Evil's Sketches and WIP's

Thanks guys for the feedback. Yeah, if I come back to this one I'll be going in that direction using the coral. I was trying to think of anything in the ocean that is straight to use as a pole and I couldn't come up with anything so I went with the generic wood. I may not do the sea shell one though I'm trying to make four images to use for a repeating pattern for my surface design portfolio and the sea shell doesn't really work with the other two I've already completed.

I'm trying to rework my whole portfolio because my cartoon style really isn't selling anymore. Been doing a lot more studies and trying to get a more realistic style and I want to get more of a painted look as well. I'm also trying to narrow my portfolio to a few specific markets where I know I could still make money and also can throw in a little sci fi and fantasy stuff and it will still sell. Surface design seems to do really well here so I'm focusing on that and I still can sell greeting cards so that will be another area I'm going to try to focus my portfolio for.

I'd love to do stuff for the gaming industry but I don't have the correct skill set...I'm just not quite good enough for that sort of thing I've never been able to wrap my brain around anatomy I can pretty much paint anything I see as long as I have it in front of me but take away my reference...and about the only thing I can draw are cartoons.....anyway.......back to the day job....I wish I was at home painting right now but got to pay the bills so I better get this data entered and answer the phones.....

Regarding postcards and such, I saw your post about uhm I've forgotten the name but a card shop anyhow where you sold a couple of designs. Perhaps it's too early to say but how do sales seem to work out there? I'm just wondering since there's a lot of people making cards for them and apparently you have to sell at least 250 cards or so for each payoff... I just got the feeling that if I tried something like that I'd sell a total of three cards lol

Yeah, card gnome...The designs I have on there I've actually already sold once before and the rights reverted back to me. So, I put them up there to just try and squeeze a few more dollars out of them. It's not the ideal site to sell your new designs on. I'm still only starting out there so not sure yet how well it will do. When I sell my designs direct to a card publisher I get between $300.00 and $600.00 US which is not that great but you can work out terms most of the time for either some kind of royalty or to just sell them the rights for greeting cards only so you can sell that image again for something else.

I've had pretty good luck on Zazzle and Society6 selling a few coffee mugs and prints

. I think surface design at least here in the US is really taking off that being designs for cloth, wall papers, and to cover products. There's a lot of money there right now so I'm trying to transition over to that sort of thing. The problem with that being that a lot of designs that sell, you or I wouldn't even consider real art. It's a lot of people that can't really draw very well selling what's considered to be trendy....I look at it and think that I was drawing stuff like that in 1st grade and I can't believe people pay for it....um anyway.. I'm going to try and do a few designs and see how it goes.

yeah I thought there were quite a few of those ("trendy" not so talented) designers on card gnome too, when I checked out that site. Seemed to vary somewhat between categories but there was some stuff I could have drawn as a preteen...

I know you've got to go where the money is, but I really like your cartoons.
Everything you've put up here has been great, so I know you'll get to where you want to be.

Like gixgidea said you probably have to go with the money, but I find your work is always bright, clean and usually has a cute fuzzy feel, even "Sauron gone fishing". So have you looked into illustrating children's books. Not having done work professionally I wouldn't know how to enter the market, but it seems this might be another niche your work would fit nicely and still keep the fantasy going.
Just an idea .

Thanks guys. I've actually illustrated a few children's books already. I've never really made any money at it. It takes 6 months to a year and the hours I've spent never really add up to the money I've been paid. Digital publishing has pretty much killed the traditional children's book market. You have to be really, really, really good, know someone in the business, or just get really lucky anymore to get any of the good paying jobs. And with the average digital children's book only making around $500.00 there's no money to be made in self publishing them. Also the American agents don't really seem to like American artists they want someone exotic and trendy someone from anywhere but the US. If you are an artist from outside the US you have a better chance of getting work than if you live here.

Here's my warm up sketch from today.

Another warm up sketch from today

Here's the reworked seashell mailbox.