OK, big changes in my life cause me to NEED to bring in some extra money. So If you are enjoying please consider opening your hearts (and wallets) and getting something or making a donation. I am,

• Taking Commissions (anything you see I can do different for you, I well versed at caricature and cartooning and I can copy other styles fairly well)
• Selling print and such through Deviant Art
• Selling Elsewhere comics Issue #1 and #2 and bumper sticker.

I am also thinking of starting a Kick Start or something similar to try and get to a few comic shows. Low end rewards would be the comic issues, bumper stickers and sketches and higher up may be a Elsewhere reprint book, animation style cell or color art, maybe even a guess spot in the comic strip.

Suggestions for other ideas are welcome.

It's hard to believe it's been so long since I've done a proper journal entry. But in some ways it's not. This year has been full of conflicts, about money, about work, if I should continue with my Masters and personal. School is costing SO Much and with teaching positions disappearing it's starting to feel a bit... hopeless. Money has continued to be a Big issue in everything. I was going through a debt reduction agency but they went bankrupt. I know it sounds like a joke, right? Only it isn't.

I find once I get myself to the drawing table it's good to be there. But sometimes it's hard to get there and with so many deadlines there is very little time that's not part of a project. I wish I had more time to do more strips and art but don't want to take more time away from my family. Aurgh! There just doesn't seem to be a right answer to any of it right now.

But I am really jazzed about the new Elsewhere stuff that is coming up and posting on www.drunkduck.com/Elsewhere. And if I can find the funds I want to get into some show like Long Beach and Stan Lee's.

I'm sorry about the lack of new art for those of you that have been checking in. I had my health scare and then scrapped by in my art classes. Since then I posted an Elsewhere cover. I have been working on art. I have 5 mostly done pages of a 12 or 13 page new elsewhere story sitting in front of me right now.

I'm suppose to start classes again for my Master's Degree which I don't know if I'm going to finish between money and health issues.

I am going to be in a art show at a local gallery that starts this weekend "Your Face Here: The Modern Self Portrait" featuring self portraits by artist in the Inland Empire area. I want to get some work done for the Covered website and some art for San Diego Comic Con done. I also may be moving soon. So I'm looking at a very busy Spring.

Make sure to check out Elsewhere the comic strip I'm working on at www.drunkduck.com/Elsewhere/

I'm sorry there has not been much new art work to show. I've been sick for a while and thought it was just the flu or infection. I keep having a fever and problems breathing even after the other stuff went away. On the second visit to the hospital they fond I have blood clots in my lungs and admitted me for about a week. I just got out last weekend and I'm trying to play catch up at home, with the holidays and with classes.

Look Who Is the Featured comic strip of the day. It's Me. Come and see. Hee-he-he.

News on The Duck: THURSDAY FEATURE --> Elsewhere
[url=[link] OMG, another collage comic where the guys are just starting out... Well this one takes place elsewhere this time. IN Elsewhere that is! Butch is an ultra genius, he's also a little black dog... Ok, he's not really a genius, but he got into collage because everyone thought he was one, unfortunately for him he's WAY out of his depth, but fortunately for him is big burly walrus room-mate Walter is there to look out for him. These are two silly young guys who are very inexperienced, just out of home and very wet behind the ears. Collage life is quite a culture-shock for them, but they deal with it in their own comedic way. Elsewhere is a black and white anthro comic, with cute characters ad gentle, family safe humour. By joe5art, rated E. Read [link]

Im Starting "A Crit for a Crit". If someone takes the time to Critique one of my works I will return the favor by doing the same for them. Generally when doing a Critique find what they are doing well. Then give them how to improve it. It's shouldn't be vague or insulting. Also state " A Crit for a Crit" in the comment to make it clear the other person should do a critique for you in return. Also a linking your page may make you easier for the other person to find. This is great way for everyone to get more feedback which is what a lot of us want.

-Joe

Hey, I'm back in classes and I am doing art I just have to actually have to get stuff shot and uploaded here.

I've also started posting the Elsewhere comic strips on DrunkDuck.com at [link]
I'm uploading them a few at a time in chronological order of the story. Sort of a test run of how to do a web strip for when I start a new comic strip. I want to try couple sites and get use to doing all of it and it's also a chance to repost some Elsewhere which has been mostly unseen for a few years.

I also hope to set up the portfolio here on DeviantArt shortly.

-Joe

" I should run away to Sea World and become one of those people that do Characture drawing. I'm great at looking at stuff them making it up. It's one of my greatest probl... I mean talents." -Me

I find myself starting to quote myself. Saying or typing something in casual conversation and then coming back to it. It brings to question the idea of supporting you work by quoting other great minds. Why does something Volaire stated have more validity about me and my own thought than me. Is it just pompous name dropping and showing off how smart you are by quoting the classics? At what point are you the young upstart. When do you become worth knowing and when are you the old hat that people mock? And this brought me to thinking of a Rod McQuen Song.

"Jo Jo quotes from Voltaire. Peire speaks of Casanova. Me, still the proudest one of all would quote from the works of me." Les Bourgeois- Rod McQuen ( translated from the work of Jacques Bre)

Went to and survived another Comic Con. I've been going most every year since 1987. So I've been to over half of them.

