IF: FAST

I was reflecting recently on my work and my career. I have dedicated a great deal of time to creating a portfolio, and improving my work so that I may become a published illustrator. I am also a freelance graphic designer and enjoy that job thoroughly. I would like to do both, but I notice that it is difficult to wear so many hats, marketing graphic design and illustration are very different things, both which are very time consuming.

My graphic design is picking up, while I'm just hearing crickets over on the illustration side. I'm not quite ready to give it up. I'm not a quitter! I know someone will see potential in my work and will value my dedication and passion. In the mean time, I just need to figure out how to manage the constant chaos of trying to do it all!

I was looking at the illustrations from the beginning of the year until now and I do see tremendous growth! That is great, right? Except that it makes for an inconsistent portfolio. I’ve gone from acrylics to digital and from static to more dynamic work; my characters have also evolved. The eyes are not the same (At some point I was experimenting with dots for eyes). I haven’t deliberately been trying to develop a style. I’ve been pushing myself to become better at what I do, which in turns has affected the look of my work…I believe that the style comes out naturally while you are going through this process.

Although I’m not published yet, I can tell that my work is the best when I’m comfortable with it, and that only happens if I draw what is more natural and comfortable to me, but I only know what that is if I experiment and try new things. I guess for me it’s a dance of balance between these two…familiarity and stretching your limits.

Anyway, my point is that I’m now once again re-touching my portfolio. I am thinking about going to the SCBWI Winter conference in NY and really would need to have a solid portfolio before I can even consider going. By the way, are any of you going?

I’m also busy with my design work, which I also enjoy so much, and is the reason why I don’t have as much time to visit other blogs as I used to. I have some friends that talk about going off grid when it comes to social media networks and Internet. These things can really consume you and take up so much of your time! I wonder myself, would I have more time to do the things I need to do if I did not have a blog and was on twitter and Facebook? Do you wonder the same sometimes? How do you do it?

As a side note, I wanted to invite you all to vote for my son @ GAP’s Casting Call http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/edrianthomidis/717418724/

Have a great week!

IF:FROZEN

This illustration is a stretch for 'Frozen', but it just happens to be what I was working on at the moment. I wonder who'll win this fight?

Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by and for all your comments!

FREE COLORING PAGE :: RACOONS

Please click on the image and print it to color it. Have fun!

IF: FLYING + FREE COLORING PAGE

This is a sketch I created in the airplane while flying to Greece. I liked the idea, but never had the time to refine it and take it to color. I thought it was appropriate for Illustration Friday.

This is a coloring page I created for my daughter's class. You may click on it and print it. I'll be visiting her class for career day and speaking to the kids about the world of graphic design and illustration. How fun!

IF: GERMS

As a parent, I am too familiar with this scenario. My son's school had the first h1h1 case this week and I kept him home most of the week as a precaution. The teachers told the kids that if they sneezed/coughed on their own hands to wash hands right away, and if they were next to another kid and they sneezed/coughed on the other kid's hands, both kids had to wash their hands. So far it seems to be working...

Hope you all have a great week!!!

RECYCLE ILLUSTRATION

Here is the recycle illustration in color. I had so much fun coloring this image. I played around with the channels in Photoshop and had a softer effect on the overall image. I'm not sure which one I like better, so I'm posting them both. I'm also not sure about the text. Hmm??? You tell me what you think!

Welcome Fall!

The air has finally turned less hot in S. FL. We don't get real Fall weather down here. While most people are experiencing 50's and 60's, we are thankful to be in the low to mid 80's. It is a welcome cool down and it always gets me in the mood for Fall, which is one of my favorite times of the year.

I am getting ready for Halloween too, and with that comes a new banner and a new look on the blog. Hope you like it....

How's the weather where you live?

IF: PATTERN

It is never too late to start a new pattern of behavior and start helping out our planet!

