Sean Connery Day

Apparently the 25th of August is Sean Connery Day.

This started off as a warm-up sketch, but then it turned into a battle of not making him look like Christopher Lee. It was also a battle of "letting go," because I could easily spend another hour or two trying to tweak things, but I already ruined it like five or six times. The rest of the time was recovering fumbles. After a while, I had to tell myself, "You're happy with this, Ken. Move on to more pressing matters."

Still, I learned a lot. Beards are cool... too bad I can't grow one all proper like Sir Connery here. When I do, all of you will have to hide your wives. As a matter of fact, all feminine loins will ache for my sh'weet shaggy beard.

#SeanConneryDay
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Current Jam ► We Took Pelham by Deadly Avenger

Patreon

Patreon used to scare me...

Not the site itself, but just the crazy idea of starting one. It’s one of those things that run like Kickstarter except there’s a difference in frequency. Kickstarter is a one time donation while Patreon is set up like a monthly subscription. Both are great for funding projects and I actually signed up with one particular Patreon project, but I had to pull out due to a financial crisis (I’m broke as shit). In a perfect world, I would sign up for more. I like the concept behind Patreon, but the fear crept up on me when I considered starting one of my own.

Sometimes these things turn into a game of “Who Gives A Flying Fuck” and I’m terrible at it.  On the other hand, my recent attempt at eBay gave me a little bit of confidence. I at least know that complete strangers dig my art (all five of them---hahaha!). Despite that, I’m just a wreck when it comes to anticipation, expectations, projections, and so on.  The question is: If I open up a Patreon account, will anybody give a damn?

There’s only one way to find out. Most importantly, it all depends on the strength of the project(s) presented. “Does it have legs to stand on? Is it worth donating to? What kind of rewards should I give out?” So many bloody questions, but it’s worth exploring.

The older I get the more I regret not jumping into things---taking the leap of faith. Once you get kicked in the balls enough times by life, you learn to be cautious. With that said, I believe my nuts are safe with Patreon. The worst that could happen is that no one donates---no one gives a shit and my nuts remain in mint-condition. Of course, my feelings would be hurt, but that’s something I can get over the next time I go bar-hopping or when I finally see Guardian of the Galaxy. The foreseeable result is that I would have just a handful of backers (all five of them), which is perfectly acceptable for an artist that's unknown. I used to fear that my endeavors would only interest a few people, but that’s how everybody starts and Patreon is the perfect place for growth. The best thing that could happen---the level 99 fantasy---is an overwhelming amount of support by the hundreds. I’m not holding my breath for that scenario, but I would never know unless I make that jump.

When I’m on my death bed or lying in some ditch, not starting a Patreon will be off my list of regrets. However, I’m already regretting that I won’t be able to have ComicBookGirl19’s hand in marriage.  Oh, the pain… the pain.

That's why God invented Whisky.

-KG

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Current Jam ► "Cascade" by Hyper

I need a drink...

The interview went alright. It wasn't a gamer changer because that particular company is set up like a staffing agency. If anything, I'm on standby for stuff that comes up matching my skill set. However, I was warned that storyboards, concept art, character design, and all the things that make me useful are in rare quantity at best.

I think my style hurt me more than anything because the lady brought up the internet and went straight to Behance (dot net), scrolling through the various artwork. Basically, she was showing me what my work should look like. It was humbling to say the least. I mean, she wasn't telling me that my artwork was bad, but it wasn't the cup of tea of their clients/companies. They're not into comic book illustration or anything that looks like it. They're not into the pre-production process of film and television. Still, I feel like shit because I was looking forward to making money and eventually moving into my own place.

Coincidentally, it's St. Patrick's Day, so I have a good excuse to drink away my sorrows.

Cheers, I guess...

KG

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Current Jam ► - Rocky Road to Dublin by the High Kings

Good News

I woke up to a phone call and I'm happy to report that I have an interview scheduled for next week. Since this is a blog, I figured that's news worthy of an update. Ah, yes, but there's new art on the way, too. I'm brewing up some fun stuff, all for the sake of samples and moving forward with my career.

In the mean time, I am open for commissions.

Talk soon,

KG
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Current Jam►

Soul Suck Warehouse

One of the many road blocks to pursuing a career in art is money. So many instructors and professionals will tell you that you're kind of doomed if that's the sole reason you're in the game, which is completely understandable. If art meant guaranteed gold mines and Scrooge McDuck level bling, everybody would be doing it. I realized a while ago that I'm not getting rich off this stuff, but I still want to pursue this venture because a career in art doesn't equal poverty. I can still make a decent living if I cut out all the stupid fantasies of taking blondes and brunettes on my luxury yacht for some Bollinger. Unfortunately, life gets in the way and there's the need for cold, hard cash (of the expedient variety).

There are some days where I can't even afford a cup of coffee. I'm not talking about overpriced Starbucks, but regular shit-kicking coffee. If you can't afford that, then you're not qualified for a lot of things. So, the anxiety kicks in, that nasty feeling in my gut. It feels just like those moments before a fight, when I know you're going to get your ass kicked. It's not as graceful as butterflies. Honestly, I wish it were as simple as a fight because, win or loss, once you do it, it's over. You can go back to your regularly schedule program.

