Ok, this is really confessing my inner geek and proud Canadian… The Shatner Show is on at the Uppercase Gallery (in Calgary, AB) running from June 15 - August 31, 2007, featuring the artwork of dozens of Canadian & American artists inspired by the lovable & quirky William Shatner. My hero. So if you are in walking, bicycling, driving, hitch-hiking, skootering, skipping, or snowmobiling distance from the gallery, and you have bothered to read this far, then you are bound to go see the art in person and honor this illustrative tribute to a great Canadian man.

“From his iconic Captain James T. Kirk through the steely resolve of TJ Hooker, the irreverence of Denny Crane or the seemingly hundreds of smaller roles that have filled his career (one of our personal favorites being the Commander Buck Murdock in Airplane 2), William Shatner has shown an uncanny ability to alternately (and sometimes simultaneously) embrace and transcend those preconceptions about him… Now in his 76th year, he continues to produce with a voracity and enthusiasm unrivaled by his peers. Whether it’s a comedic or dramatic role, a gameshow, voice-work, or even a seemingly lowly breakfast cereal commercial, each thing he touches is elevated to a plane that’s all his own.” – VanGoldDesign.com

Well this is the last story in the Jame’s Family’s “Little Land Adventures” book that I’ve been illustrating over the last month, about a Little Pig who likes to eat candies all day long… and ends up with a nasty tooth-ache because of it!

You might also like to check out :

• Little Land | Little Raccoon final illustrations
• Little Land | Little Iguana final illustrations
• Little Land | Little Bird final illustrations
• Step-by-Step How to Colour a pencil sketch / drawing in Photoshop
• Little Land Adventures - Characters & map
• Little Land Adventures - Sketches

Some of my favourite art materials are VERY bad for my health… I have a couple bottles of Grumbacher oil paint from the 60’s which were later discontinued because the amazing colours which were achievable by some very toxic chemicals! Being aware of the harmful effects of artist materials over time is half the battle… and learning some good habbits to keep safe and healthy is just common sense!

• Firstly, thoroughly read the labels on ALL your art supplies before use to see how to safely use, store, and recycle them.

• Avoid contact with skin : this can seem an impossible thing at times for artists… I’m guilty of using my fingerse to smudge a bit of oil paint around now and then. But if you regularly use pastels especially, a pair of latex gloves is in order to avoid direct contact with the skin.

• Don’t eat or drink when you’re working with toxic supplies : this is especially true for working with oil paints, chalky pastels, chemicals, and adhesives… I don’t know how many times I’ve had to dump a cup of tea for accidentally dipping my paintbrush in it to rinse it out! Don’t work with toxic paints in the kitchen / dining areas especially as airborn particles can be transferred to cooking equipment, utensils, and food.

• Don’t lick the tip of your paintbrush to get it to a sharp point : this may seem gross, but it’s a habbit some artists have developed which should really be avoided for obvious reasons… ingesting paints is BAD!

• Work in a well ventilated area : opening a window or outside door, or even just working outside are great ways to get better ventilation when working with fumey paints. If you can’t open a door or window, try working in the bathroom with the fan running so it sucks the fumes out while you’re working, and take breaks to get some fresh air.

• Don’t work with toxic art materials in living or eating areas in your home, or areas that come in contact with children (who may be inclined to suck on paintbrushes or stick your pastels up their nose)

• Wear eye protection such as goggles when working with corrosive materials

• Wear a mask over your nose & mouth when working with chalk pastels or other easily air-born art materials…. and use a rag to clean up the excess dust to keep it from spreading around.

• Use smaller amounts of solvents at a time, so that you’re exposed to less fumes. Using multiple brushes for different colours when oil painting in particular will cut down on the need to clean your brushes with solvents between colours. Be sure to recycle your solvents and never dump them down the toilet. Many solvents are highly flamable, so keep away from heaters and open flames.

• Wash your hands well with soap & water after working with any art supplies, to keep from ingesting them or spreading them around your home or office.

For more tips on going green in your illustration business, check out Green Tips for Illustrators.

Just finished the illustrations for the third story in the Little Land Adventures by The James Family… about a Little Raccoon named Raoul.

