The Drawing Board

MUSIC MAKERS and MUPPET LOVERS!

2011-11-05T16:39:00.001-07:00

MUSIC MAKERS AND MUPPET LOVERS!
record your version of any muppets song you want and be featured on youtube. we're doing seven videos in seven days for the muppets movie release and we want your music. You need to finish everything and send it to imaginarioustudios@yahoo.com before november 18th. don't forget to send along all the information you want us to link to. (websites, youtube channels, facebook pages, performance dates, etc.) feel free to make your own youtube video performing your song and we'll gladly link it all!

NEVERENDERS, Street Teams and more!

2010-11-06T00:16:00.001-07:00

We meet again chums! It’s the fifth which means another big update on eastmanartist.com. These next few months are kind of a trial period but starting January 5th there WILL be 5 updates on the fifth of every month. This month unfortunately there won’t be that many updates. Ya see the clothing and store were supposed to go live 10-31, but four days before, Michigan had a ridiculous wind storm with up to 50mph winds which of course hit my home and studio. So, not only was I without electricity for 3+ days all the paypal buttons I was building for all the products were lost as soon as my laptop battery died and there was no way to save them at the time. Major fail kids, major fail.

You may be saying to yourself, “yo Jenny, what’s the deal. Why not just do it now.” because in my head you all are so stupid fresh! But the answer is now its November and I’m off to another project which will take up a good portion of my time. I’m aiming for the December update but in all honesty it may be January. Never fear my little neverenders! Since I’m so nice and feel really bad for having to postpone (even though it’s not my fault at all) I’ve decided to drop something that was definitely not supposed to come out for a good long while. I can’t give you a peek yet ’cause it wouldn’t be a surprise but let me tell you they look awesome! Oh what the hell it’s the new scavenger hunt on my website. This one is hidden REALLY well, just go to eastmanartist.com and go to the “more stuff” page to find out how to play!

On to the next area of business. STREEEET TEEEEAMERS! Since I am starting a new line that means I need your help! For the low low price of $1 along with a SASE you will receive an official NVRNVY stencil Hand made by me just for your enjoyment.
When you join the street team a.k.a. NVRNVY army you will take your little stencil out on the town and get creative! I haven’t banged out all the details of the first contest yet but street teamers get to compete in exclusive contests for free NE stickers, cash off clothing and you could even get your action shots of yourself wearing my clothes posted on the website. Keep your eyes open on my facebook and twitter for more information!

Finally last but certainly not least, imaginarious. Some of you may already know that imaginarious studios is my new baby where I produce all my videos and soon to come animations and now it has it’s own website. The website is made up of very clean lines with a simple design…. except for the bit with television and working interactive remote control of course. I just got the idea for that about three days ago and hope to find a better looking remote at some point. If any of you have a really old remote you want to contribute send me a high resolution picture at eastmanartist@yahoo.com . But for now I think it looks pretty cool. So, go check out the site, watch some videos, and go ahead and send me your youtube challenges and whatnots. (Please don’t send in anymore requests for “team jacob” and “team edward” video requests they’re already being filmed)

Speaking of animation, I want to thank all of you that care! I love that you’re so interested, you’re getting heated about when things are coming out. I started as a big time animator just this last august, since then I have written six animated shorts and my first one is coming out soon. Sheesh, I’m one person ya know! But thanks for your concern. Cyber hugs!!

Quick shout out to all my customers still waiting for their commissions, you’re patient little buggers. They’re coming soon.

That’s about all this month thanks for checkin’ my stuff out and see you in December!

“Don’t Call it a Come Back!”

2010-10-08T02:39:00.001-07:00

Seriously! Don’t call it a comeback, I have not gone anywhere. In fact, I’ve been here for years. Rocking my peers and putting suckas in fear! Or, wait maybe that was…. anyway I haven’t really gone anywhere I’ve just been busy preparing myself for this very moment. Everything has been planned, calculated and is supposed to go smoothly but lets go ahead and cross our fingers anyway just for fun.

I know this is a bit late but last weekend I got a genius idea and had to include it in the “don’t call it a come back!” extravaganza! So I'm sorry for the slight delay but it was TOTALLY worth it!

There’s been quite a few changes obviously the first one is the website. It’s finally done and works correctly this time. We spent over a year designing it to look “thrown together” yea that’s kind of sad, but It does relate to my personality and work style a lot better than my past websites have. And don’t forget to check back the 5th day of every month to see the monthly update of art, videos and such. I think like it (not that I won’t tweak it here and there), there will be all kinds of little clickables and fun things as time goes on like the scavenger hunts and live chat! Every once in a while when I'm dorking about on the computer I'll post something on twitter or facebook and have a livechat with you all.

The scavenger hunts are kind of exciting. Every once in a while I’ll post something like” this is hidden somewhere, anywhere on the website (eastmanartist.com) and whoever wins gets to see the secret content an ENTIRE MONTH before anyone else gets to. It can be anything from new videos, clothing sales, contests, whatever I feel like. this month is really ridiculous :) . So it would probably be a good idea to go to eastmanartist.com and find this …… I'm just sayin’!

As far as YouTube goes, I’ve been stock filming and editing videos to stay ahead of myself so far so good. I think there will be a new video every other month until January and then it may change to a new video every month or even more often…. I’m not sure yet. I kind of have to track my monthly internet usage and whatnot before I can’t make any serious commitments but definitely every other month. I’ve been playing with the idea of other types of videos on my channel too. Of course there will be more speed drawings and sketches. and now I’ll be adding animation goodies like pencil tests and full length shorts. We might even be seeing some appearances of my repulsively adorable puppies on YouTube! you’ll have to wait and see because my videos like everything else I do is getting better all the time! Don’t forget to “thumbs up”, comment, rate, favorite, and/or subscribe and all that junk. And now I’m taking YouTube challenges. Yea, that’s right if you have anything you want to see me draw or a certain way you want me to draw them. Send me your ideas and the best ones will be chosen.

