Challenges

I'm recovering from surgery right now. Part of my liver removed. The good news? Cancer-free! The scans and biopsies show no cancer. I'm still high-risk, but cancer free so it's the best-case scenario. Feeling very happy.

I'll be back often now. Got some chemo to go through and then no more treatments. 2011 will be my year. :)

New challenge for you guys: Medical. Anything medical. I'll be back this week with more. I'll be approving more people who want to join too.

Really awesome work you artists are doing.

Love, Mike - your wayward host.

Your Host Returns!

Healthy again!

Hello, my friends! I'm back! My belly has some gnarly surgery scars and I lost 30 pounds, but I'm healthy and strong again, and (hopefully for good) cancer-free! I'll need some chemotherapy but I expect to be around for a long time now. Maybe later I'll write about my ordeal (elsewhere, not here).

So, I'll let you all know who won the previous challenges this week. I'll be back each Monday with new challenges and hopefully something extra soon. I'm back at the computer and back to the drawing board.

I'll announce it officially tomorrow but so you have it now, last week's challenge (due next week) is favorite food and this week's challenge (due on the 17th) is flying machines (zeppelins, planes, gliders, etc.).

Thanks to everyone who emailed me. Sorry about not getting back to you, I will soon, I was just not ready to get back to the computer. But I'm back now!

To everyone that's asked to join since I've been gone, I'll be inviting you all this week so watch your inbox. If you don't get an invite by the end of the week, email me again.

I'll have more tomorrow. Let's draw!

Links and Notes of Interest

Just a few things of note here, artists...

Pete Emslie on the joy of doodling.

Julie Jacobsen is posting art tips on her wonderful blog.

If you're interested in using Flash to create comics, Gabe of Big Pants Mouse has a great process tutorial.

Mad Magazine cartoonist and caricature artist, Tom Richmond, has a great blog. Check out his tutorials!

"Rad" is a storyboard artist at Dreamworks and he has a great "how-to" blog.

Check out josefskrhola's photostream on Flickr for some absolutely gorgeous Czech illustrations!

And last, a note to everyone that asks to join Monday Artday... If you are not invited to join in 3 weeks or less, check your spam folder for the invite! If it's not there, email me again and tell me you tried to join once. I invite a lot of people that ask to join that never accept the invitation.

Reactions?

Hello, Artists!

Notice the new "reactions" widget under the posts? Just an added way to show your love for the illustrations here. Please continue to leave comments but give a quick click of a reaction as well.

Let me know in the comments how you like this feature and if you have a suggestion for a different reaction choice.

Keep on drawing!

Mentors

Respect. Wonderful to receive, important to give. Always take time to give advise and encouragement. And don't be afraid to ask for it either.

I've always been a fan of great color, of concept artists like Mary Blair (who, besides her wonderful art and illustrations, did color design for several Disney projects). One of my favorite color designer/illustrator/artists out there right now is Lou Romano. Lou worked on The Powerpuff Girls, Iron Giant, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Cars, and has done some voice work, including the lead character Linguini in Ratatouille.

I wrote to Lou Romano last year asking about his gouache work. As busy as he must be, he wrote me back. He gave me advise and encouragement and I was thrilled to have corresponded with a hero of mine. Who are your heroes? Write them. Be sincere and respectful and you may find that they write you back.

I have received a few emails from artists asking my own advise. I am always very flattered - I feel like a work in progress at its early stages myself. But I always write back and do my best to give what advise and encouragement I can. I also host this blog for the same reason. We should all support each other, regardless of skill, knowledge and experience. What matters most is passion.

Check out this lovely bit of correspondence. A 13-year-old aspiring illustrator by the name of Howard Cruse (who became an award-winning graphic novelist) wrote to Dr. Seuss and got a beautiful reply. 26 years later he wrote again, and again got a wonderful reply.

Keep up the good work, artists.

Old Mike

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm ninety-four?