Sparky Firepants's posterous http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com Most recent posts at Sparky Firepants's posterous posterous.com Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:12:10 -0800 Magical "Make it Awesome" Buttons and Scary Blank Screens http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/magical-make-it-awesome-button http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/magical-make-it-awesome-button In the wacky, weird world of illustration and animation, there's always someone who pops up and says, "Yeah, but the computer just does that for you, right?"
 
Contrary to the belief of a few misguided souls, the computer does not create the illustration (or animation) for the artist.
 
There is no "make this nifty" button in Photoshop.
 
The plug-in for making loveable characters come to life is still in development.
 
Instantaneous voice-activated children's book illustration does not exist.
 
Digital illustrations, like traditional illustrations, are created by people... with their hands.
 
On the other end of the spectrum, there are the artists who don't want to have anything to do with a computer when it comes to their art.
 
Something I've heard repeated in children's illustration circles (oh, there's a circle) is that some traditional artists who have tried using the computer to create their art have been frustrated and discouraged at the high learning curve of the more popular graphic applications.
 
It's no wonder, really. Every new version of Adobe's design suites has a bazillion new features added on. When you open up any Adobe app it can be... intimidating. There are so many menu choices, brush options, color swatches, magic wands, filters, and panels. It's like someone sitting you down inside a Boeing jet and saying, "Take me to Denver." Where would you start?
 
Here's a dirty little secret: I use the Adobe CS3 Design Suite. However, I use about 5% of the features available to me.
 
Five percent.
 
Of the other 95%, eventually I see something online or look up a tutorial when I really need it. BAM! New skill. I may be at 6% by next Tuesday.
 
Another fear-generating method of using a computer to create art is to sit down in front of a blank screen and make something magically appear. The fact that no artist I know does this with a clean sheet of Arches paper or illustration board doesn't seem to matter. Somehow, somewhere, there's an artist who's been made to sit down in front of a Mac and left to figure it out.
 
You know, just play around. Create something. Take me to Denver.
 
What artists new to the computer need to understand is that at the heart of all this digital ulcer creation is simply... art.
 
The way I create illustration hasn't really changed since I was using watercolor. The only thing different is that I learned a new tool.
 
I still create every illustration with a series of pencil or pen sketches on things like notepads, napkins, drawing paper, envelopes, and air sickness bags. You may have access to some this media yourself. I encourage you to exploit the paper technology.
 
In fact, I don't even sit down at my computer until the concept is clear and I have a layout. Take this sketch of a fish picking out his socks (it could happen).

I've already worked this thing over a few times. I'm ready to scan it in and get to work on the final art, but the conceptual thinking, doodling, and messing about took place outside the confines of any Adobe product.
 
There's also a lot of work between here and completion. The computer won't "make it good" for me. If it sucks here, it will suck when it's done.
 
My message to artists new to the computer:
A little fear is a good thing. It keeps you humble. Just don't let it drive you away from learning something new.
 
My message to the misguided souls:
I'm sorry, the awesome button on my keyboard is broken. I will have to make it awesome manually.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:21:04 -0800 We don't need no steenking paper! http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/we-dont-need-no-steenking-pape http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/we-dont-need-no-steenking-pape I'm a geek for digital technology and I love finding ways to work without paper. The less I use my printer, the better. In fact, every time I find a way to do something in my office that I would normally need a printout for and create a workaround, I get all happy and weird.

It's probably best that I work in here alone.

I've been trying to work around making revisions to client work without printing them. The problem was, I hated going back and forth between e-mail and Illustrator or Flash to make them (most clients just e-mail changes to me so we're halfway to Paperless Land already).

I always printed them out so I could refer to them just next to my keyboard, but I hated myself for it. Not because I'm a tree hugger (vegan is enough), but I knew there just had to be a paperless way.

Simple solutions are always the best (and come to me the slowest, apparently). Working in Flash, I decided to just create a new layer and paste the edits in from the e-mail right under my art board. Of course this works in Illustrator and Photoshop as well.

I just heard someone in the back row say, "Duh." Nice. Come on out and fix my Volvo blower motor, why don'tcha? Using only an iPhone for reference, of course.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:32:31 -0800 Massive Excitement, Rewarding Work, and Awesome Results! http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/massive-excitement-rewarding-w http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/massive-excitement-rewarding-w If you follow me regularly, you may have noticed that I enjoy my work quite a bit.

I'm ecstatic about a recent client's project launch. They've developed a comprehensive and very cool web site and social network for moms-to-be and new moms called Womb to Bloom (http://wombtobloom.com).

Earlier this year I worked with the creators to develop illustrations and icons for the site that fit their web design and theme of Womb to Bloom. It was so rewarding developing those images, I just can't say it enough. I am PSYCHED about my work here.