This is a sketch I’ve been working on. I hope to color it soon. I recently joined an online critique group and I am really enjoying all of the feedback. This is a modified version from the original. The first one had the little girl look too much like I grown up. I think I finally have the proportions right.

IF: INFINITE

A mother’s love is infinite!

This week I’m posting a sketch that I hope to color, but I’m not sure if I’ll get the chance. Ever since the kids went back to school and I’ve been promoting my graphic design and illustration services, I’ve been progressively getting busy, which is great! This week, I was bombarded with stuff! Mostly graphic/web design related, and all with serious deadlines, so my playtime is really minimal at best.

Well, this sketch was inspired by the book “Runaway Bunny”, which I’m sure many of you’ve read or heard of. While on the subject of children’s books…have you ever read “Love You Forever” by Robert Musch? I always get teary eyed when I read it to my kids. It’s probably one of my favorite books as an adult. Do you have a children's book that makes you cry?

Lastly, I wanted to mention that I took my kids to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and absolutely loved the characters and the graphics. It was eye candy all the way through! Highly recommend it!

Have a fantastic weekend! and thanks for all your comments!!!

ILLUSTRATION PROMOTIONAL PACKAGE

I am so pleased to share my latest promotional package. If you've been following my blog, you've read about the amounts of time it took me to put this together. Time will only tell if all my efforts will pay off, but I have faith that they will.

I paid attention to every little detail. I re-designed my logo and stationary to make it more illustration focused. I designed the labels and had a few extra postcards printed to show a variety of work other than the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I also included a SAS post card for feedback, and a short letter introducing myself. All of these materials were put into a pochette envelope which then went into a manila envelope. I chose a bright lemon-yellow color to make sure the envelope stood out from the bunch. Let's hope it works!

My goal was to make a promotional package that was original without being gimmicky and that showcased both my illustration and graphic design talents. I really enjoyed putting this together.

I realized that I can not do this on a regular basis, but perhaps once a year.

What about you, how do you promote yourself? I would love to hear your thoughts...

IF: WELCOME

UPDATE: I tweaked the colors a bit. I think this version works better as it adds emphasis to the right areas...

This cat is cautious as he knows he may not be welcomed.

This is the full illustration I started last week (see post below). I may tweak it a little more, but I'm happy with the overall result.

Have a great weekend and thanks for all your comments.

IF: STRONG

A strong witch can handle anything!

This is a portion of a work in progress. I plan on posting the finished illustration when I'm done.

Summer is over for sure! Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

I am on Facebook and Twitter!

Yes, I've finally gave in and joined the thousands of people on FaceBook and Twitter! I've been on Facebook for a while, but I finally decided to create a fan page. Honestly, I think other than my mom and a few close friends, I'm not sure who'll be a fan. But, I decided to put the page out there hoping to reach those people that stay on Facebook or Twitter and don't blog as much.

This page is directly connected with my Twitter status updates and will focus primarily on anything related to my career. I want to keep my followers informed of my progress in the publishing world and yes some personal stuff as well. Otherwise, where’s the fun?

My twitter updates will update on my fan page and vice versa. Just click the 'become a fan' button on the top right!

Mailer update: I'm still waiting for UPS for my last mailer piece. Hopefully I will have something in the mail tomorrow!

A FEW SPOT ILLUSTRATIONS

I re-worked this one to represent my current style better. See the old one here.

I wanted to post a few spot illustrations I worked on the past few days. It seems we are finally getting into our new routine, and I’m able to experience how productive I can be while the kids are in school.

Another interesting announcement in my world is that I will be starting a figure drawing class tomorrow. I am so excited! I haven’t been in front of a live model in over 10 years! So this will be great! I really hope to meet new people and improve my skills. No matter how good you think you are, there’s always room for improvement!

I am also waiting for all my pieces to come back from the printers so that I can assemble my mailer and send them out. Hopefully that will happen this week.

I am very excited about the possibilities my new schedule presents!