Even Freelancers need to get their hair did.

Google hangouts aside I rarely look my clients in the eye.  Almost all my business is done over email and phone, and while I try not to descend into terrifying swamp lady territory I do tend to think about my hair as a nuisance rather than my crowing glory.

This is where I delegate to another artist, Willow Witten.  She fulfilled all of my requirements for a haircut.  The main one was the ability to go from zero to fancy in under four minutes before 6:30am.  I couldn't be more delighted with the result.

If you live in Austin you must give her a visit!

Comic Friday- St. Georgia

Prolific illustrator Robin Boyden found a clever way to build both a community and a comic on his portfolio website.  He began an comic about a wanderer named St. Georgia who comes upon a mysterious cave.  "What's in the cave?" was the question and fans were encouraged to respond in the comments section.  

"The cave is home to a rare species of giant firefly." - Shaun Richens 
 "In the light stood a giant carved stone Moai head, like the ones of the Easter Island statues." - Natalie Hughes 

A few days later part 2 of the adventure was posted. 

Sometimes the fans interact directly with St. Georgia having their comments translated into word balloons.    Want to be in comics?  Just start reading (and writing) St. Georgia!

I love this idea and dabbled with it myself earlier this year.  

I can no longer be restricted by standard brushes.

So here is the thing.  I have been mixing line drawing and Photoshop texture for some time, but I never once made my own brushes.  This is tantamount to someone who enjoys pasta but never makes their own sauce.  Why wouldn't you just open up a can of Muir Glen diced tomaters and fry up some garlic?  It's hardly difficult and life will improve by 12% (actual statistic that I made up).

To make the brushes I scanned an assortment of textures.  I used crayon, graphite, and an ink brush.

Then I followed this tutorial from Smashing Magazine to make brushes for the background of this icon illustration.  

The story behind the project is that a tiny adorable person of my acquaintance is feeling a little nervous around dogs.  His folks have been assuring him that St. Michael will protect him from doggies with an angelic disapproving finger wag.  They required a "Bad Dog No Biscuit" icon for the kid's room.  Voila!