You know, like in a computer. Pixels, vectors, Adobe products, Apple gear, WACOM tablet, LCD, external drives. Electromagnetic Hell.

So some students will find it odd that the first thing out of my mouth when I talk about method is, "Don't create your art in the computer."

This coming from the guy who makes his living with a computer. I didn't always make awesome digital illustration. In fact, it kind of sucked.

A little backstory.

The first time I sat down at a computer was at my dad's office at O'Hare airport (riiiight. try that nowadays, kids). It was a green-screen airline reservations system hooked up to a dot-matrix printer.  I was seven years old. My first thought was "This is just like Star Wars." My second thought was, "How can I make art with this thing?" My sister and I had all kinds of fun making rocket ship patterns with numbers and letters. Weee-hoo!

This image will self-destruct in 3...2...

Years later, when Windows 3.1 became the hottest thing since 10-lb. mobile phones, I started creating art in the computer again. It was terrible. Pixelated nightmares of birthday greetings and mutilated self-portraits.

When a friend loaned me a copy of CorelDraw, I created some equally bad art in the computer. The fact that I had a more sophisticated vector application did nothing to improve my digital work. Why?

It's because I strayed from the wildly fun and inspirational process of drawing and doodling and focused on just making it all up onscreen.

My digital work has improved considerably since I "went backwards" and started sketching again. When I work on a project now, my first step is to move away from the computer. Even though the final art is all digital, it always (always, always) starts out with a #2 pencil and plain ol' paper.

Copylicious was delicious

Here's an awesome real-world example of my method. It's not brain surgery, this method of mine. I didn't file a patent on the process. It just works.

Kelly Parkinson is a copywriter extraordinaire. If you visit her copylicious web site, you'll soon find yourself inventing excuses to work with her. She's just awesome, and she's also my ideal client. She's independent, knows her business, and enjoys talking about it. That made it incredibly easier to get a handle on how I could help her with some illustrations.

Kelly has a pretty cool product called the Web Site Jet Pack. The design of her site is simple and fun. She just needed a simple bird illustration. A birdie wearing a jet pack. When I hear something like that you can't pull me away. A bird wearing a jet pack. This is what gets me excited, what can I say?

Let's make some birdies!

After Kelly and I talked about her site, I went to Step 1: I put my computer to sleep and started doodling little birdies. I just had fun with it, let loose. No high art here, no polished Leonardo DaVinci renderings, just some messin' around.

Then I went away and had something to eat (that's Step 2 if you're keeping track). It's good to go away for a bit because I find I overfocus and lose sight of the big picture.

When I came back I narrowed down my doodles and made some more finished drawings. Below you can see a few examples. I do this every time.

Digital Illustration Unplugged: pencil and paper.

You'll also see the final drawing on the tracing paper (upper right, by the pencil point). That's the thing I scan in and use as a reference in the computer.

I'll get into that in more depth another time, I promise.

For now, the thing I want to stick in your mind is the idea that creating digital illustration does not always start in the computer. For me, it starts where all my better illustration starts, which is in the noggin and on paper.

Another interesting point is that I never sent Kelly my doodles and scraps. How much fun would that have been for her?

Ummm... what the hell is this? I thought this guy was good, I don't want this sketchy crap on my web site. What is this, like, half a bird? Oh my god... is it too late to get my money back?

It would be the equivalent of Kelly sending one of her clients a torn-up notebook page of shorthand and saying, "It will be kind of like this."

Disaster, right? So instead they just get awesome copy that works. Kelly gets a polished-up birdie in a jet pack. Everyone's happy.

So again, the lesson for today, Kids? Turn off the computer. Give that pencil a workout. You'll be very pleased with the results and you might just have a blast in the process. Isn't that why you do this anyway?

Did you know there are hidden rewards in a freelance art career? Rewards that take you farther than the ability to buy tonight's keg, that is. If you're new to freelancing as an artist, you need to hear this. I wish they taught this stuff in art schools. It's about sustaining your career in the long term. It's about building something more than a permanent "side" business. It's about truly going out on your own and feeling awesome about it. Read on!

The Perspective

As a freelancer, I do my share of one-off projects. There's that package design illustration for a kid's snack container. There were the custom avatars, a few icons, a web site header. They're nice, these one-offs. I enjoy them (because why else would I fire up my computer every day), but the projects I do my best work on are the ones that require lots of chatting, e-mails, and idea-tossing. Those are the ones that blossom into an ongoing, mutually beneficial relationship.

Womb to Bloom is one of those relationships. 

