Desiderata <--- you can click this.
8/20/2007 - Moved to Utah. I will be doing much art after late October since there will be NOTHING ELSE TO DO! :) So if you need services, I will be available. I'm thinking about designing a new tee every month now that I will essentially be freelance and unemployed. Read on my progress or lack of at my blog.
12-22 - From now on, click on Art-Blog for News. Better yet, just bookmark Art-Blog once you go there. The base Jimiyo.com will most likely become a static page with minimal updates except for new shirts and final art thumbs. BTW you can now comment on the Blogs. <wink>
You know what's cool? Everytime someone buys a shirt, I get a text message on my cell phone. Im changing the ringtone to Pink Floyd's Money, just like Dave Ramsey's intro.
12-21 - SITE RECONSTRUCTION - Please excuse the mess and broken links. The computer crashed. I walked through the valley of the shadow of Windows XP reinstall and Epson printer color management... weak and weary, yet I won! :)
12-19 - Finished the new banner! For today, I like it. Tommorrow I will scrutinize.
12-18 - REDUCE SELF, INCREASE OTHER - I was too tired yesterday to do laundry so I dried myself with a handtowel after my shower. LOL. Im redesigning the site. I hate web design. Theres so many ways you could go. Going to transition the website and "jimiyo" as a brand, and not me-centric. I would like to market "jimiyo" as art products with a purpose and message. I think I hit the message with the Athena tee. "Live Intently, Love Intensely, and Enrich the Lives of Others."
Over the past few years, getting older, seeing people pass on, as well as the loved ones of friends passing on becoming more and more frequent, life and relationships seems to have gotten more precious. In my youth - which... Im still young ;) - I was bitter and vindictive, and I burned bridges and erased memories. I know I've lost some good ones. I hope that as the years come, I will allow myself to be a little more forgiving, selfless, and not so heavy handed in judging. I look forward to building relationship... healing broken ones, not so easy, eh? haha. ;)
Nothing significant occured for me to set my thoughts in this direction, although a few weeks ago, searching for some email, I found this cute discourse. It surprised me because I never keep any correspondence from past relationships, especially those with a skirt. After I found it though, I was like... ahhh... thats nice. (Disclaimer: Please don't assume by reading this, I'm looking to heal this specific relationship, or I'm lonesome. You know if you assume, you are making an arse of a japanese plum tree. LOL) Frankly, if anything, the course was probably set by the fact that so many of my friends and even just acquaintenances have lost loved ones of recent.
---
Someone:
> My lunch is at 12pm so I plan on calling you soon
> after to discuss a sceduling conflict concerning our plan on the 14th.
> Please allow a text if you can to inform me if 12:15pm is a bad time for
> you to talk today. It's important, but don't be alarmed. thanks, xoxo :)
---
Jimiyo:
youre silly. :)
i will PEN you in. not pencil...
if i dont hear from you at 12:15, i will call at
12:20. just to make sure my phone your phone, is not
on the fritz.
xoxox
---
Someone:
:) i love u xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxox
12-17 - CHARITY TO CANCER RESEARCH - I am not a religious man,
I havent been to church or talked to God for many years, yet a childhood of
Christian upbringing does not just pass without some effect. I understand that
I was given a gift, of which I feel compelled to be a good steward. I've decided
that going forward I will donate $1 of every shirt sale screened with the 'Lovebird'
insignia to Cancer research. I am still in the process of researching which
charity is best. It seems CANCER RESEARCH
AND PREVENTION FOUNDATION is a solid organization that has been graded well
for being efficient with charitable donations.
Revamped Lovebird Insignia - Currently on the Lovebird, and Victrola Hope Ladies Tees.
Starting minute 3:58 of John Williams, Saving Private Ryan - clouds open, a spectrum of burnt orange and rose dore rays flood, a choir and orchestra for a brief moment transcend that which is human.
Mark your calendars - EVENT DATE March 3rd, 2007 - I should have a couple new designs, who knows? I have two months to crunch out some crafts. Work work.
Finally started comping out a ladies cat shirt.
(i am cat. see my lack of interest in you, and my disdain for everything.)
Also helping out my friend Ash from Deuce Goods with some tags for her cool beanies! Click image to go shop for some handmade beanies!
T-SHIRT STORE BACK ONLINE - Christmas Delivery Not Guaranteed.
12/15 - i didnt manipulate this photo. im a vampire! :)
12/14 - Ugh. The man got me. I accrue credit card debt which I pay off every month, sometimes several times a month. The man decided to make it a security feature to only allow credit card payments to be made every 15 days so on my routine got bumped off the track. I tried paying, I was denied, so I forgot about it. Now I have a $39 late fee, and a $3.65 periodic charge. Im closing my account. That's whack for them to call it a security feature to not allow me to pay. I dont recall EVER being late for a payment except for when I was a teenager, and that was only once. ** Update. The man credited me back $39. Righteous! Ask and ye shall receive. Most of the time.
Anyways, I just ordered some goods/supplies for future products. If everything works and the quality is up to par, I will be introducing some exciting embellishments to the apparel. Fingers crossed. Ill be able to convert my COLOR digital artwork into parts of the apparel. Sweeet! Colored Birds! and Other Animals! Woot! The next shirts friends... will be a step up - more artful. WORD!
I think Im going to start donating a percentage of my sales profit ( Ill have to make profit first, haha :) to disease research. Probably Cancer. Leading cause for both men and women in order: Heart Disease, Cancer. Both of which are helped by bad diet, a sedentary lifestyle, and smoking.
NewScientist.com - "bad diet / junk food is linked to a slew of mental illnesses" I cant find the article, cause they have so many good ones. And annoying popups too.
I've started a new design for a client. Have a good weekend! ;j
12/12 STORE BACK ONLINE - Message me with the shirts you want, and Ill give you free shipping and all of my love and admiration! jimiyo[at]yahoo[dot]com. I can only do normal shipping so order soon if its for Christmas! Also I have dwindling stock, so get em while I have em. Victrola Heart is already sold out online. I also have these shirts available. I only have a few so I havent made a page for them.
12/11 - ICE ATLANTA - BUSINESS OVERVIEW/THOUGHTS
Phew, I just woke up a from a long nap. The weekend was long, and there still much work to do. ICE Atlanta went fairly well for being my first big art/craft fair. I did the twice the revenue in one day, that took two days here in Nashville. I'm defintely going back to Atlanta. The people seem to be very trendy fashion wise, and I like the urban art feel of the place. I met many business minded crafters which I will be posting links to in the next coming weeks. Here's one. She makes some hilarious shirts and buttons, and she was kind enough to at least pretend to laugh at my innane banter as we worked beside each other. Im also lifting her buttons idea which Im going to start including with the purchase of one of my shirts. ;j
So far I've invested/spent over $2750 into the shirt business, and recouped at least $2000 of it, which I feel is a pretty decent accomplishment. The adage you have to spend money to make money is obviously true. I still have close to 100 shirts/30 blanks in stock as well as about 80 spread out through consignment in a couple of boutique galleries. I figure if I continue on the same track, Ill eventually start to accrue some residual postivie cashflow from the boutiques, and also eventually get some wholesale business which would bring in one time big profits every once in a while. I also have a few accounts payable so the disparity between $2750-$2000 is more like a delta of $400-$500. Also the assets like, clothing racks, cash box, some shipping material, and other small things are starting to build up. So the break even point is defintely there. Its just a matter of time. Although... Ive already fancied a new hip long sleeve zip shirt that I want to order for a new womens design... Ill probably be going back deeper in to the whole from which Ill have to extricate myself. But its fun.
I always get the question, so you making any money? Frankly, not yet. Although my first trial shirt was in Dec 2005, I consider July 2006 as the starting point. I had created another shirt that I wanted to make for myself, and I had printed a few extra. I took them to an art show and they sold unexpectedly well. So then it began. Being only in the works for 5 months, I feel I might be on to something. Im at a distinct advantage over most people who might want to go into the shirt business. I work as an art director as a small apparel and promotional products business so I get to see almost every aspect of the business. Designing, printing, ordering from wholesale base product vendors, etc. I feel content with my job, it is in line with my hobby of art, and the knowledge I gain from working there is concurrent with my business endeavors.
So, although I havent made any money, I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge wealth while minimizing financial risk and obtaining long term assets. I figure Im taking a very sensible and safe route to business building. Being able to attempt it in small baby steps allows me to make mistakes without too much pain. For example, the men's tees. I have over 70 pieces of men's shirts that are hard to move. Men dont buy much, or I havent tapped the market. That was a mistake. I've had speeding tickets that hurt more. I've printed on some low quality shirts. That was a mistake. I wont be using the brands again. I've had sushi meal bills that hurt more. HEHE. You get the point.
