Tor was showing off some upcoming books and selling current ones. Clearly, loads of people are really excited about Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother
. It was the buzz of the both. It'll be out next week but the Torites working the booth could have made a handsome dime by auctioning off the one advanced copy we brought. We were, however, able to give away thousands of shinny new Tor.com buttons, and it's equally clear that the buzz for the new site is getting strong. (Now we need to deliver, don't we.) I'd like to thank Dan Dos Santos for doing a painting demo at the Tor booth. (Pictures in previous post.) It can't be easy to preform in front of thousands of people, but he seemed relaxed and excited to engage the crowd.I saw lots of great portfolios from pros and students. Artist's Alley seems more vibrant here than to does in SD, where most artist have been pushed into taking full booths. It meant I spent a lot more time there and didn't even realize how much of the rest of the floor I missed until we were breaking down.
But now: I don't mean to get on anyone's case, and I know some of the behavior I am about to describe came from some of my readers so, please take this as constructive criticism, but...
Five Ways Not to Introduce Yourself to an Art Director:
1) Don't give me your postcard and then take it back to cross out your web address because "the work there isn't good."
2) Don't let me flip through half a portfolio and then stop me mid way to say "the rest is older work, you're probably not interested, and it's not good anyway."
3) Don't show me one, and only one, image on an iPhone. In fact, unless you know I am very familiar with your work, don't show me an iPhone portfolio at all.
4) "Hi, my name is XYZ......We're MySpace friends." Followed by silence thinking I'm going to remember you off the top of my head. Hell, I can't remember the names of people I actually meet.
5) 35mm slides!? I didn't even think you could buy slide film anymore.
Guys, you’re at ComicCon. Chances of running into an art director are, well, high. You didn't just happen to run into the ADs for every major gaming, comic, movie, and publishing companies at a neighborhood barbeque, so get your ducks in a row before making that first impression.
Pictures of ComicCon.
I acidentaly deleted Ces' comment, which was:
ReplyDelete"Boy, Marko D. sure looks excited. Like he'd rather be anywhere but where he is.
Thanks for the photos Irene!"
-------
Sorry about that, Ces.
To be fair, I bet Marko was on his 100th sketch for the day. I can't belive how much drawing those guys do all weekend long.
"3) Don't show me one, and only one, image on an iPhone. In fact, unless you know I am very familiar with your work, don't show me an iPhone portfolio at all. "
ReplyDeleteUnless you are giving the Art Director a free iPhone with your portfolio. The Art Director will be guaranteed to looove your iPhone.
...portfolio? Not so much.
You caught me. It's really just about my iPhone envy.
ReplyDeleteWe used to get the same thing at the magazine. "I don't really like this story, but I'm sending it to you anyway...."
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, I tend to apply to my cooking the same rules I apply to soliciting my writing. Let the person you give it to discover the flaws for him/herself. 99% of the time they won't even notice the little things that bug the unholy bejeezus out of you. (Or find things you never noticed.)
You're probably right Irene.
ReplyDeleteBut if the person isn't excited to be there, then he/she probably shouldn't be. I now have this impression of Marko D. which is going to be hard to erase (first impressions, etc.). And if the person isn't excited to be there, showing off his/hers work, why should I be?
Just a thought.
How 'bout this one? Don't give the art director a post card that doesn't have any info on it at all. (Which is what I did in a fit of panic. I'm still hitting myself in the head over that.)
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a photographer (not an artist who creates ab initio forgive me, please, for commenting on slide film.
ReplyDeleteIt's a terrible thing (anymore) to do to a non-photographer (and even the list of those I would send slides to is diminishing). The tools to evaluate them aren't there, because to really see the art needs an even lightsource, and a loupe.
Absent those tools (and maybe some experience with slides) a whole lot of error can be hidden on a slide.
But slide film does offer the best reproduction medium around, for works that didn't start life on a computer.