My long awaited public commissions list is officially open so stop by and fill out the form to place your order and get on the ever growing list. you can order anything from a super cute mini painting for $5 to your own custom sketches, portraits, hoodies, shoes, and even things like custom skate decks and snowboards! So, send in your requests soon! Side note: no matter what you order, you are added to the list the day your order is placed and my list is STRICKLY first come first serve! so, be patient little chummeroos!

I’ll be away again little chums, but not to worry! I’ll only be off getting my NEVERENDERS and NVRNVY (that’s neverenvy for all you newbs) fall/winter clothing line ready for October 31st release! you’ll hear all about it nov. 5th.

I think that’s about it for this month I’ve got a very exciting 3 day weekend to attend to, seeing as I’ve been awake for the past two weeks I’ll pretty much just be sleeping. I hope you like the new site, and have fun playing the scavenger hunt, and don’t forget to order your commissions early!

g’night everybody!

EASTMANartist Digitized!

2010-08-11T17:35:00.001-07:00

DIGITIZE ME CAPTAIN!

I’m taking a little break from the pastel 100 to talk at you a second. Something very exciting is on it’s way to the studio, it should be here in just a few weeks and it will change the way i do art forever! well, not really but it’s a big change, it’s my wacom tablet you sillies! I’m overly excited about this addition. I’ve been watching the wacom youtube channel every day, drooling over the website and product pictures…. it’s a problem.

I’m already planning fun things to do with my new toy…er… I mean creative tool. Before I even open the box I’ll be starting the filming of a stop-motion animation thingeroo from the… never mind you’ll see it when it’s done. The tablet also helps us scribblers with things like digital drawings/paintings, comic books, clothing designs, and ANIMATION! did you know it takes at least 24 sheets of paper for just one second of animation, YEA so drawing tablets will definitely save a tree or two in this studio! I may even be getting into 3d animation which I never thought would be possible. This also means a new kind of drawing video. You’ve seen me actually draw in front of the camera but these new videos will be a little different.
I’ll still be doing the same ‘ol everyday Live from the Drawing Board videos in fact here’s episode one just for you guys. My little I’m sorry because the new site isn’t out until sept….I felt bad.

I’ll be recording my first ever drawing experience with the tablet but I can’t quite decide what to draw so send me some suggestions and I’ll pick my favorite.

OH and my NEVERENDERS’ first fall line goes on sale Halloween night!!!!

And don’t forget to check out Eastmanartist.com, go to the commissions page to send in your request to reserve your space on my growing commissions list!

Alright, I think that’s about it I best be getting back to the lab!

Commissions List

2010-08-09T17:54:00.001-07:00

If you have not heard yet my public commissions list opens again Sept. 25! I put a little rush on it. It wasn’t scheduled to open until November but I need some cash flow right now. I’ve resorted to taking paid online surveys…. yea, I know! So, if you want something done go to EASTMANartist.com right now and click the commissions page then fill out and send in the form that looks like this.

after I accept it your name is put on the order list which is strictly first come first serve. I’d hurry and reserve my spot if I were you the list is filling up quickly!

What are the order possibilities you ask?! well……
1. mini painting (tiny cartoony watercolor paintings of anything you want) they start at $5
2. sketches start at $10 available in regular or skribbly (skribbly is cheaper)
3.tattoos (when you order you get the finished art + the line art which you can take into any tattoo shop to use as the stencil)
4. digital art (these are brand new but i wouldn't suggest ordering unless you have a photo printer!)
5. portraits or other fine art
6. miscellaneous this can be anything if you want me to draw on your cell phone, skateboard, shoes, washing machines as long as you pay the full shipping I’ll do it!

there’s also going to be some custom clothing, shoes, skate/snow boards and other such things you wont be able to get anywhere else! more on this in September!!!!

later chums!

He’s here, he’s here, he’s finally here!!!

2010-04-25T22:34:00.001-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to introduce you all to the newest member of the EASTMANartist/imaginarious family!!!

His name is Pudge, the star of my first animated short, Catnippin’ written and animated by…. yours truly! It’s about a cat who tries catnip for the first time which is a lovely experience until the paranoia sets in. Just a bunch of silliness complete with a fight scene and a dance sequence.

back to the lab again.

2010…. It’s gonna be HUGE!!!

2010-01-04T18:31:00.001-08:00

I’m not one for resolutions and such but this year feels different. I think it’s mainly because when you say the year it finally sounds cool…. TWENTY-TEN, it has a ring to it, kind of like 2012 but without so much terror behind it. It’s only January 4th and I've already gotten some amazing opportunities presented to me for no apparent reason. Why am I so LUCKY!?

Way back when I was signing the contract for my book deal my mind wasn't on the deal or even the book for that matter, it was on the release. I was planning it in my imagination and how I'd essentially sell mass quantities of these little books of mine. The dream release wound up involving an accompanying solo art show. There was one problem, You see people my age don’t just get solo shows handed to them.

A week or so ago I decided that if this art show was ever going to happen, I’d have to make it happen which is usually the way things work for me. So i started looking into local galleries and flat out asking them if this would ever be able to happen and now I've gotten several emails back from said galleries asking to see a presentation of some work so now I'm off creating like I've never created before to build a nice presentation for these fine people. Wish me luck!!!

Which brings me to my next point…..

