Krono Keeper Poster Idea

Here is a rough sketch thing.

I like it.
It took time and perspective.

And people are bugging me to post it.

Here it is:

=D CHEERS!
-JECooper

Logo Specialist Portfolio

Below are my Logo Designs and a few of my Illustration Works:

Cheers,

JECooper

Eli Shane and Aerrow

This needed to be a thing, so now it exists. =D

Both Eli Shane and Aerrow are voice acted by Samuel Vincent, which is why I had to make this.

((Storm Hawks and Slugterra))

~Cheers,
JECooper

March 2015

Thank you for the reminder Kelly!

Sorry I am late everyone!

Cheers,
JECooper

Words Of Art: Societal Impact

Hello again (sorry I'm a day late, it's Saturday and not Friday… whoops)

So today I thought I would talk about this horrible word called

PATIENCE.

It's something that we don't have a lot of, especially in today's era.
How long does it take to load a webpage? A youtube video?

…..is it sad that we each probably know that exact amount of time?

It's because it's the NOW era. With the edition of the cell phone, and then becoming a smart phone (basically a small computer at your finger tips), and of course googling everything we need to know….
we aren't exactly accustomed to waiting for answers.

And you know, I'm still grateful for all that stuff. I want to look at reference for a painting, or whatever, it takes me mere minutes to have something. That's time that I can afford.

And yet…. half the time we think taking the time to find reference is a WASTE of time.

THINK OF THIS:

All those old reference painters, they had to have SOMEONE STAND THERE AND POSE FOR THEM. FOR HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS POSSIBLE.

Talk about a "waste of time" in our minds!! And yet, where would we be without them??

Back in high school, when we hit 17/18 years old, there was that question: What are you doing after you graduate?

HECK: even growing up as a child we are asked: What do you want to do when you grow up?

And when were 10, we say fun things on a whim:
A dentist,
A doggie doctor,
A scientist,
A dinosaur… haha….

And sometimes we mean it, and other times, we just say something that sounded fun.

BUT WHEN YOU HIT COLLEGE: the question is now REAL.

And the answer has to be 100%. Or….

there is no or. You either know, or you shouldn't go to college…. right? That's what I was told.

Well, Let me tell you something: I graduated college, and

IT'S WORSE. People now EXPECT that you know.

And it's part of this society, the KNOW NOW mentality. The days of saying something that was a hobby are gone, because now it has to: Pay the Bills, Support a Family, Fix the Car, etc.

Whatever you chose, it has to DO something for you, right?

Well, this societal impact kinda stinks.

Back in the day, there was this really cool thing called Apprentice. You studied under what you were supposed to do, and you knew that was where you were going.

Yet, that sux in it's own way, because now you have no choice but to Apprentice under whatever you were born into.

So….

I suggest something, Semi-crazy.

Have some patience with yourself. If you aren't 100% sold on something, it's simply OK. It feels like (to me) like I'm a disappointment. I don't know where I'm going, therefore I must HURRY and FIGURE IT OUT ASAP.

I read on Facebook the other day that the FASTER you need something done, the MORE time it will take.

So, if I'm studying to become a pianist, and I NEED TO BE GOOD AT IT TODAY, so it can bring money in, get me a job, etc….
it's going to take me 10xs longer to get better at it.

Simply because I have stress, and fear and NO PATIENCE.

LOVE TODAY.

That's right LOVE IT.

DO you have the job you love? Probably not. Does it pay the bills? Great. That's awesome. Then work  for what you love.

****THE FEAR OF TIME:

My wonderful boyfriend of 5years brought up that he wishes he had more time. Something we all want.
But here's what I read in my "Success is not an Accident" book (It's great, you should read it):
YOU HAVE AS MUCH TIME AS YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE.

If you don't manage your time, It'll pass you by, LITTERALLY in an instant. Somehow Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Vines, Instagram, and then POOF, its 7pm or even later. And now your day is over. So now you can just keep goofing off until you go to bed.