The ultimate goal is to start my own clothing line, or at least piggy back the clothing line on a graphic arts design business, of which I havent done much of. We will see, I cant see myself doing this for 10 years and not succeeding. Its only if I give up that I will fail.
Blah blah blah, did you even get to this part of the blog? Its wordy.
The next few weeks, I'll have to put my work to the side to work on some client based projects. So Murderous, and any new Jimiyo shirts are going to be on the back burner. (BUMMER!) Nashvillain shirts... I think are going to be dumped. Although I will occassionally still make them, possibly as very limited run tees, they tend to be men type designs, and men just dont buy. It's mainly womens designs from now on...
Im excited to see what I come up with. Id like to do some more elegant designs, as well as some simple one. Good times ahead.
12/7 -Printed Victrola Heart. They look GOOOOOD! Update on Murderous. (Not much)
12/6 - Murderous Update 6
12/4 - Saturday Twist show went well. The gallery sold approximately 7-9 shirts for me just that night, 3-4 hours, moderate traffic. It was my first successful retailing of my shirts. Although the margin is considerably less, its alot less sweat equity. Hopefully my Saturday participation in the ICE Atlanta craft fair will be just as successful. I hope to sell at least 40, if not 60 shirts. Ideally 80. ;)
I've
added a few friend links at the bottom of this page. Twist gallery included.
Visit them.
Update. Murderous - (playing with words)
The sullen heart hardened through the epoch of life's drudgery and broken dreams,
lest one grow embittered, abandon the shackles of control, the great clock ticks
relentlessly. Arrows of a perennial blossom and thorn, by winter retreats
the amorous delight, by spring a new fascination on which to pore. The lines
grow deeper, into the horizon the footsteps fade, by the sight of diminishing
islands the layered petals shed, giving way to a gem concealed with blinder
eyes see for the better... ANYWAYS...
I burned out the candle on both ends today.
I think I want to be in a art show with paintings next year - not just one night, one piece - a medium sized, non solo. Possibly in June.
12/3 - Update - Finished Victrola Heart Ladies Tee Design, will be printed and ready for ICE ATLANTA in which I will be a vendor on December 9th.. Unfortunately I had to leave off Emily Dickinson's prose for preserving visual continuity. Here's possible layout shown on apparel.
12/1 - As I awoke today resolved to go into the world as a zealous commando, I realized my resolution for the day would be to do laundry. HA! If you dont get it... it's not that funny.
Update on Murderous. New shirt will be done probably Sunday.
HERES THE PROCESS SHOTS - TIP: Mouse over large image, a NEXT arrow will appear on the right side.
11/30 - I had a pretty wicked nightmare today. There was a billowing white smoke cloud with a burning core, fiercely ramming and destroying buildings in front of me. It moved through the air with ease and looked much like the exhaust of a space shuttle, but it struck the building with malice and moved like a snake. The sky was gloomy, not dark, with a ominous thick feel of a wet blanket, much like before a fearsome storm. Fires and black smoke blazed from the buildings, as the one I exited began shutting its emergency doors, shutting tight like a clam with a frenzy of frightened people clamoring about inside.
Excerpt from http://blog.bodhi-work.com/
...the development of genuine awareness of one's own experience is central and must occur for healthy, intentional change to occur. As the Cheshire Cat says in Alice in Wonderland:
"... thought Alice, and she went on. "Would
you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where -" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"- so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk
long enough."
Update Murderous Desire - looks worse than the previous post, but its gonna be bad.
11/29 - Found
Treasure - Scans of Pressed Flowers
I had to get ready for the Dec 2nd Twist Show. I took inventory and I have over
200 pieces of apparel in my living room, of which, I will be taking ~160 to
the Dec 9th show. If I can sell half, which may be ambitious, I'll have dug
myself out of the hole with excess inventory and small pieces of assets/equipment.
After the Dec 9th show, Im taking a break. I really want to work on the new
painting, a tattoo commission, and another T-shirt commission. Im probably going
to have to neglect two portraits due for friends and family til next year. Doh
;)
UPDATE! on Victrola
Heart - Ill have to flossy up the line art (foliage less bold, more line shading),
movement, and text layout, but the composition layout is done. Check out the
logo on the sleeve. HUH? HUH? I know... Im cool.
Po-Tee-Weet stranger friend? Hi. Hope you are well ;)
11/28 - Our houses are such unwieldy property
that we are often imprisoned rather than housed in them. - Henry David Thoreau
I
bought some furniture... I dont have a couch, nor a television, but I have a
spiral clothing rack for the Dec 9th show. LOL.
Resolution
# 12 - Start a healthy habit.
Today, I quit my morning coffee, and I will replace it with water. "Water
is the only drink for a wise man." -
Henry David Thoreau. I actually did this yesterday, but resolutions run anew
everyday, until they become habits which take approximately take 3-6 weeks of
consistent occurence.
Victrola Front Chest Print Comp - Hope is the thing with feathers That perches
in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all. TRASH.
Re-doing.
11/27 -
I quit myspace for the time being. "Now is the winter of our discontent
made glorious summer by this son of York..."
So I woke up today, and changed some routine things that I do. I didnt
check my email, I took my lunch, I awoke with a general appreciation for my
life and all the things I have. For today... at least.
On Quitting. Quitting is the either the loss of hope, or conversely the belief
or hope of better things to come, that drives a breakdown of habits to change.
Which one?
Give all
to love. ;j Peace.
On Hope. I like the latter.
Friedrich Nietzsche: Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments
of man.
Emily Dickenson: Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all.
11/26 - new painting in progress - excited that it might be one of my best...
"The Boy With a Thorn in His Side"
- The Smiths
the boy with the thorn in his side
behind the hatred there lies
a plundering desire for love
how can they see the love in our eyes
and still they don't believe us
and after all this time
they don't want to believe us
and if they dont believe us now
will they ever believe us?
and when you want to live
how do you start?
11/26 - look for cat. LOL
11/21 - update on Victrola Heart
11/20 - update on what im currently calling 'Victrola Heart' - will be printed on womens apparel
11/19 - Just a handful of Athena Tees available. Finally started some new art. Well... I have some personal doodles and what not I wont post. I've been writing alot more. The winter always makes me more contemplative. I have some personal demons that are fiercely working and succeeding, all the while, I do feel some peace as they shall pass. Right now, I feel much affection for many of my brothers and sisters of this life. Tyson, Mark, Shana, Clint, James, Randy, Shane, Gmaw, Family, Extended Family, New Friend, Old Friend, Lost Friend. So many are there, I am thankful. I hope the sunshine warms your back today. Everyday.
11/10 - Oddica.com - A T-shirt vendor I would like to emulate.
11/09
- Next few months will be busy.
Lotus/OM Tee
Mermaid Tattoo/Tee
New Girls Tees Printed by Dec 9
Print Athena
Finish Portrait #1
Finish Portrait #2
11/08 - Got accepted to be a vendor at the ICE-Atlanta on December 9th. Follow link for information. Better get to workin OVERTIME to crunch out some designs. Im excited. This is chance to see if I fall flat on my face! YEAH! No really, this event will most likely plop me right in the middle of my 'target market' so Ill be looking forward to getting some feedback, and making friends! WOOT! You know whats cool... Its a CRAFT show. Many many young ladies there. Hardly any mens. Wink WINK. I just cant see any brothers rounding up some friends saying "Hey guys, lets go shopping at a craft show!" LOL.
Started
early on my new years resolution list. I took my list with me, circled a few.
Accomplished only one, and thats just for today. HAHA, but hey, its not 2007
yet.
11/07 - dinner: tater tots eaten with chopsticks. LOL. Updated
RESUME. new ideas: 'lay down your shield, lay down your sword' & 'waiting'
11/06 - finally opened an offical account with an apparel wholesaler, but the
prices are higher than i expected. wrote some. worked
on the tshirt a bit. one of the pet rats got caught in a glueboard for spiders
i had left out. she has lost some butt hair. haha.
10/30 - No artwork today, but I did tag and ship
some apparel to Young Blood Gallery and Boutique in Atlanta. They will be selling
them there.
10/29
- 75%
done. maybe. needs to be done before Nov 12th sidewalk sale.
10/25 - update.
10/24 - update.
10/17 - updated athena2.jpg
- idea - screenprint on canvas too! then embellish with color!
10/16 - work work!
10/11-
Finally got Verified. Doesnt mean much. Just more trustworthy to online customers.
I've also starting the ball rolling on contacting different shops to consign
my Apparel. SO, IVE BEEN STUDYING YOU, yes, you internet audience. You surf
my site the most on Wednesdays. Why Wednesdays?