The Womb to Bloom web site is an online community and resource for new moms and moms-to-be, "Maternity and Beyond." Awesome concept, amazing potential for growth.

The Client

The Womb to Bloom founders (Greg and Heather Zellers) and I reached each other through a gig-type site about some animation work they needed done. It's no secret that I love to talk with people about their projects. First, it's just fun (I geek out on web and TV development). Second, it helps me frame my portion of their project with a reference that controls the budget. It's also easier to offer new ideas without going off on crazy tangents.

So when they called, we talked a lot about what the animation could be. It also happened that they needed some simple illustrations and icons that would tie everything together. This is where I started drooling on my phone because I loved the site concept, they had a great logo already, and the web development was already flowing.

The Concepts

The initial concept was to have a central "mom" character to base everything on. Once we nailed down that character design, the icons and other illustrations would flow. I was already loving this project because it made sense before I even got out my pencils. It was also very easy for me to create a project plan that worked with their budget. 

Although we had some great early chats about concepts, I have to admit that the initial brainstorm sketches I created were a little... off. The style of my first sketch was just somewhere between Family Guy and Rugrats. But this is the part that makes my job awesome, because we were able to use those sketches as a jumping-off point and keep the conversation going.

So we chatted in greater detail about Greg and Heather's ideas. What they wanted was an attractive, hip, and fairly trendy woman who could transition easily from pre-pregnancy to new mom. The next sketches were right on target and ready for vector illustration and color. Below is a final concept image:

Incidentally, I created all the final art for this project in Adobe Illustrator CS3. In the very near future I'll be providing step-by-step instruction on how to create this kind of work, so graphic designers, web designers, and traditional artists can reap the benefits of my experience. Yay!

A few things made it easier to create the final art for this project. They already had a logo, so I had specific colors to choose from. Greg and Heather really knew what they wanted to see. They couldn't always sketch out an example or articulate a style, but once I gave them a sketch to go on we had a basis for conversation. They knew their demographic, which translated very well to visual goals. 

The Work

I know, I know. You want to see sketches. I hear ya. Here's a great, simple example of how an illustration concept developed. One of the sections on the web site is for contributors. We started out with the idea of a smart-looking woman (new character) in a cafe with a laptop. I sketched it out and hit the mark, woo-hoo! However, we did decide to go with the main character after all, and you can peek at the results:

As an even better demonstration of how a project can progress and a great relationship can generate even more fun ideas, take a look at what we finally used for that section of the site. I think it worked out nicely.

Another favorite illustration of mine from the project is the community section. The whole idea was to get moms together from all over the country and have them chat online, as if they were in someone's living room. Pretty cool, right? I knew I had to thinkify something unique and fun, but also instantly communicate that idea. My first sketch:

The question became, how do I divide this cozy little scene into sections that show that cozy closeness and distance at the same time? It turned out not to be so difficult with a little sleep and some coffee. After seeing the final art, they added a new wrinkle; let's see an image of the U.S. behind them to really hit home the idea. Not one to shy away from a challenge, I came up with a funtastic solution. You can see the progression. I still like both. Good thing I didn't have to decide.

State of the Iconomy

The web site also needed some icons. About a hundred of them, in fact. I loved that I was able to work on this part of the project because I could take everything we had developed in the illustrations and use it to create the icon concepts. It worked out beautifully because we already had a flow going and could reference previous conversations. It turned out to be a lot of work, but also a ton of fun. You can see the icons all over the site, but here's a sample page of a few I really like:

Wrap it Up

This is the best part. We haven't wrapped it up. The working together part, that is. After getting to know the Zellers through working with them, we've shared information, links, and even referred business to each other. It's the ideal b2b relationship, where we mutually benefit beyond the exchange of service and money.

The truth is, I did find this client through a bid-type freelance gig site. I don't love these sites because typically you're bidding on projects in a vacuum. My whole method of working revolves around many conversations and lots of information exchange, which the bid sites make very difficult.

The thing that I took away from this is that bid sites can yield some good projects, but you have to be prepared to build a relationship beyond the one-off. If I see a project posted and I don't feel that's possible, then I move on. It's just not my cup of chai.

If you're new to freelancing, I can't stress enough that long term relationship-centered business is one of the major keys to your success. You can work on a hundred one-off projects through a crowdsourcing site and make a little cash. That's great. You can throw your artwork up on a stock site and make a few dollars for every download. Awesome.

Those activities will not sustain you for very long because you only come away with cash. I say "Big deal, Dude." Anyone can make some quick cash these days. Create a free blog and stick a PayPal Donate button on it.

Remember that rewards thing, kids. If you want to keep the art thing going and get Mom and Dad off your back, listen to your Uncle Sparky.

