Looking ahead to 2011

Welcome back, friends.  The year 2010 is nearly over and a new year is upon us.  That year is 2011.  When I was sitting down to put the finishing touches on the Sunnyville first episode script, I could not picture that by this time next year, I’d have my own domain name, be working on the third episode and have scripts typed up for the next couple episodes.  And who would have guessed I’d be listening to marketing podcasts?  But there still remains much to do.

Before we go any further, I’d briefly like to tout the portfolio of a bright, up-and-coming animator.  I had the honor of meeting him at the Graphic Artist Guild holiday party over at the Pratt Institute back on December 15th.  His name is Josiah Sarr and has quite an impressive demo reel.  Check him out – tell him Max West sent you.

In just a few weeks, I will be attending Further Confusion 2011 in San Jose, California.  I plan to display my work in the art show and will be rooming with freelance artist Steve Martin.  One of the other things I look forward to in San Jose is…Jack-in-the-Box!  That fast food chain, I might add, is non-existent in the Northeast USA, my base of operations.

I’ll be attending I-Con 2011 in April over in Stony Brook, New York.  I’ll be a guest speaker there as I was the previous year.  Some may remember me from hosting a joint panel with vector artist Egypt Urnash about robots, cyborgs, and artificial intelligence.

A second blog will be opening up around February over on WordPress.com.  That will be devoted to miscellaneous comics as well as illustration.  I’m planning to create, market, and sell other works in addition to the Sunnyville franchise for 2011.  I won’t reveal too much at this time.  You’ll have to wait to see what they are.

As for Sunnyville Stories itself, the third episode is nearing completion and I hope to have it printed through Kablam soon.  The script for the fourth story is finished and will be put into production in January of 2011.  The script for the fifth episode of Sunnyville is nearly finished and the one for the sixth episode is only 5% complete at the time of this writing.  I’ll give you a sneak preview of those stories.  The fourth episode will be titled “Don’t Answer Me” and introduces a few new characters.  We’ll be meeting Mr. Jakes, an elderly badger, and his nephew, Roger.  Mr. Jakes runs the town’s repair shop but has fallen behind in his work.  He can’t concentrate because of a falling out with his nephew.  It’s up to Rusty, Sam, and yet another new character, Rolf Macgregor (Sam’s older brother), to get the two to make up…or nobody in town can get their appliances fixed.

The fifth episode will be titled “Dance Hall Days” and involves Rusty being terrified of going to a local dance.  The sixth episode will be called “Squeeze Play”.  This story will call for the town’s youngsters to put on a play for Sunnyville’s birthday – but it’s dogged with problems along the way.

Since this blog went live on August 1, 2010, it’s done quite well.  From then until the time this post was written, it’s gotten 1,658 visits and 2,758 pageviews.  That’s not bad at all for a fledgling blog from a young unknown like me.  But I will keep working on this blog and make it better.  I have a Twitter feed as well as a Facebook page.  By next month, I plan to have a LinkedIn profile and set up ads on this site.

As for myself, I need some more training before I can try to make a living off my visual art.  I’ll be taking classes in perspective and figure drawing over the coming year and will practice color theory too.  My advice to anyone out there wanting to make a living off your creative skills whether you are a fine artist, an illustrator, a photographer, a ceramicist, etc. – work on your work and always seek to improve your skills.  Challenging yourself to become better will make you go far.

Have a happy new year and see you in 2011

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About Max West

I am a freelance artist and the creator of Sunnyville Stories, an independent slice-of-life comics series.
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3 Responses to Looking ahead to 2011

  1. Bruno Meles says:

    Rest assured, I’ve been following all of your blog posts! Sounds like 2011 will be an even more productive year for you.

  2. r139048 says:

    That sounds like a tall order. Have fun at Further Confusion, dude. I wish I had the cash to go to one of these conventions.

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