fun web sites that I recommend are....
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/
http//characterdesign.blogspot.com
http://animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com/
Darkroastblend.com is full of random images to inspire and jog the brain into new directions. Character design.blogspot has interviews with amazing artists and examples of their work. It takes a while to load if you have a slow connection but has beautiful work to inspire.
Animation backgrounds.blogspot allows you to explore the beautiful work and varied styles of animation backgrounds. So many times we can’t focus on the amazing work because of the action in front.
Use all the sources available to you.
A simple process of training your mind. We all have the creative spark when we are children. It’s as we grow older that we become ridged and stifle our imaginations.
A way to restart our imaginations is to see the imaginations in others. Seek inspiration where ever you can. to that end I have a couple of fun web sites and magazines that I can recommend to inspire. Spend time in the book store just checking out the magazines to find something on your own. But while your there look for Step by Step magazine, How magazine or Cinefex just to name a few.
The web is an infinite source to inspire. some really fun web sites that I recommend are....
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/
http//characterdesign.blogspot.com
http://animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com/
Darkroastblend.com is full of random images to inspire and jog the brain into new directions. Character design.blogspot has interviews with amazing artists and examples of their work. It takes a while to load if you have a slow connection but has beautiful work to inspire.
Animation backgrounds.blogspot allows you to explore the beautiful work and varied styles of animation backgrounds. So many times we can’t focus on the amazing work because of the action in front.
Use all the sources available to you.
Friday, July 18, 2008
COMIC-CON PORTFOLIO REVIEW
Comic-con is coming up and once again I am scheduled to review portfolios. It’s a strange ritual. I see the same type of people year after year. Some portfolios are good, some are far from it.
When your showing your portfolio you should really have some idea of what your trying to accomplish. Where your going with it. What is your dream? But realize that you may end up somewhere completely different and just as fun.
At comic-con most of the people want to do comics. No surprise. What is a surprise is how unprepared most everyone is. How little research most everyone has done. They all read comics but don’t actually think about them. Who makes them, how they are made and how they will fit into process.
What are you really trying to achieve and have you really looked at the big picture? Is it really your dream? I reviewed a portfolio of a young gentleman whose work was mostly pencil layouts for comics. He copied the standard characters but what stood out were his backgrounds and layouts. His characters were ok. He was more interested in designing worlds. We ended up talking about game design and movies instead of comics and what game companies he could apply too
Do you really want to write comics or do you want to write movies. Do you want to draw comics or storyboards for movies and animation? Do you want to design characters, animation, 3D or graphics. Do you want to do all of it? Open your options and don’t close doors before you even see them. There are very few real openings in the comic industry so you need to have some other options and realize that they may actually be better
When I look at portfolios I’m looking for someone who shows thought and originality behind their work. Your book should show me all that you can do. I don’ t want to see six variations of the same thing. Show me a rough and then the final peice. Where you started and where you ended up.
It never hurts to have more in your portfolio than you want to show. Have some life drawing in the back that you can show a client if they are really interested. You can even have more than one portfolio. I had four portfolios, an illustration book, a cartooning book, a graphics book and an amusement park design book.
Learn to present your work. Buy a real portfolio to show your work. If you want to be a professional, then present your self as a professional.
Ok, that's enough for now but I’ll have more on portfolios later
When your showing your portfolio you should really have some idea of what your trying to accomplish. Where your going with it. What is your dream? But realize that you may end up somewhere completely different and just as fun.
At comic-con most of the people want to do comics. No surprise. What is a surprise is how unprepared most everyone is. How little research most everyone has done. They all read comics but don’t actually think about them. Who makes them, how they are made and how they will fit into process.
