Artist and soon to be parent: you need goals!

Even if your family or friends with kids have warned you, you can't really imagine what everyday life with kids is. But there are things you can do to anticipate the mess it's going to be (yes, it will be messy, trust me).
When the artist you and and your dear start to procreate there are some things to consider in order to keep your sanity.

1-Prepare for the worst.


Yes, you're going to be a parent and that will be your best creation. Life will be exctatic and you'll feel full at last. Well, that's where the problem will be too, the fullness. Over the next months/years you'll have another human being who is going to be entirely dependant of you, and your artistic business to keep rolling.
First if you want to keep on doing your job as an artist you must consider that: a kid sucks his parent's energy. The very energy you use for creating.
So I won't tell you that you weren't warned. After the nausea, the cramps, the fatigue of the pregnancy, time will come when drop the brushes won't be an option anymore. Your arms are going to be full of your bundle of joy...and nothing else.
The first and only thing to do is to take advantage of this break (let's call it like that) to get ahead in your paintings/illustrations/crafts/whatever so when you're too busy to do it anymore you'll have plenty of time and a clear mind. Planning exhibitions and happenings 6 months ahead is a plus.

2- Get used to work with one hand.


That's one of things you better start months after the birth.
Once the baby is born, you'll find yourself with a lovely but demanding projection on the arm. And you don't want to be stricken with a cramp in the middle of the negotiation of a juicy contract. Also, learn how you're going to have to eat/pee/sleep in the coming months. It's soothing.

3- Keep in touch with your fellow artists.


There's nothing better when you can't reach your pencils that being around people that can.
They will be a great stimulation for your weakened senses and prevent you from diving into the mom-at-home monotony.
Of course you'll be jealous of them but hey you got nothing for nothing in this sad world.

4- Smell your paintings.


I KNOW it's not good for the baby, but you won't be able to smell it again for a long time, just saying.
So better get a little shot of toxic stuff at 8 weeks of pregnancy right?

5 -Buy a babycarrier

(I know this picture isn't me painting with a baby on my back, but you have to trust me I did! And aren't those two cute?)

6- Parameter everything

If you are like me a social media addict, you'll have to rethink your daily posting organisation.

Did you have fun before posting your writings or pictures one by one on the net and sharing it with the world? More, you enjoyed responding to all the rhapsodic comments. 

Well be prepared to forget about that for a while. 

The sharing apps will become an important part of your life. And if you can learn how to schedule it, it's all good. Because your time will be shrinking to the size of a tiny shrimp and you'll feel a huge frustration if you can't spread your work anymore. And it's not good for your milk.

Those sharing apps will become an important part of your life. And if you can schedule it, it's all good.

  

7- Be happy.


It's not easy, my friends, not easy at all to look at your dusty and abandoned equipment in your lifeless workshop.
So the best thing to do to avoid to sink in a tide of depression is to get ready for the storm that's going to burst in your life.
And to think that your baby will be your best craft.
And that babies grow old and become less demanding (not really, but I don't want to ruin your day)
And that when you'll be old you'll have plenty of time to light it back (I'm no good liar am I?)
But still becoming a parent is the ultimate experience. If you succed in being a proper parent and holding your artistic business you'll feel like a french student earning a life in London. You'll feel powerful.

8- Plan to use your delivery as a buzz for your business


I hear you screaming from here. Yes, you can do that.
Use Instagram and the mass sharing tools I talked about above and flash picures of your tormented face (people love to see others suffering), the cute baby clothes, the future excited dad sleeping while you're dying, the corner of the delivery room's door...anything.

This will make you easy (well) publicity and enhance your notoriety. And it's all good for your business.

9- Think further


If you're not lying on the couch like an old dying cow yet, you can think about the ways to make life easier once the baby is born. There are some importants things you'll need to know if after those 9 glorious months of anticipation you still want to keep the artistic spirit alive.

Things that I'll tell you about in a next post.
So stay tuned lovelies!

Anko

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY: Sight

Yes I have plenty of time to do an illustration for this week's Illustration Friday, why?

Alcion's biggest dream was to join the explorers up there. 

The sight at that  height was surely fantastic!


Check out this blog tomorrow. I'll talk about what you need to know if you're artist and pregnant in order to keep your sanity in the next months/years!
You won't only need Ben&Jerry trust me!

And have a good day all!

Anko

Being an artist and a parent, the never ending story

When you're young and wild and you want to become the next HR Giger, having children is the last thing you can consider.

First, you're an anarchist and will die young.

Second, you hate children. They're all about screaming and pooping, you're way above that.

