Outlandish Rants #1 - "Hi, My Name Is..."

[Outlander00]

Outlandish Rants #1 - "Hi, My Name Is..."

Hi… my name is Jonathan Stone, and I am one of those types. And no I don’t mean an alcoholic or a masochist, although in order to deal with obscene deadlines one must be a little wacky to begin with.

No, I am a professional artist. No, really… as in I actually do have a job (sorta) being a commercial artist. I’ve been a professional for almost 4 years, having only done the occasional freelance gig here and there prior. I’ve hit highs and lows, bit in the ass on jobs a few times due to naiveté and met some extraordinary artists… as well as pretty bad ones. I’ve played mercenary, political hit man, politician, diplomat, manager, genius, word smith, pitch man, business man and company man. I have learned and seen a lot over the years since graduating Pratt Institute, yet I am sure there is more to come. And, as every other addict, I cannot get enough nor will I stop!

Man, I feel like I am in an AA meeting…

Why am I telling you all this? Well, every artist tends to be cocky, border lining on arrogant… but more importantly, I wanted to introduce myself since this will be the first in many editorials about the visual arts on a professional level. Current trends, observations, rants, tips, tricks… everything and anything will be discussed. Which, by the way, if you have a topic you’d like discussed you can email me at outlander00@toonzone.net .

As a parting shot, I was carousing through Barnes & Noble doing my usual window shopping (since I always tend to drop $150 when I DO spend in there) and noticed a book by Milt Glaser and Mirko Ilic called The Design of Dissent. It’s a collection of design and illustrations that deal mainly with political and political issues. It’s a great book, filled with great images done over the years from the Communist era until today. It’s a definite must add to any collection of reference books we artists tend to have.

Also check out the most recent issue of CMYK magazine, which has a segment on some of the the best graduate work being done currently. Flipping through it makes me think one thing: "Man, that is some great stuff." They also have a couple more book recommendations as well.

Well that’s it from me. Until next time.