Friday, March 30, 2012

caution: sketch dump ahead

Remember how I promised New Orleans paintings? Hahahaha, nope.

Whether it was because my parents were there and I decided to do the touristy thing or because, like Degas, I found the New Orleans sun way too intense, the world may never know.

Mostly it's because these things just happen sometimes. Nevertheless, I have been drawing, and while I am in a room without my scanner, I do have my very poor resolution phone camera. I hope your eyeballs are prepared for the fury I'm about to unleash.


Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

City Lights Coffee in Charlston, SC

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

Still Haven't given up on that Spirit reboot idea, btw

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

Having a bad day and also thinking about Sargent. Mostly the thing about Sargent. 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

Still thinking about Sargent, this time to the tune of having a seriously hard time drawing faces. 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Bastion is still one of the greatest games of all time and you should play it if you haven't yet. 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

Have I mentioned before that I occasionally like to go back and do redraws of earlier drawings? In this case, I thought this was going to be the sketch that finished up the book, so I redid the first image from it. Said image follows below: 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

House on Highway 19 near Dahlonega, GA

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Back to the fantasy imagery idea for a little while

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Always room for more fanart

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

The Old Coffee Pot, New Orleans, LA

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

MOAR WINGZZZZZZZZZZZ

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Detail from the above. This one made me pretty pleased with myself. 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

KORRA! 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

More motion drawings, but without the fantasy element this time. They didn't work as well, I thought. 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

I find vampires and unicorns really amusing because their origins are so totally about sex, but if you mention that to most people they will not believe you. 

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Those last four are from today, and I think I've figured some things out which will be pretty useful in the future, but I am too tired to go into it right now. Nap times for alll, and to all a good nap. 

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Suddenly: options!


Right. Ok. So. You know how I said that I thought I would be completely rejected from everywhere I applied? That is only sort of true. And then it became only sort of true TWICE.

I am currently an alternate candidate at University of Washington (the state, not the district), and they are collecting skype usernames and locations so that interviews can happen if their top picks choose to go to other places. I got that email on Tuesday.

And then I got an email from MICA yesterday, and while I had been denied entrance into their graduate program (those letters showed up maybe a week, week and a half ago), they are inviting me to take part in their post-baccalaureate program. Which, if nothing else, tells me that I was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay closer than I thought I was when I received the rejection letter.

 Default assumption always being that they hate me and that I insulted their eyes with my terrible work.

This changes the field from denied, denied, unknown, unknown to denied, post-bac, alternate, unknown, which I am super in favor of. Even if that last unknown is now driving me up the wall. What does it meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnn?


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Good dog


I was going to wait until tomorrow to put this one up because it is my mom's birthday present and I will be seeing her tomorrow and didn't want her to see it before then, but I was just looking through my photobucket (yes i still use photobucket) at the two photos I took of it and, well....look:

Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

I know I've complained about the quality of the camera on my phone before, but I just have to do it again. The painting is actually mostly white, leaning towards blue. I ....just......aaaaaaaaaaaaargggggggh. 

Also, I'm in new orleans now and while the hotel I am staying at is very very nice, I just paid ten dollars for the day for internet and it has cut out at least twice while I was writing this post. Nooooooot a good sign. 

Three times. 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Price list. The list of the prices


I've gotten a number of inquiries recently as to whether or not I sell my paintings. That's a pretty good feeling, I gotta say. The answer is yes!

This will of course be updated periodically as things change; I will also duplicate this list on my website so that it can be found there as well.

Paintings

Prices determined by an $x per square inch formula such that the larger the painting you buy, the less expensive per square inch it will be. Labor, time, and materials do not factor in, except in determining where the switch to the next bracket should occur. Price brackets are determined by the shortest side.
  • up to 2' per side
    • $3 per square inch
  • 2' to 3'
    • $2.50 per square inch
  • 3' to 4'
    • $2 per square inch
  • 4' and up
    • $1.50 per square inch 
The sizes I most commonly work at are 16x20 (all of my plein air road trip paintings are this size) which then come out to $960, and 30x40 which come out to $2400.

Some of you might be looking at those numbers and thinking that they're really really big. And they are, especially when you compare them to the prices of other modern luxury purchases. On the other hand, when you're comparing my prices to those of other artists, this is fairly reasonably in line with what they charge and are even a little bit low. Only a little bit, though.

With that in mind, I'm not going to make you pay for it all straight up if you want one of my pieces. If you're interested, I'm totally comfortable working out a payment plan.

Comics/Books/Other printed materials (not custom)

Prices here are determined by printing costs, labor intensity, etc. and will be listed in an online shop as soon as I put one together. When I do, I'll update this space.

Illustrations/Other custom printed materials

I use the Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines as a framework. Each job is considered on a case by case basis.

Shipping

Ah, shipping, the big buggaboo. Realistically, I know that this is the part that I'm going to have to figure out on the fly, so I ask for your patience in advance. 

For books and other works on paper, most often I can find an envelope and ship UPS for fairly cheap. Pieces that are on unstretched canvas can be rolled up and shipped in a tube, again for fairly cheap. 

Things get more complicated when we get to larger pieces that need serious packaging to ship. 

Any and all details will be worked out during our discussions, but know that if I can afford to ship it to you without making you pay for either packaging or shipping, I will. 

Odds and Ends 

First and most importantly: if you have any questions, if I've been unclear, if you're interested in making a purchase, or if you just want to chat and you don't feel like leaving a comment, my email is sparkselrose@gmail.com

Secondly, I know that there's this idea that artists are these strange creatures completely lacking in business sense, uninterested in the constraints of forms and paperwork. Well, I'm not particularly interested in paperwork per se, but I do like to keep records. Contracts and receipts will happen; this protects you and me in case there's ever any communication weirdness.

And that's the thing, I'm assuming that if anything does go wrong, it's going to be because we're not communicating effectively. So, y'know, talk to me, and I'll do my best to do the same. But to you, not me; I talk to myself all the time and it doesn't really seem to solve anything.



Tuesday, March 20, 2012

reaper


Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Felt like doing a second painting when I got to the hotel today. Noooooot sure what's up with this one. Yep. 

I like skulls, though. They've got all sorts of interesting shapes. If I can get a hold of a model of a human skull that's not too expensive, I'll definitely snag it, no question. 

Woody Gap, Appalachian Trail, Georgia


Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

A dog jumped into my car while I was cleaning up after finishing this one. I couldn't keep him because his owner was right there, but he was precious.

I'm starting a quick march down to New Orleans this week; I'll be there by Saturday. So, I wouldn't really expect many more paintings until I arrive.

Also, I do not know what is blooming down here in the south, but I am STILL sneezing my damn fool head off every time I go outside. Ridiculous.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Reservoir near Dahlonega, GA


Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App

Super chill paintin' times oooooooh yeeeeeeeeah.