Issue 168

Hello!

I really wanted to get two newsletters out in February, but last Friday was a big deadline day and I need the morning to prep for my meeting that afternoon. It went really well, so time well spent. Lots to cover today so let's get to it.

Here's 5 things I thought you'd find interesting this weekend.

Enjoy!

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LATEST

I do all kinds of things that never end up in the newsletter, so this spot in the header here is just a quick run down of what I've done recently that I didn't want to devote an entire segment to:

• Owl Knight Model: LINK​
• Podcast Episode 148: Is My Portfolio Too Focused?​
• Podcast Episode 147: How Do I Raise My Rates?​
• Patreon Process Post: March of Robots Day 1: Heart​
• Patreon Process Post: March of Robots Day 2: Connect​

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1) The Transfer and the Messengers

From the Drawings Unit

I've been working on these pieces on and off over the last month or so. I felt like my portfolio needed some fresh art, and I want to add some cool prints to the shop this year.

I'm exploring style and color with these. With the Messengers illustration, I designed it to look good in a kid's playroom or bedroom, and the other I was inspired by Mobieus and the Vaporwave microgenre.

These are available in the shop now starting at $20: LINK​

PATREON: The amount of support on my Patreon ebbs and flows, but always overs around 125-130 people. I'd like to get that up to 140 this month. If you sign up this month I'll give you any of my digital artbooks of your choice.

You also get a 15% discount in my shop, and at the end of the month some patrons get all my working files to learn from and pick apart. Sign up here: LINK​

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2) The Lost Art of Calculator Design

From the Industrial Design Desk

I'm becoming less and less enamored with rubbing glass all day.

I miss the big chunky buttons of the 80's. So, little by little I've been filling that void by replacing the sleek design of contemporary tech with the knobby buttons of my youth: LINK​

When I found designer Shawn Hazen's personal collection of vintage calculators I was in button heaven. The Triumph-Adler Concorde 1 is a design masterpiece!

Lots more here: LINK​

(Found via @AisleOne)

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3) How to Paint Like Miyazaki

From the Craft Mastery Special Unit

I found this nice write up about a recently translated pamphlet that show's Miyazaki's painting technique and tools.

I'd seen the pamphlet before in Japanese, which I don't read, and though it looked nice, but I missed all the charming self-deprecation Miyazaki is known for.

What's great about this is Miyazaki's tools and techniques are about eliminating friction and getting work done. Tools aren't the focus in his work, he just found something that gets the job done, and his technique never gets in the way of telling a story, or exhibiting a character's personality.

Read the full write up here: LINK​

The second page there is concept art for a commercial Studio Ghibli did back in 2004 to pay the bills:

Watch the video here: LINK​

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4) French artist Alex Diboine

From the Illustrators Division

I've been following the work of French artist Alex Diboine for several years. He's kind of a genius at everything he draws. Characters, environments, color keys, even 3D models all have a deft proficiency about them that makes them look like he just busted them out while also looking well crafted and thought through. I hope to rise to his level some day. Super inspired.

Nicely curated Website: LINK​

Instagram: LINK​

Twitter: LINK​

Lots of older stuff on his Tumblr: LINK​

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5) On friendships

From the Inspirational Thought Unit

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about:

I'm always wondering how best to expose myself to interesting and different experiences (which is hard for a guy who sits in a studio for 40+ hours a week) and how best to fill the creative bank account that each of us carries with us.

Whether you want to tell stories, draw pictures, write music, create new technology, the things we make are molded and shaped by our experiences. It seems like the more diverse and broad your experiences are the better chance you have to connect things that other people haven't thought to connect.

Or to put it differently: the more diverse and broad your experiences are the better chance you have to help people that other people haven't thought to help.

So here's an idea to help expand your experience landscape:

You should try and have a good friend* who was born in each decade over a span of 8 or 9 decades. Not sure how to word that better.

So like, have a friend who’s under 10, a friend in their teens, a friend in their 20’s, 30’s 40’s 50’s 60’s 70’s and 80’s.

Granted I know that gets a little weird for the under 20 crowd, but something like a parent approved mentorship, or visits with a young relative would count.

The idea is that you are exposed to a lot more different thinking and experience than if you just hang out with people your age. The effect might be a richer, broader understanding of humanity.

This idea was inspired by my wife Alison who has a few pen pals who are under 10 years old, a couple of girls she mentors who are in their early 20's, good friends in their 30's and 40's, a friend who she goes to lunch with when she's in town who is in her late 50's, a neighbor in her 80's who she trades books with, and an out of state friend in her 90's who she brings flowers to every time she's in town.

Because of this Alison just always has a great perspective on things when I talk to her about stuff.

I think there might be something to this. I'm going to try to work on it this year.

2-3 times a year)

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That's all for this week. Thank you for reading this newsletter and hope you have a great weekend!

-Jake

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My sponsor for this newsletter is…me. It's me, because I'm not accepting sponsors for my email list, and don't plan to any time soon. Really, I'd just like people to buy stuff from my shop. If you like this newsletter, you can support it a few ways:

​Order something from the shop (Best)

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