High-Five

Les the Short Neck Giraffe MC's a Wedding

 So, I had to do a bit of public speaking recently and was struggling with my nerves while I waited to start. Usually nerves aren't an issue for me, but this time it got me.

This doodle is what I used to calm myself.

The Adventures of Skip the Elf- Vegan Options

Another Skip the Elf Preview

Here's a sneak preview of the first strip from the Adventures of Skip the Elf. (tentative title) You might wonder just what caused our hero to decry such a thing. Stay tuned here to find out. :)

A Dream I Had Recently

by David Finley

Great Moments in History- FDR's Inaugural Address

by David Finley

Click to see a larger version.

Thanks for reading, Scofflaws!- Dave

Rebirth

Guest post by Katie Finley

About the Art and Artist

Medium: Ink and pastel on bristol.

Theme: Death and rebirth

Katie Finley is now a two time guest contributor to the Haven for Scofflaws. A self professed scofflaw herself, Katie enjoys employing humor and irony in her own creative projects. You can see more of her writing and work on her new blog Potroast and Balderdash.

The Not So Great Commission

I have a love/ hate relationship with commissions.

On one hand, it is great to earn money with my art when I can while simultaneously giving someone a piece of art that they truly want. Yet, the flip side to commissions is that you often work with subject matter using techniques that you dislike. 

 For me, the worst is realistic portraits. I respect the genera and the skill it takes to achieve photo realistic likenesses with paint and brush, but, it isn't for me. It's too confining and rigid. When I do portraits it often involves mathematically gridding out a page and even with the grid, there is a process of working and reworking that, if I'm being completely honest, makes me want to set my canvas on fire I'm just not patient enough for.

Don't get me wrong, I have been fortunate enough to do some really fun commissions, even when they are portraits. Those clients understand the type of work I do and are commissioning me because of it. But, often a commission will be pregnant with a whole slew of aggravation.

I made a silly cartoon to illustrate the experience an artist undergoes in this kind of commission process:

And there you have it. A bad commission can cause all kinds of aggravation. Now I would like to say something to the clients and artists out there to try and mend this broken fence.

Clients: It helps to seek artists who do the type of work you are looking for. Creatives work best when they are interested in the project they are working on. Don't commission an abstract expressionist if you want them to paint a photorealistic photo of your daughter at her graduation.

Remember that art is labor and takes time. Also, art supplies can be very expensive so take both of those things into account when an artist quotes you a price. Good art of any type is worth paying for.

 Artists: For goodness sake, don't be afraid to say "no" to a project. Take projects that you will enjoy and that will empower you to do your best work. Take projects that will help you grow as an artist and that will help build your portfolio.

Don't lower your prices just to get a commission. Those almost always end up being the worst projects and usually end up costing more in labor than they are worth. Also, it's a good idea to at least get some kind of non-refundable deposit on the project, at the very least, to cover supply cost if the client backs out.

I understand that these rules must be broken when money is tight because we all have to eat, but otherwise, save yourself the grief. (note: I am guilty of breaking all of these rules at some point.)

So, in closing, I would just like to say...

...would anyone be interested in hiring me for a commission? :)

The Bear Who Hated His Job: The Missing Pages Part II

Here's another page from my tale of dissatisfaction. This was supposed to be the splash page where a grizzled man tells two young children in a museum a story about a circus bear.


It took me a while before I was happy with the colors, and I'm still not entirely happy with the bear "painting" on the left. When I redo this story I think I might not use color at all, unless it's very basic.

Thanks for looking. Comments are welcomed and appreciated.

The Bear Who Hated His Job: The Missing Pages

A few months ago I decided to start a little comic called, "The Bear Who Hated His Job". It was about a Bear, who once was the world's greatest knife thrower, but now he has been hired by a different circus who thinks the only thing he is useful for is dancing on a rubber ball.

It's a story about pursuing what you truly love.

I've decided to post one of my pages from that story here. This is page two, which starts a flashback. I hope you enjoy. Lines and lettering were done in Adobe Illustrator with the tones made in Photoshop.