Storn

>>>>>>Storn, I have some questions about your work, if you don't mind. From your website (URL from your signature), I see that a "basic" work (one figure, no background) is $70. About how many hours does this usually take you? I'm just wondering what your per-hour rate would calculate as (again, if this isn't too personal). I read the blogs of a few other artists, and try to get a "feel" for their respective price ranges.) 

 

I've always liked your work, and I certainly hope you're able to support yourself by doing what you enjoy. Do you get enough work or commissions to go full-time? And, do you ever work at conventions? (If so, which ones?)  

 

Thanks!  ;-)  

Franklin<<<<<<<

 

One figure, no background tends to be 2 to 4 hours.  Fantasy characters tend to take the longest, superheroes tend to be the quickest.  Fantasy characters and some sci fi characters have lots of pouchs, details, reference to draw and paint and can be time consuming.  Superheroes tend to be simpler, although poses with foreshortening might take a bit longer to get right.

 

The pencil part is pretty quick, I usually have a figure ready for inks and/or paint in about 45 mins of sketching.  Interestingly, the above Star Wars Sniper was drawn totally digitally and the sketch part of it took longer, probably about a full hour.  With her, the color part, there was a lot of dithering on my end over colors of various things, I repainted sections several times.... usually I don't run into that.  She definitely took 4 hours (and probably a scootch longer, at 4 hours, 30 mins) because I kept changing my mind.  

 

I would love to make $20.00 a hour when I do art.  Sometimes, rarely, it comes to about $40.00 an hour, sometimes it is more around $15.00.  Occasionally, because the project demands it  waaaay more than I expected, I've  really lost money at something like $5.00 an hour.  

 

I supported myself off and on for 2 decades with freelance.  I am no longer freelancing full time.  I work in marketing now, 9-5 and freelance on the side.  

 

I do local conventions around the Finger Lakes, I've got two coming up:  

 

Ithaca Comic Convention:  http://www.comicbookclub.org/IthaconSchedule.html  March 25-26 ( I love this con, I've been going for several years, very small and intimate)

Cortland's Heroes and Villains comic con:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1711827132387299/  April 9th  (First year I've gone)

I did ScareCon near Syracuse last year, but didn't break even.  Might not do that one again.

I do sketches on the spot and sell my originals and a few prints at conventions.  

 

Thanks for asking!

Looks nice!  ;-)  

Based on the skin color and the eyes, I presume this ex-trooper is of the same alien race as Grand Admiral Thrawn?  

 

Franklin

Your guess is as good as mine... but that would track.  I didn't get specs on the race/culture, just some reference with that blue skin color.  

Thanks y'all for the kind words.  

Steriaca... I have never seen Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.  I have no idea what a STand is. 

How about this, just throwing it out there.  Give people 3 versions of each class. Have 7-9 classes.   Hide the numbers.  That's right.  If someone has a spell, no (-1/2 limitation)... just write out the limitation.  No character points, None of that.  Allow them to pick a few different options on each character that cost the same amount of points.  

Then in the back, show the math, direct them to how everyone can tweak the game to their liking using the hero system.  

Same with monsters, don't show the math, have that as an online resource.  

Presentation is SO key when providing a new game world.  The fluff and the mechanics need to go hand in hand, but not every single thing needs to be delineated out.  

Philosophically, I believe that I paid the points for the Advantage, I should be able to turn it off and on.  It is just cleaner and easier than the inelegant ways to circumnavigate it.  It is one of those things that "you have to have it bought perfectly and can only use it the way it was bought" that flys counter to any superhero comic I've ever read and often, lots of fantasy magic systems.  Lastly, it just seems to stifle creativity at the table.  

It is one of the reasons that I still play Champions reluctantly and not enthusiastically.  

Dirty Tricks Squad
The Dragons
The Jamm
The Janissaries
Justice
Malta Professionals
Mavericks
The New Pioneers
The Sentinels of Justice
The Trouble Shooters
UNTIL/UNITE
The Vanguard

The New Pioneers, appropriately enough, are the brand, newest super team in the RDU.  I'm playing the daughter of my very first PC, who was under the auspices of the Sentinels and founded the Mavericks and Vanguard.  

Income is probably a lot more stable that way.

Oh heck yeah.  I am making a living wage.  Anything I make from art is gravy on top of that.  And I get paid weekly.  HUGE difference.  

The Short Bussers.  (that is awfully mean, not to the superteam, but to thousands of kids).

The Flunkees.

The Flops.  

Yeah, I think there are some awesome comics now.  The variety is amazing.  The amount is overwhelming, I don't read monthly titles anymore, preferring to pick up the odd graphic novel as a kindle or from the library.  ...

But when I was the MOST excited about comics, it was the bronze age... including two of my favorite runs... Master of Kung Fu and Conan.   I didn't read Conan until Dark Horse recently compiled the original run, but they are really strong.  Put in Paul Smith's X-men run and I had to vote Bronze Age.  

And if I had the money I would get more commissions. SIGH !

Yeah buddy, I miss doing your wacky ideas!  

But my production is a lot less these days as I'm 9-5 doing advertising and marketing.  I work on my lunch hours and some mornings before works, usually a day on the weekend... but I'm not full time freelance.  

Mr Storn !

 

It might be a silly question, but do you draw any kind of vehicles, bases or such on comission, or just stick with characters ? 

 

Always enjoying your creations anyway ^^

 

Regards

I don't do a ton of vehicles, bases and the like... as I tend to get commissions of *people* (which could mean aliens, mutants, monsters etc).  But I have done them.  Often, if I'm playing in a game I will do a doodle of a space ship or shuttle...  Bases I don't do a lot of, but I have done city scapes for Mutants and Masterminds or Champions in the past.  Both interiors and exteriors.   I just did this one:

I did this one that is in a Expanse like sci fi game, but had to be a submarine to explore the oceans of Europa.  This is a really quick doodle.  Not meant to be anything but the basest of concepts.  

I did this one when I was 9.  Proving I was doing vehicles way back when.  

Here are more finished pieces:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Storn/StornCookRoarSkyTrio.jpg

Here is a private commission I finished a few days ago.  For a D&D game, hence potions and hand axes had to be incorporated somehow into the image.  He wanted a somewhat action shot.  Hope I succeeded.  Might work for a Black Knight kind of super.  

I don't get this in 6th ed.  If I have a power with an Advantage, why cannot I just decide not to use it.  I've paid the points.  I'm using the power at a lower level because of the Advantage.  Doesn't make sense to me. Especially for super heroes or magic, where the small tweaking of powers is SO genre.  

I got more... I've done a lot of private commissions over the years and there is a lot of NPCs and PCs from my own gaming group...  Some are a bit pulpy, but I think the pulp adventures and mystery men are the pops and moms of what Dark Champions characters are doing.  More tomorrow.  

And who wants some more?

And some more.

...

Some of these are commissions.  Some of them are from an actual game, Dark Champions type characters but in a Champions world.