What are you really trying to achieve and have you really looked at the big picture? Is it really your dream? I reviewed a portfolio of a young gentleman whose work was mostly pencil layouts for comics. He copied the standard characters but what stood out were his backgrounds and layouts. His characters were ok. He was more interested in designing worlds. We ended up talking about game design and movies instead of comics and what game companies he could apply too
Do you really want to write comics or do you want to write movies. Do you want to draw comics or storyboards for movies and animation? Do you want to design characters, animation, 3D or graphics. Do you want to do all of it? Open your options and don’t close doors before you even see them. There are very few real openings in the comic industry so you need to have some other options and realize that they may actually be better
When I look at portfolios I’m looking for someone who shows thought and originality behind their work. Your book should show me all that you can do. I don’ t want to see six variations of the same thing. Show me a rough and then the final peice. Where you started and where you ended up.
It never hurts to have more in your portfolio than you want to show. Have some life drawing in the back that you can show a client if they are really interested. You can even have more than one portfolio. I had four portfolios, an illustration book, a cartooning book, a graphics book and an amusement park design book.
Learn to present your work. Buy a real portfolio to show your work. If you want to be a professional, then present your self as a professional.
Ok, that's enough for now but I’ll have more on portfolios later
Sunday, July 13, 2008
CRAZY IDEAS
I recently attended a promotional marketing function at Universal studios. The speakers filled us in on the programs that they had created for the Simpsons movie. In particular the 7/11 program. They related to us how when they were looking for a hook the twelve year old son of one of the designers said that 7/11 looked like the kwik-E-mart from the show. “Gee mom, why don’t you turn 7/11 into a Kwik-E-Mart?”
In reality Matt Gronig actually modeled the kwik-E-Mart after stopping at a 7/11 in Hollywood.
It had been one of those days and Matt just needed a beer. After searching the store without finding a beer he approached the clerk who was East Indian. He asked the clerk who in the most positive, upbeat manner replied “No beer, no beer, thank you very much, come again!” Matt immediately created the Kwik-E-Mart and Apu.
The designers took a great leap and 7/11 also showed amazing courage and forethought in agreeing to completely change some of their stores into Kwik_E-Marts.
Stop and think about that for a minute. Your goal is to increase brand awareness and identity. Some crazy marketing creative comes along and wants to completely remove all of your identity and change everything in the store. They agreed.
It turned into one of the most successful promotions ever. People came from long distances to go to Kwik-E-Mart. They created special products, Krusty O’s cereals, candy, Buzz cola, special Radioactive Man comics, Duff beer and Homers pink donut with sprinkles. These products and more sold out almost immediately and people ran from 7/11 to 7/11 looking for them. People were even offering thousands of dollars for the employee costumes created for the promotions.
What you need to take away from this is that a creative idea can come from anywhere and from anyone. Sometimes when we do brainstorming sessions for clients we bring in outside people from different professions. In a toy brainstorming session we brought in a plumber. The toy company was a little upset with this.
It quickly became apparent that the plumbers mechanical perspective and knowledge of hydraulics and valves was invaluable. Add this to his own delight at being involved in the fun and being asked to think like a kid again.the session was a big success.
Another thing to learn is to be unafraid. Don’t hesitate to put out those “crazy” ideas. You may strike gold with one of those crazy ideas. You need to be realistic and have those other ideas for the clients who don’t have the courage. But if you want to really have an effect then don’t be afraid to go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
GOT THE TOOLS?
Every skilled occupation has its tools. The dentist has his special tools, as does a plumber or chef. Why would you think that the creative fields don't need tools? The writer and the artist need tools too. I'm not just talking about the pen or computer for a writer and a pencil or brush for the artist. I'm talking about the real support tools that make doing the jobs simple.
Lets start with a basic, a reference library. Whether a writer or artist a wide ranging library is a must. You will need text and visual, the more the better. The book store is your friend, as is Google text and Google image. Start to compile personnel files on your fields and anything to inspire. I have a large personal library at home and as well as six large file cabinets filled with visual reference on everything. Also learn how to be a good researcher. You never know what kind of projects can come toward you. A secret of life is not how much you know.... but whether you can find the answers you need.
One amazing resource is the Library of Congress. When I was doing educational products everything had to be accurate all the way down to the eye color of the Presidential portraits I was doing. I discovered that the Library has a full time staff to answer any and all questions.