That big mega release of the clothing, site and such has unfortunately been pushed back, obviously to give me time to build the gallery presentation and to make the clothing and website that much better! So the check list for April Release is the following

launch NEVERENDERS clothing (fall/winter) on sale HALLOWEEN 2010
a whole bunch of new art from the book(s)
Unearthly Covenant comic art and illustrations
sneak peek of episode one of my drawing videos
New fancy flash website
and a possible super secret surprise

So people who are excited about my clothing line, this is your chance to get involved! If you have any ideas for what you’d like to see on my t-shirts, hoodies, etc. LET ME KNOW! I mean, I know what I like but this launch is about you. You’ll be wearing this stuff, so make your suggestions. I’ll think them over, play with the ones that stick and you could see your ideas for sale in the store this spring.

Off to the lab!

What do i have to do with yoko ono, billy currington and dog the bounty hunter of all people!? well...

2009-08-12T02:20:00.001-07:00

they follow me on twitter you sillies! and now you can too. Come and join my tens of fans and stay up to date with the constant hilarity and biz related updates via la revolution that is TWITTER!!!!

http://www.twitter.com/eastmanartist

Thanks chums!

Jenny

(p.s. If you twitter you could be just like ashton and demi ! i'm just sayin....)

EASTMANartist Releases Jackson Tribute

2009-06-30T00:51:00.001-07:00

On June 25, 2009 Michael Jackson died. The King of Pop music is gone but he will never be forgotten and neither will all the great music he gave us. I am deeply saddened by this.

I have taken time out of my busy schedule and designed a special edition shirt and poster in memory of the late great MJ. This design is an early release from my clothing line set to debut in mid-late fall. I hope you enjoy and my heart goes out to all of you…

-Jenny Eastman

(click photos to go directly to the store)

Limited Number of Posters Available

Addressing some issues, making some updates

2009-02-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

I decided today would be the day I sit down and do some updates despite my heavy heartedness. This morning after finishing a design for the new site , there was a freak accident and I some how deleted ALL of my picture files! This may not have been the first time… and yet I still haven’t learned the lesson. I am confident I’ll make the April 25 new site debut, with the Unearthly Covenant, Live Simple site debuts to follow along with the opening of the store.

The new site was set to debut March 25 but I’ve since been asked to star in a gallery show with an April 1st deadline so It was kind of a hang up. It was an honor being asked and I am excited to do it even though it’s a bit of a touchy subject. Um… here’s what I’ve got so far (I hope my father doesn’t see this) ...

Now on to the nitty gritty, The new site is going to be quite cool. A lot more of my personality will be involved in the design because I designed it. Here’s a little sneak peak of the unfinished welcoming page.

A lot of work went into that, and that’s only the opening page that you’ll see once during the visit… but it looks cool and they say the first impression is most important. I like it, it’s very 1960’s rock concert poster which speaks to me.

Unearthly Covenant has unfortunately been put on the back burner but I have been fitting things in like this snipperoo from a poster…

And this hero line up for the new UC site

My book is going smashingly! I have a great start on it, really good subjects lined up to go in and I have really high hopes for nothing short of a success! The artwork going into the book is a lot more diverse. I have subjects lined up from wild life to architecture, a lot of music inspired pieces and my favorite and the always popular portraits. I do have some new experimental type stuff going in there which should be cool… I’m really, very excited.

Live Simple is one of my newest ventures. Live Simple is charity line I’ve started. It’s something that I can focus more of my cartoony, silly energy into projects and the best part is it’s all for charity! There’s a lot of clothing, toys, prints and other goodies. Most of them are designed with their designated charity in mind. There is going to be pet/ animal calendars and posters, with contests! People who send in the funniest/cutest animal picture will get a spot in the calendar and probably another little prize I’m not sure, I have a lot of kinks to work out but if you’re reading this now and you want to just send the pictures in before the home site is designed and everything’s worked out send them to jenny@eastmanartist.com and I’ll make sure you’re counted. Otherwise stay tuned.

And the newest addition to the EASTMANartist Production Company is….
Well I’m going to keep this one under wraps for a bit but it’s something that I’m ecstatic about, I can’t wait! Again stay tuned and you’ll see it in a bit… alright it’s the store BUT not only that it’ll be an entire clothing line designed by me! Just wait. I’m very excited.

As always I’ve got a lot of projects lined up and I’m stretched to get them done. Check back around April for the new site and the other little offspring sites to come soon after.

A Proud Moment!

2008-06-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

It's about that time I check in with you kids. I've been REALLY busy these past couple months getting ready for the Dow Museum art competition/ exhibition. So far so good... I've got only one of the three things done that I was trying for and. I’ve decided to put Jimi Hendrix in there with my entry too just because as we all know two's better than one but three would've been great, ah there's always next year.

And here for the first time is the still untitled thing I miraculously pulled off! I'm pretty happy with it. It's background is soft pastel, mid-ground is colored pencil and ink and the foreground is oil. I was trying for a three dimensional look with the three layers of different material, which actually turned out well. Unfortunately you can only see the effect in person. Well anyway it's on it's way to the museum and I’m hoping for the best obviously.

This drawing is also going to be featured on the site in a kind of demonstration type thing. It wasn’t my idea but it should turn out pretty cool. It’s mainly to show how I break everything down and layer it in, to do what I do. I don’t know if it’s the best idea because people will find out that I don’t know what I’m doing and that I suck at this job but oh well.

It's been pointed out to me that the new store has no items. I already knew this... the thing is you weren't supposed to see it yet. I got it all hooked up and I’m still getting samples and things
to show on the site, little did I know you can't hide a store link. It turns out building a website ALL by yourself is harder than it looks! My little internet helper recently decided he needed to take on a real form of employment, one that pays… pssht! So, I’ve taken over everything and he fills in the blanks. Items are coming soon even though I have a 5 item limit so I’m trying to work around that and get all the other work done. I'll put a notice up in various places when it's done and shopable.