No I didn't have a table. I don't really have a project going right now that constitutes it. I've had tables in the past at shows but San Diego costs so much that I never pulled a profit at it  (By the time you add in the room and stuff) so it is worth it as promotion for a series for me but not just to try and sell.

Going to SDCC always gives me a charge and a want to get back to work. I've been away from the drafting table for far too long this summer even though there has been the best of intentions attached to it. I want to get some of this other stiff done so I can get back to work. I'm trying to sort out what projects I really want to work on.

I can't believe it's been So long since I last posted. Busy and problems bla,bla, bla...

I'm also questioning my masters degree since the job I was getting it for isn't giving me any teaching jobs.

BUT

I am going to be in a good mood. I going to be optomytic, Optomistic, Opti-bisket (Poop)......optimistic. Whatever happens happens and i will keep drawing and go with what life gives me.

I do have a couple of pieces of New art but I need to hold onto them till they get used for their intended purpose. Have a happy summer!

I'm sure some of you have done far better but It's about 1 am and I'm taking a break from finishing up 5 comic pages I need done for tomorrow by midnight and seeing that just made my night. So thank you for the views and interest in my art. I am going to get some new stuff posted in the next week or so as soon as I get through some work.

Long Beach Comic Con's One Day Expo is 3 weeks away and
Guess who is suppose to have a table there on April 23rd at the Long Beach Convention Center!
It's been A while since I've had  a table at a show. I'm really excited.

www.longbeachcomiccon.com

Well, 2010 was a tough year but here we are at the start of a new (hopefully better) year. With all the holiday stuff I've been away from the drawing table for the past week or so but am planning to get back to work soon and get to work on some stuff before the next batch of classes.

1) Lose weight- Track, exercise, watch emotional and bored eating.

2) Give myself time to Succeed. You can not do your best when you have to do everything last minute.

3) Heal & Sleep- This past year has been very short on sleep but not on injuries that are not healing well.

4) Believe in me- Beware negative influences, put downers and crazy makers.

5) Time for work, Time for family, Time for me. Yes there is a lot to do but I need some time for me also.

6) Watch your spending. Track it and plan it.

7) Plan and dream. Don't get so lost in the now that you can't see ahead.

8) Stay in touch with friends. Do not close off when things are bad or too busy.

9) Get back into teaching. Start teaching at ITT again or find somewhere else.

10) Win the Lotto or find a big bag of money

How quickly the time passes in summer despite the longer days. My wife and son are starting school today (Already). I gotten to spend more time with my family and get some more stuff done around the house. It hasn't been the most productive time for me art wise but I have a couple ideas starting to hound me so I'm sure there will be more art soon.

One is the Tron Parody, another is Auto-manic, Otter Bay is also still wanting to be worked on. All these would be larger projects. There are some individual images as well.

I'm really back to searching around for what my style and place is. I've changed as an artist and am revaluating things.

I'm tempted to show at Long Beach Comic Con but I'd like to have more new product and the date is a bit messy. It being on Halloween weekend and with me having two kids.

Thank you for looking and taking time to comment.

-Joe

I am really down right now. No one seems to care and there feels like very little point to stuff. I spend my time hearing who awful things are. What a bad person i am. that there is no point to me drawing and i am self centered to do this masters.

I could really use a bit of positive right now.

Well, that title is just jumping at the horn end of the bull.

I'm still working full time for a group of newspapers doing pages, ad and prepress stuff. I'm also still teaching design at ITT and just finished teaching more classes than ever for them.

And Yes, I am still doing Master's classes in Illustration. Yes, it's a lot of work and constant drawing leaving little time for my stuff.

When I say I'm tired it's because I'm pulling multiple nights of about 3 hrs. of sleep for 3 or 4 nights in a row (and I'm pushing 40!)

So I am constantly working and like everyone else in our post-industrial economy I broke.  It's like the Cerebus Quote about if he had money he could buy his way out of the problem but her was broke and about to executed for being poor.

The next Starving Artist book, a graphic novel size story  has been mostly scripted. I simply do not have the time to take on something that large. I hope to have the time to work on some short stories and get them together later this year.

I'm going to try and have a table at Long Beach Comic Con. I went to their first show last year and was really impressed. A small table is about the price to go to San Diego Con.

So I'm going to work on uploading a bunch of my art from the classes this week.

UPDATE! 3/15/10 - 1300 Unique views and over 100 pieces of art posted in under a year. And that doesn't even include the "Elsewhere" back catalog that I have not had time to scan and upload.

Well, a year later. What a year it's been.

I finally broke 1000 views. So I guess a few people are looking.

It's ironic that most of the new art is  from my classes and sometimes doesn't look a lot what I would think my work looks like. It's a bit strange.

It also seem that most of people looking ad commenting are from Europe. I'm at a lost for why that is. Some of my choices in art can be very Euro-craftsmen-ish (I don't know what the right term is, if there is one). I'm have an interest in various European comics but I'm no expert and I don't think I show a big influence but I could be off.

Anyway Happy New Year. I'll post again soon. It will likely be called, "What the Hell have I gotten myself into? (Pt 2)

-Joe