Elliott ArtWorks

Looking for a One of a Kind Gift?

2010-11-09T12:40:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone! I have been amazingly busy and distracted at the same time lately, so I apologize for not updating my weblog in over a month! I've been working on a few projects and have been meaning to update the site for a while. I have finally been able to put some art work up for sale though! The Elliott Art Works Store is OPEN! I have several original graphite illustrations I have done for

What does your profile picture say about you?

2010-09-27T12:15:00.000-04:00

Your profile picture says a lot about who you are and what's important to you. If you have a photo of yourself in a business suit, looking very professional, then you probably use your social networking profiles seriously. You use them as another weapon in your arsenal of marketing yourself to potential clients. If you have a photo of your children, then you are probably more interested in

Have you tried ArtRage?

2010-09-24T14:00:00.000-04:00

I love ArtRage! It is a great little graphics program that is super easy to learn! On the surface, it doesn't look like much. It has a very clean interface and isn't cluttered up with a bunch of ugly boxes and tabs all up and down the sides. The nodes are all soft and organic, with rounded edges and you can even change the colors to something that appeals more to you. ArtRage is amazingly easy to

Where am I going and what am I doing?

2010-09-17T13:29:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted up anything on the old weblog. I was sitting around, staring into space, after the morning routine of hitting the job boards, looking for work. This past year has certainly been a roller coaster of emotions for my family and me. Losing a job we had held for ten years for standing up for what was right, then moving to Ohio for another position similar to the

Do you really think you have any privacy?

2010-08-27T14:15:00.001-04:00

Once again, Facebook is under the gun for privacy issues with their new "Facebook Places" application. Similar to Foursquare (which no one seems to have a problem with privacy wise) people can check in from anywhere using their smart phone and all your friends will know where you are, where you've been and what you're doing as long as they are using the app as well. If you want to disable

Is Antoine Dodson a hero?

2010-08-20T15:12:00.001-04:00

You bet he is. I certainly hope he gets as much money as he possibly can from protecting his sister from being another rape victim. He is in the middle of his fifteen minutes of fame and I hope he makes the best of it! You have to give kudos to the Gregory Brothers at Auto Tune The News from Barelypolitical.com for doing such a fantastic job on the song, too. This is the full version of the

Are you looking forward to Guild Wars 2?

2010-08-11T11:49:00.000-04:00

I know I am! My main character, Dela Darklodina on Guild Wars just turned 5 last week. Between my children and I, we have 14 character slots. I think at least 4 of them are my mules! I've tried tons of MMORPG's, but I keep coming back to Guild Wars. The game looks great, runs great and plays great. It does suffer from lack of anything meaningful to do once you've completed the main story arcs,

Have you added your Behance Portfolio to your Linked In profile?

2010-08-09T16:19:00.000-04:00

By themselves, the Behance Network and Linked In are two really great resources for professionals in the graphic arts field. Now they have combined to allow your portfolio from Behance to show on you Linked In profile page. This is really nifty because potential clients won't have to navigate away from your Linked In profile to view samples of your work. It's simple to set up and edit.

Do you sell your work online?

2010-08-06T13:21:00.001-04:00

"Streetwalkers" Do any of you artists sell your work online via web site, ecommerce site or eBay? I'm unsure of whether to sell art directly from my site, or somewhere like etsy or a dedicated art site. As an experiment, I've put up three illustrations I have done for Holistic Designs Fading Suns Role Playing Game for auction on eBay. "Meditation" "Streetwalkers" "Meditation"

Do you want to take a trip to an uncharted, pristine land?

2010-08-02T14:29:00.001-04:00

Brynn Metheney is a phenomenal artist I met on CGHUB For the past two years, she has been working on a personal project. The Morae River. The Morae River is the sole water source for all the inhabitants who dwell in the delicately balanced ecosystem of Solturna. Brynn says, "The Morae River Project started out as an exercise in world building but has grown into a personal exploration in

Did you know you can add Google Analytics to your Facebook Page?

2010-07-30T18:30:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wished you could have as much detail about visits to your Fan page on Facebook as you can with your web page using Google Analytics? Now you can! A web development company in london has developed a workaround to Facebook's limited java script and has come up with a clever way to allow any box or tab utilizing Static FBML, to be connected to Google Analytics! I tried it yesterday,

Ang Gouy. Works In Progress.

2010-07-28T12:53:00.001-04:00

I love the creative process! I enjoy looking through other artist's sketch books because I feel that's where the raw, embyronic creativity begins. Only when the vision becomes placed on the page, does it truly begin to live. I also enjoy it when artists post up a WIP, or Work In Progress. The most well attended panels I ever had at conventions were my demos. I would have about an hour to sketch

Do you use social media when looking for new clients?

