Prints for sale!

Buy this print for US$1.95! Or CA$2.29! Or £1!

So it looks like I may have finally found a place to sell prints of some of my illustrations and cartoons. I've been a member of deviantART for a while but never did much with my account. Either it's improved its services a lot since I first checked it out or (more likely) I didn't check it out thoroughly in the beginning.

I was also much more paranoid about posting my cartoons and illustrations online back then. My attitude has changed somewhat over the past couple of years. I know there are people out there who don't think twice about stealing an artist's work and possibly re-using it without credit or compensation, but I've found that the PR/word-of-mouth benefits of posting my work online is worth the risk. ALL my paid illustration work has happened because of the illustrations I've been posting on Inkygirl, Blatherings, and Flickr.

A growing number of people have been asking me about prints, and I've been investigating various services. I love the IDEA of selling prints, but I'd rather not get into the hassle of worrying about where and how to make the prints, administration, figuring out postage and handling, packaging and mailing, plus worrying about customs fees etc. It was the same with Inkspot. I've always been much better at the creative part than the administrative/marketing tasks, though obviously a freelancer has to learn both.



Buy this print!


Anyway, I'm starting to sell prints at DeviantART! I chose this service because it has more reasonable prices than CafePress, as well as a wider selection of print sizes and types. It also has a basic screening process: your image has to be approved (for format, image quality, non-violation of copyright). Cost ranges from CA$2.29 (£1, US$1.95) for a 5"x5" Matte or Glossy print to about $17.62 (£7.69, US$14.99) for a 10"x10" Lustre print. You can pay by credit card, deviantART dollars, or Paypal.

For those wondering about the difference between Glossy, Matte and Lustre (which is more expensive) finishes, here's what I found in the FAQ:

"The Glossy option is perfect for detailed/technical prints or photograph images. The Matte finish is better for paintings and darker prints. The Lustre is wonderful for both, capturing the best qualities from Glossy and Matte and combining them into one beautiful finish."

I've ordered a couple of prints for myself to see what the quality's like.

I'll be gradually adding images to my Inkygirl deviantART prints shop. I would very much appreciate any suggestions about specific cartoons you think I should be adding to the print shop. Don't worry, I won't expect this to indicate a commitment to buy any yourself...I'm mainly interested in which of my cartoons or illustrations you'd think would make a good print.

You can see my writing-related cartoons here and my Flickr sketchbook here.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions! I'll be adding the print shop link to my main navigation bars once I have a decent number of prints for sale, and I also have a chance to see some actual samples myself. I'm pretty excited about this, and hope it works out.





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Will Write For Chocolate

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated; click the image above for a bigger version and the column, which includes the results of the "good blog writing" survey as well as a new survey about software for writers.

Thanks to Comics Worth Reading, Sequential and Journalista (The Comics Journal news weblog) for mentioning Will Write For Chocolate! It looks like the first two found out about WWFC from the third, who found out from my BlogTO interview.

Writing's going well and so far, my method of obsessively detailed outlining beforehand seems to be paying off. I do stray a bit here and there, but I'm basically sticking to my original outline. This gives me more confidence as I write because I know I'm not going to end up in a story dead-end and having to shriek in frustration and tear my hair out and then back up, as tends to be my habit when writing first drafts. Then again, this isn't my first draft.



I'm also still managing to stick to my goal of going to the gym or other intense cardio activity 4-5 times a week, yay! I'm noticing a definite change in my energy levels during the day, and am not so wiped by dinnertime. I made a point of not changing any other habits as an experiment to see whether exercise alone made a difference.

I watch tv when I'm on the treadmill because I can't help myself; it's right in front of my FACE - each treadmill at my gym has a television screen built into it. My habit is to check out the tv listing channel just to see what's on, but inevitably I end up watching re-runs of Star Trek The Next Generation. I'm such a geek. Wow, did Will Riker ever look goofy without his beard.

And hey, I just found out that Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff are guests at the 2008 UK Filk Convention along with Rika Koerte! That's a whole YEAR from now, which gives me LOTS of time to save up for the flight, membership fee and hotel. Right? Riiiight!!





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BlogTO interview, bad rabbits, and cartoons

Happy birthday to Jeff Bohnhoff!

[Update: Hey, I just found out that BlogTO has posted my interview online.]

Sorry to draw and run, but I must get back to writing. I call the bunny dude in the above comic "Bad Rabbit." I had intended to draw a cute rabbit, but he came out as Bad Rabbit on my Wacom tablet. There's a little Bad Rabbit in all of us, I think...

If you're interested in children's writing, illustration or publishing, by the way, please do see my Inkygirl post about JacketFlap today.