Would it help if I wrote more content? I know the art is good to post, but pictures
are easier to look at and then move on. What if I wrote about my experiences
of starting a T-Shirt business? Although I would love to, I never do, reveal
more personal things about my lifes ups and downs, dreams, hopes, disappointments?
It's a rare occurence to find a blog on the internet that are that open, but
when I find those, I appreciate them greatly, as it allows me to share the human
condition. It helps me to realize that I am not alone in my lulls and highs.
Blah. Ill probably erase this tomorrow, but if its still up...
USE THE FORM at the bottom to provide feedback. I would like to make this site more interesting for you. Ill begin by making the type bigger.
10/10 - Applied for Business EIN, ordered new business cards, started the process of opening an eBay store for increased visibility and traffic, posted 2 tees on Etsy.com, Ate microwave pizza for dinner. wished for something. tired...
Weather permitting, Sunday, I will be behind the Radio Cafe,1313 Woodland St. in East Nashville. TN 37206 for another art sidewalk sale. Ill have my new ladies shirts and couple limited edition hoodies! Come out, if you dont, I will give up art altogether and spend my money on benefical things like TV, Video Games, and Lottery Tickets instead of art. ;P
10/8 - CHECK OUT THE NEW IMPROVED STOREFRONT. Click on Banner Below!
10/4 - new ladies tee update
10/3 - new ladies design. another unfinished project to add to the pile
10/1 - LOL.
9/31 - Thanks to all of you who came by the Plowhaus Sidewalk Sale! It went really well, Ive almost sold out of the womens tee! Sweet! Ill be workin on some more!
9/28 - MERCTOPUS almost done. not really.
9/26 update
9/24 - worked on NashVillainTees.com a bit. click the tshirt buy now pic to go there.
9/20 - started another design - bromwaterhousemucha
9/19 - new tee design - we are lions
9/14 - bacchus update 7 - Untitled show Friday night. Eep. I have to put my social face on. Kinda hard for a reclusive artist, but no one seems to notice.
9/13 - bacchus update 6
9/07 - shirt update
9/05 - started new shirt
sept 01/06 - Ka-Ching!
sept 1/06 - the decker's son.
8/29 - Placed my order. Hope I at least break even. At least Im building up inventory for sidewalk sales and such. ;)
8/28 - Booyeah. Sold 4 shirts total this week through the magical world wide web! Now, if I can figure out how to multiply that by 600, I can quit my job. LOL. I registered nashvillaintees.com (for free! fluke, when i went to pay, it said I had $38 credit from a referral from my webhost!) Im thinking of starting a sole proprietership - 'Nashvillain Art and Apparel'. I think the name Nashvillain lends itself to being a popular apparel brand. Bleh. High hopes.
Finished my tee design. I think this will sell well. Will post order form later. I have to decide on what colors I want to print, and it takes a bit of intestinal fortitude to fork out the cash for unsold products.
8/22 - been hammering away with some tee shirt design sketches - i think i finally have one thats going to be HOT! (sold another Nashvillain one! woot! and i have 3 IP. IP..LOL...Dell IDD Terminology.) something (TEEDESIGN) that might be cool with revision
8/18 - im calling it done. sent to printer. will be in septmeber untitled show. Life is short, Art is long.
8/17 - i think im finished... except for peacock crown
8/16 - 80s hair
8/13 - update
Frost
has more poems in anthologies than any other American poet, but he wrote 92
percent of them after his 40th birthday.
8/10 - update8
- jimis best picture EvAR so far (technical skill wise). i let my rats run free
round the apartment. i heard a splash. apparently, the dumb one jumped into
the toilet, and i had forgotten to flush, so i had a frightened hairball of
wet pee running around and i hoped it wouldnt run onto the bed and all over
the blankets and pillows. it didnt. phew. ;)
8/09 - update7
8/09 - im thinkin ill probably have to redo the bg. too busy. id like to keep the moon and branches though. going to be my best image EVAR! maybe? NEW FAVORITE SONG. IMOGEN HEAP (FROU FROU) Hide and Seek.
8/07 - not much - lovers update 4.
8/03 - lovers - update 3.
8/02 - 'lovers' for September show
7/31 - putting that last picture of the man/woman on the backburner. started a new tshirt design. Japanese proverb - It is the same life whether we spend it crying or laughing.
7/30 - i ended up donig pretty well at the Glow Show, i ended up selling 13 shirts (as of monday) plus a few in the works. more than made up for the cost. :) sweetness. now i have a crazy idea about road tripping across the US selling tshirts to subsidize. maybe... that would be cool.
7/27 - getting inspiration from Cheval Noir - Aya Kato
7/26 changing poor icarus to fortunate icarus... with babe. GFXARTIST rank July 2006
7/25 - ideas (really pumped about this concept. might have to neglect friends to paint this one. haha. jokes... kinda. not.. maybe. seriously though... pumped)
poor
Icarus. no, not the one with whom you are familiar...
this icarus... had the most magnificent wings one could fathom
wings that could let him soar through the skies, to the far reaches of the universe
if only the roots that bound would release him.
from his limbs the roots dug deep into the earth
deep into the core from which his wings fed and grew.
it is said the enprisonment of such a dismal fate his soul grew weary
that he used his powerful wings to fly into the sun
along with him, the earth and its people
that is why, poor icarus, you know not this one
7/24 - small update and finished!Marching Penguins - Living in ones head with all the other crazies.
7/24 -i was feeling like this new image was going to end up being a boring old blah, but its alright! :) Update
7/22 - Geico, no joke, saved me $200 anually, which is over 15%. Progressive sucks.... and it literally took less than 10 minutes, less than the 15 minutes Geico advertises.
7/20 - not too productive this week. ill probably pump it out on Sunday. Saturday if I decide to be antisocial.
7/19 - i no longer have 'internet tv', they cancelled the service since it was semi illegal for them to stream copyrighted video. i only have the internet for entertainment... that and the mp3/internet radio, and a super happy fun ball. update on Marching Penguins.
7/15 - went to an Indy race this weekend. the first few laps when the cars are screaming by gives me goosebumps. its mindnumbingly loud. click on orange to see quicktime clip.
7/14 - im calling the Nashvillain tee done. different variations on tee color. i havent decided which ones i will print.
7/13 - Nashville Peeps. Pencil in July 28th, Friday Evening. I'll be part of UNTITLED'S Glow Show. For more info go to UntitledNashville.Org - Ordered canvas prints today, as well as painted on top of someprints with acrylics. It worked pretty well. I may be able to continue using digital along with natural media for my future pieces. It might actually give it a uniqueness that might help my work to stand out. We will see... UPDATED Index Separations Tutorial - very heavy D/L. my Sirens tutorial has been accepted by 3dTotal.com so I should be featured for approximately 5 days during the month of August on their front page. shirt update
7/11 - was feeling down, i always do when i finish a major piece cause i have a complex of some sort. some kind of self pressure to start something immediately to keep the momentum going. anxiety about the next piece being better, etc etc. anyways this new tshirt design is coming out decent.
7/8 - LOL. James, my friend, recruited some ladies for me. and i started designing a new shirt
7/6 - Deer Hunter (or Nerf Gun Rush and Roulette)
7/5 - http://www.theartrepreneur.com/knowledge/quit_day_job.asp july 3rd entry blog based on emotion and irrationality. please excuse. hehe.. i read something... murphys law type thing that said we get the most done when we have no time, vice versa. pretty much done with my gmaws piece... although i have an idea on how to personalize it with a little bit... probably the best portrait ive done thus far...
7/4 - quick practice portrait updated 7/5
7/3 -submitted a piece to Art Scene International. hopefully it will get printed in the magazine. dont know when. finished Sirens Tutorial. hopefully it will get published on 3dtotal. lotta hope'in eh? :) more work. work work. GMAW UPDATE - Gmaw Process Page Updated i still have to put on her pearlesce necklace... then finished. as productive as i am after a days of work at the office and my off days, i should go freelance and make beaucoup money for myself. i keep having thoughts of leaving the safety of employment as i did a year ago from corporate to pursue a full time Bohemian life as an artist. there are so many who subsist on their own accord. the thought is frightening as it is overwhelmingly moving considering the possibilities. ill have to watch myself for another year or so to see if i can keep up the productivity as well as finding a small stream of income before i take the leap. if ever.
6/28 - check out the progression shots i think they are neat, even if they are mine. growth/progress/transformation = interesting!
6/27 - i sent Lori Earley a message about her portrait. she wrote back. how cool is that? or at least her public relations person did pretending to be her. nevertheless nice. i think this new piece is going to be rad. its my gmaw. she missioned in Japan so i might be using some Japanese sakura motifs to embellish the portrait. we'll see...
