The Black Book Conversations - What is Your Artist Statement?
Monday July 21 6-8pm FREE

BINDERS Art Store
3330 Piedmont Rd Atlanta GA 30305

The Black Book Conversations is a series of Artist workshops focused on Artist career development where we share tools and tips to get an art career off the ground and running.

Official Website: www.tbbcatl.com  
More Artist Events: www.artisking.org 
REGISTER HERE: http://www.meetup.com/The-Black-Book-Conversations/events/186158612/ 

Episode 6 of Art Is King podcast we visit the studio of the multitalented Kevin MisterSoul Harp. A native of LeeAnn Harbor’s Cleveland Ohio, now one of ATL’s creative visionaries.

Listen for a top 25 client wish list mentioned by MisterSoul.
For more of Mister Souls body of work, check him out athttp://www.instagram.com/mistersoul216 www.twitter.com/mistersoul216 and online at www.mistersoul216.com

Visit the revamped http://www.ArtIsKing.org website for the latest in art events, classes, workshops and exhibits around ATL.

@mistersoul216 @artisking_atl #artlife #artists #cleveland #ohio #atlanta #art #atbiz

WHAT WAS I THINKING?
Friday June 27th 2014, 7-11pm

Space II
485 Edgewood Ave, Atlanta, GA 30303

A solo Exhibition 8 years long by FABIAN WILLIAMS
Follow Fabian on Instagram: http://instagram.com/occasionalsuperstar 

The Art Is King podcast: 
http://www.spreaker.com/user/dacreativegenius/art-is-king-podcast-003_1

http://bit.ly/aikpod005 
@artisking_atl visits @goldigold45 art studio and digs into the talent and philosophy of one ATL's great artists #artlife #artisking @tbbcatl #podcast#artbiz

Art Is King is a Non-Profit organization committed to empowering artist entrepreneurs through education, community, coaching and connections. 

The Art Is King website features classes, workshops, art exhibits and calls for art. Included listings are for the promotion and support of the Atlanta Arts Community and the Art Entrepreneur.

Art Is King does not claim ownership the events listed. Check for the Contact Person and links of each event for more information. 

To Submit an Art related event, please use the Contact Form at http://www.artisking.org/contact.html

@artisking_atl #artlife @tbbcatl #artbiz #artrepreneur #art #entrepreneur #professional

Comic Book Fans, Amateur Artists and Pros are gathering June 6-8 at BINDERS Art Store in Buckhead and taking on the challenge of transforming pencil sketches to a full color 24 page comic book. 

In one weekend, participating artists, writers, inkers, pencilers and colorists will share their skills and work together. 

Open to Amateurs and Professionals, the goal is to gain experience in developing a comic book including character development, page timing, plot lines and character dialogue. 

SPECIAL INVITED GUESTS THRU THE WHOLE WEEKEND, INCLUDING COMIC BOOK ARTISTS AND WRITERS. 

$35 registration 
http://cbw2014.eventbrite.com

includes paper, pencils, comic book paper, markers, inks, drinks and snacks! THE CHALLENGE: 
Find a team & create a complete 24 page comic book in 1 Weekend

Friday 6-8pm 
writers, pencilers, inkers and colorists bring your comic book idea and pitch to a roomfull of creatives to help you with your book

Artist, Writer, Comic Book & Film Producer; Keef Cross 
http://rosariumpublishing.com/rosarium-books-dayblack.html 

Writer, Director, Producer; Balogun Ojetade 
http://chroniclesofharriet.com

Writer, Publisher; Milton Davis
http://www.mvmediaatl.com 

Saturday 10-6pm 
prep storyboards, sketches and panel drawings

Aritst, Writer, Producer & OnyxCon Creator; Joseph Wheeler III  
http://www.onyxcon.com

Del Hewitt Jr. Creator, Writer and Artist 
https://www.facebook.com/EbonyKissFanPage
http://thekingsofthewastelands.com

Sunday 11-4pm 
ink, color and lettering

special guest:
Jason Bullock Creator, Writer, Artist, Hero Central
writer, penciler, inker,letterer, editor, publisher, marketing, old school techniques and new, storyboarding
http://www.herocentral.org

Prizes for best story, best art, best cover 
courtesy of BINDERS ART SUPPLIES AND FRAMES STORE

Advice and Direction by: 
Special Artists will be announced soon! Sponsored by: 
BINDERS Art Supply & Frames Store

$35 Participation Fee 
Every artists receives complimentary art supplies courtesy of BINDERS ART SUPPLY & FRAMES STORE

Food and Drinks Provided

CHECK FOR MORE UPDATES!

