BLACKDOG

What is a professional??

Is it making money from something you are good at?

These Past few months has seen a resurgence of interest in my work. For awhile there it had me worried I'd been on a downward spiral for some time now. Long before I left for my US trip last year I was not really happy with my career prospects then LA happened and a blip occurred from where I reached an all time High....... quickly followed by an all time low. The few Job interview's I had didn't go so well and everything began to look bleak I was in a mound of debt. Artist friends stopped taking my calls and stopped reading my mail.

People I called friends abandoned me some have been suprising while some not so much. I think its truly a low act when someone who is struggling and others can see it and yet do nothing to not even give some kind of moral support are inhuman. Artists are a strange breed for this they like to look after themselves. I was never like this always willing to share work but then time and time again I would get burned and even I have my limits.

So anyway enough about them, for the past while I've been suffering from Depression with my own personal Black Dog. There I said it, earlier this year I was put into therapy for Extreme Anxiety Attacks. Right now I'm doing ok, Dealing and the medication helps. I love art its in my blood for while I tried to deny it but it kept coming back and resurfacing. Eventually embracing it and walking that long road to filling this artistic craving.

Art is a Hard profession to get into, many of my friends who grew up wanting to be artists have ended in a day job where they are living in a little cubicle answering phones and staring at computer screens all day. The Upside of this is that they are making money while I am not.

But art is art, no I may never make a mark on this Landscape of Earth nor an impression but its never been about that for me. I dont want Fortune and Glory. Just to be Remembered.

I dont talk about Video Games much but I love them and Scribblenauts is a Fun little Game I picked up for my Nintendo DS today. Its wonderful for a creative mind to use ideas to get from A to B. even for the fun factor of having a little baby eaten by a dinosaur is a hysterical thing to watch. I'm really enjoying it you can even write Book of the Dead and it turns people into Zombies. How cool is that!! On the Wii I've been getting readdicted to Super Mario Galaxy and apparently a sequel is in the works so looking forward to that!

The Perhapanauts Halloween Spooktactular sees release on the 17th October. Can't believe that cover of mine is just weeks away!!

Frogless

Am I the Only one NOT interested in 'The Princess and the Frog'? It just seem's to be Disneys apology to their classic 'Song of the South' ZIPPYDEEDOODAH!! Its like we need to make this a mostly Black cast and have no stereotypes because that would be bad! May as well have them all Voiced by Ice-Cube too while you're at it. I'm glad 2D is not dead I am so tired of the 3D my head hurts.
Animated Films have been lackluster of late. Sometimes I'm glad I dont work within that closed industry they all seem to be full of Alchoholics, Flakes, and Ego's. None of which I proudly am.

I will not be attending Armageddon 2009 this year in Melbourne, for a few important reasons. Last year was awful and I just didn't care for it. I was so bored within the first 10 minutes I couldn't believe I had a 2 day pass to use up. I also decided to save my money and finally pay off my debts so that I hope to hit San Diego comic con again next year for another review as Cartoon Network has decided to go all crappy with Live Action! I will have try to get into Nickelodeon and see what they have to say to my portfolio. But anyway back to Armageddon with its disappointing time last year and the fact I went to Supanova earlier in the year it just seems so mute to do it yet again. If you dont enjoy things then you need to stop doing it.

I am disappointed this does mean No Melbourne visit, I had hoped to meet up with my model friend Angela for a Coffee as well catchup with a couple of old pals. But not meant to be. My career is too important. I am getting older and not getting as far as I would like to go! Next week I begin some freelance work so I'm looking forward to adding that to my portfolio.

Finally it's taking awhile but Logopolis is coming back next month with a few cool changes after a years Hiatus. For followers on my Facebook I'm uploading the backlog of older Logopolis so you can catch up but as they are stand alone you wont have to read them but helps you understand the characters!

Signs

I've been playing with a new signature for my art. The Old one didn't really convey who I was and with new stuff coming out soon with my name attached the sig just didnt really suit the artwork in progess. So I whipped up the above Sig tonight to test the waters. I've tried it on the pick below as reference.

