2017 Retrospective

I'm a couple days late for my annual year-end review.  But here 'tis.

This year has felt like a slow one to me in terms of output.  Looking more closely, however, leads me to a slightly different conclusion.  Take into account that I restarted a full-time hourly job in March.  Several of my projects were WAY more complex than anything I've ever tried before(severed head, robot arm, 15+ little sculpts/molds/castings for Macbeth, the Krampus doll, etc)...and they were done on the required schedule and remain functional(!)  Been learning some new tools (Ultimaker, anyone?), or at least trying to.

That's a pretty full schedule.  Time for editing vids has been rough to come by.  Youtube output has slowed quite a bit; but the channel's still growing at the same nearly-glacial-pace that it was last year.  That's cool.  Thankfully, I'm not doing any of this for the moneys.  Still have a dozen things in various states of completion/filming that I hope to finish in 2018.


Don't think I can really complain.  Onward!

2016: Year In Review

Oy vey, 2016.  A particularly challenging year for me personally.  Found myself diving into a heap of projects purely as a matter of survival.  That did give me the ability to put up 35 videos on Youtube(!?).  Hope to continue those as time allows.

Here's to 2017.

2015: Year In Review

Had a couple low-productivity months over the summer, but I think I did pretty OK this year.  25 paying bits of illustration.  Again, not livable money...but way more than the 4 I did the year before.
Actually turned in the last paid piece of 2015 about 15 minutes before I started typing this.  December was kinda rough, and it will continue right through into January.

I have barely played Fallout 4.  I have not yet seen The Force Awakens(!)  Haven't really hung out with my family in weeks.  Ah, the freelancer's carefree life.

Learned a whole bunch about the new Sketchbook Pro...enough that my most recent batch were done entirely in that software...no photoshop or artrage required.  Learned a whole lot about painting hair.  Taught myself rudimentary bookbinding, and proceeded to hand-make about 2 dozen sketchbooks.  wrote 100+ pages of a CYOA-style experiment.  Also, my long-term project involving werewolves continues as time permits.  Finally finished my blade runner pistol, and then had the photo re-tweeted by Adam Savage (again, '!').
  Lots of anxiety and stress, but less pain.  More therapy.  We'll see how 2016 goes.

Happy New Year

2014: Year In Review

   So here's the output for 2014.  More than in previous years, certainly.  And more physical stuff made than in previous years as well.
   4 pieces made for professional publication(!)...may seem pretty weak, but it's fairly huge for me.   Made a life-size R2 minus the dome.  Made a foam Mjolnir.  Also drywalled/painted my workshop AND built ~16ft of workbenches, and 8' of 6'-high workshop shelving.
   Ran a kickstarter campaign that succeeded, allowing me to make some pretty nice prints for Monster Women Mag, as well as the 12-card packs for backers.  Feel really good about the color quality of these;  my confidence regarding CMYK conversion is vastly improved.  Produced a 12-page sampler from MWMag completely solo over the summer - around 60 spot illo's, plus period-style articles and adverts, and also a photoshoot that was then vintage-ized.  The KS was my first attempt doing anything with video editing and/or cut-rate fake animation.
   The MWMag KS also let me produce 100 lil' 5-card packs for self-promotion, and MWMag postcards & stickers.  Attended  Pulpfest (meh) and GenCon (huzzah!) handing out said promo materials.  Got to pass stuff to Jordan Weisman(Shadowrun creator), Wil Wheaton(!), Dennis Detwiller(Delta Green creator and artist, nerd-hero), Steve Prescott(SR 3rd Ed artist, also nerd-hero), and a bunch more.

   Had a rough year personally, but still better than 2013.  Had the advantage of lots of projects to dive into, without the initial shock of diving into the freelance life.  
   Overall. pretty okay starter year.  On to the next.

2013 Year-in-Review

Meh.  Was on a pretty good roll, and then life happened.  Lost job, death in the family, etc. Lost a lot of time.  Well, there's always next year...'cuz I am fucking DONE with this one.

...and here are all things I DIDN'T get done in 2013.  Some of which are the same projects I didn't get done in 2012.  umm, huzzah?

2012: A Retrospective

So there we go.  That's my "finished" output of 2012, including a couple pieces that I haven't posted before (either because they were personal or were for a project that hasn't released). 
I am strangely ambivalent about these.  35 pieces over a year, a bunch of them just doodles.  Some with HOURS AND HOURS logged.  35 pieces.  Just under 3 a month, then.  I think I can do better.
Like many a hobbyist, my finishing details are getting a lot better.  But the fundamentals are still really weak; back to work!

As comedy, here's the partial of the projects I spent a lot of time on this last year and still haven't finished:

As stated:  back to work!