6/26 - no art update today. busy writing a painting tutorial which i hope will be accepted and posted on a major website. posted the new Earley portrait around intertown! read up on some really handy art business information. and started some revamping of the site. products and services will be easier to see in the near future.
im really excited about the future... only great things can happen, when you believe that only great things can happen...
6/25 - done, unless i get good crits.
6/22 - been pretty productive lately which feels good. got to #3 position at gfxartist.com with Bonita. it would be cool if i could get to #1, even for just a few hours.... probably wont happen, theres some movers and shakers bubbling up, maybe next time. Lori Progress Page updated.
6/21 - in the zone yo! Lori Earley. she's a famous pop artist. i dont know her. scroll down and see the preliminary sketch. SOOPER UGLY! see the progression HERE
6/21 - DONE. i took a day off work today. it was good. im going to be submitting this and a couple others to a national contest, a magazine, and a major high traffic website. ive been too quiet with my art, im going to go out and get some exposure and see what happens. i started my career in art, a year ago on the 20th of June. quitting my job at Dell was the best thing i ever did. except that one time, i purposefully threw a bottle cap across a room on top of a entertainment center into a vase with a mere 3 inch diameter opening. and that one time i won the world cup soccer championship by myself. me against the whole Italian team. ;P
6/19 - got sidetracked cause i saw this website http://www.lindsayengraving.com check out the links on the left side ie) Lindsay, Hoel, etc.
got an email from 3dtotal today. ill be in their monthly digital magazine, and front page for a few days in the upcoming months. woot!
eep. im soo tired. i wish i could quit my job for a month or two cause i have so many ideas to paint.
6/18 - almost done!
make no decision out of fear.
6/15 - update 4 - maybe CGTALK front page worthy? that would rock.
save of previous title - it is in changing, we find purpose... was a cool saying but change just sucks. i like to do guitar solos with my mouth
6/13 - update
6/12 - update
6/11 - went to a NASCAR event this weekend. it was actually pretty cool. best part, they had these parachuters, they looked like they were plummeting to the ground, then at the last minute, wer're talking mere hundred yards or so, they dropped like a pendulum ending up parallel to the ground for the landing. i thought all of them were going to be pancakes. go NAVY! and then the cars ripping by at 160 mph after the pace car... SUPER TESTOSTERONE momentum. anyways, heres a sketch, will probably push to finished digital painting. this one will probably have color.
6/8 - ?? che experimenting. its crap.
6/7 - belated HEAT piece done. ** NUDITY
6/6 - wont be able to print the new girl image in time, so Dralcoon will be shown at the Untitled HEAT Show Friday 9th. oh well, i have more time to floss this one, maybe add color. update NUDITY - the super mario 2 image is being abandoned because it lacks visual interest, if the poses were better instead of just standing there.
6/5 - NUDITY - its coming out pretty good. Ive really pumped it out. I didnt get to sleep til 3 am last night, and Ive been workin since Ive gotten home from work today. Wednesday is drop off for Untitled show, so I hope to finish... cause the other two options (dragon, and girl with dragon suck compared to this, I really want to wow some folk at the show)
SLIGHT NUDITY
6/4 - NUDITY
6/4 - REALLY tired of workin on it, but still
6/1 - update 4
5/31 - update 3
5/29 - super mario. might pursue to finished painting.
5/29 - finished! woot!
5/26 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND JOEY! :)
5/23 - update - im not diggin this latest update. too busy. should probably get rid of swirly.
5/21 - NEEEEEEEXXT! mimicking style of Falcoon, a japanese anime artist. work in progress. PROCESS IMAGES
5/20 - bored of workin on it so im calling it done. dragon2006 im getting it printed it on a 16x20 canvas to be put in the June Untitled show.
5/18 - i am MAC HATER
5/17 - updizzle Fo'
5/16 - at work, we're working on acquring some high end accounts so i brought work home, no update on the dragon. if we get this account, it will be HUGE. for now... enjoy CATS!
5/15 - UPDATE 3
5/14 - update on dragon piece
5/11 - commission update - NEWEST IMAGE IN PROGRESS - sweetness, i was at #2 position in the Elite Gallery at GFXARTIST.COM
5/10 for commission
5/9 new painting hopefully ill finish. might put in untitiled show if i GIT-R-DUN
5/3 -no really its really finished now
5/2 - teh smartest! finished
5/1 - kate update
4/30 - index separations tutorial WIP - new WIP digital painting - didnt get anything done on the 3d bear, maybe during the week
4/29 - sketch update
another one from work. 4/26 - did this for work. image copyright of Active Creations.
4/24 - i visit dark places in my head sometimes. no worries though.
4/23 - 45% finished with mapping the bear model. started a digital painting as well...
4/23 - UV mapping the bear so i probably wont post any updates until theres significant updates.. who you gonna call?
4/18 - 4/19 - bear&rat A B C D E F G H
4/17/06 - next 3d project idea bear&rat - seems as if the ball has began to roll again...
4/16/06 - finished 3D lion warrior - beauty render
previous 3D lion warrior updates A B C D E F G H I J K L M
4/09/06 - saw my first tornadER, got it on my camera phone.
4/5/06 -still UV MAPPING but Ive jumped the gun and tested out my texturing on the head
4/4/06 - UV MAPPING Lion warrior using Danny UV Tools which rocks.
4/3/06 - lion update F texturing should be 'fun' think im going western with the embellishments. FILIGREEEEEE!
i have a crazy idea... i ordered cable tv recently having been without for many years, but comcast hasnt come by even though theyve had me scheduled for two saturdays in a row. so i was thinking of cancelling it all together including INTERNET leaving me with nothing but paper and pencil, photoshop and maya, and the rats to be entertained by. dont know if i will... would be a cool experiment though!
4/1/06 - lion warrior update-D E
3-30 lion3d-c. will be posting an tshirt index separation tutorial soon...
3-29 interesting read on Gandhi. new page of images from work. experimenting with Google AdSense, but right now, it doesnt make sense cause it is linking to lawyers, sexual abuse, and window coverings. supposedly chooses relevant links from the words that are typed on this page. so... go figure...
small update on 3D lion warrior
3-28 sold my first shirt off the 'BUY A SHIRT!' link. be the second online buyer! ill hook you up with a free print!
started work on 3D lion warrior
it is in changing, we find purpose...
3-25 last touchses on blackwing game model
3-25 lion7 i think im done. want to move on to something else.
3-24 lion6 update
3-22 coloring lion5.jpg - finally got my new computer set up with software. weeeeee! hope to spend some alone time this weekend doing art. might go couch shopping though. yeah right, ill probably just go get a disposable futon. theres a cartoon idea. disposable furniture for the man who cant commit...
another idea. although im not much into myspace culture, im aware of it... so....
guy one "so i guess you are over your breakup eh?"
guy two "why do you say that?"
guy one "i noticed that you changed your profile on myspace to single."
guy two "well... im not over it, acceptance is the only the first stage."
barump chi!
GOOD MUSIC: SIGUR ROS - SVEFN-G-ENGLAR and VIORAR VEL TIL LOFTARASA - GO BE A MUSIC PIRATE AND GO GET YOU SOME! ;)
3-20 - quick sketch volleyball jester
3-16 - self actualization - what people can be they must be - ripped from http://psikoloji.fisek.com.tr/maslow/self.htm
update lion4.jpg
3-15 - update on lion image - probably end up as shirt - and i have new pets - Conswehla and Rosalita ;)
3-14 - something - check it - skull in eyes.
3-09 sketch - lion
3-08 sketch - wish i had ET fingers
also took a picture off the internet of a stock dodge 1500 RAM and modded it.
3-05
:(
3-01-06 finished Sarah's portrait. busy. yes.
2-27 - time passes and im consisitently finding myself to be an analytical nerd. i like this
2-26 BUY A COOL SHIRT
2/13/2006 - a miracle... a possible finished piece... the first for 2006.
2/7/2006 - update
2/6/2006 - oh wow! something new, blackwing 3d model is on the back burner. 1 2 3 4
1/23/2006 - i guess jimiyo quit art or something. not really, i guess im really burned out since i photoshop ALL day at work. dunno. im seasonal. i THOUGHT about picking up a pencil today. besides that, i stared at ..(and laughed)
1/09/2006 - updated - worked on hair, boots, shinguards, corset back
1/04/2006 Blackwing 3D Game Model - WIP UPDATE 1 2 3 4 5
12/26/2005 - NASCAR WIP
at work, they've hired a couple other artists so it's given me some time to get back into 3D. im hoping to create a Ford Fusion, Dodge Charger, and a Monte Carlo. with 3D models as reference, the tshirts i design at work will be alot faster, better looking, and unique, besides that, if i do really well on the cars, they will be some phat models to put in my portfolio. id like to get back getting a job in 3d again. i only tried once (when i sucked at art) and i gave up. i think i should try once more before i really give up and plan a different career path artwise.