I can also choose where to put my time.

****DONT BE AFRAID OF NO:

The word "No" is a wonderful word. It brings about freedom and confidence. You should try it sometime.

I myself am still learning the wonders of the word No.

Don't be a wet blanket: In other words: don't half commit. That's the worst.

Either PLAN for it.

Or Dont.

Don't say yes if you know that you will be luke warm about it. Think of it this way: do you have the time (or make the time) to dedicate to a project that DESERVES time?

If not, then it's not really a MEAN or NASTY response to say No.
It's simply: I wish I was the man for the job, but I don't have the passion needed to make time in my busy schedule for this. SOmeone else probably has a lovely spot in there life for it and YOUR PROJECT deserves more time than I can give it.

See that? No is a wonderful word.

****MONEY COMES TO LOVERS:

There's this artist that I follow on Facebook, and her paintings are super crazy realistic. I like it, you might not, but that's not the point.

The point is that SHE QUIT HER FULL TIME JOB.

Yup. She quit and just paints whatever the heck she wants, and makes money doing it.
How?

Because, SHE LOVED IT.

She loved it, people saw that she loved it, and now she has an audience. While she's working full time, mind you.

And now, enough people see the passion she has, the time she makes to commit to what she loves, even though she has a job on the side.

Now she started a Patreon.

THIS GIRL MAKES $15,000 EVERY 2 WEEKS NOW.

Just on Patreon.

So she quit her job. Never anticipating it, just doing it because she loved it.

The money is out there, but you have to have a passion for it WHEN IT PAYS NOTHING.

That's why the first thing I said is: Find what it is you love. Loving something that will give you money, or loving something because you love it are two different things.

Do you follow me?

There are more stories I have like this, but you get the jist.

Love it first. For what it is.

And you know what?

I don't know what that is for me. There are a ZILLION ideas out there. Ideas are NOT the issue.
Hence why I can say all of this to you, without fearing you stealing my ideas.

Ideas aren't what do anything for you.
ACTION behind an IDEA = BIG THINGS.

That's the secret to life.

Seriously.

I'll be here all week.

Haha, Seriously though. Take your time finding what it is you love.

You don't have to be THE YOUNGEST PERSON TO EVER _______.
You don't have to start tomorrow.

I'll leave you with these parting words that are rocking my world: ENDURE PATIENTLY.

Endure. Not "wait", but Endure. That word fits so well.

And Endure how? Patiently.

Patiently… like with peace and joy.

Wow.

Endure Patiently.

Cheers,
JECooper
PS!!! THIS IS IMPORTANT: YOU CAN NOW POST AS ANONYMOUS  YOU DONT HAVE TO HAVE A BLOGGER ID TO BE HEARD! SO I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MATTER TOO! 
It'd be cool to know who you are though!

Here's a work in progress, rough sketch. It's not done yet.

Well, the truth is: it was painted.

But I didn't like it. So I'm enduring patiently, and starting it over again.

So here's the rough sketch =)

DRAGONS: DAY AND NIGHT

ROUGH SKETCH

Words of Art: The Way We Make Art

As artists, I find that the way that we (I) think or perceive things is really important.

For example: It's said that artists see "more" than other occupations because they know where to look and what to look for.

I tend to agree.

Not because I even see half of the stuff yet, but I've been realizing more and more about different things most people don't even notice. For example: clothing textures, colored light reflections, facial construction, eye shape, composition…

I could go on and on.

However, there's another aspect of it that I thought was also really interesting:

If artists tend to perceive more than most other occupations, why are they the one's that HEAR the most criticism?

I read on a blog the other day, that a very awesome and well versed artist said that his mom STILL to this day (he's been in the animation industry for years mind you) asks him:
"When are you going to stop playing and get a real job?"
He said he also gets from his family:
"Is your job even stressful?"
"You just write for children, I have to work with ADULTS all day."