I responded to a post on Freelance Switch yesterday about this and it prompted me to expand on the discussion.

In the past year I've used one of the bid sites regularly to find "gigs." It was that twitchy, fear-based part of me that wondered if I was missing out on a steady flow of clients. It sounds simple enough. As someone looking for work, you pay them to bid on projects that "clients" post. If the "client" accepts your bid, then congratulations to you, the lucky winner. You get to sing "I've Got the Golden Ticket" all afternoon.

I got three gigs this year from one of those sites. In fact, one of my best clients is someone I found through a project posted on a bid site. After that first project, we've worked exclusively outside the bid site realm.

That is an extremely low number of projects won when you consider that I viewed over 2,000 and bid on less than a quarter of them.

The thing is, I was looking for the top projects, posted by people who were paying what was close to my rate. I was very selective, which resulted in plenty of sifting and researching. Admittedly not the best way to approach the bid site freelancing model.

Is the bid site model for you? Maybe. Here's how to tell:

1. You have time (or help) to sort through glittering gems like these:

"Need 1,000 icons for huge global brand web site. I want them by Monday. Don't bid unless you can do it for under $250. Great for student or someone who needs work for their portfolio."

2. You need some quick cash. The thing is, most people posting on these sites are looking for the cheapest and quickest they can get. If you're in famine mode, it's possible to get some quick projects going if you're willing to work for bargain-basement rates.

3. You don't mind stepping outside your niche. Hey, if I had to, I could tweak someone's PowerPoint presentation in a jiffy. If I don't have any work in children's publishing, why not use a skill I already have?

Stuff to Watch Out For

If you're going to do it, just be careful out there. A few things to keep an eye on:

1. Fees. Make sure you account for the bid site's fees when bidding an amount. It can take a big chunk out of what's already a small source of revenue.

2. Submitting spec work. People can be sneaky. Unless you've got the green light (a signed proposal), don't send sketches or concepts. They can take your stuff and use it without paying you. Sound like fun?

3. Portfolio crap. If you accumulate enough quick & cheap work, don't expect to have a lot of samples for your portfolio. At some point, you need to step off the treadmill and create something that's not quick and cheap.

You can probably guess that I don't use the bid sites much anymore. I get curious and I look at project listings now and then, but thankfully I haven't had to rely on it exclusively.

One of the things that's turned me off is the prospect of bidding on projects for people I've never even spoken to. A large part of my work is consulting with my clients, so blind bidding doesn't fit my business model. I like to work with real people I can actually talk to and make a connection with. That doesn't happen often on the bid sites, so it's not my favorite.

To sum up, finding work on bid sites can be a good way to prime the pump and generate some extra income. Just don't make it your prime model if you want to work on high-end projects.

I love coming up with new images for my holiday cards. This year I thought I would inject a little hope into the coming year. I'm feeling good about what's to come in 2009 and I'd like to pass that feeling along to my clients. When my clients do well, I do well. Everybody wins.

I have a very special, super-secret, hand-picked list of people that receive these cards. Art Directors, CEOs, Television Producers, Toy Makers, and even a few celebs (it's a secret) will get one of these signed for their office "mantle." Not even my mother gets one of these (rest assured, she gets something else). These are Golden Tickets, if you will. 

Here's an image of this year's card:

This year, I decided to reward my readers (and Twitter followers) by giving you all the opportunity to receive one, too. As the cards are limited edition (5" x 7" on 80 lb. stock), I admit I can't give them away willy nilly (or even just nilly). I need to limit the free cards to the first 50 people who respond before December 15th. So here goes!

To get your own lovely card signed by the artist (that’s me):

1. Subscribe to my RSS feed and Follow me on Twitter. If you're already sub'd and followin', skip to Step 2.

2. E-mail your snail mail address* to david at sparkyfirepants dot com. Let me know you did Step 1!

3. Wait for the love to arrive.

That's it! Three simple steps and you can share in the same printed sentiment that the people on my Super Secret List get. Why not? If you're here reading this you are automatically very special to me.

Of course, you can skip the three steps by commissioning me for illustration before December 15th. Become a client and the rewards are many.

Either way, have a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic 2009.

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Wonder if just building postmortems into the project plan would be good, but typically it’s always just “on to the next thing ASAP”

When working with clients, how do you leave things at the end? Is there a formal "wrap" process, do you follow up with a simple e-mail the next day, or is it left to chance?

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this; artists, writers, copy editors, web designers, consultants!