Now to the best news of... well the year! One morning while perusing myspace I stumbled across a delightful message written to me from none other than Drew Hastings pointing me to his myspace blog. There I found this…

Which was AMAZING! I, believe it or not, approved this message!

Ya know, most people would see this written about themselves and be like, “What a jerk, he just called me a psycho.” Not me, I think it’s great. I LOVE it! It’s completely silly. But I guess I should probably try and defend myself, especially after some of the messages I’ve received. Like maybe people think the words are too big for me, and I don’t understand what it means.

Now, if I was looking at this for the first time I wouldn’t necessarily say the picture embodies a schizophrenic psycho. I would think of it as more of a Newport cigarette magazine ad with all the really happy people smoking, laughing having a great time on boats and at picnics, eating jelly beans! Like maybe If I smoked these cigarettes I’d be this happy.

Look at the mug on that kid… who wouldn’t want some of that happiness?! That is absolute unadulterated joy the kind of joy that only comes from watching Drew’s Irked &Miffed dvd. I mean it must be good if I’m still backing it despite the plethora of seemingly offensive remarks made by Mr. Hastings!

The truth is I pretty much feel like I’ve humiliated myself and others which it’s not the first time but I think in the end it’ll be for the betterment of all man kind! That’s just the way I feel!

you can see the real thing and buy the dvd at: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=46459577&blogID=409173577 AND
www.DrewHastings.com

That’s about all I have to report for now I wound up leaving the entry shipping, cd booklet stapling and check writing to my mother. Listen… she wanted to be my manager! I think that pretty much comprises managerial duties! I’m actually more of my own manager until I don’t have enough in the bank to cover a entry fee (at least I can admit it!). I got to go get started on some other projects and get the character illustrations up while I bite my nails and pace through the house until August 29th when I hear if my stuff has been accepted for the preliminaries or not… ugh!

Final note and word to the wise… DON’T LET YOUR MOTHER BE YOUR MANAGER!

Infotainment

2008-05-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of infotainment lately, I’ve been busy trying to get EASTMANartist Productions straightened back out and organized again after the big move! Do you see how great that sounded? In that one sentence I made it sound like I run a huge corporation where in reality it’s a home-made office stationed in a basement! Gotta love the English language! Anyway we’ve been busy here regardless of the company’s size and I figured I’d check in.

I'm going to say it here first, I’m not going to be taking any of your projects for a bit, I’ve got a lot of things piling up on my desk and I can’t take on any more stuff right now. Unless of course you’re willing to pay large sums of money, somebody has to pay for all the pencils I go through! If you do have a project for me and you think I’ll accept it; email me with the basics and I’ll get back to you.

Now, on to business!

This week starts my two week vacation. I know many of you think I should probably use the term “vacation” loosely because yes, I in fact, work for myself at home. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t have it easy because I do but whether you accept it or not what I do IS real work! And on the brighter side I don’t have to worry about gas prices… Now what kind of smart comment do you have for me, hmmmm?!? No offense to you, my readers but I’ve been ridiculed a lot lately by people with these so called real jobs who have to answer to bosses and such whereas I don’t. I also don’t have to concern myself with taxes, wages and whatnot. Attack me again though, I mean really!

Anyway, aside from being mocked lately I did indeed start my vacation. I’m not really one to just out of nowhere go on vacation much less take a break of any kind but I’ve got some pretty big projects coming up in the next two months and I’m taking this break to get ready for them. These big projects happen to be three brand new things to be submitted to the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art for the 48th annual Greater Michigan Art Exhibition. This show is one of the last statewide shows in Michigan and it’s kind of a big deal and if I do it right I could win. This break is basically me running around till I figure out what on Earth to do and how I’m going to do it the night before the deadline.

But this being the second maybe third day of my vacation I’ve realized some things. Now, I should preface this by saying, it’s been a while since I’ve had some real human contact. And generally when this sort of thing happens to me… my mind starts to wander. My mind wandering can be construed as both a good and bad thing as it could become material for future cartoons, comic strips, whatever or a click or two closer to my being committed, either way it serves a purpose.

I've realized that a lot of my friends that are younger than me are starting to have children and get married where as my main concern is may hair...

I've also realized that televison is just ridiculous anymore.

Now I’m not one for a lot of television, obviously I have my cartoons that I watch frequent, Seinfeld and a movie or two here and there but tv lately has just become one train wreck after the other. I don’t know if any of you have had the pleasure of seeing some of these vh1 reality shows or not but let me ruin it for you… It’s not reality or anything resembling reality for that matter. Since on my break I have had the opportunity to watch some of these bits of reality like middle aged rock stars trying to find true love by gathering a bunch of young money grubbing girls together, or watching has been television stars try and cope with everyday life. It’s horrible I think every time I watch these things I can almost feel my I.Q. dropping. And we wonder why Al Qaeda wants to kill us…

To demonstrate how well I am at taking breaks I’d like you all to see this. This is the start of one of my entries for the Alden B Dow Art show. I did this the first maybe second night of my vacation. And not only is it this far done and I have till mid-July to finish it, it’s that I stayed up until 4 in the morning doing it… there’s something wrong with that! I do like the coloring so far though... i'm not gonna lie it's pretty.

I’d like to take this time and thank the good people and Google.com! Whoever invented, set up or runs these google alerts… deserves a raise. This is the greatest tool I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if you know what this is, It is a program or something and you sign up to get emails when somebody google’s your keywords. So every time somebody types in something like your website, name, or various projects you’re affiliated with, you get an email and they tell you what they clicked. It’s amazing! So, THANK YOU GOOGLE!