Please check out the site. Send the link to your friends and family who are moms-to-be or new moms (or dads). Or, just browse the icons and illustrations and get a glimpse of the fun that I had creating all that stuff. I hope you can feel it. If I were a dog, my tail would be wagging.

*Check out the "Dealing with Discomfort" icon (below). Yes, I had way too much fun here.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:53:10 -0700 Last Tango in Portland http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/last-tango-in-portland http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/last-tango-in-portland Bye bye old studio. You were cozy but you smelled like a gas station bathroom.

Sent from my iPhone

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:38:18 -0700 I'm from the Future. http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/im-from-the-future http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/im-from-the-future So you're sitting there at home after a long day of working for the (gasp) Man, and thinking about how going solo as an artist will NEVER fly and you won't pay your bills because that blog said you should wait until the economy recovers.

You've got a kid or two and you're wondering how you would put them through college if you don't make a million dollars. Or even get their cavaties filled.

Hi there. I'm from the future.

I'm here to tell you that if you keep working at it, keep looking toward that thing you want to be and all that stuff you want to do, keep marketing your work, keep creating...

It will happen.

Don't quit even when somebody else tells you it's "for the best."

Don't hang up your brush, pen, or stylus because there are more practical ways of making money.

I'm from the future. I already saw your close-to-nervous breakdown next Wednesday. I saw that oil leak you had to get fixed. I totally saw that mustard stain on your portfolio coming and how you used your last $50 to get a new one before the FedEx cutoff.

Keep going. I saw that contract come in from that magazine and how you took the kids out to celebrate.

I was there. Don't quit!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:21:49 -0700 Friend of yours? http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/friend-of-yours http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/friend-of-yours

I had an early meeting with one of my illustration clients at a local coffee shop. We've been working together for months on a few projects and meeting at this one place almost every time. Sometimes the meetings are short and to the point ("let's change this," "what if we do this?" "See ya." See ya.") and other times, like today, we end up chatting about our businesses, marketing, and personal projects.

Another client of mine works in a corporate environment but we connect on a non-corporate level throughout different projects we've worked on together. As projects move through various stages, our communication becomes more informal and jokes are traded easily.

Pondering my fortune to work with such easygoing people, I had a thought. The reason the projects I've been working on have been so successful and fun is because I've become friends with my clients through the process.

I don't mean to say that we call each other before bedtime, chat about our love lives, or sign e-mails "BFF." It's just a friendly way of working together and getting projects completed without a ton of stress.

It doesn't happen with every client. Just like when I meet someone new in a non-work situation we don't always hit it off. The projects still get done, but they're not as fulfilling as the ones I work on with friends.

The successful people I've observed and admired in the past have had this quality of being able to relate to co-workers and clients on an informal, friendly level. I believe that's part of what made them successful. It's as simple as this: you want to be around the contractor who seems relaxed, confident, easygoing. The stiff, formal ones make things feel very dire and difficult. See? Not a complex chemical formula there.

I had a boss who, as I moved into management, cautioned me (more of a stern warning) not to become too friendly with my staff. Huh? He wanted to take the rapport I'd built with these people and suddenly be "Manager Guy." Mistakenly I took his direction and needless to say I wasn't as effective as I could have been. Later on I gained enough confidence as a leader to go back to being myself, and it worked out fine. No mutinies or chronically disgruntled employees. It is possible to lead without fear.

Are you friends with your clients? How do you interact with potential clients? Do projects go smoothly for you with more on the way? Do you like working with the people who hire you or do you dread their very existence? Are you projects fun, even the difficult ones?

It's an interesting dynamic to observe. If you can step outside yourself for a little bit and truly see how you come across, you may be surprised. I always am.

*illustration from "Road Trip with Rabbit and Squash" ©2007 David J. Billings

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:00:24 -0700 Study hard, kids. http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/study-hard-kids http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/study-hard-kids Stay in school. You never know when those pasting skills will come into play.

Sent from my iPhone

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:31:51 -0700 Wealthy nation http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/wealthy-nation http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/wealthy-nation It's a whole display of beef sticks. Think about how many displays of beef sticks there are at the many Fred Meyer stores around the country, plus the Costcos, Safeways, Ralph's, et al.

Any country that can display such a huge stock of preserved beef product just because it's a tasty treat is pretty wealthy.

Health notwithstanding.

Sent from my iPhone

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:32:46 -0700 My new link to the outside world... http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/my-new-link-to-the-outside-wor http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/my-new-link-to-the-outside-wor

Sent from my iPhone

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:30:08 -0700 Morning meeting http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/morning-meeting http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/morning-meeting A little Sinatra, a liitle soy. What could be more conducive to creating idears?