Spring Update

A couple of weeks since my last update, I'm deep in artwork for what will hopefully be the first of many Art Print sets for DreamWork Collectors. Doing stuff that I will be finally proud of at last! So if I'm silent for most of this month you all know why!

Ray Barrett may not be a name you are familiar but for Gerry Anderson puppet fans namely 'THUNDERBIRDS' he was the voice of the villainess Hood and a well established Australian actor who worked in Britain on shows like STINGRAY, The Avengers and Doctor Who. Ray died today and although he didn't like talking about his times working on these legendary shows he certainly played a very large part in 60's pop culture. Thanks Ray.

Speaking about Doctor Who last week I picked up the amazing 'THE WAR GAMES' DvDs, I am fast becoming a Patrick Troughton fan he was an awesome Doctor.

Also got the 12th season of The Simpson's, only as it had my favorite episode ever the The Computer Wore Menace Shoes. With its 'The Prisoner' Homage but it seems they didn't have the love for it enough to actually reference the series. They call its location the Island instead of the Village and I doubt highly that they couldn't afford the rights when they even use some of its music. But seeing this again it just shows how long in the tooth the Simpson's had become and with them still on the air some things were meant to end.

Carry On Drawing

I Love the 'Carry On' films so much, they were the only 'Adult' Entertainment we were allowed to watch when I was a child. It was better to watch Slap&Tickle Humour rather than the Gratutious Sex and violence of the Eighties. So for the Last Couple of Weeks I've been watching my small collection of Videos of the British Icon like Carry On Screaming, Cowboy, Cleo, Regardless, Cabby, Cruising, Constable and Spying.
There are LOTS more 30 films to be exact. These are all available on Disc Boxset called the Ultimate Collection in Britain. So to all my British friends if you can hear me I give you a challenge if you would like an original Commission from me I am willing to swap Art for this Boxset. So Don't dawdle, Find it cheap, Contact me and we'll work out a deal.

Spooktacular!

This is a reminder that you can now Order Image Comics 'The Perhapanauts Halloween Spooktacular' in this months PREVIEWS due out in the Second Week of October 2009, I am one of four Artists contributing a cover I'm also mentioned in a recent interview by Writer and Co-Creator Todd Dezago HERE. It seems so Long Ago since this was done when in fact April last year. I even had a few limited Prints to swap at comic con last year. I think I still have one of those left no idea where most of the others ended up. Looking back at this now I see some major flaws and things I'd like to go back and redo. BUT thats benefit of Hindsight for you.

Okay I feel really bad I wasn't as active a member on the Autumn Society so I think I've been dumped from there. I have had alot of people wanting me to join their groups in the past year and I've declined many it just got a bit much with my current workload for me to be active.

Death Of Freedom

Money Talks, its a universally translated device. I wish I had money I would just do a Michael Palin and Travel the World and meet new and exciting people and locations.

Back in 2001 I decided to sign up for Geocities way back when it wasn't bossed by Yahoo. It was a free website storage and it suited me fine. A couple of years later it began to annoy me. The Banners became more aggressive and for a so called Professional it was not the best way to go about showing it. So I moved to a paid site for a better deal.
So recently Yahoo announced the closure of Geocities in favor of PREMIUM website ie PAY MONEY, it sad to see it come to an end. A freedom such as that.

The Owner of FOX I wont say who he is because hes a Rich Prick and he reminds me of VolderMort with a Mail-Order Bride but Lets Call him Voldy, he who shan't be named. Voldy Owns alot of Newspapers and he's decided that you will have to PAY for the Online Content to read it. You know thats Fine. He's obviously needs that extra gold briefcase.
But I'll go elsewhere for my online news, His Newspapers are Propaganda Rubbish and only good for lighting fires. The Internet should be FREE always with easy access. But it seems that Money always wins out.

The Art in this Post was found on an old CD and I decided to Illustrate this Rant with some of my first Uploaded Images on Geocities. Seemed Only Fitting!

Also I Recieved my T-Shirt today from RedBubble of 'Medusa The Gorgon' I have to say being very impressed with the Packaging and Presentation. The T-Shirt is a Great Quality too. And I really think you should go and buy one HERE.