Above: my Daily Doodle yesterday. I hadn't planned on adding a caption but decided to post it in Inkygirl, asking people to suggest some. Here's what they've come up with so far:

"Well, this should make dealing with Christmas lights easier..." - April

"Try as he might, Billy couldn't remember whether his dog was AC or DC." - Phillip Mills

"Bob had been patient with them, but this time, the squirrels had gone too far." - Amanda

"When they claimed these circuits were grounded, they meant it!" - Phillip Mills

"Ah, here's where I can plug the self starting rock into." - Jeffrey Cornish

"Sometimes even a tree needs a creative outlet." - Peter Alway

"Fred had such good results spreading news through a telephone tree, he thought he'd try the idea with other utilities." - Peter Alway

"Unfortunately, Fred didn't think it through before his computer had filled with tree sap." - Monica

"Wow, when the phone company said there was something wrong with the trunk circuit, they weren't kidding!" - Dave Weingart

"Walter had never seen a power plant before." - John Hall

"I guess when I saw the little squirrel elevator, I should have expected this." - Paul Kwinn

"You know, making love in the snow is weird enough. Couldn't she at least use sex aids that are battery-powered?" - Paul Kwinn

"The 'Mr. Bill' tree defacer strikes again!" - Paul Kwinn

"I thought I'd NEVER find a place to plug in my SUV's block heater!" - Graham Leathers

"So *this* is what they meant by "'Green Energy'!" - Blade

"The latest upgrade to Ontario Parks campsites." - Korak

"I thought that I would never see / Line current coming from a tree." - Gary McGath

"So that's where the Litoria electrica plugs in" - djbp

"The power of nature." - Reid

"Rats, no ethernet." - Reid

"Truman's first hint that something was not quite right..." - Reid

"I wonder if the squirrels get cable, too?" - Reid

Have a great weekend, everyone!



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blogging, truffles, whining and books

My novel revision is going well. I've been trying a new method for this rewrite: working in Scrivener on an increasingly detailed outline, sometimes to the point of individual scenes. So far it's worked very well; in theory, this should make the actual writing process go much more smoothly. If this method works for me, then I'll write my next novel the same way.




Above: Cartoon for Inkygirl and selfish wishful hope! :-)

The actual REWRITE starts today. I can use big chunks and even chapters from the old version, so it won't be a complete rewrite, but there's going to be a fair amount of writing involved. I'm aiming for the whole process to take about 4-6 weeks at most. I've already turned down one writing assignment and one illustration assignment so I can focus on this.

I'm hesitant to say that I'll be Blathering less because the truth is that Blathering keeps me sane. :-) But don't be surprised if my posting frequency becomes less predictable over the next while.




Will Write For Chocolate has been updated. Click on image above for a bigger version. Column topic (which I've cross-posted to Inkygirl): "Good blog writing." I've also asked readers for any blogs they read which have writing they especially like. Feel free to post your answers at the bottom of this week's Will Write For Chocolate column.

What I don't talk about in my column is personal preference. Everyone likes reading different types of blogs and blog entries. I tend to avoid blogs that are mainly just lists, for example; I prefer to read blogs written by those not afraid to let the readers have a peek into their psyche, what makes them tick.

On the other hand, I avoid personal blogs that make a habit of sharing a little TOO much, especially if the content is almost always negative, whining and/or nasty. It's almost like a good friendship...while I'm sure my closer friends probably wouldn't mind my occasional rant or whine (and believe me, I've subjected them to both), I suspect they'd get a tad weary if I made a habit of it longterm. I feel the same way, and even more so when it comes to blogs written by people I don't know nearly as well.

But let me reiterate since last time I mentioned this topic, several of you took it personally ("you're talking about MY blog, aren't you?!?")...everyone is entitled to a rant/whine now and then; I know I feel this way as well. And if you want to rant/whine all the time in your blog, 24 hours, GO AHEAD. Just don't expect me to read it.

Unless it's brilliantly written, of course, in which case I will inevitably be compelled to subscribe to its RSS feed despite all my frothings at the mouth, my willpower caving like it did to the siren call of that last decadent chocolate truffle...



Yay, the homemade truffles I ordered from Tammy's Tastings arrived earlier this week! Above photo: starting at the top left and working clockwise: hazelnut praline, caramel, strawberry-balsamic, and passionfruit. The caramel and hazelnut praline were my favourites.

For those who attended Confusion recently, Tammy ran the hospitality suite at the convention and is starting her own business.

Finished last night:

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray. I enjoyed this sequel just as much as I did A Great and Terrible Beauty. Mystery, supernatural, suspense and a bit of romance...it had it all. Very much looking forward to the third and last in the series!

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Illustration Friday: Red

I created the illustration above for this week's Illustration Friday assignment, which was "Red." To comment on the above illustration in Flickr, please click on the image.



Above: I revamped the page for Urban Tapestry's Sex and Chocolate page, prompted while answering some questions for an interview for BlogTO. I'll post a URL when the interview is online.

Jeff had a bunch of our friends over yesterday for an all-day gaming session. I was happily in hostess mode; Jeff rarely has gaming sessions at our place, and I was in the mood to entertain. I'm pretty sure none of the attendees went hungry. :-)




Above: I'm wearing a t-shirt that Walter gave me at GAFilk; the text reads "Whatever Boys Can Do, GIRLS CAN DO BETTER." I suspect John (seated) didn't realize he'd be in the photo, too. :-D





I did take a break from hostessing-stuff to play one game called Diamont. It was easy to learn, quick and fun, particularly when it comes to trying to guess what other players are up to. We played this with our nieces (9 and 12 years old) later, and they enjoyed it as well.

I lazed about most of today, reading and drinking tea. Later in the afternoon, I took a walk and had a late lunch at one of my favourite casual restaurants, Chai, before coming home and doing some drawing.

REALLY looking forward to getting back to my writing tomorrow. I was tempted to write on the weekend, but I've found that taking a break during an intensive creative project is a very Good Thing.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this until I got to the end of the first chapter, but then I was hooked by the interesting main character and the engrossing storyline. I'm not usually a fan of books with detailed descriptions of battle scenes, but the author managed to convey the action in language that even a non-battle-fan could appreciate. I look forward to reading the next in the series!

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