Pitching on illustration jobs. Also VOTE.

A few weeks ago I was asked to pitch on an illustration job for none other than Randi Zuckerberg and Natasha Lewin. Pitching on a job can be tricky; it's something that should be approached with consideration.

Trusting the (potential) client is key; often an artist will be asked to pitch on a job just to plump out the choice, so you should have a sense that the client truly likes your work, and is giving you a fair shot. I measure the amount of energy and time I'm willing to invest, against how much free time I actually have. Can I produce something impressive enough in a short amount of time? Above all, does the concept inspire me? In this case, it did.

I guess I spent about a half day on these drawings - their concept was nice and tight, and the briefing was very clear, very professional. I can't tell you anything about the actual job, except to say that I didn't get it. I do retain the rights to my drawings though, so here they are: some cute character poses for my portfolio.

That's all for now folks.

Ps. Always remember: your vote is your voice!

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Sunny Ways: Blinking in the Light.

On October 19th my country elected a new government and a new leader. The old leader was bad for most of the country; he favoured the rich over everyone else, he did not care about the planet, he put all our eggs in one fragile basket and he was secretive until the end. This last bit worried me; we never knew what he was up to. In fact, we weren't even sure he'd actually resigned as Prime Minister of Canada until yesterday when Justin Trudeau and his promising new cabinet were sworn in.

The last ten years have seen a slow and steady dimming, so incrementally slow that you hardly noticed until one day you realized you had to squint to see across the room. The oxygen had thinned and you couldn't breathe or stretch out. People became suspicious of one another and lashed out in the darkness. We were choking. Four more years would have cemented fear and division as a way of life.

So I've been cautious about celebrating. Is Stephen Harper really gone? Is it safe to come out?

My vote went to the Green Party. I knew they wouldn't win, but I wanted my voice to count with the roughly 600,000 other Green Canadians. Our collective verdure might help push a greener agenda no matter who got elected. I did not vote for Justin Trudeau, but I'm glad he's there. Watching him move forward, I kind of feel like he's my little brother; I'm proud of him. 

We'll be keeping an eye on him. For now, it's so good to finally bask in the light of hope after a long decade of darkness.

Comments are here.

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A bunch of parenting TIPS.

I'm nominated for a Top 25 Canadian Moms blogging thing.

I don't usually get involved in contests and giveaways. Especially not the kind where you have to annoy people by asking them to vote for you repeatedly. But, alas, here I find myself doing just that.

But I don't like pestering people day after day for votes, which in the end prolly do more to boost the rankings of the host site anyways. Bleah. I much prefer the idea of offering you something of value as I ask for your precious *click*.

And so, in the spirit of exchange: I'll be leaving a bunch of parenting tips, mined from my personal experience (stuff that worked for me anyways), here on this blogpost from now until September 25th.

In return: puh-leeze consider voting for me every day until then. Just click on the little heart next to the word VOTE.

NO, you don't have to be in Canada to vote. You can be anywhere. And you can vote every day.

So here's the parenting tips:

1. Listen to the kids. Hear what they are saying to me not only with words, but also with their silence. A lack of communication can be as telling as a hand-written letter tattooed on the eyeballs. Never let them shut you out for long.

2. Respect the kids. Treat them as you would have them treat you. You know how you've nagged at them a million times to say "please", to lower their voice, and to speak with a civil tongue, even if they disagree? When they insist on the same respectful treatment in return, you'll know you're doing a good job.

3. Cop to it. If you make a mistake (and you will) you should always own up to it. Apologize, and explain why you did it. When a parent screws up, it's important to show that you're trying to do better. But you also want to move forward, so don't forget to forgive yourself too.

4. Be Consistent. Whether it's rules, or family routine, decide what it's gonna be and stick with it. Kids need that familiarity, it helps them feel secure - even teenagers, though they protest and complain. This doesn't mean that you can't surprize them once in a while by changing your mind (it keeps them on their toes!) but this should be rare.

This is fun right? More in a day or so. Please go votez for moi!

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JonesCLICK.

This is the job I was asked to do just before flying out to Atlanta to do the NonCon Keynote. I knew that even though it would crush me in time and energy, it was an important project that needed to be made. The job did crush me - but I'll recover.

I'm Canadian. I'm not even American. But I care because my generation, Generation Jones, born between 1955 and 1965, is pivotal in the upcoming US elections. Basically, if you're 55 or younger, you need to protect yourself in terms of your vote. Because your medicare just won't be there if you don't.
 

Or you could just never get sick or have an accident. Ever.

Please share, tweet, blog , embed this video from Youtube; it's the Big Untold Story of the 2012. Election.

Find out more at JonesClick.

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