Thanks for all of you who voted for my shirt design on Threadless. I had higher votes than most, but there were a couple shirts that did a little better, and one that just KILLED everyone so I dont think I won. It's nice to know Im was up there in the votes though. Thanks for the support.
Blackwing 3D Game Model - WIP UPDATE 1 2 3 4 - more updates to come.
some recent small commissions - mother and child - brothers
12/12 RESUME UPDATE. i will need to clean it up but im posting it anyways. im not looking for a new job just yet. on Dec 20th, ill have been at my current art position for 6 months since quitting my non art sales job in April 2005. there's some promise as i am now the only artist there, and the carrot of an 'Art Director' position is being mentioned, but i take it with a grain of salt. i wil continue to improve my skillset so my horizons can be broader.
my lease runs out at the end of March...
12/12 ebay market test for my shirt was a flop. no bidders. but at a recent art show i talked with a friend of mine who told me about a local shop that sells local artist tees so when i get time im gonna swing by and see if i can hauk my wares. im disappointed in myself for dropping the ball on my artwork. the momentum is totally gone. i come home and stare at the computer screen. its as if the creativity is all gone. i suppose its because ive grown complacent now that i have an art job, as well as a gf. still... i need focus. if you follow the website. one week ill want to be an oil painter, another week a tshirt designer, and recently... ive been hankering for video game design again. haha.
11-29-2005 - learned how to add a cart that accepts credit cards to my website although i havent put it up yet. im getting closer and closer to setting up products for sale. woot! doubt that i will sell much. ive NEVER sold anything from the deviantart prints site. but 2006 resolutions include trying to set up an online store that will at least bring in some extra cash every month. or at least try. minimally, i want to set up a store at least.
soon!
11-21-2005 - the shirts are ordered. both shirts are in charcoal or black. they are limited in numbers so if you are interested in one, email me ASAP at jimiyo[at]yahoo[dot]com. all shirts are $20. shipping included in price.
im excited. i didnt do much art today but i read ALOT about tshirt business on the internet which Al Gore invented. will probably end up setting up a storefront on Ebay in the beginning. if that goes well, ill get a real standalone site to sell shirts. i still have to design a few more shirts...
if i print anything soon, this will probably be the first... if you would like to buy one, let me know by email jimiyo[at]yahoo[dot]com. i need to know how many people would be interested to figure out how many i would print.
11/19/2005 - im planning on doing a few more tshirt designs, and i think im gonna go out on a limb, drop a thousand or two and get some printed, and try to start a tshirt design/sales business. MAYBE. its certainly seems that ive been thinking about it for a while, even before i got the job at active creations. who wants in? i need a salesperson. some places to consign them. and also someone who might be knowledgeable in setting up an online store... i might just use ebay. We'll see... i dont know if im just a dreamer... (BTW, Friday night of the 24hour Goal, Im only 2.5 hours in and its midnight... so I dont think Ill get 24 hours of art in. Maybe 12 total for the weekend.)
11/17/05 - come back after the weekend is over. i MIGHT try to do '24 hours of art' weekend. starting Friday night. so friday 4 hours, saturday 10 hours, sunday 10 hours.... YEAH RIGHT. we'll see. my GF is gone ALL weekend so i want to try to pump out some art.
11/15/05 - Songbird WORK IN PROGRESS UPDATE 2 3 4
Go VOTE for me! *** EDIT: i recieved ~980 points which is average. winning tees get approx. ~1500. maybe next time ***
11/09/05 - started songbird. see latest update. 11/15
new 'from work' portfolio currently a dump page. heavy load.
11/1 - Update
10/31 - 11/1 WIP - UPDATED - Short Run Tshirt? Hoodie?
10/28 - WIP - started SOMEthing. dont know what.
10/24 - finished Day of the Dead drawing. 18x24in Graphite on Standard Illustration Paper. on sale $175
will be in the art show on 29th at the Plowhaus.
click on image below for Hi-Res.
10/21 - crunch time. Day of the Dead drop off is the 24th. Im about 65% done. Pleased with what I have so far. It's a deviation from my normal media and content.
THE SHOW IS ON THE 29th. If you come... Bring Me Cheep Beer! :) Of course, Im kidding... mom, dad, all other relatives.
if you guys are in Nashville, here the show information. Eric Denton created the poster.
10/10/2005 - small update. still work in progess.
10/08/2005 -
im planning to be in a two man show in January 2006. and am planning bigger things with the coming new year. i saw a man painting on a bridge near downtown Nashville. wouldnt it be great to travel the US/Europe/Planets painting each of the visited places? that would rock.
ive also began exercising. so theres been a slight transfer of focus from art to health. im trying to put them together.
its only been 5 days out of the past week (~30-50 minutes of cardio, no weight training yet), but it seems that i MIGHT be making it a habit. i feel like im schizophrenic sometimes watching myself to see if i follow through with my plans... so observant jimi will let you know if puppet jimi continues the exercise endeavor.
whats cool is that on my 8/7 blog, i mentioned that 'im thinking about working out'. its amazing how if you set a goal or plan, the mind begins to cultivate the idea into action. although its taken approximately 2 months for the thought to materialize, it has been set into motion. although unsubstantiated, but most likely true, many motivational speakers/books say that most people who write down goals/plans will accomplish up to 80% of those goals. some even suggest setting goals for 25 years in advance. i havent sat down and done that yet, but ill have to do that soon. i need to do art! cheers!
9/21 - ive been such a slacker the last few day. heres the day of the dead work in progress pic. not much to look at but... you remember that commercial
wazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup?
9/20 - read what people are saying about Sam's portrait. it's been a while since ive posted anything on the forums, and i've gotten a warm welcome. it feels good. it feels really good. ;)
http://jimiyo.gfxartist.com/artworks/98763
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=279023
9/20 - started Work in progress of a Day of the Dead themed image. im probably (yeah right) gonna be working on an acornboy section soon. which means in like a year.
9/17 - so acornboy tossed it away, cause he was tired. tired of searching. he had followed the trails of what seemed to lead him to what he believed was where his family, his kind, was... but woe, they lead to nothing but an endless trail of unanswered questions. (heres the old modgepodge of acornboy stuff here.)
9/17 DONE Sam Portrait
9/15 UPDATES sam7 - sam6 - sam5 - sam4 - sam3 - sam2 - sam sketch
9/14 - will probably color this in photoshop.
sketchbook
9/11 - Bouguereau Study - Charity
9/10 - Bouguereau Study - Charity
9/6/2005 - digitized/colored my pencil sketch - the scan was horrible so i had to fix it. the sketch actually looks decent. just not online.
9/5/2005 - my roommate wrote me email today (we live in the same household, but email is the preferred method of communication. HAHA)
Thanks for burning the DVD for me. You are a Good roommate :) Have a great Labor Day. From your favorite roommate ;)
jimi writes back
i KNOw I KNOW!
you are a nice roommate! you are my favorite roomate!
although i have to say...
of all time...
i had this one roommate, really cute.... she would come snuggle up with me at
night, we didnt have sex or any Hanky Panky, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN WRONG! only
thing though that bugged me about Her was that when she used the bathroom, it
would be the most foul offense, just utterly disgusting AND she would track
the kitty litter out of the box.
so rude. so rude.
HAHA!
then i wrote another following one...
i should have taken a bit further and told you that when our most crappy landlord forgot to pay the gas bill and i had no heat in the winter time, we snuggled to keep each other warm...
and also, at that time, i had a girlfriend. and i always thought it was kinda creepy that she would stare at us making out from the other room.
and then she used to lick her butthole alot.
9/4/2005 - finished hollie poole cd cover. :) all in a days work. heres all the updates on one page
9/1/2005 - Shana told me that my Sloan Painting for the previous TBA show was in the City Paper this past weekend. Supposedly was about 1/4 of the page. Kinda cool. Woulda been cooler if I had obtained a copy! DOH!
pencil sketches - * warning : some are nude * 1 2 3
im going to put off oils temporarily, and go back to the basics with some sketches. i started this one painting... but im really annoyed at the incorrect anatomy so its NEVER going to be finished.
8/30/2005 - started pretty girl sketch.
8/29/2005 -Untitled Poster *** Mine was not chosen. Bummer. was close 9 to 11 votes ****
8/28/2005 - theres going to be an Untitled Show on the 16th. dont know if i will have a piece in it (doubt it), but hopefully they'll want to use my poster design. still some small tweaks but 85% done.
8/25/2005 - sketch to digital update - from Good Will Hunting - 'please, please, finish my hand. i am very sad that you havent rendered my hand.'