2010-07-27T16:48:00.000-04:00

Hi all, Years ago, it was enough to to lug your portfolio around and show it to every AD and company you could get it in front of. If you were lucky enough to have an artist's rep do it for you, then you probably have already paid those early dues! I think the majority of illustrators don't make enough to justify having a full time rep. Maybe I am totally off base on this. I have been looking at

Some New Old Art!

2010-07-25T18:52:00.001-04:00

Derek and Brandy Spraker are friends of mine that I've known and loved for quite a while. They're partly responsible for putting together Libertycon, one of the many great southern cons we have here in the States. They, along with many, many others have been major supporters of me over the years, purchasing my art and letting me be a guest numerous times. I even got to be the Master of Ceremonies

The Sketchbook Project.

2010-07-22T15:18:00.001-04:00

This is amazingly cool. Just check it out and sign up. I am! It looks like a blast!

Set Up Your Social Media Diamond

2010-07-21T15:38:00.000-04:00

Hi All, I really like social media. I don't claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but my experience in advertising still kicks in every once in a while and free advertising is a good thing. Social Media Marketing = Free Advertising. There are a lot of great things about social media marketing, not only for the big companies but for anyone. The Old Spice campaign has proved

More Amazing Art

2010-07-18T12:34:00.001-04:00

Hi All, I work a lot in graphite. I have a love for all things pencil and when I come across another graphite artist that I enjoy, I just have to share! Andrew Read is a a welsh artist who specializes is portrait work. He has a great style and he really captures the likenesses of his subjects. I especially love the way he handles eyes. The viewer is drawn right to them! He is available for

Do you struggle with this?

2010-07-17T18:17:00.002-04:00

Sometimes when I work on a painting, it just doesn't seem to come together at all. This was one of those paintings. In a previous article, I talked about CGHB, the awesome people there, the awesome art and the awesome ongoing challenges they have all the time. I've only had time to do the Creature Planets Challenge a couple of times. This creature to the left is a piece submitted a couple of

The Seelie Players

2010-07-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

The Seelie Players is a traveling entertainment group that consists of a rotating cast of dancers, models, actors, and gymnasts. On the ground, walking among humans, these creatures are the epitome of grace, strength, and ethereality; in the air on their cloud swing--even more so. Their act is something that is meant to be experienced, not just seen. If you are willing to let go of your ties

The Most Awesomest Thing Ever!

2010-07-14T18:33:00.003-04:00

I've often wondered what the most awesomest thing ever was and now this website will tell me. The site pits two items, celebrities, concepts or whatever against each other in a never ending search to find out what the most awesomest thing ever is! It has some pretty funny match ups sometimes. Right now, Life is ranked number one, which is good. The Internet is ranked number two and oxygen is

Contacts Into Contracts

2010-07-13T21:38:00.000-04:00

I am an independent contractor. I am not a freelancer. Freelancing has a bad vibe these days. Several years ago, I didn't mind being called a freelancer. It was like a badge of honor. Being a rogue freelancer was like being a specter in the night, ready to pounce and rescue people in need of something they themselves could not provide. The explosion of the available talent pool coupled with the

Stomping Zombie Shaman

2010-07-12T19:00:00.000-04:00

Hi All! Just wanted to stop in and post up my latest illustration. It's a Zombie. Not just any zombie, a SHAMAN zombie. It's got sticks for legs and it's in a swamp. How can you go wrong with that? If you like it, leave a comment or something. I don't have any comments and I know people look at the site because my stats tell me so. I don't click on my own site THAT much! Feeling kind of crazy!

Robosteel!

2010-07-10T21:54:00.000-04:00

Hi All! I really don't have too much to say about this other than it's almost the coolest thing ever. They say if you have enough money, you could get almost anything and if I had enough money, I'd get me a few of these. Robosteel is in Ireland, but they will ship anywhere in the world. All their sculptures are made from recycled steel and welded. They do have some smaller pieces for sale. I

When is Social Media going to implode?

2010-07-09T15:58:00.000-04:00

I like Social Media. I like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Blogging. I like the way social media presents a totally FREE platform where "independent contractors" like myself can market themselves, share ideas, meet other people and network. Networking is vital in order to turn contacts into contracts. Armed with a few effective tools, an individual can make a presence on the web and

CGHUB Challenge!

2010-07-06T12:29:00.000-04:00

Saturday, I posted a bit about the awesome CGHUB site and got some shout outs tossed my way, which was a pleasant surprise, so thanks to Shane and the good folks at CGHUB! They encourage participation in their challenges and Jams like, 2D drawing Jams, 3D Jams, Storytellers and Creature Planets. Now they have a new one! CharacterForge! Check out the info, it's gonna be good! I worked up a piece