Sent from my iPhone

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:55:57 -0700 One step behind... http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/one-step-behind http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/one-step-behind BlackBerry Storm has touch screen you can feel

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=DJOBj19I


Sent from my iPhone

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:34:45 -0700 Dear Vonage, Part II http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/dear-vonage-part-ii http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/dear-vonage-part-ii If you read my previous post (Dear Vonage), you know the backstory. Well, they responded* and essentially explained their terms of agreement again.

The point is, I already understood the terms of agreement. Here's a quick quote: "I apologize for being helpless in this case."

Why does Vonage fail now, even though I didn't read section 8.6 of the terms like a dummy?

1. The person writing the e-mail gave no name. "Vonage Customer Service." Still a faceless corporate entity.
2. They told me they are helpless. No, you aren't helpless. You're refusing my request for a discount. At least be honest about it. I can respect honesty, even if I don't like the outcome.
3. They didn't discount anything. Even though they're right, they didn't even offer me or a friend any kind of credit. Missed opportunity.

As a company, sometimes you're in the right and it still makes sense to give something away to a customer. Even I do this. In fact, I did it today.

A client and I had a misunderstanding about the execution of a project. Who's to blame for the misunderstanding is fuzzy. Not clear. Here's what I did:

1. I re-did the job the way my client intended in her request. I did it as quickly as possible.
2. I took responsibility for it. No blame. I didn't point out how she may have been unclear or wrong. I just took it.
3. I gave her a 25% discount on the final invoice.

Why did I do that? What if I never work with her again? Did I just devalue my work or my business?

No. No. No.

I treated my client the way i would want to be treated. I gave her something that made her feel better about the situation and at the same time I still made a decent amount of money on the job. I also learned a lesson that I will use next time around.

In this situation, there were two winners. In the situation with Vonage, two losers. I lost money and they lost any hope of ever having my respect, any chance of referral from me or my friends.

Will they care? Probably not now. But over time, you build a reputation as a company and that affects your bottom line sooner or later. No matter how big or small you are.


*If you want to see the e-mail, I'll send it you, it's just kind of long for this format.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:34:48 -0700 Dear Vonage http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/dear-vonage http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/dear-vonage Dearest Vonage,

Thank you for taking upwards of 30 minutes to cancel my account on the phone today. I didn't have anything else I needed to do, so it was a great time killer. It's so refreshing to be called "Ma'am" rather than the usual "Sir." The way your company trains CSRs to reassure me every 20 seconds that they are "pulling up my records" is spot on. I just like hearing it again and again while I wait for them to click a button.

I also want to thank you for pointing out Section 8.6 in your terms of service that covers the $39.99 cancellation fee. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have known how we got to a total of $92.84 just for turning off my service. I'm not great at math, so that helped me out a lot.

Previously, I thought you were just taking back my rebate from opening an account with you, but that additional kill fee that you charge every customer made the math work. I was getting worried about my skillz.

I'm sorry I didn't take your offer of two free months of service just to keep me as a customer. I know I explained that in the new area I'm living in I won't be able to use Vonage, but that's okay, I understand that calls coming in to Vonage are probably all crackly, too.

If my math skills weren't so poor, I would have figured out that instead of offering me two free months of something I can't use, you could have used the same money to discount my disconnection fees. If you had, I probably would have told people what a great company you've got there. But since you've got such great, low-priced deals online, you probably don't need the extra publicity.

I'm so sorry to have to close my account. I'm going to miss clients asking me if I'm in a car traveling down the highway while I talk on my Vonage phone. Now that I have AT&T and an iPhone, it's going to suck not having that extra bit of conversation about the bad call quality.

Thanks again for three wonderful months of basking in your presence, Vonage. And... no need to thank me for all the extra cash. I know you need it right now.

Regards,

Customer #4,345,675

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:59:00 -0700 The Tiny Head Award goes to... http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/the-tiny-head-award-goes-to http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/the-tiny-head-award-goes-to

A while back I mentioned working on a way cool animated series called "Ruby Rocket, P.I." http://illoicious.blogspot.com/2008/08/ruby-rocket-pi.html.

It was challenging and a lot of fun. A few weeks ago I managed to attend the wrap party the night before I flew to Vegas. I was flabbergasted and honored when the team presented me with an award for going above and beyond the call of duty. It was called the "David" award because the other person to be honored was David Gilde, the sound producer.

They also presented me with a nifty Ruby Rocket-style fedora. It's a tad large for my tiny, shaved noggin but I love it (I'm making a "Tough Guy" face, can't ya tell? Maybe I need a cigarette).

