POSTCARDS ARE THE IDEA AND PRINTS

HEY THERE SPORTS FANS, AL HERE WITH THE LATEST:

 Well the week begins to wind down for the month of August and birthday has past, Yea me. Another dance around the sun but the question is as always what to do.
Of this I think I have figured out what I need to do currently - make more prints and postcards. Since money is still really tight with people buying now or at least for this last one man show of Scratch and Burn, I gotta make those two things happen. The T-shirts of Gentle Giant are selling but slowly. That's okay for now.
But revenue has gotta start coming in or I'll be looking for a gas station to pump gas at.

And GOD(S) and Universe I don't want that.

The set up for three out of the 7 postcards for Richard Parker

Working on Etsy shop to get the prints going and maybe just maybe I'll have something read to go for card sets. Richard Parker is the first. All the originals are 9”x12” scratchboards and will be reduced in size. Besides that Framing these little guys will be a lot easier than for a gallery show down the road.


AND SPEAK OF THE DEVIL....

... there has been some new developments recently that involve NWIPA. Not t-shirts or a poster but a art show lined up for next year in Mid September. That's a great ego booster for the kid here. Black Box Visual Arts did pretty well this last February there so I could only hope that lightning would strike twice there. And good thing that there is another show to look forward to as the Scratch and Burn show is going to be coming down next month.
But this isn't the only show I am planning on this year.  There has been a invite from the People's Art of Portland Gallery for a show called "ICON".
This is part of the email that was sent me-

Classic Kirk!

"Dear Artist: 

This is an invite to be part of our September exhibition at Peoples Art of Portland Gallery in Pioneer Place Mall. 

It is a themed show, called ICON - a show of portraits. 

Portraits are a classic theme, and we feel that ICON is a broad re-definition of the term "portrait".  We are looking for classical and non-classical portraits of something you hold dear, or in high regard; it could be Elvis (pop icon), Your Best Friend (personal icon), pet, idol, hero, paragon, etc.  

DEF: ICON - a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something.

What is an ICON portrait to you?  We are leaving it pretty open, so have fun, or perhaps you have an ICON painting already in your stable."

I don't have an Icon in my stable but I think I did come up with one recently. One that had much influence on me as a kid and still has a hook in me. That's right it is none other than Capt. James T. Kirk!  

"All Laid Out"  working title for "ICON' group art show this September.

So now I am look at the classic show for a few stills to work off of.  Should be fun.
And of course there is also the BIG 400 (if they keep the that name this year) that I think I am going to participate in as well as at the end of the year.  So I can already tell I'm gonna be busy. 

PLUS I think I might also look into participating in one or two steampunk shows like GEARcon.

This was at the suggestion of my oldest friend whose feeling is that the feel of the scratchboard would work really at a show like that.  It is also helpful that a few friends of mine from the Velvet Coffin production crew also attend this show and are vendors.  This would give me an insight into the show and the vibe to see if it were really something that I should book a table for.  Of course there is a whole lot of preparations for doing a show.
  These days with such a limited amount of time for things both personal and professional unless yer making money over fist you have got to weigh your options.

SCRATCH AND BURN UPDATE:

If you haven't see the show at See See Motor Coffee you better get there soon.  I have been told by Emily the shop curator there the show will be coming down on Sept. 5th.
   A little bit earlier than mid September but still a good run for any show.  And still keep the work fresh and out there for others to see.  
  It worked as a spring board for the kid here to keep the work out these for other galleries to come in and check out.  
  
I've got a game plan for hitting up the different galleries here in PDX and approaching those few galleries that might be willing to put a show up for the work and showcase my talents as an illustrator.  Good times.

AL'S SOAP BOX:  THE CHOICE

Occasionally you have to wonder which way you have to jump in the business of making art.  There are a lot of sacrifices that you make along the way and some may be costly mistakes than anything else but it's all a learning curve.  
  Where am I going with this, you may ask? 
  When I chose to be a freelance illustrator back in Junior High School (I think they are all called Middle Schools these days) I thought that I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do.  Ha! What did I know when I was 13/14? Nothing.  But as I grew older and hopefully wiser I learned from mistakes.
  One of those mistakes was from personal selfishness of getting away from my parents. The way I figured it I could still live in the northwest and have a semblance of a personal life without totally cutting the umbilical.  That was a mistake.  I should have studied harder than I did.  I was driven by emotion that I couldn't see straight for the goal that I should have aiming for.
  SO WORDS TO THE WISE stay focused on what you really want to do and not get so side tracked by personal obsessions.  A lot easier to say than to do I know but if you have friends you really trust and you know yourself well enough that you make mistakes take their guidance, please.  
  Don't settle for second best - be your best!

ONTO OTHER THINGS:
   So the website is up and running.  Etsy and the set up for posting prints isn't that far behind and new shows galleries and art events are starting to line up very fast for the kid.  It's a good thing for me as well.  I was getting worried that my work wasn't to anybodies liking.  
  Well as I was having a late night jaunt to the my local beer joint whom did I see sitting outside but Shane from Six Point Brewery. This was the gentleman who had bough Down with the Weirdness earlier this year from me and who also been gracely given me a live recommendation for the work.  He hit me up to see if I might be down for doing a t-shirt design for him.  That to me is always a great opportunity.  So well see, it's just talk currently.

ODDITIES:

Not at the moment- unless I look in a mirror.

More of this info can be found at  www.thevelvetcoffin.co.

and at Ratchet Raven Productions.

OTHER NOTE WORTHY THINGS :

If your wanting to look at some of the older blog for Black Box Comix you can check them out here. Black Box Comix Blog.

There is also Twitter https://twitter.com/blackbox13 to follow and Tumbler The Other Scratchpad

blackbox13.tumblr.com/   as well 

Or if you're interested in purchasing something that catches your eye  check out here on the Big Cartel web site.  Big Cartel.

And of course is always the backlog of comics here at Indyplanet.

And the kid is out of here!