8/24/2005 - sketch - painting update
PICTURES FROM THE PLOWHAUS SHOW
8/21/2005 - will update monday with photos from the show on Saturday!! thanks for those that attended and a special thanks to Ann Marie and Thomas for their patronage. it was the one of the best days i have had.
8/20/2005 - tshirt Concept for myself (not work) in progress - havent worked on the painting. hopefully ill have time on sunday to work on some artwork. tonight's the show. hopefully there will be a good turnout.
8/17/2005 - update on new painting. not much to look at right now, but im using a new technique, never tried before. grisaille, and also being more stroke-minded.
HEY NASHVILLIANS!!! COME TO THE ART SHOW ON SATURDAY, the 20th!!! ITS AT THE PLOWHAUS @ ~7PM. HERE'S A MAP.
8/15/2005 - new concept for oil painting with old sketches
8/13/2005 - tshirt Concept of my own in progress - i think it would look pretty rad on a black shirt - thinking about doing a handful ~7-10 really hot designs and trying to sell em. along with portraits, and prints, childrens books, and other stuff... and this and that. scatterbrain. so i can make a bunch of money so i can be like this guy. dude quit his job to dance around the world... kinda inspirational. EAT LIFE.
if you love cats, you laugh here
8/13/2005 - JOEY AND ELIZABETH ARE COOL!!!!!! NO.... ICE COLD!!!! **EDIT: Just for 8/13, other days, they are just meh. ;P ***
8/11/2005 - Pencil NUDE
8/10/2005 - no work on the painting today. but i worked on a digital idea i might want to convert to oils.
8/9/2005 - "Lover Come Soon" Painting - UPDATE 1 2 3 4 5 FINISHED
8/7/2005 -new painting started - decided to convert one of my sketches to paint. - ill try to get some better photos tommorrow when theres daylight. ** see 8/9 for updates.
i quit drinking soda. its been a week. replaced it with water. i cant feel or see any difference, but i suppose its better for me. at least it saves me at least $1.29 plus tax a day. thats... $470 over a period of an year. oh and my teeth, sent me some flowers the other day with a note that said that they appreciated it, but then begged 'please brush us at least once a week man. come on man.' ;)
im thinking about starting to work out too. dont hold me accountable to that (really... do. do hold me accountable) but, man, it seems like the past 3 years have passed by really quick. i suppose it was because i was at Dell workin all the time, but it seemed like just yesterday (plus 1095 days) that i was a skinny little BOY, now i cant even say that im a young adult. im just... a.. DULT. haha. in my mind, physically, im see myself as timid little kid, even though... where did my 32 waist go. whats up with this 36 waist. yeah yeah... kids dont have 32 waist. oh but tangeant... im thinking about working out... cause now i at least have a few extra pounds that could probably be easily turned into muscle before its like a P195 75 R16. get it..? get it? its a tire size. ;P
anyways...
8/4/2005 - pencil NUDE.
8/3/2005 - BTW, the reason I number my paintings (baby girl is #9) is because the goal is 20-30 by the end of the year. they progressively take more time to finish as i gain a better handle on oil paints so its most likely going to be in the low 20's.
anyways... no art updates today. but check these people out... my goal is to become as good as these people
8/1/05 - boo yeah. still in the works, but for my 9th painting, it's coming out pretty decent. hopefully the recipient will be very pleased. heres reference photo.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA - i should have bid on it on ebay. was about $200 - Click here.
ive been on a self improvement mode recently. started listening to some audio books: anthony robins, men are from mars & women are from venus, zig ziglar, napolean hill, joyce meyers. stuff from back in my Primerica days eight years ago. some snipits of goodness
- in regards to holding on to painful past experiences, Anthony Robbins, the guy with teeth like a horse, says 'you cant drive looking in the rear view mirror without wrecking'
- a great exercise, list some of the accomplishments that you have achieved that you didnt think you could
within the last year i have: sold a portrait, been in an art show, started painting oils, become financially stable, paid off my vehicle within 6 months, become an 'Elite Artist' on gfxartist, become involved in social art groups.
along with past accomplishments, ill have to list some goals to achieve within the next few years. not fleshed out but
sell my oil paintings for more than $100, then after that $200, etc.
7/31 new painting - im still working on the Godward painting, but wanted to start on this one since its a commission piece. the photo of the painting is shoddy since i took it inside with a digital camera at night. will try to get a better photo for the subsequent updates. its actually pretty exciting. my strokes are becoming more deliberate and im planning as i go. and although you cant tell from the photo, its coming out pretty decent. in reality the colors are very vibrant. i think its gonna turn out pretty good. but of course... hopefully, the painting after this, is going to be even better.
7/28 my Glow Show Poster for the Untitled Org got into Nashville's 'All the Rage.' .... neat.
Here's an example of the Tshirts I create at work. It hasnt been approved yet, but if it does... woe, many a sophisticated Nascar fan will have it donning on their backs whilst they drink their fine brew.
in progress. 30 x 40. oils. John William Godward Study. Absence makes the Heart Grow Fonder.
7/24 the Plowhaus TBA show is postponed til mid August so i purchased a 30 x 40 canvas and am recreating my rendition of John William Godward's painting. hopefully i will be able to better utilize the techniques i gleaned from the Bouguereau study, and also finish it within 3 weeks...
7/23 finished Bouguereau Study update ** 7/24 ** much better photograph! to the extent i am willing to take it. will be in the August Plowhaus TBA show. if you are interested in purchasing the original, it is 14x18 on a Canvas Panel in Winsor and Newton oils. for sale for $350. email if interested. jimiyo @ yahoo . com
7/19 side project. 3D Nascar WIP 1 2 3 4 5
7/17
As of 2:08 AM, July 18, 2005, I have an estimated 1,459,630,156 seconds before I die and cease to exist.
I have 1,459,630,140 seconds to become a better man.
I have 1,459,630,132 seconds to become artist.
I have 1,459,630,121 seconds to love.
I have 1,459,630,109 seconds to enjoy my family and friends.
I have 1,459,630,032 seconds and it's ticking away.
I have only one life.
I have only one chance to make it worthwhile.
I've been staring at the cursor for a while now.
I
only have 1,459,628,912 seconds left.
7/16 - final poster - painting update - 2 - the painting is really coming along pretty well. i was scared that i wouldnt be able to figure out how to get better skintones but ive learned a 'glazing' technique. really cool stuff. makes the depth much better. it just really consists of taking linseed oil/medium and only using a slight bit of oil color. the 'glaze' is just a translucent version of the oil color. anyways. ive gotten to the point where im tightening up the image so the progress will be slow.
7/13 - poster update - painting update
recent highlights: 4/19 turned 28. quit my sales job - 6/20 obtained an art job - 6/23 started oil painting.
planning to have a solo art show within the next year provided i create enough quality oil paintings to substantiate a show.
7/12 - ugly update
7/11 - La Vierge au Lys - cropped Bouguereau study.
7/10 update for untitled poster - elvis and snoop (never finished cat king and tshirt design as well) have been moved to the misc junk section and Juene and Cash graduate to thumbnails below - started new painting - will post once enough progress has be achieved. it's another cropped image of a Bougeureau piece - click here for original http://www.arc-store.com/bougw1079.html someone buy me one!
7/10 woooord. im mr productive artist recently. *** EDIT: FINISHED except Type Drop and Tweak
working on Untitled's Glow Show Poster. i doubt ill be in the actual show itself, but hopefully theyll accept my design for the poster. make sure to scroll down to see the finished JEUNE.
7/09 latest update on Jeune Italienne Puisant de Leau.jpg - doesnt look like the Bougereau piece Im studying but Ive gotten a little bit better control on laying down the strokes.
7/05 upda-tizzle with some bezel fo shizzle my whizzles.
i dont know who's gonna buy it but... whatever. im thinking once it dries a littizzle im going to add more diamonds.
next piece, im thinking of doing a master study of William Bouguereau Check out Jeune Italienne Puisant de Leau.
7/04 updated elvis and started snoop dogg - i think i messed up elvis' color
updated johnny cash 6/29 - much Better eh?
im gonna enter these in a plowhaus show which is slated for early aug. im going to be doing a few more. probably country-centric since im in nashville. maybe roy orbison, patsy cline, willie nelson, kenny rogers, and Then someone suggested Snoop Dogg. that would be pretty cool admist all the white folk.
ill probably sell them for $75 - $200. they are 16 X 20. if you want to purchase one beforehand, let me know. or if you have a request piece. im game, but im still relatively new to oil. Cash is my 4th painting, but im getting the hang of it.