Unfortunately, being broke is like getting tossed in a marathon you didn't properly train for. The same could be said for my career in the arts. I attended art school, but I can honestly say that I'm self taught. They don't prepare you for the marathon because, well... that's where the marathon starts. Right in bloody enrollment, but I can talk about that forever.

The point is, I have so many ideas and projects that I want to work on, but the necessities keep distracting me. There's the need for a full time position at whatever-the-fuck incorporated, or maybe even part time over at Soul Suck Warehouse (a good title for a porno, actually). Desperation kicks in and I'm filling out all sorts of applications and kicking over chairs when I see a lovely fit that requires a degree. Overall, it's a shitty experience being me. It's so shitty, in fact, McDonald's is not even remotely interested.

The only thing I can do is endure. I'm still working on my projects, but they're at the pace of a snail. Job applications... Hell, I just filled out a few and even joined up with a creative staffing joint. Not sure if any of these things will bear fruit, but it's something. I just want this to be over. I'm at the point where I need to see some real gains just for the sake of morale. I need to see results.

To me, that's a small thing to ask.

-KG
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Current Jam ►

Ananda by Animaya

Kalinda

Ever watch The Good Wife? No? Well, shame on you. It's pretty damn good. Think of a more serious Boston Legal with a little pinch of Damages. One of the main aspects I like about the show is Archie Panjabi's character, Kalinda Sharma. There's dark, mysterious energy surrounding that woman. She's also efficient as a motherfucker, too. There's something sexy about a woman that shares the characteristics of a black ops agent (mystique included).

I'm weird like that, but I'm always partial to high boots and British accents. Of course, Archie goes beyond that. In a world filled with vanilla and chocolate, she's an entirely different flavor of ice cream.

www.archiepanjabi.com


-KG

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Current Jam ►

Roxana

Last time, I mentioned Birthday Sketches. Believe it or not, 2012 was the last time I did that sort of thing. Keeping the pencil moving is a good excuse, but who am I kidding? I've been itching to draw Roxana for a while now.

Our high school was like a POW camp with text books, but she always looked so peaceful. One look at her usually calmed me down. She's like the physical manifestation of a lullaby. Rumor has it, she can talk to birds like Snow White.

By the way, this is separate from the Infinity Project, though Roxana is certainly worthy, being a fellow survivor of high school.

"Why do you keep mentioning High School?"

Because it was horrible, that's why. We've been through the struggle of a poorly funded charter school system that was over-saturated with corruption and dickery.... and textbooks!

- KG

Current Jam ►

Eva

Eva Cabrera, illustrator, comic artist, and the only woman to comfortably contain the entire universe in her eyes. She's talented and radiates a certain level of fun that's all too rare in the comic industry. In more ways than one, she restored my faith in pursuing art as a career. She makes the journey look fun and fulfilling. That's something that means a lot to a guy with confidence issues. Anyway, if you want to give yourself a treat, check out Eva's work.

Speaking of fun...

A few years ago, Molly Crabapple did a series of sketches she called "The Sixty Six Project." Basically, she sketched up 66 portraits of the people she admired. I thought it was a fascinating idea and I want to do my own version of it---the people I admire. A while back, I was doing something similar, but not as high a volume as 66. For the most part, I did quick portraits for birthday notifications that popped up on Facebook. I'm not sure if I want to go up to 66, but we'll see how it goes.

Eva can count as portrait #1, but I should probably call it something else. For now, let's call it "The Infinity Project" since I don't really have a clue when I'll stop. At the end of 2014, I'll give it a new name.

-KG

From my Playlist ►

The Healing Process...

In case you didn't notice, artwork from yours truly has been incredibly scarce. I mean, you should have noticed or there's something wrong with you. Obviouusly, there was something wrong with me because, for the longest time, I've been in a slump. I believe this goes beyond your common "artist block." In fact, Artist Block seems cute by comparison. Last year, I didn't want to say "depression" even though a handful of the symptoms were present. I already have a laundry list of problems and I didn't want another label. Besides, the D-Word would require medication and who the fuck wants to go through that circus?

What the hell do you call it, then?

It doesn't matter. For all intents and purposes, I'm on the road to recovery. Hell, I can literally feel the monkey's grip loosening. There's more sketching and, rather than piling up inside my head, ideas are being applied to paper. The pencil is moving again, a sensation I took for granted last year. It feels pretty good. Shit, I'll admit.

In the interest of keeping the wheel turning, I'll be using this blog (in conjunction with social media sites) to produce more content---more drawings---more art. It's good old fashion momentum-building because the stagnant life is rather dull; believe me, I know. Stagnant is missing opportunities, burning bridges, and being left behind by folks that used to give a damn.

Why Blogger? There's a long story, but the gist is that my beloved Xanga turned into a shit storm. I stuck around long enough to crawl out of the wreckage. It turns out they wanted me to pay $50 to stick around. The place is a ghost town, despite migrating to Word Press. I already have a site hosted by WP and Blogger is fuckin' free. That's the most important thing here: FREE... and accessible to the public. I can go on and on about how Xanga fumbled and took a steaming shit on their faithful bloggers---essentially becoming whores, but that would require more paragraphs.

Anyway, expect some uploads very soon.

-KG