Acrobat for Illustration Friday

This weeks topic was acrobat.

I had a few ideas and I didn't like how any of them came about. This one I used a photo reference from a friend and sketched it out this morning and decided to do the illustration in pen and ink with a wash and a touch of water color.

http://www.illustrationfriday.com/

Drawing

I named my blog Drawn Upon for a couple of reasons. The main one is my love and hobby of drawing. I haven’t posted any blog articles on the subject, so I though I should.

I have been drawing since I was 5. Some day’s, I’m my own worst critic, others, I’m my biggest fan. But one thing that remains is I still do it for one reason or another. Either for myself or to try to pay the bills; which doesn’t seem to be happening. Here recently I have taken to drawing on linen papers. Linen you say? Yes. Yes I did. I like the texture it gives me when I put my pencil (I like my mechanical pencils in a .5 or .9 or here of late my graphite pencils) or pen to the paper and see how they take to the lines or pattern(s) in the paper. It’s better than doing digital art. Why? Because I can draw; where most of these “newer, younger designer/artists” can only create art with Photoshop. I can create a new original, one of a kind work that can be sold for a fair amount of money and have some one own a piece of my work. I like the colors and textures you can get with a good piece of linen stock that you just can’t create digitally. I also like the challenge of knowing I can’t erase the lines too easily and it makes me think about where I put my stroke. I also like using my finger to smudge in some shadows, or other elements and get down and dirty with my drawing. The linen papers hold up well for this, and if I am using a colored stock, it adds to the fun. Sadly scanning the image in doesn’t do it justice.

I’ll go into more about what types of media I use and why in another posting.

Job Hunting

Job hunting. There is nothing more stressful than trying to find a job in this economy. What makes it worse is there are people and companies out there who want to mislead you and take advantage of you any way they can. They will use false job postings to lure you in for a job you think you are perfect for and suddenly you either get your inbox full of spam or worse, a call from a different company wanting you come for an interview to find that they want you to invest what little money you have or don’t have to join their pyramid scheme. If you invest with them and work six days a week sixteen hours a day, and in six months you can bring someone in under you and make a profit off all their hard work just like the guy above you is doing. This is most commonly found in insurance companies or financial advisors that specialize in different forms of insurance or savings. Not all are bad, but from my experience, the ones I have had dealings with are EVIL. Primerica is one of them. They wouldn’t even tell me who they were when they called. Stupid them. I looked up their phone number to find out who they were while I was talking to them (caller ID is great) and played along with their game and went to met with them and told them off in their office on how their deceptive practices were and how I wouldn’t use them if they were the last company on earth. To top it off, I didn’t sign their papers they gave me and they ignored it and called people and used me as a reference. I called them the next day and chewed them out again. I even told them if they used my name or called anyone I knew I would sue them. It worked. So be wary when you get a call from some one who won’t identify who they are with. Just hang up the phone.

But that’s not all that’s frustrating. Jumping though job sites to job site to apply for a job is a hassle. Go to one site to be lead to another site to spend hours applying for a job is a pain in the neck. I even had to cancel one of my email accounts because I got so much spam it was insane. Lesson here, create a disposable email address in case you get so much spam you can’t read your email and find what email is real and which is not. With over 100 plus spam message a day to send my personal info to some crook just wasn’t worth it. All from craigslist. Craigslist is the worst place to look for work. It’s free for anyone. Including scammer and recruiters. I got one interview from a job recruiter and in their paper work was this little clause that made me say no: “if for any reason you are released or teminated from the job we find for you within the first six months, you will have to pay us 1/3 of your yearly salary the day after employment ends.” What the hell? I pay you a 1/3 of the salary I would have made? I don’t think so. I have found that craigslist is full of scammers and fake jobs it isn’t funny. Monster and Career Builder has gotten me nothing but insurance sales scam and pyramid scam job offers like there is no tomorrow. You have the power to look these people up to. If they don’t want to give you their info, they aren’t legit. Ever notice that on craigslist? Employers won’t say who they are? I even got sneaky and emailed them questions to get a response back and they give me all the information I need to look them up and find out most of them aren’t worth their weight in salt. I have since quit using craigslist. It’s not worth the trouble.

Now the other day I found a great potential job though indeed and clicked the apply now button and took me to this site called Jobfox, where I had to create an account to apply for said job. Another thing I hate. Having to apply at a job site to apply at a job site to apply for a job. What really pissed me off is the next day I get an email from some woman named Jennifer G. telling me she is doing a free detailed critique of my resume and that I need to spend $700 to have my resume professionally re-written. I sent her a scything email and told her what I thought. I even told her I was going to post it on my blog. Take that. I didn’t get an email back. There is nothing worse than a website or company that wants you to spend that amount of money to write a resume for you. Don’t do it. These are scam jobs as well. Stay away form ANY jobs posted on jobfox. They aren’t worth it. In fact they seem to be nothing more than an internet marking company that fills your inbox with their special offer and promotions. And want you to use their resume writing services for as little as $54 a month. And they can help you find a better job buy paying to join there website service for a low cost of $54 a month. Really? I don’t think so.

In short, do some research on any job you want to apply for before wasting your time. If you find they want a load of personal and private info up front, it’s a scam. If they won’t tell you who they are or who they are with, it’s a pyramid scheme. And if you have to jump though hoops to apply or got though different websites that you have to join, it’s not worth the time. Many places aren’t worth working for and there jobs out there if you are willing to look and can do them. Sadly, some things I can’t do anymore and the ones I can , they can’t afford me. It’s scary out there, but I have your back.

Not being able to forget a face

Sometimes not being able to forget someone's face comes in handy and some times it a curse. I guess that's what makes me a better artist than most folks is that I don't forget some of the things I have seen. It has its advantages and its disadvantages. Like when you are at a party and that drunk ugly, overweight chick takes off her clothes and dives into the pool for everyone to see. It's an image I would rather forget but I can't. Ewww! BrainBleech PLEASE!

Anyway, the other day when I stopped into my local quicktrip to get a fountain soda, Dr Pepper I might add, I recognized the guy who was coming out as I was going in. He didn't recognize me of course and I said to myself, I interviewed with him for a job back in January at a print company. I might have sucked or something as we got along pretty well and he liked me, but I never heard back from him or the company even after sending a thank you note. But he was also one of those guys you don't forget. Built like a body builder and hair like a stoner. I should have said something to him, as I remembered his name, but I'm sure he would have not remembered me in the first place. It's not the first time I've seen someone out and about that doesn't remember me. I just have that unique gift of remembering things. Almost like a photographic memory but not quite. I tell a lot of people I never forget a face, a name, well that's a whole different story. So if you know me and we have met, there is a big chance I won't forget you. Unlike some of my former co-workers who act like I have the plague or something and start acting weird when I approach them in public. I have sense stopped walking up to people I know and try to strike up a conversation. You want to chat, come to me. I guess I must be the devil or something the way some folks run away or play the “I don't know you game”. And yes, I know who you are and I won't forget that moment either.

So the next time you are out and about and you see someone you know, ask yourself, do I know them and will they remember me before I act like they have the plague or something and do that awkward dance to avoid them, it might be me and I will call you out and make a fool of you in public and on the Internet. And if I remember you and I don't like you, well then it's twice as bad. Why? Because I can't forget you and I don't want to near you. But if you approach me, I will be civil and talk to you and somewhere during the conversation I might even let you know I don’t like you or tell you what you have done for me to avoid you.

Like I said, it's a blessing and a curse. I will recognize you whether I want to or not. Some times it's nice. Other times, not so much.