Baker's Dozen

Yum!
There seems to have been a massive resurgence in the popularity of cupcakes. At least that's true here in Southern California. Gourmet cupcake shops are opening up all over the place. Some great, some good and some not so good. Personally I think it's wonderful. What was once considered a treat for special occasions only has become a sweet snack to be enjoyed anytime and by anyone (not just kids anymore).

Along with their new found popularity, cupcakes have also enjoyed some sweet new upgrades and makeovers as well. Take for example my recent excursion to a gourmet cupcake shop where I actually ordered a pancake flavored cupcake with bits of real bacon on top! I know, it sounds bizarre and maybe even a little gross which is why I had to give it a spin. Rest assured boys and girls, it was indeed delightful.

So now, in honor of this revamped indulgence of cake and frosting, I bring to you my latest illustration most appropriately titled Baker's Dozen. By the way, that's something else I love. A Baker's Dozen: throwing in a 13th item for free. Thank you, Bakers - you guys are the best!

Enjoy!

P.S. I've also got this little collection of sweets available for download in my image catalog on Shutterstock.

Vector images continuing to sell on Shutterstock!

This is fantastic! Since my last blog I have continued to see downloads of my vector illustrations on Shutterstock.com. The skulls that I wrote about recently have had three downloads so far and the images above have each had one download each.

Obviously these are small numbers but I'm just getting started and right now I'm simply thrilled to see an immediate response to my work. This is really exciting!

P.S. You might recognize the hourglass as the illustration that I created and submitted for the topic of "Time" on Illustration Friday. I think it's great that we as illustrators can continue to use the images that we create for IF. If you've got some illustrations that you're proud of you might as well look into Shutterstock. Hey, why not earn a few bucks on some great images that you've already created? I hope I don't sound like a salesman. I'm just really excited about this!

My first microstock sale

Wowzers!
I signed up with Shutterstock a few days ago and I've already made my first sale! Today someone downloaded a collection of vector skulls which I illustrated. I sketched them by hand with ink, scanned them and then converted them to vector in Adobe Illustrator. I'm really excited by the quick response to my work. At present I have 9 images on the site and I'm looking forward to posting more on a regular basis. Wish me luck!

P.S. for those who don't know...Shutterstock is microstock website which offers photography and illustration images to subscribers of the site. A photographer or illustrator must submit 10 images and receive approval/acceptance from the site. After that the sky is the limit. A creator can post as many images as he/she likes and earn a fee each time a subscriber downloads one of their images. Also, the service is completely free for submitters. Only those downloading the images pay the subscription fee.

Mortified!

The other day I had a bunch of errands to run. I went to the art store to pick up supplies, the bank, the grocery store, the car wash, gas station, etc. At no point during my gallivanting did I stop to use the restroom. So imagine my horror when I got home and realized that my zipper had been open all day long.

Mortified.

That's about all I can really say about it.

Dinner with June and a lesson I learned

Tonight Lauren and I were killing a little time at a fast food restaurant just a short drive away from LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). We were waiting to pick someone up there.

I noticed a homeless man walk into the restaurant and stand a little distance away from the counter. He was looking over the menu for awhile. I had a sudden impulse to offer to buy him dinner. Then I stopped myself. I worried that I would offend him for assuming that he might need or want help. I had this internal struggle for about a minute (even though it felt like about 5 minutes). I finally realized that I really couldn't go wrong with kindness.

I approached him and asked him if he'd like a bite to eat. His face lit up with an enormous smile. He was hesitant at first, unsure if I was serious or not. I smiled and told him to go ahead and get whatever he'd like. That opened the floodgates of gratitude. He was so kind and humble about ordering food so I ordered him a big combo with a drink.

He kept asking me what he could do for me in return. I had to laugh after awhile because he was so insistent. I asked him to do something kind for someone else. It was all I could think of.

We placed the order and then chatted, waiting for the food. I asked his name, it was June. I told him mine and we hung out together chatting until I had to go to the airport. He was a very interesting guy and I really enjoyed the conversation. Lauren took this great picture of June and I.

In my life I have to remember that an act of kindness is always worth the effort. It doesn't matter what people think or how I'll be perceived. All that matters is that I extend kindness with pureness of intent. It really felt good. Thank you, June. Best wishes to you, man!

1 year since my Dad passed

Today is the one year anniversary of my biological father's death. It's at the front of my mind today and it's got me feeling down. Last year I wrote a blog that expressed what he meant to me and how I was feeling. Today I just want to acknowledge him.
I love you Dad, miss you.

N