6/27 work in progess - elvis - johnny cash
6/26 started an oil painting of elvis. will post some images maybe later this week if they dont suck. im finally getting over my funk sickness. the new job has me learning design/layout skills which is a big plus, and also it will help me learn illustrator which is awesome. with illustrator, if i use it, it should help me create works that are a little bit more stylized and crispy. and vector-ish. theres going to be more plowhaus/untitled shows coming up so ill probably be posting some traditional media work. graphic art prints just dont have the clout that non digital work does. though, masters of fantasy is taking submissions so ill be creating another fantasy piece digitally before the deadline. ~aug 1. for those keeping an eye on the site... it will be a couple days before i post any new work though. so ;) cheers! in a few!
6/20 Woot. Got an Art Job.
6/20 - got me on dem art jobs. doesnt pay much, but i dont need the job/money so i guess its good for experience and resume building. dont know how long i will stay but im sure there at least a years worth of knowledge just as long as my mentor/colleague is there.
6/15 still working on cat king. busy next few days with weddings/shows/rehearsals so i wont be updating much.
i saw a homeless man today, and i so wanted to give him.... a big thick tip Sharpie cause i couldnt read his signs.
6/13 new work in progress! wow... im sicker than a dog. one that has been stricken with an illness...
6/12 revised tshirt design and ordered a couple for my younger brother, and myself. if you want one... go here.
6/11 sorry i havent updated. i havent been doing much artwork. its been hard to get the momentum back up. ive been busy visiting friends, getting ready for some shows. speaking of... had my first show at the Plowhaus. I entered 5 pieces, of which 4 pieces sold on the first night. Its going to be going on for a few more weeks, so hopefully Ill sell some more (Gonna try selling some pencil originals). Truthfully, Ive only broken even though. Since it was my first show, I was too shy to ask a higher price for the pieces, but it was good enough that I made a few contacts. It feels good to have someone buy my work. The big test is the Untitled show. Ive priced my image for $125, which people still tell me is low. $125 isnt much I guess in the grand scheme of things, but it is compared to other pieces Ive done here and there for $50-$75.
Special thanks to Gibby/John.
6/7 update - almost done. - finished
6/6 update #3 - pet rat dragon
6/5 update #2 - pet rat dragon
6/4 finally started something new - pet rat dragon
6/1 - No new artwork. Sorry. But I've secured another gallery showing. That's three. LOCATION TBA. I dont know if I will make any money showing my work, but hopefully it will get my name out there. Also some filler for the resume. :)
5/31 - Phew, Im done moving. I should be back to producing new content/artwork by the next day or so. The newest image - Think with your Heart - is available for purchase.
5/30 - Havent created any artwork for about a week. Will get back to posting once Im moved in to my new temporary residence. Picked up another gallery showing. Will be included in a group show at the PLOWHAUS on the 11th throughout the month. Hopefully some pieces will sell.
Currently (and only for a short period) Im #1 on the Elite list at gfxartist.com. Pretty cool. Made Elite status August 2004. ** Edit: No longer #1. It changes daily. I was there for ~4 days.
5/19 goals for the next 30 day period: practice figure drawing, do some creative work - more conceptual than portraiture, Untitled final Piece, ????? enter some contests.
5/18 added sketchdump7 and sketchdump8 and sketchdump9
ATTN: sketchdump8 = figure drawing = nudity but if you chance, take a look. its about 2 weeks worth of progression. PROGRESS... improvement... i hope.
for misc images that i didnt like enough to make a thumbnail. images added popejohnpaul, gray hairs self portrait, five portrait, penance speedpaint, randin eyecandy portrait, carpe diem sketch, sooper micket
documentation: wk1-5-1-2005:40+hr ; wk2-5-8-2005:34+hr
5/10 sketch 1 - i did a few more sketches, but they were mediocre to shoddy so.
misc. http://thislife.org/ra/94.ram act 1
misc. http://thislife.org/ra/95.ram act 3
5/9 Happy to be back to using pencil for a while... Practicing figure drawings since the main critique by fellow artists is that Socar's legs are short, and arms are longer than should be. Not safe for work, includes some nudes.
5/8 Finished Socar Myles - Queen of Rats
5/5 Online Storefront NOW UP!!! I will be adding more prints as I create them and fix some of the older ones.
5/5 today was a difficult day mentally. i was feeling bad that i hadnt spent any time practicing art yesterday although i did set up an online print storefront and go to an art meeting. disappointed that i hadnt practiced only compounded the fact that im stumped as far as how to treat the background on the Queen of the Rats image. i only spoke two words today as well, 'thank you' at the international grocery. beyond that i had no other face to face interaction with another human being. SEND ME EMAIL... BUY MY ONLY TWO PRINTS
5/4 no art update today, but still relatively productive.
- went to untitled/plowhaus art org meeting, my poster design was selected to be the one used for the june 17th show!!! woot.
- within 24-72 hours, after proof approval, prints of my work will be available online through a secure 3rd party provider for sale at CRAZY SALE prices!!! im having to rework some of my older images to be good enough quality-wise for sale so only a few prints will be available in the beginning, but additions will hopefully be frequent.
5/3 im no longer excited about this one... haha. im kidding. im excited still, just gotten to the tedious coloring hair phase of the image. recycled some old rat images i had. chibi and derma...
color wip 6
5/2 im excited about this one... socar myles - rat queen
color wip 5
5/1 hands - faces and rats
4/30 scenery comet/butte - artsy fartsy nude with burning thoughts
4/29 sketches 1 - 2.Nudity - Faces - 4.misc
fugly to just ugly - photoshop still cant make a man beautiful... LOL.
4/27 woot! finished (means i dont want to work on it Any More ;)
4/26 almost finished... i havent spent so much time on just one piece. from left to right, i named the girls ex girlfriends... margo, christian, kathy. HAHHAHAHAH LOL... jokes jokes.
stupid feet... i procrastinate on them from the beginning
decided to postpone the road trip. my name is jimmy, i like to do drawering ( rather than having a memorable road trip to california. for now.... maybe later...)
its getting to be PRETTY FLOSSY! workin progress
4/25 continued painting the previous image... going to call it SIRENS
if you know me or i guess want to, and like sushi, and are in the NASHVILLE area, email me. i need someone to go eat sushi with... ;) not really joking.
4/24 havent been doing much art, just planning my road trip to CA. wish i could just leave and get it done with so i can get started on concentrating fulltime on art. anyways... started coloring the nudes
4/22 Too sexy for relatives and NOT SAFE FOR WORK - not that bad, just artful nudes.
nude figure drawings - nude woman Timide
combined - i think this could be a Winner if i concentrate and spend oodles of time developing. i want to try to get on the front page of cg talk. i gotta feeling about this one... Nude so NSFW
4/22 - did this for one of my most rude friends. he's still gonna want a water heater pot for his wedding. just cause hes getting married, what, we have to give him gifts? its not like the majority of the united states hasnt already been married, twice or three times over. he aint doing nothing special. and isnt it weird that a grown man would want a picture of a more unattractive older man? whats up with that? i kid i kid
4/21 - it was 4/20 a few hours ago. i think ill probably start staying up til 5-6am everyday. then sleeping during the day... cause i just hate the sunshine. the pretty sunshine. haha. not really.
tshirt design - baptized by fire... just starting some ideas...
a style is starting to emerge which is kinda cool... rhodes - emo - gmaw - alexacastro - coxyfoxy - ken - sticky
4/20 - went to an Untitled meeting, art organization. will probably end up showing/creating a piece to show with them. in the meanwhile... i met an artist that was speaking with me about caricatures so... here's Vinny. 10 minute pencil. 10 minute photoshop coloring. and then a few more of some internet art aquaintanences.
4/19 - changed my mind. i resigned today. Happy Birthday Me! - Offically Unemployed.
4/16 - turned in my two week notice. premature but oh well, ive hit my savings goal.
4/14 - dumb cartoon
4/13 - grace kelly
4/12 - train spotting
4/11 - doodles
4/12 sketch at work
4/11 http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~coates/video/Redefined%20-%20Nintendo%20(Video).mpg - cool dweebs.
oddly just felt like doing some sketches. ive always felt that im not that creative, but these images arent of the norm so im happy. creative as having original ideas, not just copying a picture like a portrait or head. etc etc. 0 1 2 3 4 5
4/7 http://web.archive.org/web/*/jimiyo.com - really cool website. they archive THE WEB... they have some old version of JIMIYO.COM. some older artwork is available for viewing.
http://thislife.org/ - awesome archive of NPR shows in real player
4/5 My friend has been speaking with an Alabama artist and he mentioned my my website. "Please tell him that I love his work and he is truly a gifted artist. He portrays not only the human figure very well, but he is equally adept at capturing the human psyche." - Daniel Moore, 2005 Sports Artist of the Year Wooord.
http://cheston.com/pbf/archive.html funny sarcastic/morbid cartoons. RATED R sometimes. my kind of humor.
http://maps.google.com/ - this is so cool. google will rule mankind.
bad humor cartoon
4/4 early am morn - its gonna be cool when i have like 300 thumbnails on the front page. count now: 59, ill be REALLY good around ~110
"Life is a daring adventure, or nothing." ~ Helen Keller
a grown up elephant can pick up a ton with its trunk. why is it that, at the circus, these huge animals quietly stand tied to a small wooden stake? while the elephant is still a child and not nearly as strong, the circus ties it by a heavy chain to a fixed deeply ingrained iron stake. it tries to break the chain but soon discovers that no matter how hard it tries, it can't break free. so it stops trying. and as the elephant grows and becomes strong, it never again tries to break loose.
i went to the woods because i wanted to live deliberately. i wanted to live deep and suck the marrow out of life. to put to rout all that was not life, and not, when i had come to die, discover that i had not lived. ~ henry david thoreau
*** nice mental picture. person holding a bone thats cracked in half, pouring 'marrow' into a cup, ready to drink. oooo lah. add to to do list, along with mailing list.
