Pitch me, please. Pretty please?

I draw a lot, but I don't get to do a lot of illustration.* I want more practice, both on working with briefs and with clients. So here's my idea:

If you have a concept for a drawing, post a comment or e-mail me. Pretend you're writing an article, or producing a product. My challenge will be to transform the idea into visual form. You don't have to be a pro -- this is just for fun.

What I need in your brief:
-a description of the concept/article/product/whatever that the illustration is for
-art direction: what should be in the drawing? Are there specific narrative elements (e.g. woman walking a dog) that are musts in the illustration?
-any other direction, like mood or color, and reference materials (e.g. a photograph or other thing that suggests something about what you want in the illustration)
-Clue: you can leave this is open if you want, but clients get the most satisfying results when they provide a fleshed out idea of what they want.

When I'm done, I'll post it here along with your brief.

What I can't do:
-mimic somebody else's style
-return the illustration in a quick timeline.


* "Illustration is the interpretation of a problem that requires imagery to solve it. This imagery complements, explains, decorates or tells a story."
-Holly DeWolf, Breaking into Freelance Illustration

And now for my silliest idea ever

March 21, 2011

The people at the other ends of some of these legs (who were sadly too close for safe portrait drawing) held an interesting conversation about life before and after his accident. The way they were talking, it sounded like they struck up a conversation as strangers. Maybe she got out of the priority seating for him, and that's how it started.  

And that's when it hit me. I've been thinking about approaching a magazine or a publisher or a gallery about my pictures. (OC Transpo never called back, sadly, although maybe it's too soon to give up.) I thought about basing the text part on my "Why you should draw on the bus" pages, but this morning I got a better idea. Everyone assumes that a bus ride is a terrible ordeal, right?A real sampling of the rat race -- a transit maze, with no swiss cheese!

But I don't think so. I see the most endearing things all the time.

So, what about a list book? (My husband --via Seanbaby -- scorns them. I'm going to get such a piss-taking if he reads this.) Like, "Fifty happy rush hour moments"? Insipid title, I know, but I can work on it! I could introduce it, and then match one drawing with each item. Let's get started:


1. I got trapped behind a giant snow bank running to catch the bus. A pregnant stranger stopped, risking missing it herself, and held her arm up to help me over.

2. This story about a great listener.

3. Hot tip: Old men always offer their seats to women. They're too gallant to accept help themselves. So if you're sitting and you want to offer an old man a seat, don't say anything, just stand up and take off.

4. Need a good wish today? Try this: Say, "Thanks, have a nice day" when you get off a bus. Chances are the driver's heard this a thousand times. But they still always say, "You, too."

 What do you think? Am I nuts? Looking it over it looks sort of horrible. But it's all in the tone, right. Ugh. This is harder than I thought. Reminds me of writing short stories. The self-doubt is ridiculous. 

Oh well. Happy spring!

Where do you get the nerve?

I called OC Transpo. I want to show my pictures on the busses themselves. Like Poetry on the bus, remember that? I loved it. Maybe we could find other artists to do it, too, and have a huge suite of pictures and photos of commuters, drivers, the transitway at night. Plus, OC Transpo's advertising seems lower this year. Some busses are empty of ads altogether, so there's some space to work with.

I could work some pictures up into full-colour paintings and display them in OC Transpo kiosks. Maybe they even have a display area for OC Transpo history? Showing the pictures to drivers and other OC Transpo employees would blow me away. Or, maybe they're sick of looking at commuters?! I can see the OC Transpo rep handing me my pictures back with stains, Scotch tape pasted across the rips. "It's not you, Lia," all apologetic. "It's us. You'll find love with a different bus company. Really. Keep drawing!"  

I bet there's an art space out there that would get a kick out of showing them. Even (tiny thrill), Wall Space -- my favourite gallery ever.



Or maybe I am getting ahead of myself. Maybe my real self is a little grey shadow trailing along behind the part of me that charges ahead into professional artdom, taking the things I think about people and work and saying them out loud.

Do you remember when you were fresh out of school, full of ideas and purpose?
Me, too.

The Plan: Part 2

I had a big weekend when it comes to art, largely thanks to my kid's 3.5 hour nap yesterday! (I kind of woke her up at the end because I missed her, breaking my never wake a baby rule!) I downloaded a trial copy of Adobe Illustrator in preparation for an assignment to do a logo. I love the basic concept of vector illustration – how artwork can scale up in size without losing anything – but the building block approach irritates me. I feel like I'm waltzing with my drawing when I'd rather make love to it.

I also realized that I had completed my artwork plan!

Farewell, Plan 1

• I did "lots of art, anything." And I had taken "any art job, even unpaid."
• I had gone over all of my artwork and selected a portfolio, then updated my website. 
• I researched publications that might be suitable for my work
• I looked into art schools and their admission requirements -- and, even though it wasn't the plan, I met with one and got admitted with advanced standing!
• I started drawing every day on the bus, launched this blog and founded a creative action group, NONE of which were part of the plan.

So, here's my new plan. I'm scared already!

• Do art. Anything. Lots of it! Get my work out there.
• Redo my website in html.
• Keep up my blog. Get to know the Ottawa art scene, and become part of its online community.
• Analyze how I can move into an art career: jobs, timing, feasibility with a second baby, feasibility of going back to school. Consult a financial planner.
• Design and print promotional card(s).
• Research more publications, online and print, to pitch my illustration to. Send out the cards to 10 art directors/creative editors.
• Research agents. Send the cards to 10 agents.
• Explore Ottawa or illustration societies. Join one.

Okay, world! I'm putting it out there. And, most importantly, taping it on my studio window. After all, it worked the first time.