Curator 
DTM -dacreativegenius 
404.695.5769

Why do game companies and projects fail or switch directions altogether? What do you need to know? Join us for this research-based discussion. 

Over the past two years, Jay O’Toole, an Assistant Professor at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, has been studying the video game industry with special emphases on dynamics and outcomes of game development projects. Jay will be providing a talk about insights he has gleaned from his field work, including surveys conducted of over 1,000 startup video game companies and the participants from the past two Global Game Jams.

6 pm - Networking at the GSU Digital Arts Entertainment Lab
7 pm - Announcements and presentation
8 pm - More networking
 
Free for GGDA members and students, $5 for all others.
 

Directions and Parking:
 
Location of  Digital Arts Entertainment Lab at One Park Place South, Theater is here:
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=one+park+place+south+atlanta+ga+30303&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x88f50386f3364387:0x9723c63edf7eee56,1+Park+Pl+NE,+Atlanta,+GA+30303&gl=us&ei=PlKBUcP9AoHO9QTEqYC4Ag&ved=0CDMQ8gEwAA
 
And the best place to park is GSU's T-Deck:
http://www.gsu.edu/parking/61597.html


Also, there is still time to enter the Jenffer Ann's Group Game Design Challenge and win $7000:
http://stoptdv.com/2014-life-love-game-design-challenge.htm
 
 

SIEGE Speaker Sign Ups Open

If you are interested in speaking at SIEGE2014 Oct. 3 - 5, the speaker request form is now online at http://www.ggda.org/index.php?option=com_civicrm&view=Profiles&Itemid=122

Crowdfunding Campaigns for Artists 

$120 
May 24 & 25
Saturday 10 am to 5pm Sunday 11 am to 4pm 

register here
http://bit.ly/1pEoPRm

#crowdfunding #kickstarter #indiegogo #campaign #marketing #promotional #artlife #art #design #illustration #comicbooks #fineart #writing 

We will cover a step by step process of Identifying Potential Clients, PreCampaign preparation, Building Social Media Networks, Campaign Process, Key Campaign Words, Social Media Methods and Rewards List. 

2 days of Hands On work to build a successful campaign

Launch a Kickstarter or IndieGoGo Campaign for:
Artists 
Comic Books 
Web Comics 
Fine Art  
Drawings 
Sketchbooks
Films 
Writing 
Travel Books 
Art Installations 
Art Merchandise

What to bring:
Your Idea
Drawings
Sketches
Diagrams
Mockups
Descriptions
of your Idea.

And A Laptop To Get Started!!! 

The Black Book Conversations 
art business practices for professional artists



In the beginning of my art career, I was just a plain artist. I was a person who could draw and I tried to draw everything I could imagine and people would ask me to draw stuff for them. Sometimes those people would pay me for the art.

Sometimes.

In the early days I carried my art in a backpack, pencils, paper, markers, pens and a Walkman. Yup, A Cassette Tape Player with Headphones. This was a long time ago.

I carried my art with me wherever I went because I wanted the ability to draw anytime. And that’s how people got to know me, the artist who carried a heavy backpack with art stuff. I’ve been a bragger all my life so naturally I like to brag about my art. I would pull out my art book and a binder with lots of loose pages of art. Some pages were pencil drawings and other drawings were in marker. I would let people thumb thru my stack of art. Then someone would suggest I draw something for them and I would agree to do it, no questions asked.

And then the hassle begins. I would draw the requested artwork and go find the person who asked me for it. That’s when the song and dance would begin. The person would ask for an edit or two, I would ask for some money and we would go back and forth on how much the drawing was worth and how much more editing I would need to do on the art.

The hassle was my fault but I didn’t know better. I didn’t know that some people like to talk about what they want, but are not prepared to pay. I didn’t know that even if people would pay, they didn’t want to pay the price I was asking. I didn’t know that the presentation of my work gave people the impression that I was just drawing for fun and not for profit. I didn’t know that I was holding myself back by not discussing a price and a deposit with people before I started drawing.

Those were some of the lessons early in my career. Today I understand the importance of Presentation, Negotiation and Sales. As an artist who earns a living with my Art, getting paid for my work is VERY IMPORTANT!

But I didn’t know. Now I know.

In my day-to-day art business as a Mentor, Professional Artist and Potential Client (because I do hire other professional artists and designers when my workload is heavy) I come across artists of all levels.

Every now and then a person who claims to be a professional hands me a business card and their card is not professional looking. Every now and then young artists want me to hire them to help me in my business, so I ask to see their portfolio but they give excuses on why they don’t have one to show me. Or that artist hands me a stack of old drawings they drew back in high school.

