Fantastic Porfolios, Orphaned Works, and art
I know I’ve been quiet lately. Things are waffley around here (I’m moving again!) and finding the time or the inspiration to put together new stuff has been kind of lacking. So I’m taking the easy way out today and updating with some links to some stuff that needs pimpin’:
Meet My Friend Ellen
Fantastic Portfolios is the brainchild of my friend Ellen Million. It’s a site dedicated to fantasy artists (digital or traditional media) and the focus of it is not just on providing artists with high quality, ad free portfolios, but also a way to get direct feedback on their work. Submissions to Fantastic Portfolios are juried, and each submission is reviewed by trained critics (most of them professional artists) who score each piece in nine different categories. The critics also provide feedback, pointers, and in some cases red-lines and paintovers to help artists improve their work. The group there is fun, friendly, and completely focused on making artists be the best they can be. Membership is free, although there are perks for paid members.
For those of you who are into RPG gaming, Ellen also runs a great service called Portrait Adoption. Artists create a gallery of original character portraits which are put up for “adoption.” Artists set their own prices for portraits, and the customer can purchase one of two different package options which include professionally printed versions of their adopted portrait, as well as files to use in online gaming. If you’d like a portrait of a character and can’t find something similar in the gallery, there’s a also a way to submit character descriptions or commission available artists.
Ellen Million Graphics Giftshop is seeking new work through the end of May. If you’re a science fiction or fantasy artist and you have items you’d like to sell, Ellen personally prints and creates a wide range of items (t-shirts, cards, stationary, purses, mousepads, magnets, stickers and bookmarks) and sells them through the EMG Giftshop. Artists are represented online as well as at fairs and cons, and always have complete control over their products (which are paid in royalties). Contracts are non-exclusive. From experience I can say that Ellen is incredibly hard working, fair and loyal to artists, with high standards of customer service and quality in her products. Her resume includes artists like Cristine Griffin, Ursula Vernon, Liiga Smilshkalne, Meredith Dillman, and Matt Stawicki. Details on how to submit work for the giftshop are here: http://www.ellenmilliongraphics.com/fantasyart/artists.php
Orphaned Works
On a slightly different note, if you, like me, have been following the whole Orphaned Works issue that’s currently before the House and Senate, or would like to know more about it, I recommend the following links over at PlagiarismToday.com
My only other bit of news at this point is: I am now the proud (and slightly intimidated) owner of a Cintiq tablet. A review will be forthcoming, perhaps. In the meantime, however, I’ll leave you with tasty man art created on it:
portrait based on a study of this image from the fantastic b-e-c-k-y-stock.
