Issue 165

Hello!

The 2023 newsletter experiment:

I want to thank EVERYONE who responded to my last email about the future of this newsletter. I heard from about 200 of you expressing how much you enjoy getting this email. I got a ton of actionable advice. And the overwhelming majority requested the Slower Schedule option; that the newsletter stay the same but release it once or twice a month.

That's the experiment this year: Dial back the frequency of these emails to twice a month. Then use the other Friday mornings to work on developing new projects/products for JP Creative.

In fact, that's what I did last Friday. I am working on a new winter illustration that I hope to share with you in the next newsletter.

Alright, here's 5 things I thought you'd find interesting this weekend.

Enjoy!

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:

• IG Livestream: Inking Winter Fishing Illustration​
• Latest Podcast Episode: I Struggle With Medical Problems, Can I Still Make It As A Pro?​
• Previous Episode: The Year In Review ​
• Patreon Process Post: Winter Fishing WIP​

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1) New Years Pigs

From the Drawings Unit

I know we are two weeks into the new year and nearing the end of the shelf life of saying "Happy New Year," but I didn't get a chance to say it to you yet, so HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Did you know about new years pigs and gnomes? Apparently this was a big thing 100+ years ago (might still be, I don't know). In a lot of Northern European and Scandinavian traditions, pigs are a symbol of good luck and prosperity. I guess gnomes are also a part of the Christmas tradition in those northern lands and so you see a lot of gnome and pig Christmas/New Years Cards.

I thought I'd do my own this year...and I let the weirdness of the subject matter wash over me. Which resulted in me coming up with a pig wreath.

Alison and the kids gave it mixed reviews. So I didn't post it on IG, but I thought you'd like it.

Here's a bunch more pig and gnome cards I found online. There's more here LINK​

PATREON: Join now and see how I make my illustrations from start to finish. Every week I show patrons the process of at least one drawing. At the end of the month some patrons get all my working files to learn from and pick apart. Sign up here: LINK​

2) The Honda White Fox Snowmobile

From the Office of Wheels

Saw this online recently: A cool Honda snowmobile that came out in the 70's. Looks like a G.I.Joe toy. Only 2-5 of these actually exist. Honda manufactured 200 of them, and had set up dealerships in the US to sell them, but safety concerns that someone would break their legs riding this thing caused them to recall the vehicles and they destroyed them.

It's a cool looking design though. Definitely some good inspiration for a space skimmer or something. Might us it in a Skull Chaser comic.

3) Chris Sanders' Allegory about Disney: The Big Bear Aircraft Company

From the Cultural Archives Concern

I had read this years ago and somehow forgot about it, but I think it's a remarkable animation artifact that sheds light on the eternal struggle between artists and executives.

This was submitted to a 1989 Disney Executive retreat where they would be discussing future plans for the company. Note: 1989 saw the release of The Little Mermaid, and both Beauty and Beast and Aladdin were in pre-production.

Sander's allegory compares Disney to an aircraft company and if you don't make better and better jets, the competition can easily scream past you. Sanders was worried that by continuing to make traditional fairytale movies they wouldn't be able to compete. And he was right. Disney had to evolve with the likes of Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky pushing the boundaries of animated films...and that's why we started to see oddball films like Lilo and Stitch, Atlantis, and Treasure Planet. (Eventually Disney realized: why compete when you can own them?! And bought Pixar, Marvel, the Muppets, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Fox, then shut down Blue Sky once they had the keys to the building).

ANYWAY: read Sanders full allegory here: LINK​

Here's a nice follow up interview that he made with Cartoon Brew about it that gives the whole thing more context: LINK​

(Thanks to friend of the newsletter Eliav for sending the link and reminding me of this!)

4) The Expansive Compositions of Guy Warley

From the Illustrators Division

I am really liking these techno landscape illustrations by London based illustrator Guy Warley. The colors, textures, and whole vibe are on point.

There's something here that I hope to capture in my own illustrations...but I can't put my finger on it.

See more on his website here: LINK​

Instagram: LINK​

5) On Creative Capital

From the Inspirational Thought Unit

I like this quote from French author Gustave Flaubert:

There's another version of this quote that is a little more aggressive:

I assume he originally said this in French, and I'm having trouble tracking down its original text, but the meaning is preserved in both translations: It suggests that there’s costs to creativity and if you use it up on your day-to-day you’ll probably make your life harder and you’ll have nothing left to give to your creative work.

Being steady and well-ordered in life is a blessing to those people closest to you, and being fierce and original in your work is a blessing to people who read/watch/listen to your stuff.

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

-Jake

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