I’ve been using fancy-pants pens, pencils, and markers for drawing for, oh, 57 years or so. Give or take about 50. Last night, I used a Bic mechanical pencil, 0.7mm, #2, with a fancy built-in rubber gripper. Love! I had forgotten that I was better with pencils in art school. Oh the cost savings!
A big, whopping THANKS! to all of you who scored my pattern on Naked & Angry! And a double-extra bonus THANKS! to the clever commenters. I laughed, I cried. You all are fantastic.
If you haven’t yet, get your booty over to Naked & Angry and score my pattern! If I get enough high scores, they’ll make stuff out of my art. Hot dog!
I submitted Stop Drop pattern to Naked & Angry. Now it’s up to you to vote for it! Please click the link below, and click the FIFTH star (if you’re so inclined…). When it turns black, you’ve voted! If you’d like to leave a comment, you’ll need to register and login. Totally your call. Just need the votes so I can be part of the Naked & Angry catalog of awesome patterns. Also, peruse their site for some other excellent patterns. There’s some great talent out there!
Here’s the link: http://www.nakedandangry.com/pattern/13098
Thank you from the bottom of my patterned heart!
I was summoned to the Blogiverse by @Sparkyfirepants and @revjabdub to discuss LLCs vs. S-Corps, and all the fun and games that entails for freelancers. I kind of went off, spewing massive amounts of detail and soliloquy (me? never!). It was suggested I post my comment as a blog entry here, as there really were some tasty nuggets in there. And then I can copy/paste and call it a blog entry! Yeah!
To get up to speed, read his post here.
Here is my reply (although you’ll see it on his blog as well):
I read an article on Freelance Switch this morning (which I normally love) that I disagreed with. Granted, I form opinions freely on a regular basis, but this time, I actually felt compelled to say something.
Here’s what I said in response (and I seem to be in line with other readers):
Continue reading
I have a new Zazzle store! You can see products in the sidebar on this page, or click here. I am always available to create custom products, too. Let me know if you don’t see something and I’ll make it for you!
And here’s a song to listen to while you buy my stuff! Now go!
Let me help you make custom gifts at Zazzle!
A special thanks to Michelle Mospens of My Personal Artist for the idea and encouragement!
I have a draft of the new site, waiting to be implemented. I’m not going to complain about not having time to do it, because it means I’ve been busy and that’s not at all a bad thing. But do you know how it feels to have something right on the tip of your tongue, and you can’t get it out there?? That’s kind of how it feels. Exciting, frustrating, kind of fun, kind of oh-please-just-go!
I’ve been reading a lot lately about web design trends, specifically as they relate to WordPress. There is some brilliant work out there, and I’m so impressed with the industry right now. Web designers have certainly raised the bar in the last few years, but what impresses me most is a.) their willingness to share the hows and whys of their designs and b.) the willingness of the design community to applaud heroic (or even vaguely heroic) efforts. It makes me proud to be a designer in the world right now.
For some stellar design ideas and tips, check out:
Webdesigner Depot
Who are your favorites? What sites do you visit for inspiration? Who do you watch?
It’s dreadfully difficult to get anything done when certain Twitters keep Tweeting excellent articles, such as the following:
10 Things A Web Designer Won’t Tell You
(via @AitchisonDesign – Thanks!)
A couple questions come to mind, this beautiful Friday morning. I am hoping for some honest answers from other designers, but would also welcome non-designers to lend their perspectives.
My inclination on the first question is to say no. It would depend on the client and my relationship with them, but in my experience, this can depreciate my status as the Expert (in the client’s eyes). What I struggle with, as a designer, is feeling like it could always be better. Even when it’s at its best, it could be better. A tweak here, a tweak there. I lay in bed at night, redesigning things over and over in my mind. It’s just who I am, and the way I process. Ten years from now, I will still be mentally redesigning everything I’m working on. It’s not a lack of experience; it’s a creative process. But what if I have a sudden stroke of genius, late in the game (say, post-finalization or post-site launch or post-printing)? Should I tell them? Again, I think it depends. The balance is a better end-product versus your status as the Expert, which could affect potential repeat business.
The second question: I have no idea. If I present myself as a Designer, does that morph over time, or should I stick to my guns? Do I allow the client to dictate the specifics of a project, even if my own design sensibilities are in disagreement? Is there a formal switch from Designer to Consultant? Answering a question with questions: I am clearly tossed.
Would love some feedback.
In order to do our part to help the environment (not to mention help make the payment process easier!), we’ve recently added PayPal and Google Checkout as options for invoice payment. Use them, save a tree! Of course, checks are still perfectly acceptable!