2009 is half-over. It has begun as a great year for me. My artwork has been published on two book covers and a magazine cover. Another text (currently available online) features 5 of my images and an interview. I travelled to ScienceOnline09 and met amazing people. Participated in SciBarCamp here in Toronto, met more stellar people. Completed another blog banner I'm quite proud of. Asked to be an inaugural member of Art Evolved. Been interviewed three times. Yeah. It's been a fantastic year so far! So now where do I go?
I've re-enrolled in school for the fall, so that will keep me busy. I continue to work in management full-time. Lately I've been playing with commercial properties, doing a bit of fan-art involving Transformers and Marvel comic characters. Started work on the next Art Evolved gallery about anomalocarids (you think "primeval predator", I think "high fashion"). I have an idea for an original painting I'd like to auction off and donate the money. And Major Billy Barker & his Pterosaur Squadron up there has surprised me in how interested I am in continuing the world on that little canvas.
With the amount of projects burning to go forward past the sketch stage, I could easily be as busy creating art as a full-time job. At the moment, it's an alluring thought, but not enough to pay the bills. (Yet?)
Where am I going? Am I spinning my wheels or is this taking me somewhere?
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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Flying Trilobite Gallery *** Flying Trilobite Reproduction Shop ***
4 comments:
Here's my take on it. My favorite definition of luck is that it's what occurs when ability meets opportunity. You're developing your ability and putting yourself in a position to encounter opportunity. Keep doing both and you'll find your path -- or your path will find you.
And I saw your Twitters mentioning the Marvel stuff. Glendon! I had no idea! Y'know, the whole reason I started studying writing and art was because I wanted to do comics...
Thanks Sean. I like the definition of luck.
I really shouldn't be whinging on this blog. I do feel a strong ambition toward finding my future through this media. As I said, the progress this year and the two since I began blogging feels like a momentum of some kind, and I'm proud and thankful toward it.
As for Marvel, yeah, I used to be a big fan. I started reading X-Men during Rogue's first appearance in Avengers Annual #10 (still got it!) I gave up on them after one too many "bold new directions" with yet another annual creative team.
I've always loved Cloak & Dagger, especially during their Strange Tales book back in the 80's that they shared with Doctor Strange. As for Man-Thing, I know a lot of people say its a rip-off of Swamp-Thing, but I never read Swamp-thing.
I should have them up soon. I'm considering making August a "commercial property" or "pop culture" month on Flying Trilobite.
Actually, if you look at the release dates for Man-Thing and Swamp Thing, it's pretty clear that they were in production at the same time, so plagiarism is unlikely.
Of course both characters were ripped off from the much older character The Heap and a few others.
The original Swamp Thing by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson is well worth reading. The Alan Moore/Steven Bissette/John Totleben/Rick Veitch Swamp Thing quite literally changed the world of comics.
Moore came in and raised the bar for writing -- after his work, you had to actually be a decent writer to be regarded as a good comic book writer.
There would be no Vertigo, no Grant Morrison or Garth Ennis or Warren Ellis or Mark Millar without Moore's Swamp Thing. And it's a darned good read.
I'll admit that I haven't read much Man-Thing. I ought to; I'm fond of Steve Gerber's work.
Still, it's hard to live in a nation where a well-known publisher can sell kids a magazine clearly labeled 'Giant-Sized Man-Thing.' That's just inappropriate.
>:-)
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Posts over 14 days old have their comments held in moderation - I've been getting an unusual amount of spam for a guy who paints trilobites. I'll release it lickety-split though.