Third, you will never find the ideal partner who'll make you want to share your precious chromosomes.

Then you enter art school and start to consider being a full time honored artist.

And years pass by, you're getting better and better in your speciality.

And (BAM!) your hormonal clock starts tickling. At the same time you meet your amazing future husband, after years and years of romantic wanderings. Between the borderline depressive artist lovers and the radical anarchists who takes you to Pantera gigs there he stands, smiling, luminous and you start to think that making babies with this man will be something to consider after all.

(and he likes Guinness, you're lucky!)

Two years after here you are, trying to go on with your art while carrying a 4 kilos+ enormous belly.

But you're tired and honestly, all you want to do instead of grabbing a brush is to sleep and prepare your nest for the little one.

And then...

(Yes, 3 years after you made it again, still marveling about the little miracle you created)

And then you realize your creative spirit is just gone. Disappeared, just like that. The way you expelled your placenta, there went the inspiration. Even the nausea when smelling oil painting is still there.

What to do? You start to explore other ways to express yourself. Being a mom is not that bad after all. 

But still, something's missing.

Then the kids grow up, and you start to get out of the mist of fatigue you've been living into since 6 years and see things more clearly. 

And that's when it comes back, almost crushing you.

You NEED to start to create again.

So despite of your family and friends telling you you should make another baby (why not, the first two are so beautiful and intelligent. It would be a crime not to create another soul!), you hang on to your IUD, grab your pencil and start again. And oh goddess, it's like you never stopped. 

No. 

In fact, it feels better!

And now a whole new world opens right front of your eyes. The rich and frustrating life of an artist with children. And that, my dear friends, is the hardest part of the story.

One of my next blog posts will be about all the important things you need to know if you want to be a parent and living as an artist. But right now I've got cheeks full of chocolate to wipe.

See you there!

Anko

7 things you need to know if you're about to live with an artist.

As you probably know, living with another person isn't an everyday fun and jolly party.
But with someone who simply thinks different then you it can be a real challenge.
That's some examples that you might consider if you're planning to live with an artist (poor you).


1-We need to be left alone...most of the time.


People told me often I'm an easy bee. I'm not the one who gets hysterical because you're not doing it my way. I'll simply go mine.
And that, my friends can lead to some agressive responses. I've experienced and still does in my everyday life. And living with a hot blooded husband doesn't make it easier.
Most of the other artists I know have experienced issues with others because they wanted them near, then wanted them away because they got inspired all of a sudden and just wanted to be left alone to explore their idea. That's the way it goes and I don't think there's something to be done about it. So I recommand to the unlucky partenaire to simply deal with it and learn how to record him/herself in order to not forget what was the convo about.

2-We need regular ego trip shots.


Artists are fragile, they need to be constantly reassured and congratulated. That's what Facebook pages and places like Deviantart and Flickr are for. And they need it more then the average people.
If you're starting living with an artist, be prepared for the storm that's going to invade your living room. Because the calm little life you've been living until then is soon to be a souvenir. And get ready to scream in ecstasy and marvel when your dear presents you anything new.

3-We are easily annoyed and loose focus when it doesn't concern us.

It's not that we do it on purpose really. An artist mind works all the time, evaluating, examining, testing, thinking about the next step. That can lead to serious loss of attention when it doesn't enhance our goals (learn, create). So people, don't get mad because we suddenly look void. That's not because what you're saying is boring to death, we're just not there anymore. Somewhere between the beta 25 star and one of Uranus satellites perhaps.

4-We need an exciting life.


Adrenaline is a great part of inspiration, especially for the ones who are doing long painting works. We have to be almost constantly stimulated in order to keep our creative mind going. This can be painful for the artist family and friends.
The internet plays a great role in artist's visual and cognitive stimulation, thank god would say some exhausted wives or husbands.

5-We don't talk a lot (except on the mumbling).

That can be a real issue when there's artists meetings. The good news is you can easily pin the real artists in the assembly. They're the ones not talking.
See, there can be good points to live with an artist. You'll barely hear a word about today's weather or the rust invasion of rust in the wheelbarrow (unless you're married with an artist obsessed with textures).

6-We don't really care about our look.

Here I am, writing to you in my old Star Trek pajamas (no pictures, please). In our workshop, where we hide 95% of the day, nobody cares how messy we look. Plus that pale face with dark circled eyes is so fashion those days. So we're happy about almost everything, from the Star Trek shirt that was black once to the Threadless chic but cheap arty hoodie. If it leads to adrenaline shots (see above) everytime we look at it it's a plus.

7-We can stare for hours.