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Typically I work with small to medium-sized businesses, helping them create visuals that complement their own words, ideas, and products. When Nick Collins got in touch with me and explained what he wanted, I knew it was already right up my alley.

Nick had an existing logo that was serviceable, but he wanted to get something that really popped, with some energy to it. He also wanted to keep his current color scheme and stay within four colors. In addition, he needed the logo to be available in black and white without changing the whole design.

When we first talked on the phone, my excitement was building because this is exactly the kind of thing I specialize in and I just love to do it. Nick is an excellent designer himself, but after explaining what he was looking for, he pretty much left it to me to come through with something cool. It's tough for an artist to let go of that control ( I should know, I'm terrible at it).

One thing I like to keep in mind when creating a logo is the myriad types of media it will be reproduced in. I started my career in a sign shop and that experience has always helped me in thinking practically as well as creatively.

For example, at our sign shop we were often tasked to reproduce a company's logo on one of those huge back-lit signs you see in a strip mall. When we would ask for the logo file, many times we would get a teensy 72 dpi gif image that was grabbed from a web site. Seventeen colors, gradient fills, and a complex bitmap image of an eagle looks great on screen, but at 48" high it's virtually illegible.

Clients would get upset (and rightly so) because they paid big bucks for a graphic designer to create their logo, only to find out that:

1. The designer now lives in an ashram and can't be reached.
2. They created the original art at 72 dpi, 8" x 10". All they have is a color printout on inkjet paper and the web graphic.
3. It's going to cost them a lot of money to have us recreate their logo for them.

As a small business owner, that kind of unexpected news is sort of, well, unwelcome.

Thankfully we had a few tricks up our sleeves (software) that would make things less painful, but the process was tedious. If they had only sprang for the pro designer and a versatile, scalable logo (or camera-ready art) in the first place, it would have been easy-peasy.

So with See Nick Design, I found myself on the phone with a business owner who new all of this. Very refreshing and very smart on his part. Doing his homework saved him a pile of money and at least one headache.

The challenge was up to me to create it. I started by sketching out a few concepts with my fancy... pencil. It's true. I work digitally, but everything starts the old-fashioned way with a nice, sharp set of pencils and some good ol' paper on a drawing table.

Here's a sample of the concepts he had to choose from, based on our conversation:

We talked about these and there were parts of each that he liked, so I made a set of revised sketches and we went through the review process again. Nick was really clear on what he liked and didn't like about them, so I didn't have to guess if I was going in the right direction.

Once he decided on one image, I set to work creating it in Adobe Illustrator. Two reasons for using Illustrator vs Photoshop in this instance are:

1. Scalability of vector art
2. Drawing tools in Illustrator are more flexible for this kind of thing.
3. I could export an EPS file that any other vendor could work with.

Once I've pasted my sketch into Illustrator I'm ready to trace. However, it's not quite that easy. Before I even get out my bezier tool, there's a thinking process involved. Sure, I need it look nice, but I also need to think about how to create certain looks without using effects. There are some amazing effects in CS3 now, but if I use them to create an image, they may be wasted if a vendor has an older version or a different design program. Also, if I use the transparency tool on one area, what happens if Nick wants embroidered shirts at some point? This doesn't mean it's impossible to utilize the great tools in Illustrator, but I do need to consider those factors.

For brevity's sake, we'll say I considered everything from fonts to how long it takes to get around the moon with only one oxygen tank. Cool?

This was one of those magical projects that require minimal revisions. It was really a matter of tweaking the final art, and Nick gave concise directions. I kind of wish it was more difficult so I could chronicle the drama, or that Nick worked for SD-6 and demanded I fly to Belgium for clandestine client meetings, but alas, it was smooth sailing.

Where are those clients with nuclear weapons and nasty tempers, anyway? I have a blog to write here.

I joke, but this project was really rewarding because the focus was right where it should be (on the concept and execution), and Nick left me alone to do my job.

There was a nifty thing that happened on this job. Nick described himself to me and said that he wanted the guy in the logo to resemble him if possible. Funny thing is, after I did my initial sketch, he sent me a photo of himself(R).

Eerily close, no? That was pretty fun to see.

One change we made was to add a slight smile to the face. He wanted a happy look, but nothing goofy or silly. Done!

Here are the completed logos, in color and black and white:

That was it, and I was almost sorry to wrap this one up. Hopefully there are more clients and projects floating out there, waiting to be taken in hand.

Don't forget to check out the See Nick Design web site and find how Nick has implemented the logo. Besides that, he does some very interesting work that you may have seen before.

I'll be posting more client profiles over time. There are a few in the wings, and I'm only waiting for publish dates. Stay tuned!