Blogging with Pictures

(From left to right: Jessie, Rachel & Shalini)

The following post/notes were from the BlogHer ’12 session titled: The Visual – Telling Stories with Pictures: Incorporating Graphics, Cartoons and Iconography.

Before attending this session I would’ve never thought of any other way to incorporate my own images or comics/cartoons in my posts or getting more creative with it. I’m glad I attended this session because just like the Podcasting 101 session, it provided fresh new ideas for me to give it try.

Rachel Nabors | RachelNabors.com  | @CrowChick

• UX – User experience design. Making a better user experience.
• Users don’t read they scan. User experience are usually scanning before reading.
• People look, scan, read in depth or leave.
• Comics let me stand out.

SUCCESS & FAILURE:

• Greatest success is being able to express complex problems using comics.
• Failure having trouble sorting. Figuring how to do the balance.
• Anyone who wants to use images can.
• Don’t compare yourself to anyone. You are never going to be that person, because you are you.
• Illustration is about conveying an idea or an emotion.
• Going on DeviantArt and seeing all the brilliant artists.

EQUIPMENT USED:

• There are many steps in this process, steps slow you down.
• Blueline, blue marker, when you scan it you get it to come out black.
• Sketch it on paper, and ask someone for feedback. (this is if you are doing comics.)
• Get that external validation from someone.
• Draw directly onto the computer, using stylus pen.
• Try Megastudio | Contact @dnhills
• Cross post art sites, like DeviantArt.com
• And ask for feedback.

RESOURCES:

• MonoPrice Stylus
• CanonScan
• See if you can get an invite get on Dribbble.com

INSPIRATION:

• I get my constant inspiration from myself.
• I love parodies.
• I pull a lot of inspiration from mostly older artists.

MOTIVATION:

• You can lose motivation at times.
• You just gotta keep doing it.
• Keep a sketch book.
• Hang onto your sketch book
• Visual snapshots.
• Join creative groups: DeviantArt.com
• Never underestimate the power of competition.
• Revisiting old work.
• Being friends with doers,
• Be careful about bullshitters “that book that they’ve been working on for four years and never get published.” They are leeches.

CRITICISM:

• Haters are going to hate.
• Some people don’t have anything polite to say.
• Best thing to do just don’t respond.
• You have to be that way with people on the internet at least.

Jessie Oleson Moore | www.cakespy.com | @CakeSpy

CakeSpy is my way of showing my personality, my strength and my story.

SUCCESS & FAILURE:

• Success: being able to make a business out of my blog, by selling my images, books.
• Failure: I think that a lot of people that have blogs want to get a book deal. After a 100 hits a day, I thought I was a big deal so I put together a book proposal and submitted it and got rejected by 5 of them. One of them eventually picked up the book and published it.
• Sometimes failures can turn into successes.
• Conveying an idea and telling a story that engages people.

EQUIPMENT:

• Ink and watercolor on top.
• I will always save my images, I have my own clipart gallery.
• Being flexible is of the essence.
• Draw on post-it and take a picture.

RESOURCES:

• Photoshop or the open source generic one is fine
• Bristol board – Velan bristol board

INSPIRATION:

• Combining two unlikely tricks. (Steak with cake)
• I carry sidewalk chalk.

MOTIVATION:

• Pinterest, Facebook very motivating and intimidating.
• Sometimes the best idea is to step away from the computer and use a sketch book.
• Surrounding yourself by people in person or online, by people who are doers is very motivating.
• It is better to be motivated by artists.

CRITICISM:

• You are in power of how much you take it to heart.
• If several people are saying something then you can say, maybe there’s something wrong with that.

Shalini Miskelly | readingandchickens.com | @BooksNChickens

• The images really helped to get my point across.
• I don’t exclusively draw to get my point across, but it is 60%.

SUCCESS & FAILURE:

• My greatest success is having a blog that everyone reads.
• Yes, anyone can do it.
• Copyright use and pictures.
• It’s not ok to use pictures and link back, unless they have a creative commons license.
• If you have your own images you don’t have to worry about getting sued.

EQUIPMENT:

• MS Paint, WordPress, 10-30 mins to write a post, including the illustration.
• It is ok to make mistakes. Just do it.

INSPIRATION:

• My twitter friends, fellow bloggers, you inspire me.
• You can find inspiration in anything that you find hilarious.

MOTIVATION:

• The more you do it the stronger you get.
• If you are runner, and you take a break, then 3 days you later you going insane, you have to keep doing.
• I don’t need motivation because it is my fun thing.

CRITICISM:

• I get hate mail sometimes. Most of the mail I get is “you can’t draw,” I reply, “I know”
• Draw out your criticism.
• Making fun of your criticism. Work it out through your work.

Q&As:

Q. Is there a way to prevent someone from using your pictures?

A. There’s no real way.

Q. Do you all have books or are planning to eventually publish your art on books?

A. Self publishing, comics. No books.

Q. Do you think that images, you are more careful about it? With words you can explain it better.

A. The images are being accompanied by text, when posted on the blog. A picture can tell a thousand words, and sometimes the simplicity of the image can draw someone in. There’s something to be said about all of them.

Q. Do you ever sign your illustrations?

A. I try to put signatures on the illustrations, I would put a small attributions.

Q. Any of you have ever used Zazzle or something like that?

A. Using something like Zazzle is very low commitment for you. Pay promotion tool. You have to make sure it’s really a good image.

Q. Are you guys interested in video?

A. I’ve always wanted to take my animation to go into videos, and animation but it requires 10,000 hours that I do not have.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS:

Goanimate.com – Taking your pictures into videos.
BoardMaker software – Mayer Johnson