You might also like to check out :

• Little Land | Little Pig final illustrations
• Little Land | Little Iguana final illustrations
• Little Land | Little Bird final illustrations
• Step-by-Step How to Colour a pencil sketch / drawing in Photoshop
• Little Land Adventures - Characters & map
• Little Land Adventures - Sketches

Here’s one of Robin Eley’s children book illustrations titled “The Rescuer #1.” Makes me almost like cats… almost!

This is the first of Ten Essential Marketing Skills for Freelancers written by Leo Babauta and posted at Freelance Switch :

“Blog. It’s been said many times before, but the blog is the new resume. If you don’t have a blog, learn how to start one up. And don’t just rant about politics and talk about your cat. Make your blog look professional, write about things that would look good to potential clients, and offer your services to others (with contact info, of course). If you are a designer, be sure that the design is clean and creative. If you are a photographer, the photos should knock them out. If you’re a writer, have only your best writing on your blog. In all cases, have a simple, clean layout with well-written words. If you’re not good at this yet, constantly learn and refine. Look at other professional blogs for inspiration, then tweak. Then edit some more.”

If you liked this tip, you might want to check out these tips on How to Promote Your Children’s Book Through Blogging.

FreelanceSwitch.com is a great hub for advice, marketing tips, and job postings for freelancers of all kinds. Last week they posted this is a funny & down-to-earth article by Darias A Monsef IV, on how to apply for creative jobs… I’ve included some excerpts below of the key points :

There are some mythical freelancers who like unicorns that prance in open fields and sasquatches who lumber through the forests… have fully booked schedules and are never in need of finding new clients and work. For the majority of us though, we’re always on the hunt for new leads.

1) Read the Entire Job Description
I know that some job listings are really long and boring, but from a clients point of view if you can’t stay focused long enough to read their employment listing… chances are you’re not going to stay focused all that long with the actual job either. (Read on …)

A resume is a great medium to provide your credentials to clients and employers, and should complement your portfolio. But it can be tricky to get that perfect blend of professionalism and creative flare. Here are a few tips for what you should be sure to include in your resume… and the official go-ahead to just toss the rest of those stiff-necked resume building rules and get your creative juices flowing! :

1) Do I even need a resume? Why isn’t my portfolio enough?
Your portfolio shows people what you can do, but your resume covers the details that your finished pieces don’t… like are you able to turn around a tight deadline? How has your work affected positively the campaign or product it was used for? While a picture tells a thousand words, there are all sorts of juicy details that your illustrations can’t tell about the background to the project, so tell ‘em in your resume. Remember the purpose of a resume is for the reader to quickly browse through “what you can do” to see if you fit their criteria for what they are looking for in an employee or freelancer. (Read on …)

This tip courtesy of ideal bite :

Is your kid the next Picasso?

The Bite
Just maybe. Let your budding artiste make masterpieces with non-toxic supplies like veggie-based paint for art that screams like Munch, but smells like Monet’s garden.

The Benefits

• A safer family. Many standard art supplies emit asthma-inducing chems; pick ones that don’t contain ammonia, formaldehyde, or turpentine, especially since supplies can end up in kids’ mouths.
• Inspired kids. Whether or not your kid’s a natural, natural art supplies will get their creative juices flowing.
• A healthier world. 36 billion lbs of toxic acrylic polymer solvents, found in many traditional art supplies, are produced each year.

Wanna Try?

• Nuno Vegetable Paint - 12 colors made from plant and flower extracts ($22).
• Stockmar Modeling Beeswax - great alternative to polymer clay, which contains polyvinyl chloride ($14).
• Prang Soybean Crayons - 64 bright colors that don’t have a petroleum base ($6).
• Budget Art Kids Paint A Poster Books - veggie-pigment paint-by-numbers series with dinosaurs, sprites, and faeries ($5).
• Budget Art Materials - wide selection of non-toxic art supplies.
• Children’s Health Environmental Coalition - explains how to read the tricky labels on the backs of art supplies containers.

If you liked this article, you may also like Little Green Boys and Girls by Ideal Bite, which talks about children’s books that encourage kids to be aware and caring of the environment.

This is an interesting little Youtube movie showing a progression in styles of women portraiture in art…just click on the image above, it’ll take you to the Youtube movie.