Unearthly Covenant is semi-rapidly progressing! I’d show you but remember, I just started my vacation! But you all will just have to sit tight and wait it out! In the mean time why don’t you subscribe to my mailing list, I’d love to email you all with answers to your questions but I really don’t have the time. But I swear when everything’s up and going I’ll send out updates. I have put the entire UC project up on the shelf for now because all my energy is going into this Dow Art Show. But I’m going to try and at least get a quick cover sneak up here soon.

Alright, in fact in the heat of the moment , I will say right now, by July… at least August I will have some major updates. Since I said it here, I’ll have to stick with it. We’ll just pretend this is a legally binding document. Now, remember I didn’t say EVERYTHING would be updated I just said some! As of right now it’s just me running the website with everything else so it’s hard to juggle everything, and I can barely cheak my email but I’m working on it.

It’s been suggested to me that I try and increase the communication between myself and you people. I know I’ve mentioned on here before that I hate a writing theses things so it’s much easier just to put it off and forget about it. Then I realize it’s kind of important, some times I go off and wrap myself up in things so well it’s like I up and left the country! I’ll think about it, because I have to keep my legions of fans well informed to what I’m up to and where my stuff is. Like they’d drop everything they’re doing to truck across country just to see a picture I did! Anyway, ill try and something here and there, Maybe I’ll report something on how my vacation’s going with Vh1 celebreality drivel , crates of unwatched DVDs, the adventures of living in boon dock city, or maybe even some of my infamous shallow and neurotic exploration into meaningless detail. I don’t know, I’ll figure something out. I don't think you all realize how long one of these takes to write!

Anyway, until I get another free times slot…

Speaking of DVD’s run out and pick up a copy of Drew Hastings’ Irked and Miffed! (in stores now) I know I’ll be watching mine over the break! The truth is the guy owes me $50 and I’m just trying to get my money back!

"I Love it, i'm still hopping about and squealing with delight! "- Jenny Eastman

Q&A with Jenny Eastman and Christopher Schram

2008-04-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

Q &A with the creative team bringing you Unearthly Covenant.

What is the comic book about?

CHRISTOPHER SCHRAM: The book is about an ancient sect of vampires known as The Imperium that have covertly risen in power over the centuries, striving toward their goal of the complete dominance of Earth. Over the years, mankind has been able to stifle the vampire efforts, in one manner or another, with the help of an even smaller sect of nosferatu that do not wish to subjugate humans. The story focuses on the plight of this smaller sect and their human allies in forestalling the rising power of The Imperium.

JENNY EASTMAN: Exactly! Battle between good and evil type stuff, with vampires, werewolves and what not.

How are things going with it?

CS: I feel the book is coming along nicely. Both Jenny and I are quite busy in our daily lives, so the comic book is being worked on at a pace we are both satisfied with.

JE: Things aren’t going as well as I’d like them to but conflicting schedules,
technology hang-ups and what not keep me from doing what I should be doing with it. But the more time that goes by the more we get little ideas here and there, which will make the end result a better package. Actually, I’ve stopped just putting all the focus on the book itself. Right now, I’ve set the pages aside and really focused on the backbone of the story, characters, and settings. I think that if the foundation of the whole book is really strong I think it’ll have a better presence. Oh, and don’t forget about all the publicity we’re trying to spread online, which in itself is a full time job!

What’s it like working with an old teacher/ student?

CS: Most of the time it is a lot of fun, and then there are times one of us has a bad day, (laughs). I told Jenny she could call me by my first name now that we were colleagues, but she still calls me Mr. Schram.

JE: It’s funny, never in a billion years did I think I’d get along with a teacher well enough to actually work with them. He’s different though; he can pick up on sarcasm and can throw it right back which is always good with me. It’s not the same though (laughing) I know if I said half the things I say to him now I would’ve never gotten out of detention.

How about Jenny, with absolutely no comic book history what so ever what
made her the best choice to do all the art for the series?

CS: Jenny was a former student of mine and I enjoyed the artwork she shared with me. She contacted me via email after she had graduated and I mentioned to her that I had written a story line and background for a comic book a number of years ago. I knew Jenny enjoyed animation and cartoons, so I thought she'd be enthusiastic about working on the project. It seemed a natural choice.

What do you think of Mr. Schram as a writer?

JE: I think he’s a pretty good writer. I think it would be pretty hypocritical if he couldn’t write, being an English teacher and all. I have great respect for any writer because I’m doing roughly the same thing. Writing’s involved in creating a cartoon series and other things of that nature so I know how hard it can be. The way he’s got all the character backgrounds all intertwined with the mythology of their cultures comes together nicely. I think he did a good job.

Is there any friction in the partnership?

CS: I don't think so. We're both strong-willed and stubborn, but I think we give each other a good amount of flexibility with the project that there hasn't been any issue we couldn't deal with.

JE: Oh not really, there is the occasional berating and maybe a death threat here and there but for the most part we’re pretty civil to each other. But then we don’t see each other much and a lot of rage and hostility probably doesn’t get translated over the Internet. (Smiling)

Who’s the most important character and why?

CS: There is quite a cast of important characters that revolve around the struggle, but for the protagonists the main character is Justin Black. Justin is a guy in his early 20s that has had a number of issues many people have faced themselves, such parents that have divorced, and has had trouble coming to terms with that, thus causing him trouble in establishing his own personal relationships. He becomes involved in the centuries old struggle, breaking new ground and growing as a person while helping to defend an unknowing mankind. I think people will be able to easily relate to Justin's feelings because many have gone through some of the things he has, though probably not while dealing with vampires.

In the traditional sense of the word "villain" who are the real bad guys seeing as all the characters are eventually vampires or some other creature of the night?

CS: The true villains of the book are The Imperium, a group of nosferatu who are unique to all others in how they became vampires. There are five members representing five powerful ancient cultures that have come together to seek control of Earth. The most powerful of the five is a nearly 5600 year old nosferatu named Archaic.

