The Write Edit

Shameless self promotion here!

It's said that writers must write the book they want to read. I always wanted a certain type of book about editing, something that would show me before and after examples of text as well as telling me why the changes were made, something that took it slow so I could understand step-by-step the editing process. While this isn't "the magic pill" that'll fix all manuscript problems, it is the book I always wanted.

If you want more information about it, please check the book out here. It's available as a physical copy (available at the previous link), or as an ebook for the nook or Kindle.

Creative Girl

Are you a creative girl wondering how to get your talents up and running into a business or wondering if you should work for someone else? This book looks at several good options for working with and around your talents for a more satisfying life. Find answers on dealing with your current employer so that you can have more time to develop your arts, or if you should find another form of employment which allows you to expand creatively, or should you go out on your own. Definitely a good read if you're feeling stuck and looking for other options to user your talents.

William Hawkins

Thought I might try something a little different here -- showing off some of the artists I get inspiration from as well as the books. Here's a video from William Hawkins.




Enjoy!

Infinite Possibilities

I've been listening to this the last few weeks and I have to say, "Whoo hoo!" Thoughts become things. When you think the right thoughts, things do manifest in your life. Be open to the possibilities and you will find them infinite.

There are so many things I want to say about this book, good things. Mike reiterates a lot of the thoughts I've had all my life and answers many questions I've discovered in walking my own spiritual path.

If you feel like there's something more to life that you're missing, don't wait to read this.

I'd Rather Be in the Studio

A book I always like to have within reach. I've found the marketing advise very helpful. Unfortunately, my copy seems to have walked off again! Hope it comes back soon. I need the gnomes in my house to bring it back. Please, gnomes, please! I've got to get a bio prepared and really want Alyson's advice. Please!

Imagine FX

I don't do digital art (well, beyond the couple pieces I've already done and my web comic - if you can call the latter anything but "basement art."). I've had a lot of people ask me why I don't, since they know I enjoy working on computers. But brush painting lets me "unplug" and get away. Still, I love seeing the techniques involved. If you like painting in Photoshop but want to better your skills, this is for you! They have great step-by-step tutorials. I personally like looking through the magazine for art inspiration. June's magazine was so full of wonderful art, I had to buy the magazine. Next month is a Masters of Manga issue -- I have a feeling I'll be buying that issue too. The manga tutorials they had a bit ago were fantastic. This is definitely the magazine to read to free your mind and get yourself out of a rut.

Createx Paints

I started my painting career with airbrushed landscapes. I still love to airbrush when I have a moment. Sometimes when I'm painting and I want something very fluid, I'll reach for my Createx paints. I love the transparent colors -- they layer so well. Someday when I'm feeling really brave, I think I'll take my airbrush to one of my traditional landscapes and try to merge the two concepts. I know other people have done this, I just haven't overcome my own fear of messing up a painting I adore -- since that happens to be whatever painting is on the easel at the time!

Taking the Leap

I found one of my favorite quotes in this book which goes something to the effect of: “You are either painting or you are obsessing about the fact you aren’t painting. You choose. ” To me, that’s the difference between the doer and the wanna-be: doing or obsessing. We may not always be where we want to be, but we can be working toward it. This book can help you know where the next step when the way seems dark.

The E-Myth

I'm going out on a branch here saying that artists should read this book. Many will ask why when it really pushes franchises and since when was an artist a franchise? Ever heard of Thomas Kinkaide? Ever buy the book Twilight or the merchandise associated with the saga? It's not so much about licensing your work, which is easier today than ever before in history, but about the customer service lessons in the book. You are the brand for your art. People want to know how they are going to be treated when they buy your art. This is why every artist needs to read The E-Myth.

The Tao of Watercolors

Most people get their first introduction to watercolor as a child with the small watercolor sets. I remember as a child sitting down at the table with my set and brusha pile of copy paper, and my mother fussing to find a cup that I could use to wash my brush. She knew I was going to make a mess and not clean up after myself (at least not to her standards --isn't this the way it always is?) I even remember a few times she would sit down and paint with me. My paintings never came out as beautiful as hers.

Today, I've found that there are some watercolors that I like and others I don't. I've been mostly an oil and acrylic painter since I started, but books like this make me want to branch out into watercolors. Even though most kids get their first art exposure with watercolors, it's a hard art form to learn.

Jeanne's paintings are beautiful and inspiring. The Tao behind the art is well worth the read for any artist.

Art Calendar Magazine

One of my must reads every month. I love Jack White's column -- he's got such a no-nonsense approach to art business.

48 Days

I'm a huge Dan Miller fan. I listen to his weekly podcast during my commute to work. He keeps me inspired. I love his perspective that you can do work you love.