I'm sure you've heard your own versions. I have too, but that's not the point.

The point is, unless you are made of ice, these things definitely sting.

It's said for every 1 insult, someone needs 10 compliments to balance it out. I think that sounds crazy, but feels so accurate! Especially when it comes to the internet.

The freedom to say whatever you want is great, but it definitely invites the "trolls" to come and wreck stuff. Because that's all those people can do, ruin others.


ALL of what I've said, plugs into the same point:
Some people get pleasure from seeing you upset.

Sad, right? Don't they have anything better to do!? Sure they do, but they Don't. And that's why they're coming after you.
Sometimes it's a lack of understanding (with family and friends), and you can try your best to educate them with the amount of Studies, Commitment, Hard Work, Blood, Tears, and such goes into what it is you do.

But don't weigh everything on that understanding. Some people just don't see in color. Some people just don't see outside of their own viewpoint. Some people just want others to be just as unhappy as they are. Some people just want to 'get your goat' and see you get pissed.

As I like to refer to it, some people are ACTUALLY like the Joker:
                                                           They JUST want to see YOU BURN.

Now you might be saying: Wow COOPER, what a DEPRESSING TOPIC!
Haha, righty you you are! Which is why we aren't done, and I'm switching gears.

First off: You aren't alone in this. And it's not YOU, it's (sadly enough) THEM.
You aren't crazy. You don't stink, and I PERSONALLY love your work. Even if I haven't seen it, I still love it.

I can say that with certainty, because if you are here, you're a passionate person. You have to have some sort of feeling of attempting to better yourself, and you are FIGHTING the good fight!

Therefore, I promise you, your work literally rocks my world. =)

Secondly: There's this magical way that I like to fight with these trolls, or may I call them 'art unbelievers'? (That cool with you? Good.)

How I personally fight the 'art unbelievers':
What is it that BROUGHT you into this job? What is it that unearthed the PASSION you have for it?

Whatever it is, Go watch it. Or listen to it. 
You don't even have to watch the whole thing, I find after 10 minutes of my favorite scene I remember why I fell in love with it.

There are some other things that are cool to, like finding some music that speaks to your heart and ignites your passion for it again. That's a great one.

I shared this thought on Facebook the other day, but I think it's worth the restatement:

This was something that I thought was really cool and wanted to share. I found this online and it spoke to me, not sure if it'll mean anything to you guys, but I loved it. At first, you'll probably have the response I did, like, wtf is this? Well it's a comedian's final skit, just hang in there, I think you'll like it.
The idea is, as artists, we have voices that come into our lives that stay with us, things people say that make us (well me at least) feel like I can't do it. Or that I wasn't meant for art. That other people see your path better than you, or that you're art should not be what it is, that it should be…something else. Something it's not, or someone you're not. "We think we know you."
Take something dark, something that hurts, insensitive words that rattle around in our heads, and then turn it into something… well, beautiful.
Maybe I'm crazy. But, maybe you'll like it too. Maybe you're crazy too smile emoticon

******FYI: There is language (i always preface for those people who don't want to hear it), and he is an atheist (if that offends you). But if you can hang tight, it's worth it. I thought it was at least smile emoticon

I'm supposed to attach art here, aren't I….. hmmmm….

Well here is a piece I did, trying out new brushes, and at the same time, doing something I felt was pretty new for myself. I tried my best to just "Let go" and squiggle a bit.

I personally like it, might not be your thing tho. That's cool.

YOU KNOW WHY!?!?!

Because I like it. And I remember why I am an artist. Do you?

~Cheers,
JECooper

February 2015 - Dragons 2

Found some pretty cool concept work from this one, so it was hard to choose!

If these get more popular I might have to put a piece of art every day on the calendars =P
Hope you enjoy! And thanks for the reminder, Kelly!!!

Cheers,
JECooper