JE: Basically, it’s not the fact that they’re all vampires or monsters it’s whether they use their power to do good or evil. The real bad guys are the original vampires obviously; they’re just straight up evil monsters. But I think that in the future we could see some the "good guys" being taken over by the power and appeal of the vampire lifestyle reminiscent of the rock and roll aspect of being famous which people usually give into. Power changes people usually in bad ways so we’ll see what happens!

What makes it such an exciting story, why would people want to buy it?

JE: People like monsters. I’ve never been a real big fan of vampires or monsters of any kind for that matter but people seem to like them and comic books evidently. So why not mix them together? It’s a cool story though, I’ve never heard of anything like it; it’s really different and exciting and I think it needs to be told.

CS: I think people have always been fascinated by the idea of vampires; the legends have been around for centuries. When those tales are drawn into a modern setting and told in a way that the reader sees how thin the line is between reality and fiction, they're thrilled.

Where did the idea come from?

CS: I have always had an interest in myths and legends, especially those that have been told for centuries. I incorporated this knowledge into playing Dungeons and Dragons, which allowed me to weave a tale of heroes and villains since the age of 10. I have also read comic books since I can remember, so once I thought of the tale it seemed the next natural step.

How did you research?

CS: My major in college was history, so much of the research wasn't too challenging in regards to the historical references. Much of the ideology regarding vampires, however, does not follow the norm often associated with the legends, but rather my own interpretation.

JE: Oddly enough I took a look at Kramer vs. Kramer which I found had nothing to do with vampires so needless to say I wasted a lot of good research time. I’m kidding, I brought home a bunch of vampire movies, books and read anything I could find online about them. He (Christopher Schram) pretty much had to teach me like a 2-year-old how it all works so I could understand every little character flaw of these things then eventually create them. I also read everything I could about comic books, the business of it, and how the game is played. Now, that I’m into the comic pretty heavily I can see it slowly taking over my life (Laughing) I’ll be in the dentist’s chair and I’ll be thinking about the book… which is sad.

With so many other comic books out there about vampires that are huge successes are you nervous about the competition?

JE: I’m not at all nervous. I think that if anything it’s the perfect time to have another vampire title come out. I think with the popularity of the buffy’s, angel’s and 30 days of night I think vampires are going to reach a whole new bracket of fans and leave them wanting to see more. Hopefully they’ll hear of this and generate some interest.

CS: I don't feel nervous at all. If the book is published I'll feel like it was a success because I am approaching the project with little expectations. Do I hope it does well? Of course, but it certainly isn't the top priority in my world. My family has that spot.

How did the comic book tie into your career plan?

CS: I can't say that it does, unless it somehow becomes a crazy success. If that happens I can decide then.

JE: Before I decided to start this project I had already had plans for comic strips, cartoons, illustrations, posters, and portraits. Comic books are certainly not a direction I even thought about once for myself but he came to me with a well-crafted story and characters that I was interested in so there ya have it!

How did you come up with the characters and their looks?

CS: The characters tie-in with my prior knowledge of history and I wanted their looks to reflect accurate representations of the cultures, at least for The Imperium. Justin and the other heroes are everyday people but I wanted their appearances to reflect something of their individual personalities. I gave Jenny a general overview of each character and some ideas on what I would like to see reflected in them, then said "Have at it!" (Laughs)

JE: Designing characters is really like casting a movie but I get to make the characters up myself. Mr. Schram gave me they’re basics and then gave me a little story to go with it, so I had to take all that and basically break it down and create this human being. (Laughing) Which is hard, it’s hard trying to reflect someone’s whole life through a drawing believe it or not. We have Justin Black who’s the outcast, with divorced parents and very introverted so I gave him kind of longish dark hair and kind of a punk look which now I see was probably a good choice. There’s also a villain who has had his flesh flayed off. I’ve gone back to this one probably 20 times sometimes he’d be too disgusting others he’d look almost lovable so that ones really hard. But in the end the illustrations will be up on the web site and you all can see for yourself how it all came together.

How do you feel about the new popularity of web comics and online networking portals, do you plan on using them to your advantage?

CS: I think this is a fantastic medium, allowing access to a vast audience. We already have a myspace for the book and it is featured on Jenny's web-site as well. We certainly plan to use the Internet as much as possible.

JE: I love it! The Internet has come so far in just a few years that it’s pretty much the only way to do business. Believe me, we are taking full advantage of the Internet and everything it has to offer. I’m working out a deal so our 5 page previews will be an actual web comic. My web site will be where the comic book lives, It’s got it’s own page, we have myspace, comicspace, deviantART and a growing list of many other networking site accounts… we’re going to be everywhere!

Who is your dream publisher if you were to get a submission accepted?

CS: I don't think I have a dream publisher. Some of the larger publishers like Marvel and DC would certainly have a large market to attract, but this type of book isn't really in their genre. There are a number of independent publishers who work with this type of stories, the largest probably being Dark Horse Comics.

JE: I just learned about publisher submissions. So, anyone that will take us (Laughing) I’m not picky when it comes to money.

If the comic was to become a major success, would you quit your jobs to focus on the comic and it’s future?

CS: That's a tough question but my first priority is my family, so unless the success meant a substantial amount of money (i.e. able to support my family for the rest of my life) I would continue working. Besides, teaching and interacting with my students is something I think I would miss
most days, anyway. (Laughs)

JE: Probably in a second. Any chance I have to stay away from the day to day workforce I’ll take. (Laughs) All I want to do is draw anyway. If I got the chance to do it all day no matter what I’d do it whether it be cartoons, comic books, or portraits in the park for 10 cents. Again, I’m not picky.

What do you think of interviews and just attention in general?

CS: I can't say I honestly think of interviews very often but I enjoy attention.