The Go-Giver

It's a known fact that people like to buy from people they trust. Social media is all about giving content to get people to trust your knowledge about a product or service. Keep this in mind while you're reading it if you do a lot of social media.

Rurouni Kenshin

[Another post listed from my main blog]


A few years ago, my son and I were sitting in the doctor's office waiting for his appointment. While he felt horrible, I was secretly glad to get a few more minutes in to read Rurouni Kenshin. I think I was on volume 13 or so. My son asked if he could see my book even though he hadn't started reading the series yet. Humoring him, I handed it to him. He flipped to the end of the book and announced, "Aren't you going to be sad when Kenshin leaves?" What!?!! I snatched the book back from him. No! Kenshin couldn't leave! That's the way the story was going. I had feeling it was going to happen, so I knew but I was in denial. I flipped to the end to see what my son had seen in one little flash: Kenshin walking away. And in that moment, I felt devastated. The rest of the volume just wasn't the same after that. If you're wondering what this "manga" is, let me just give a short description. It's a thick comic book (usually compiled of several "chapters") started in Japan. As such, the book reads from right page to left page, opposite of what Americans are use to. There are also Korean comic books that look similar but read from left to right. We've also come to know them under the umbrella term "graphic novel." Rurouni Kenshin was the first manga that I'd encountered with both great art and a multi-layered character. They weren't just two-dimensional representations though the lines on the page said otherwise. I fell in love with the characters and their stories. As such, I devoured all 28 volumes as quickly as I could. Yes, even though my son had thrown a spoiler in, I kept reading - I just had to know what happened to these characters. At one point, I was even crying over the story line. Isn't that what great writing is about? Involving the reader deeply enough to make an emotional investment in the story? The author, Nobuhiro Watsuki, also had little "interruptions" in the story to tell you about his life. Since I'm someone who loves to see how other artists work, this was a wonderful insight for me. I loved these clips and felt like I got to know Watsuki personally. It was like a little blog in the story. This is what inspired me to put my own "end notes" in my chapters for the printed versions of Sacred Knight and Weblinks. And the artwork, have I mentioned the artwork? Not only are the colored prints included the volumes beautiful, but I learned a lot from Watsuki's raw sketches included at the beginning of some of the chapters. And I used the building to work on perspective exercises. I had a heck of a time convincing my boys (who were the ones that got me hooked on the Yu-gi-oh manga) to read Rurouni Kenshin, but once they did, they were reading it as quickly as I was. It's still a manga we all treasure -- spoilers and all.

The War of Art

Do you suffer from procrastination? Can you procrastinate about your procrastination problem? Pressfield talks about the root of procrastination and how to overcome it. It's a book I keep coming back to and rereading.

Demon Diary

[This is a duplicate post from my Wordpress blog -- mostly a test to figure out how this works.]


I'm very picky about the art in the manga I read. I don't like it too simple and I don't like it cluttered so that nothing makes sense. If I can't "read" the art easily, if it doesn't enhance the story, there's no way I can get into the text. 


Demon Diary has brilliant art, although it had it's own trials while being written. The artist changed after the first book. The original artist was a college student who didn't have time to work on it. I think it came as a shock to the author who was excited to have the book released and now it looked like it might fall apart if the publisher couldn't find another artist. Fortunately, they found a great artist and the art didn't suffer from the change. In fact, if one wasn't aware of the fact that the artist changed, it might not be noticeable at all. The clothes and setting are all beautifully done. As for the story, I was a little disappointed in the third volume when the story took a different turn than I was expecting. It flowed very well into this new story, but I still want the other story. I'm so determined to some day write a version of Demon Diary as I wanted to see it. That's the great thing about writing. If a story goes on another tangent, then the writer reading the story can pick up the story line that interests them and make it their own. Sammy Hagar once said that he wrote songs because when he was listening to other people's songs he thought they were singing one thing but the lyrics turned out to be something else, so he "stole" what he thought it was originally and put it into his songs. My favorite character is Eclipse. Not only is he cool, but I think I can identify with his plight to raise up this new demon lord right. It's a mother thing, I'm sure. The parts where Raenef tries so hard to be a demon lord, but is just too pure of heart to be evil, are hilarious. In the end, the story takes a couple strange turns, but leaves the reader wanting more. Oh, so much more could be written about this story. If you're wondering if Angel Diary (also by the same author and artist) is related to Demon Diaries, I have to sadly say, "No." I was really hoping the two were related, but they aren't. Again, something I'll have to add to my own list to write someday. I'm finding it much harder to get into Angel Diary, mostly because of my own disappointment I believe. Someday I'll give it a fair shake and start reading it over. But for now, I'm enjoying Eclipse way too much.