Being appreciated for your work is just plain awesome.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:12:56 -0700 My Little Silicon Insurance Policy: iPhone Skin Product Review http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/my-little-silicon-insurance-po http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/my-little-silicon-insurance-po The minute I walked out of the Apple store onto the slick, hard marble of the mall floor I felt exposed. Naked. Fragile.

I just spent $400 on an iPhone and my head was filled with images of it splattered on the ground in byte-sized pieces. Of course they had a wall full of skins and covers inside the store, but none were under $30. I was torn between risking a sudden clutz attack for a cheaper option or biting the bullet and forking over more cash to Apple.

I took the risk.

Today I couldn't stand it anymore and high-tailed it to MacForce, a local Portland Mac store. Previously I had purchased a new Macbook hard drive at "The Mac Store," but their people seemed like they didn't know a Lisa from a Newton. MacForce was harder to find but their people know and love Macs. That's what counted for me.

They didn't have a humongous selection, but all the skins were under $20. I picked the iFrogz skin in red. Kind of funny that the back looks like a Dell laptop - I wonder if that's a bit of free irony from the iFrogz designers or a fluke? I didn't want to get too picky, I just wanted to chill when I pull out my iPhone in a parking lot.

The case fits nicely. It's snug, no gaps or loose areas. There's a bit of a ridge that extends just above the screen about 1/16" so I feel that I could drop it on its face and still be okay (not that I like thinking about that, but now I don't get a cold sweat).

The skin came with one (just one?) clear screen protector. Of course I was doing this in the car as soon as I got out of the store, I wanted to put my little insurance plan into effect as soon as possible. However, as I pulled out the clear screen cover, all the dust, hair, and fluff in a 10-mile radius flocked to the plastic like it was Magneto's helmet in a hardware store. Well, the whole point of the screen cover is to keep dust and dirt from scratching the iPhone, so I couldn't really put it on in that condition, right? I tried wiping it off, but I just created more mess. Back in the package for you, my staticky little friend.

The other thing I noticed was a small knobby drip thing on one side of the cover where it connects. It doesn't affect the fit, but it's the kind of little imperfection that bugs me every time I see it. It takes the sleek look of the iPhone and cheapens it just a tad. I bought the device for its functionality, but a large part of the appeal of Apple products is the look and feel. Why should I settle for little knobbies on my sleek Apple device?

Overall, I feel better about the possibility of dropping my phone (or letting others handle it). That's what I paid for, and $20 to protect a $400 device is more than reasonable. However, I plan on contacting iFrogz to give them feedback on product quality. Their reaction will be the deciding factor in whether I ever purchase one of their products again.

MacForce, on the other hand, gets three thumbs up. Good people in the store, easy to find stuff, and an Apple museum case that I spent ten minutes gazing upon. They also have a rewards program called M2 which scored me a free t-shirt on the spot. They know how I think.

Check out MacForce at http://macforce.com. If you live in Portland, swing by the store. It's in an industrial area straight out of 21 Jump Street but they have a parking lot.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:21:00 -0700 When I am a Breville... http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/when-i-am-a-brevell http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/when-i-am-a-brevell

Good Products rock. They do what they're supposed to and they do it for a very long time. Sometimes you have to take good care of them, and sometimes you have to work a little harder to understand them at first. Sometimes they're even pricier than you could get with another brand. Then, one day it's doing the things it's supposed to and making you happy and you stop. You think, "I love this thing."

My Breville espresso machine is that product. It's everything described above and it makes the perfect crema... every. damn. time.

That's what I strive to be with my clients. Sometimes I get a taste of it from comments they make and it thrills me. Somehow I made them happy with my illustrations or animation work and their life went just a little smoother.

It's harder being a Breville, but it's worth it. Every. Damn. Time.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

 

note: I'm a lunkhead and spelled "Breville" wrong the first time. Sorry, Bervliiell!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:05:38 -0700 I'll have what he's having. http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/ill-have-what-hes-having http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/ill-have-what-hes-having

Sent from my iPhone

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:46:23 -0700 Happy Anniversary Pic Update! http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/happy-anniversary-pic-update http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/happy-anniversary-pic-update Here's an update from 1986...

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:24:43 -0700 Attention Models http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/attention-models http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/attention-models Someone will be looking up your nose very closely at some point. Count on that and apply Q-tip accordingly. Gracias!

I just cleaned some guy's nose with a digital Q-tip. For a ridiculously huge fee, I'll clean your digital nose, too.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:59:36 -0700 It's clean up time... http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/its-clean-up-time http://sparkyfirepants.posterous.com/its-clean-up-time Wouldn't you procrastinate, too? Six people with jaggies all 'round. This is the toilet scrubbing part of my glamorous job. :)

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/37687/David1.jpg http://posterous.com/people/10z6BJQYtpf David Billings sparkyfirepants David Billings