JE: It’s difficult to explain. I don’t really like the process of getting interviewed all that much, I don’t really think I’ve done anything yet that deserves that much attention. But then I realize how important interviews are to have in a career like this and I kind of just go with it but it is nice when it’s all over to know that it’s done I can relax a bit. The attention’s not all that bad…

What’s on the horizon?

CS: I've mentioned an animated feature of the book to Jenny, but I think that's far in the future.

JE: With the comic book there’s some plans for animated feature maybe even a series. That may be a ways off down the road though, before that happens we might see some animated shorts or teasers on my website, as well as webcomics. If nothing else we’ll have built an underground fan base, which is always cool. We will have some posters and some other kinds of merchandise one-day. As far as my other plans for work goes it’s kinda ridiculous (laughing) I’ve been working on several story lines but they’re all still early in the development phase. Most of them are going to be turned into comic strips or cartoons. Other than my usual I guess you’ll have to stick around and find out what happens my project list changes pretty often around here.

Unearthly Covenant First Look!

2008-04-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

We're providing you all with the first sneak peeks to the new comic book series, Unearthly Covenant, Created by Christopher Schram and Jenny Eastman. Alright, alright! It wasn't my idea it was Schram's, but still!

Unearthly Covenant
Creators: Christopher Schram and Jenny Eastman
Writer: Chirstopher Schram
Artist: Jenny Eastman
Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure

Unearthly Covenant is the story of an ancient sect of vampires that have covertly ruled the world for thousands of years and a splinter group that believe in free will that is attempting to undermine/ overthrow the rule of the larger group and reveal the situation to the unsuspecting human populace. The story focuses around a group of friends who are mistakenly drawn into this eternal struggle!

"This was the very first version of the cover to issue one. It's one of the main characters fighting a renegade vampire in a clearing... Glad we decided to change it!"

"The first layout from the new cover, just figuring out what Archaic should look like and how the cover should be laid out"

"The latest picture of the still unfinished cover but a little better of an idea of what the final with look like"

"Close up of some more of the main characters"

" The first sketch of the werewolf character one of the most enjoyable to draw"

Jenny Eastman in Verge Magazine

2008-02-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Artist Inspired by Music, Movies and her Grandmother
June 1, 2007
By Josh Grosteffon of the Midland Daily News

Jenny Eastman realizes it's going to be hard to break into the art world."The artistic career path is one of the hardest to be successful with, so you never really know what the future holds," she said.

But that doesn't mean she isn't going to try.Eastman, 20, has had her hands in a few different projects despite calling this year a break before heading off to art school. These projects include a comic book with a former teacher, a single-piece art auction for the American Cancer Society, entries for an exhibit at the Alden B. Dow Museum and pages of sketches and drawings displayed on her website at www.eastmanartist.com."As of right now, I'm building my portfolio for art school, which is a daily thing, pushing myself a little harder each day," she said.

The comic book is called "Unearthly Covenant" and is the story of a group of friends drawn into a struggle between an ancient sect of vampires that covertly rules the world and those trying to overthrow the secret undead overlords, she said.

"He (English teacher Christopher Schram) created it about 10 years ago and the artist he had lined up at the time didn't work out," Eastman said. "Now he's resurrected the idea and recruited me do to the artwork."

Eastman also completed another experiment, a charity auction of a work called "Where Heaven Stops and the Earth Begins." The work is inspired by the film "Forrest Gump" and her grandmother, Lillian Grace Eastman, who died of leukemia when Jenny was 10. She said she wanted a chance to give back with her art."She's the one who encouraged me to draw before I knew how," she said.Pop culture, films and especially music are big inspirations for Eastman. Her online portfolio is filled with portraits of bands and movie stars. Music and art for her, and other creative people, go hand in hand.

"I'm sure most artists will tell you that while they work, they have music going," she said. "I'm no different.

"Inspirational artists for her range from the classic Elvis to the more modern Blink 182. And before art, music was her thing since she was a little kid, whether it was banging on pots or pans, teaching herself how to play instruments or teaching her kindergarten friends about Buddy Holly.

And like a rock star, she, of course, wants to experience the equivalent of selling out Madison Square Garden, by being in a gallery where everyone knows her work or by having her creations brought to life via animation on television or movies. But mostly, she wants people to see she wasn't a "lost cause" she said.

"I was usually viewed as 'trouble' in school," she said, adding she wants to show those who thought that that "I actually turned out to be a pretty good kid.

"Other than that I just mainly want to go on to get better at what I do, create cartoons and animate them and be somewhat successful in doing what I want."

article credit: Midland Daily News/ourverge.com

Trying it on....

2007-11-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

If you're familiar with this blog... evidently I've changed it up a bit. I got the tip about Blogger from a fellow Midland artist friend. A guy that I've basically been playing tag with in the professional artistic career race forever. Like almost a whole year now! I'm very happy with the move to Blogger.com. It's a little easier to manage and I'm trying to reach a larger audience, an audience that wouldn't necessarily read one of my posts on Freewebs.
Not to say Freewebs blog owners, posters and readers are nothing but dorky old gorg-bellys because obviously Freewebs is where I got my start and it made a lot of good things happen for me and without Freewebs I wouldn't have a website host so uh... Freewebs.com is the best website-hosting site EVER!

I swore up and down that I wouldn't write one of these until I had the whole site updated with new work, comic book things and what not but my manager makes me. But then thinking about it, it may be a good idea to write this now to try out the new site, updated on some things and to announce things like the new e-mail list. That's right folks! EASTMANartist.com has a subscription deal... you sign up I send you newsletters. Easy as that. No, we will not solicit you e-mail address to big annoying companies who love to invade your poor little defenseless e-mail accounts with evil-doing Spam! I promise... unless a lot of money is involved of course! When you sign up to join the e-mail list you'll get newsletters from me, about new work added to the site. Covers, previews, posters and news of and about the comic book Unearthly Covenant or anything news or otherwise that causes me to hop about and squeal with joy!

