Behind the table at a con-
One of the greatest things I have learned from doing shows is the importance of interaction. Especially with the kids. There is a reason I do FREE “Quick” (that’s the magic word) sketches. Not masterpieces, just sketches and that is because it allows me to take a moment and talk to people. Especially the kids. They are our future fans, our future creators and our future supporters. There is power in the quick sketch… it is a door way into the imagination of others and the ability to foster communication between creator and fan. I find that these moments are incredibly special.

People have said i should charge for my sketches or not do them at all because i take money opportunities away from other pros (yes, really), but i wont. I can’t, because it takes away from the moment, the opportunity to create an incredible connection. Every year i am given ideas from small and old that range from kittens to princess to ponies to zombie robots to dragons to hippos dressed as storm troopers. The sketch is very very simple, nothing more than a quick doodle, yet it is the smile that I enjoy. The eyes that light up, the laughter of joke, or the fact that a pro took a moment to create something special just for them.

That’s what it is all about. I do do commissions at shows, but they are secondary – the quick free sketch will always come first. Always. I have found that over the years, that sketch has made some wonderful friends, created some beautiful memories and have brought me to tears at times as I learn some of their stories.

I have watched more shy, timid little sweet kids come out their shells, when I ask them what they want me to draw, and then follow up with questions directed just to them. About what they like, what they want to do, and that they are important. I have seen it in adults as well. They stand a little taller with a smile a little broader as they leave the table with a little piece of paper that was their idea and that i just drew.

That is why i do it. It’s not about the sale or the money. That comes on it’s own. It’s about creating a connection, building a relationship and strengthening a bond that in many cases has lasted for 15 years.

If more pros understood the value of a quick 3×3 free sketch- and how it builds a nice connection with an audience, which builds up a fanbase, who are very willing to support the creator that takes a moment just for them.

Some people will not get, some people want to rush it, some people wont wait which means they miss the opportunity for the possibility of a little magic. To those that visit the table and ask…. you already know what the magic is all about.

So all those that have stopped and asked for a sketch (I have done about 20,000 in the last 15 years) I say thank you. Thank you for hanging out with me. For sharing a little bit of you and making me realize that there is much more to being an artist and sitting behind a table than i originally thought. To those that support my art thank you as well…. I know many of my supporters have come from the simple question of “hey would you like a Free sketch?”

There is a lot of power in those words.
Keep creating
trav

When I first started putting together my Art Book for my Kickstarter project I thought it would be rather easy because I had a large selection of prints. Yet since they were all over the map in sense of style, story and feeling I struggled with a way on how to connect them. I really didn’t know how, until as I watched my kids play, I realized that even though I was following my own dream I still needed to include them and leave them a note to remember how important it is to follow a dream.

So I started to write and pretty soon my art book “Adventures for a Lazy Afternoon” became an open letter to them and any other dreamer out there. I wanted it to be personal and something special for their own kids. When this became my focus, writing the prose for the book became more personal.  I started to think if I was not around what message could I leave for them. What way could I talk to them from afar, when life brings us apart. It was through the book. Mind you I am not going anywhere – but you never know when you will be called on another adventure… so what message do you leave to those around you.

For me it was the gift of following a dream. It is the magic of adventuring, playing and the great power of imagination. That is part of my legacy – that they would be allowed to dream big.  There are other messages I want to leave them, but right now this is the most powerful, that they control their destinies – not I. I am just an old guide, giving them a little council to find a path, whatever it might be.

So what is your legacy? Your message? Do you have one? I hope so. I hope you take the time to create a message, using the talents that are hidden inside you waiting to be discovered. They are powerful gifts. Be willing to share them. Follow your dreams and look for the adventures life can offer and not dwell on the negative. It is up to you and you might be surprised at what your open letter to the world might be.  I am.

Everyone has something to offer – Everyone has a gift. Just people choose not to look for those gifts by using the phrase “I am not talented” or “I am too old” or “I don’t have time”.  You choose your path and if you start looking a little… gifts appear, talents become realized and the incredible power of those gifts become a message to someone else. You can and you should look to find ways to inspire other do something amazing.

Now that my project is done, the books shipped and things are settling down, I’ve realized my message has not changed. My open letter to my family is stronger than ever, and evolving a little. That makes me excited. There are many more stories to tell, many more adventures to follow and many more dreams to be realized. I hope they see that message as well and find ways to make their dreams powerful realities.