So convenient. While doing your shopping, just leave us on a bench or somewhere we can look at other people without them noticing (because we're sociopaths, remember?) and we get hours of fun trying to draw them in our minds and noticing every detail. And don't forget to bring paper and pencil/ipad for the adrenaline shots.


That's about it. But if you have to deal with one of us don't forget we're just endearing creatures who need love and Ben&Jerry more then anyone else!

Anko.

An artistic mind is a troubled one

All right I was about to go for a nap because I've been working late yesterday. Then I remembered about the blog update thing. And the lazy me said 'No, nobody's commenting in there anyway, nobody cares!'.
But I'm doing it after all because I myself have usually no time at all to comment, and it's not like Facebook (congratulations to MZ by the way, for the money part and the personal part) or Twitter where you can show you 'care' by simply pushing a button.
So the social and good girl inside took over and here I am, eyes barely open typing this message.

I'm up to a lot of things, not all the things I wanted/planned to do on my to do list but hey you do as you can.
And with the kids growing up, it's not as easy as when they were babies sleeping a lot (on the babycarrier in my back) and not asking all of those questions.

So I had to make choices, carrier choices by asking me: What do you want to do? What do you want to become? What do you want the people remembering about you when you're dead? (well, not EXACTLY that, because is kind of depressing, but you get the idea). And, one important thing, what do you have the time to do?

I don't have anymore time for traditonnal media, let alone crafting. I used to paint a lot and the smell of oil painting was in the air all the time (joy and bliss!). But I have to say that it's a lot easier for me to paint digitally. I thought I was a traditionnal artist to the core, then started sketching traditionaly and finishing digitally. And now I feel I don't like to sketch with a pencil anymore. People change right?

And what about crafting? Crafting is fun, but it's dirty and time consuming. I would love to grab a tool and some mold and start sculpting again and then what? I find myself considering using ZBrush instead!
People change, right?

And the jewelry part?? (oh god not the jewelry, NOT the jewelry I hear you saying) There will be more jewelry, but it will be different. I remember last Christmas when I spent days and nights making jewelry like a robot. At the end there was money, yes, but I think I've lost my artistic fiber there , somewhere between 5st of December and January 10th (I've always wondered why you guys are still buying presents for New Year's Eve). So, no more chain jewelry, that's just not me. There will be beautiful images (or not always I have to figure that out too), there will be semi precious stones, there will be bronze or silver, there will be artistic constructions and meanings. I'm not giving up on that.
But I'm not a crafter, not one of those clever and talented shop sellers who promote their products magnificiently so I'll leave that to them. I'll do flash sales on my Facebook Page or here, or somewhere else. I will keep the lovely boutiques where I my pieces are sold  because I've become friends with the owners. And I will add one or two places because they've been asking for a long time, but that's all.

You're right, my main goal now is illustration work. That's where I'm feeling fully happy and where I see I can develop my potential. I'm still working on the fantasy trilogy 'Les Héritiers de la Clé des Sept Mondes', I'm still working on the Cutie Pie Twins, and I'm going to start again to work on 'Séraphine' when one of the two first will be done. And with time and more work I will evolve and who knows maybe will work on some concept art project.

And I will do all that while juggling with my family life, my love for music covers making, my geeky mind and my addiction for Ben&Jerry.

Thanks for reading and loving you all!

Anko

Evil!

Drawing a new villain out out a book without further descriptions is really hard. 

I found out two days ago after hours of painful brainstorming how to figure this one out.

Dessiner un mauvais personnage, c'est dur quand on a peu d'indices.

J'ai découvert ça il y a quelques jours après plusieurs heures de recherches.

Are you ready?

Some old drawing I had fun to color with CS6.

Bird beauty

Curious Fox headed girl

Qu'est-ce que tu fais? ♦♦♦ What are you up to?

Some of you asked me ♦♦♦ Certains m'ont demandé

Well....

CS6 is awesome by the way ♦♦♦ CS6 est génial, en passant

Improving CS skills ♦♦♦ Augmenter mon savoir-faire photoshoppien 

Children books ♦♦♦ Livres pour enfants

Magazine collaborations ♦♦♦ Collaborations avec des magazines

Cats cuddling ♦♦♦ Câlinage félin

And little human gardening ♦♦♦ Et de l'élevage de petit humain

And that, my friends take a LOT of time. So until next time, have a good week!

Et tout ça, les amis, ça prend du temps. Donc, jusqu'à la prochaine fois, passez une belle semaine!

A mysterious thing

Kalaan and Thom were mesmerized by the image that jumped to their eyes. But Olivia was more concerned by the reaction of her human fiancé.

Lana

More info about what I'm up to soon!