Another thing I can go ahead and throw out there is the wide and ever-growing assortments of Online Networking Portals that myself and the comic book are involved in. Now before you starts clicking away remember I said I didn't want to write this little journal entry yet so needless to say that most, no wait, I'm sorry ALL of them are ridiculously unfinished. Anything and everything that is affiliated with Jenny and/or EASTMANartist.com that is always you must remember a work in progress! The main reason to announce it now I guess would be just to let you people know they exist because the links are not up on the website yet. One of these is of course, Myspace.com. Myspace is by far the leader it's network counter is up to like 293 gazillion quintillion! That's no lie, everyone and their Uncle Frank has a myspace profile, myself included and now Unearthly Covenant has it's very own profile! Other sites include deviantART, comicspace, pagii things of that nature and we're always looking for more! One that I'm pretty sure we will not be a part of is sadly facebook. I have tried hundreds of times and I can not figure it out, but then my patience is shot but ya know what... never say never maybe one of these days when I’m bored I’ll sit down and try and figure it out. So, if you're a member of any of those crazy sites add me up or if you know a super secret one that we haven’t heard of pass it here!

Now, on to the work and website updates! The photo album pop-up problem IS worked out we just haven't transferred all the files from the first site to the new sites. One of these new sites includes an "embedded slide show", we'll put one of those bad boys on the homepage and it will have whatever new work has just been added and so on. Site designs are still in the works. Other than myself I have two other goons helping me with this Internet jazz and we still can't find extra time but if you're a website veteran you'll notice slowly but surely my site is transforming in front of your very eyes. Working, It's been dang near impossible to get work done these days. Family issues and other things have kept me away from my big black overpriced drawing table! I did in fact become a "grand-momma" th other night around 2 a.m. my youngest Pomeranian puppy Chelsea Jai had six little goblins with my little Chihuahua Gibson Marshall, oh and don't for get Auntie Kennedy Marie... (Look don't judge my dog names ok!) So, I have a total of 9 little monsters roaming through this house, you try and get work done! By the way for those of you keeping score home one of the new puppies that are staying is already named... Taylor Jameson-Marshall. Little Taylor Jameson One day old!

The comic book's cover and preview.... It's coming STAY TUNED! I did just discover that "submissions" were possible to send to publishing companies so I've started shopping around as the kids say for publisher's so if you're reading this right now and you're part of, own or work for a publishing company... again shoot it here! I'm in pre-production of a "surprise" poster for/of a friend of mine, Comedian Drew Hastings. It's got some experimental effects involved and it should look pretty cool when it's done I guess unless I mess it up. That should be done and up around March/April next year. I was also asked to do something special for someone I know pretty well and it's a secret so I can't talk about it until December sometime. But, I will talk about it here eventually because I was glad to do it and it was pretty important for me. Now, I have updated on everything, I’ve addressed new things about the website and where else you can find me. I will say this here and now. I will not be writing another one of these until after my site is updated and work and the comic book stuff is up.

So, to anyone new to reading this blog welcome and I hope you stick around and check back later for some more! You never really know when I'm going to throw a new entry out there, there's no real organization to my approach. It's just if there's something new and exciting happening that causes me to jump into a hopping and squealing for joy frenzy and I think it needs addressing I'll get around to writing one of these things. The truth is I always feel stupid writing them. I feel like Doogie Howser at the end of each episode or something but again those dang managers! Seeing as I’ve dug up a Doogie Howser reference I guess it’s only fitting that I close with a stereotypical Doogie Howser journal entry so…

"Today I made my first adult decision.
I decided to stay a kid a little longer!"

Well, Alright now!

2007-10-27T10:59:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess I should start off by saying a thing or two about the Internet auction. It has ended evidently but it did rather well. I'll take this time to thank all of you who bided. It exceeded my expectations and of course I donated the whole check to charity.I don't know if I'll be doing anything like that again anytime soon, but I'm glad I at least got to try something out and it happened to be successful. I also got a little publicity out of it so it all turned out well in the end.

Ahh yes, the comic book! As you read this I'm out there somewhere going to pain staking lengths to get Unearthly Covenant, Issue One completely penciled and sent off to my writer, so I can finish it. It is coming and I hope you see it because it's gonna be AWESOME! But again, I've never done a comic book and, it's a lot of work! But it'll be here soon. There will be so called "previews" to issue one up on this website when it gets done along with ways you can buy the finished book. We're also planning on having character bios and illustrations, maybe some limited posters and who knows with my recent tee shirt design stint maybe even some merchandise in the future. And to all of you that have heard of the world that is myspace.com and even to those that haven't Unearthly Covenant will have it's own profile! So If you're a myspacer keep looking out and to those that aren't myspacers get an account NOW!, so you can add us down the road! and I'm sure if you snoop around enough you'll even find me on there.

I have been in fact dabbling in the tshirt design business. So far, other than the two I've already done, they're just a lot of sketches in a sketch book but hopefully I'll get around to actually printing some off to sell on here. Most of the designs are music related because as hardly any of you know, I've played various instruments for about eleven years so when I mix the two worlds together I really like the outcome. I've been bringing my music background and my art together a little bit more here and there I've done some custom bass drum heads for some of my friends that are in bands along with my own drum set. Other than all that good stuff I've been designing a few tattoos here and there and I customized a mailbox for my mother a couple months ago.

That's about all I have to say right now, We are redesigning the website so hopefully it'll be fixed soon I'm not sure how long I've been saying that but it feels like years, but I swear it's happening soon!