Keep creating. Keep finding ways to make things happen and never give up.

trav-

The warrior princess (11×14)

A new piece- with a video that talks about the process of inking on vellum. A process I have found that I rather enjoy.  More artwork coming soon and I am also going to add a video section to the site since I am working on several new videos – maybe i will put it in shop talk.

Here’s the video

Sailing the Stars 17×22

Winken, Blinken and Nod sailed off in a wooden shoe to catch stars. I love this poem, more as an adult than as a kid. There is something very magical about it. I wanted to share my version of it, how I would sail off to catch stars.

Also I am curious should I keep posting these? Do you look at them and enjoy them?  I never hear anything about them so I do not know if I should continue.

Anyways- keep creating

trav

Summer Days 17×22

As a kid there is a primary song that I love, that talks about all the cool things one can do in the summer time. I can remember doing something similar at a family camp out one year as a teen. It is a nice memory.

Also we are 900 shy of the 10000 mark- which means 8 more pages to the book.

Keep creating.

Island Watching 17×22

Just needed a peaceful moment of island watching…. especially with your best friends.

Also we are 1500 shy of the 10000 mark- which means 8 more pages to the book.

Keep creating.

Living in your Imagination 9 : the Big One

It is really nice being able to get back into doing 18×24 sized prints, in fact I have to do one a week until the middle of sept, so this will be worth it. Also means I need to change some gears on a few things- I will be finishing up the commissions I have, but I am going to be swamped so some things might take a little time.

This one is called “the Big One”. Just click on it to see a much larger version of it.

Keep Creating and remember come support our kickstarter project….

Trav

“Flowers for the lady?”

Honestly when you were 10 you could do anything, go anywhere and conquer it all. Then doubt crept in and slowly, or rather quickly we were told that we couldn’t. Yet I don’t believe that and as I went back through my art, I realized that it was telling me, that dreams can be accomplished. We just have to put the effort in to make it happen.

You are entitled to nothing, except what you earn. There is no easy path, but there is a path, one that is full of failure and frustration, yet eventually ends in success and accomplishment. It really is all about how you choose to look at.

So pick up the wooden sword and face those dragons. In the end you might just surprise yourself, and like when you were 10, accomplish something fantastic.

trav

As many of you know my prints takes one on many incredible adventures. I am constantly looking for new places to go and new journeys to embark on. That is the beauty of creativity. There is honestly no limits on where you can go except those you place on yourself.

This adventure, like all my prints, tells the story you find it. I did though wanted to create a fantastic fairy tale, that allowed me to venture forth into place unlike any other. A young hero, a trapped maiden and a quest.  The joy of victory and power of determination.

Like all my prints, some of will find the entire story, it is all there, you just have to look for it. So I encourage to do so.

– I hope the adventure is worth it-

trav

technical aspects: 18×24 – I will begin the colors on Sat. I must finish another piece first. Just click the image for a larger view.

]]> https://www.beanleafpress.com/raising-the-bar-of-webcomics/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:07:53 +0000 http://www.beanleafpress.com/?p=895

I read an article  that effected me a little today. It was that Webcomics were dying and that nothing new and exciting was around these days. The author of the site has a pay-per-view webcomic site, something that I have been against from the very beginning, because I think you should not charge for something viewed online. If all you have is a failing subscription site than yes webcomics might be dying as for anything new out there … I think one needs to start looking because I have found several, that believe like me, that it is time to raise the bar on webcomics.

Yes, I realize that anyone can just quickly scribble something on a sheet or hit  few buttons and make a webcomic and it seems to be a common practice on how vulgar or how can one push the line. Yet… I also realize that there is some incredible talent out there that have taken this craft to a whole new level. In sorts we have to kind of feed off one another in trying to prove that it is possible to create an incredible tale online and still make some sort of income off of it.

So how do we raise the bar? What will it take for artist and writers to find ways to make webcomics something more when mentioned than just a snicker from people who do not understand what they are about.

First off Webcomics are in the phase that newspaper comics were in 100 + years ago. When the art was not always the best, but they taught the world that art in newspapers could be much more than depictions of current events. From there many artist have found there own. In the 20 to 50’s the art of newspaper comics was incredible and deep, truly a craft that showed that the creators cared about what they were creating. Bill Watterson and a few others tried to bring it back in the late 80’s and 90’s.