4/3 26 more days. busy studying. Nice article on freelancing. (but with really really small font... I cut/pasted into wordpad)
4/2 fixed guestbook. recently, it had not been allowing any additions.
4/1/05 - For Myself. I've decided I will be leaving my current job at the end of May. Im having to move out at the end of May, so its a perfect time for a major changes all around. It had not been my plan to be working in sales two years ago, but I took the job as there seemed to be nothing else available after I had graduated with an Art related major. In hindsight, although I've despised my job, its been a great experience and helps me to feel confident that if I go into business for myself, I will be able to sell my services and myself much better because of the experience. I only have a basic plan of what I will attempt to do after leaving. I plan to work freelance graphic design jobs, sell portraits, and attempt to devote a majority of my time to developing my craft. I figure if I were to spend 7.5 hours a day as I do in my job, practicing artwork, I would amass quite a few pieces to sell, and generate quite a bit of website traffic and recognition on Artist websites.
Where I am. I think this decision for my life has been prompted by several factors. After two years, I have reached a plateau in my sales abilities, as well as feeling that I can no longer advance any further in my position at my current company. Also I had contemplated the purchase of a home, but realized that action would probably keep me from leaving my current position for the burden of responsiblity. With that, I realized how much I despised my current position. Beyond that, the most intense feeling came to me, when in a team meeting, my manager was speaking to us about the importance of performing as individuals as well as a team. They touted it as if it was one of the most important tasks in our lives, and with the recent passing of my grandfather, I began to feel very emotional and felt like bursting out in anger at them at the absurdity of their claim. What importance will being a top salesperson in the month of January have when I die? It wasnt really the death of my grandfather that I was upset about. Although I miss his presence, a person's death seems to make you think of your own life, the purpose, the brevity. I just dont want to live my life as a salesperson. Im not a very religious man, and sometimes I think I'm agnostic, but am I being a good steward of my talents that I was given, if I did not seek to use it?
Here's my plan.
Major goals to accomplish.
1. Deviantart.com is a artists' website (although the audience seems to be young) where they sell your artwork for a commission of the profits. They do all the work, printing, etc. I just have to have artwork to upload and sell. Major goal there is to just sell one piece. That's all it takes to start, then the rest will follow. If I can sell one, I can sell a thousand. Besides creating and uploading artwork, my goal is to get 50,000 page views in one year. I don't know how realistic this goal is, but its certainly a admirable goal. If 50,000 people view my work, there has to be a small percentage that will buy my prints and want me to create artwork. Its just the law of numbers that Ive learned from my sales experience.
2. CGTalk.com is another artists' website that will be a much harder audience to impress. The site is where the professionals hang out and post their work. To be published on their front page is a very admirable goal to achieve. It would literally shut down my wee bandwidth website as the traffic that goes through there is TREMENDOUS. So... I will be attempting to get on their front page by entering contests, participating in weekly sketch contests, and presenting artwork for review. This will be a difficult goal to achieve, but I give myself a year to accomplish it. Other websites to promote myself and have artist support: Sijun Forum, Eatpoo, Conceptart, GFXArtist
3. Practice, practice, practice. Productivity. Although I am scared that unemployment is condusive to mild depression, and unproductivity, since I will be well prepared and knowing of my circumstances, I plan to work as many hours on art and promoting my services as much as I would work at a normal job. Since in the beginning, I will have a considerable amount of time, it will be important to keep busy. If I can remain productive, think of what I could accomplish. I would have a tremendous amount of work to assemble in a portfolio, and I would have improved my skills greatly. If after a year, I have not been able to generate enough income from selling art and selling services to continue unemployment, I would be at a great position to be employed by a design company because I would have honed my skills as well as have sales and business promotion experience. BOOM! IF... IF... IF... I practice and hold up my part of my plan.
4. Health. This year I will be 28. Every year seems to get shorter and shorter, and Im starting to realize that I need to start some good habits because I plan to enjoy an active productive life in my later years. Start good habits: walk at least 30 minutes a day, floss, phase out soda, phase in water. Might not seem much, but considering they havent been a part of my daily routine for the last 27 years, it might take some effort. Besides I will have more time to set those habits in motion without the stress of a schedule to which I would have to adhere. If I can solidify them before the years is over, I should be able to keep them as life long habits. Recently Ive started to go for long 1-2 hour walks by the nearby lake and it has been very helpful in sorting out my thoughts and goals. I like to find a new walking stick every time I go. I found One today that has a handle on top instead of being just straight. Rock! ;)
5. Relationships. I usually like to be alone, but being outside of a normal office environment, I know I will be lonely. This will be one of the most difficult areas of development for me as I am usually quite introverted. If I do not succeed at creating connections while I am outside of an office environment, I will NOT succeed. It will be easy to set up online connections, but being human I will need face to face interactions with good friends. Im also looking to mentor with a successful artist in an apprentice role. This is the only area I feel that a possible part time job would be helpful. Not only for extra living cash, but social interaction.
6. EBay Sales Along with selling prints on Deviantart.com, I will be investigating sales over ebay.com. Supposedly, sales of prints, although meager in profit, is relatively easy and quick. This will also drive website traffic. I feel that it will also be very important in my development of art sales experience. Ebay can be very profitable for artists ( CNN - The art of the internet ) and if I can learn how to utilize it, I could possible use the knowledge of selling art over the internet in a consulting role years later. Even now, I had an idea to use my prior ebay and web experience in possibly enticing an experienced painter/artist in Murfreesboro for trade for apprenticeship and mentoring. Just an idea...
7. Freelance websites. Elance, Sologig, Guru are all freelance websites where one would bid for contracts on work ranging from illustrations to business cards. They do have a fee to be able to bid on more profitable contracts, but they may be a good source of freelance work. A six month trial run with one or two of them should not cost much and allow me to see if they are a viable work source.
8. 2005 Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market Book - is a resource of ~2000 galleries with contact information. There has to be at least one gallery that will buy my work. One is all it takes. If I can get one, I can get ten, then twenty. Plan is to run through and qualify the galleries, then solicit my work to them. I've heard that sometimes it takes a year for them to respond, but its all about filling the pipeline.
9. PLAN B. If in case I do not succeed in finding a way to replace my income, during the unemployment, I will be proactively positioning myself to get into the graphic design market by studying/learning how to use new software titles such as Quark, InDesign, and Illustrator. Also in September, I WILL apply for the JET program ( Japanese English Teacher ) as they do not send out their applicants til the July of the following year.
10. GET PUBLISHED. Theres many publications in which an artist can get their work published. I want to be published before June 2005.
11. GET POSTED. Ive solicited one coffee shop to post my artwork with no repsonse. I need to solicit 100 more. I want to be posted anywhere, and just sell one piece. If I can sell that one piece... ;)
Im still gathering my thoughts, and I will have the next two months before I go into full throttle. Til then, I will be expounding on my action plan. Any encouragement is appreciated.
january 2005 - march 2005 news
september 2004 - december 2005 news
August 04 - Awarded GFXartist.com
Elite Artist.
5/21
Dragon 2006
5/30 Dralcoon
6/08 HEAT
6/22 Bonita Applebum
6/27 Earley Portrait
07/06 Gmaw Portrait
07/20 Nashvillain Tee
07/24 Marhcing Penguins
08/17 Dead Love Story
08/24 High Hopes Tee
09/18 Eat, Drink, Be Merry
Tee
to
do list.
japanese-y tattoo karma
tee
we are lions tee
bromwaterhousemucha tee
logan portrait
mystery portrait
KA tee
post shirts for sale. fix paypal link.
backup images in hi-res
<a href="http://www.jimiyo.com"><img src="http://www.jimiyo.com/myspace/halogirl400.jpg" border="0"></a>