Compile lists! Create word lists or visual lists to use in brainstorming or to inspire. When we design toys I have lists that are pages and pages of toys that can be used as inspiration. Lists of random words can inspire new direction for your projects. Create a list of random questions for your projects.
Get as many creative tools as possible. There are many creativity products out in the market place. One of my favorite programs is called Ideafisher. An exceptional associative brainstorming tool. Another product that I recommend is Roger von Oech's, Creative Whack Pack. The simple card version can stimulate creativity and his computer version is fantastic.
Get a notebook. Far to many good ideas and thoughts are lost because we didn't write them down.
Get a calendar. Nothing motivates like deadlines. Set deadlines for yourself if you don't already have deadlines.
Lets start with a basic, a reference library. Whether a writer or artist a wide ranging library is a must. You will need text and visual, the more the better. The book store is your friend, as is Google text and Google image. Start to compile personnel files on your fields and anything to inspire. I have a large personal library at home and as well as six large file cabinets filled with visual reference on everything. Also learn how to be a good researcher. You never know what kind of projects can come toward you. A secret of life is not how much you know.... but whether you can find the answers you need.
One amazing resource is the Library of Congress. When I was doing educational products everything had to be accurate all the way down to the eye color of the Presidential portraits I was doing. I discovered that the Library has a full time staff to answer any and all questions.
Compile lists! Create word lists or visual lists to use in brainstorming or to inspire. When we design toys I have lists that are pages and pages of toys that can be used as inspiration. Lists of random words can inspire new direction for your projects. Create a list of random questions for your projects.
Get as many creative tools as possible. There are many creativity products out in the market place. One of my favorite programs is called Ideafisher. An exceptional associative brainstorming tool. Another product that I recommend is Roger von Oech's, Creative Whack Pack. The simple card version can stimulate creativity and his computer version is fantastic.
Get a notebook. Far to many good ideas and thoughts are lost because we didn't write them down.
Get a calendar. Nothing motivates like deadlines. Set deadlines for yourself if you don't already have deadlines.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
GO PLAY
You have to grow older, but you never have to grow up!!!
Keep the spirit of a child and a sense of wonder and that will keep creativity with you forever. GO PLAY!!
Keep the spirit of a child and a sense of wonder and that will keep creativity with you forever. GO PLAY!!
BRAINSTORMING METHODS
There are so many ways to brainstorm and all of them work. Some work better for certain jobs. But brainstorming even the smallest projects leads to better results. Don't just jump into a project and start on the first idea. The first idea may turn out to be the best even after brainstorming. But you will probably improve it by a little brainstorming.
Some methods of brainstorming are the Descriptive, the Associative, The Smash Up, The Random, Mind Mapping. The list is endless and all are interconnected. All work if you use them and all lead to better concepts. By the way, they're FUN.
Often when you are dealing with clients you will come across the classic person who knows what they want but can't articulate it. Maybe you have an idea but can't quite get a handle on it. Here is a form of Descriptive and Associative Brainstorming to help define projects. Clearly define the end goal whether its a character design, logo, product etc. and what will it be used for and how. Now for the fun part. You play a game with yourself or the client. Begin to ask and write down the answers to a series of questions. What color is is? How big is it? Obvious questions but take it so much further. What kind of mineral is it? What kind of animal is it? Who would it be if it was a current movie star? Who would it be if it was an old time movie star? What book or character in a book would it be?
Seems silly to ask what kind of animal or movie star a logo would be but people already have a mental picture of these things. By having them associate and describe there choices you define the object. If they describe their logo as a crane then you can assume they are looking for a graceful, flowing look. If they describe the logo as a bear or elephant then you can push your designs toward the solid and powerful look. If they describe their logo as Jim Carrey then you know that they want an energetic and fun look. The questions are silly and appear to have no relation to your project but will actually tell you a great deal about their expectations.
Keep going and asking questions until you really have a mental picture of what your client is looking for. What kind of tree would it be?What kind of food? What kind of car? A fast sports car or a solid work truck.