So where are the Bill Wattersons of today? I don’t know, but they are out there and they are starting to make a say in how web comics can be correctly done.

What makes web comics successful is the willingness of what the creator is willing to put into it. Like the cartoons of print, most comics creators (who update daily) are not willing to put the time in to make it work. The I want it now success stories are nothing more than delusions. Watterson, Breathed, Walker and many more newspaper comics spent many years just finding ways to build their audience and even then it still took many years before their strips became famous.

Web Comics, even though they are digital media, have the same problem. An audience needs to be built and patience on the part of the creator to let the strip grow. Honestly to expect success overnight is foolish, yet success can happen if and only if you are willing to stick out and be consistent in your updates. (If you don’t update you kill your story, so if you want to make this work you gotta put the time in to do it.)

Art- This is huge for me. If the art is substandard or shotty, I do not stay. If the art is well developed I hang out a bit and look at the next thing which is writing (more on that in a minute). Take time to learn your craft. Put the effort in to improve your art. The best webcomics out there have strong art and strong writing. Learn how to draw backgrounds, environments to add to your basic character head shots. Change camera angles and work on texture. Color is good, but there are some strong b/w out there as well.

Writing, is just as important. The deeper the story, the better thought out gags, the more likely one sticks around. If the story is too diluted with bad character interaction and trying to hard to shock readers, I for one loose interest really quick.

Know your audience or figure out who they are. You want your story to be big, make it accessible to everyone, meaning parents who read your tale will more than likely let their kids see it, if you keep it pg- that way you get a whole other generation and kids have a lot of power over what adults choose to look at.

Take time in developing your site as well. Make the presentation good. There are a wide variety of comic hosting programs. Take time to make the graphics strong and clean, make your navigation easy. It’s not the fans that will kill your comic, you will, especially if the presentation is pretty bad.

So improve your art and writing, be consistent in your updates, learn who your audience is, be willing to be patient and now it is time to work with others who are like minded. There are several other creators that understand this principle, many of them are linked in my links section. You will be amazed on how good their work is and that they tend to follow the similar belief that the bar of webcomics NEEDS TO BE RAISED to be taken seriously or else they will always be the same mentality about them and that is that the artist or writer just couldn’t make it in the professional world and so they came to the web to peddle. Honestly don’t be afraid to give love to those stories besides that deserve it, others will give love back to you. People that read webcomics read more than just one, so I make sure they can find the stories I like, and they will also know the stories I like are set to a pretty high standard.

I am a pro. I am here to help raise the bar, set the standard a little higher and yes still make it possible to support my hobbies through webcomics. You see by willing to show the world my story for FREE, I broaden my audience, who in turn support me by buying the trades or comics when they come out. Print and web go hand in hand. Don’t be afraid to publish your stories even if they are online. They are online to help your world grow so reward those that read with printed material and now with paypervisit websites. If you use the web for your stories correctly and smartly you will find your stories will hit large groups of people who will enjoy your work as many of us enjoyed the work of the great newspaper strips along.

Also do not be afraid to chat with those that support you. Talk to them! The web offers a new dimension that newspaper strips could not do and that is interaction with creators. So if creators need to spend a little more time talking to those that support them, those that support them are more inclined to tell someone else, which only makes your readership grow.

Yet if the bar is to be raised, we need a few more strong comics in the mix. A few more willing to step up their craft and find away to blend strong writing, strong art and consistent storytelling. Yet as it gets harder to get distributed through diamond and others I see more and more good story tellers coming to the web and turning webcomics into the newspaper comics of the 21st century.

If you noticed I chose not to name any webcomics here, but newspaper artist instead. I did this for a reason, the correlation between newspaper stip and webcomic are very similar, your dealing with a daily audience that expects you to put something out on a regular basis, and like I said only you will kill your comic.

So if webcomics are going story the bar must be raised by the creators themselves and we just have to want it bad enough to make it happen. I have no intentions of stopping the bean….I hope those creators of other great comics feel the same. Yet the fans need to let them know they are doing job, buy their books and help support and only then will webcomics get the respect they deserve.

trav