A potential client will judge the artist not just by their portfolio, but also by the presentation of their portfolio.

There are a couple of types of portfolios and whichever type you wish to show potential clients, the basics of Presentation remain the same. I will share some insight into what makes your portfolio presentable and Professional Presentation

Purpose of Portfolio

When setting up your portfolio, consider who is going to see your portfolio and what you want that person to think about you and your art.

A portfolio’s content should be different if its used for a job interview, school application, art grant or gallery representation.

I have a different portfolio for different situations. I have a portfolio for my Fine Art that I use when I’m painting live at an event. I have a web design portfolio when I’m at a meeting with a potential web design client. I also have a children friendly portfolio when I presenting and speaking in schools, libraries and community events.

Questions to ask yourself: What does the viewer need to see? What is the purpose of your portfolio?

Show off Skills and Range

The best projects show off the best of your skills and the type of work you can produce. Shine. Show off your freshest art.

Focus on showing off your finished work. It’s important to show quality, consistency and commitment in your portfolio. No half done art.

Its ok if the portfolio is filled with sketches, if that’s your area of expertise or the area you want to break into.

Digital or Physical Portfolio

CD, Website, Portfolio Book or Mobile Device. This separates the pros from the amateurs. If you need to leave a copy of your portfolio then a printed copy is good to bring. CD portfolios are rarely used and only when requested are they needed. I apply to lots of art exhibits and calls for art, sometimes they ask that you send them a Disc.

A website or Blog. This is the easiest, painless method to build a portfolio at a low cost. DeviantArt.com, Society6.com, RedBubble.com, even Facebook allows you to set up a business/fan page for your art. A lot of online resources for artsts are free. Find the site that fits your style of art.

I’ve had an iPad, an Android Tablet and now a Windows Tablet. I do not leave the house without one or the other. Guess whats in each one of those devices, you guessed right! My portfolio. I have not changed, I still brag about my skills and I am prepared to take on a job at a moments notice. That’s the business!

Presentation

It is important to present a professional, clean, and easy to understand portfolio. The method of presentation has to show that you care about your art, you care about your career and that you are doing all you can to impress others.

I hope this little bit gives you some inspiration to start preparing your portfolio in a professional manner. The hardest sell an artist has to make with a potential client is Value. If you presentation is unorganized, uninspiring and confusing, then you cant sell your client on the Value of your work.

Learn your prices, have a smile on your face, learn to write proposals, contracts, estimates. These are part of your business. A Professional Portfolio opens the door; the prepared art professional closes the deal.

Additional Portfolio Resources and Advice

http://www.core77.com/design.edu/portfolio_tips.asp
http://www.onwardsearch.com/careers/Perfect-Portfolio/
http://layersmagazine.com/the-dos-and-don’ts-of-portfolio-presentation.html

Do you have an art business subject you would like DTM to discuss? Please send in your questions to dtm@tbbcatl.com and stay tuned for your subject to be discussed in this column, podcast or video interview with a professional artist.

Till the next drawing!

Daniel Flores - Curator/Mentor 

dtm@tbbcatl.com  www.tbbcatl.com 

Follow DTM the artist known as dacreativegenius
on twitter and instagram: @deltatangomike
www.deltatangomike.com 

For more info on the workshops, classes and artist mentoring, logon to www.tbbcatl.com we have a website full of resources and tips including video from past conversations.

Follow our Twitter account and Like us on Facebook, search for: tbbcatl

The goal is to Educate each artists to succeed in the art business.

Two days away, LEARN TO CREATE CLEAN SHARP DIGITAL ART 

This two day workshop is for the Novice, Beginner and Intermediate Adobe Illustrator User.

April 5 & 6
Saturday 10am to 6pm
Sunday 11am to 5pm

$120 (affordable) 
REGISTRATION REQUIRED 
http://www.bindersart.com/artschool/adobe-illustrator-logo-design-for-web-and-mobile-with-daniel-flores.html

Focus on Logos, App Icons, Character Illustrations, Apparel Design and Art. 

ALL VECTOR! 

Illustrate your world with vector. Learn how to draw basic characters and background. We’ll be create a cartoon character using a pen tool, adding and subtracting points, drawing and moving lines, manipulating color and tones, shapes, brushes, merging objects, controlling layers, text formatting and typography, it’s easy and fun.

Sample class direction:http://www.dacreativegenius.com/process.html 
#adobe #illustrator #workshop #demo #vector #art#drawing #artlife