As you do this you will see the clients light up because it defines the concept for them. They will feel as if they were part of the process and it will define the job for you. The more focused you are when you start, the better to do the job. This will also save time and time is money. I assume you are in this for the love and fun of being creative but you also need to make money.
More later, Have Fun! The Director of Nonsense
Some methods of brainstorming are the Descriptive, the Associative, The Smash Up, The Random, Mind Mapping. The list is endless and all are interconnected. All work if you use them and all lead to better concepts. By the way, they're FUN.
Often when you are dealing with clients you will come across the classic person who knows what they want but can't articulate it. Maybe you have an idea but can't quite get a handle on it. Here is a form of Descriptive and Associative Brainstorming to help define projects. Clearly define the end goal whether its a character design, logo, product etc. and what will it be used for and how. Now for the fun part. You play a game with yourself or the client. Begin to ask and write down the answers to a series of questions. What color is is? How big is it? Obvious questions but take it so much further. What kind of mineral is it? What kind of animal is it? Who would it be if it was a current movie star? Who would it be if it was an old time movie star? What book or character in a book would it be?
Seems silly to ask what kind of animal or movie star a logo would be but people already have a mental picture of these things. By having them associate and describe there choices you define the object. If they describe their logo as a crane then you can assume they are looking for a graceful, flowing look. If they describe the logo as a bear or elephant then you can push your designs toward the solid and powerful look. If they describe their logo as Jim Carrey then you know that they want an energetic and fun look. The questions are silly and appear to have no relation to your project but will actually tell you a great deal about their expectations.
Keep going and asking questions until you really have a mental picture of what your client is looking for. What kind of tree would it be?What kind of food? What kind of car? A fast sports car or a solid work truck.
As you do this you will see the clients light up because it defines the concept for them. They will feel as if they were part of the process and it will define the job for you. The more focused you are when you start, the better to do the job. This will also save time and time is money. I assume you are in this for the love and fun of being creative but you also need to make money.
More later, Have Fun! The Director of Nonsense
Friday, July 4, 2008
The right Tools!
Every skilled occupation has its tools. The dentist has his special tools as does a plumber or chef. Why would you think that the creative fields don't need tools? The writer and the artist need tools too. I'm not just talking about the pen or computer for a writer and a pencil or brush for the artist. I'm talking about the real support tools that make doing the jobs simple.
Lets start with a basic, a reference library. Whether a writer or artist a wide ranging library is a must. You will need text and visual the more the better. The book store is your friend, as is Google text and Google image. Start to compile personnel files on your fields and anything to inspire. I have a large personal library at home and as well as six large file cabinets filled with visual reference on everything. Also learn how to be a good researcher. You never no what kind of projects can come toward you. A secret of life is not how much you know.... but whether you can find the answers to the things you
Compile lists! Create word lists or visual lists to use in brainstorming or to inspire. When we design toys I have lists that are pages and pages of toys that can be used as inspiration. Lists of random words can inspire new direction for your projects. Create a list of random questions for your projects.
Get as many creative tools as possible. There are many creativity products out in the market place. One product that I recommend is Roger von Oech's, Creative Whack Pack. The simple card version can stimulate creativity and his computer version is fantastic.
Lets start with a basic, a reference library. Whether a writer or artist a wide ranging library is a must. You will need text and visual the more the better. The book store is your friend, as is Google text and Google image. Start to compile personnel files on your fields and anything to inspire. I have a large personal library at home and as well as six large file cabinets filled with visual reference on everything. Also learn how to be a good researcher. You never no what kind of projects can come toward you. A secret of life is not how much you know.... but whether you can find the answers to the things you
Compile lists! Create word lists or visual lists to use in brainstorming or to inspire. When we design toys I have lists that are pages and pages of toys that can be used as inspiration. Lists of random words can inspire new direction for your projects. Create a list of random questions for your projects.
Get as many creative tools as possible. There are many creativity products out in the market place. One product that I recommend is Roger von Oech's, Creative Whack Pack. The simple card version can stimulate creativity and his computer version is fantastic.
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