The Project
I'm going to be publishing a book of my poetry soon, and I have an idea for that to make it a bit more interesting and appealing to people instead of just straight words. What I want to do is have original artwork accompany each poem. The title of the book I've decided on is going to be Mind Erosions.
Now, as of this moment I am unable to pay anyone for any work they contribute to the book, other then a mention within the book. In the index I'll have the name of the poem, and list who did the artwork in a similar fashion to:
POEM NAME -
Artwork by PERSON
I know that not getting paid seems unfair to many people, and I don't blame them. It's solely because of financial stress right now I'm unable to pay, and that may change sometime, especially if the book happens to actually sell well, which I'm hoping for but not expecting honestly. This is a labor of love more than anything else and to see something of mine in print. I hope others can understand that, and would still be interested in helping out with, and contributing to, this project. Plus, it's an excellent way to get more exposure for yourself, even if it is in a book of poetry.
What I'm debating on doing, for each artist that is looking to become involved, is have a bit at the end of the book where they can list their 'online contacts' such as websites, etc for others to get in touch with them, and help increase their exposure. Good idea? Bad Idea?
The Process
Now, how this will work is I've got the full collection of 80 poems online (Including the shorter ones, and the 3 'joke' poems) in a .zip file for download, for potential artists to read over. Then, the process will pretty much follow this:
- Read the poems; pick a few (as many as you'd like/think you can handle honestly)
- Contact myself to let me know which poems you're willing to do
- I contact you back and have you agree to a simple contract, as shown below
- Create the artwork according to the specifications below
- Send it to me
- Get my eternal praise and thanks for helping me
- See your art and name in the book in a few weeks!
When you pick the poem(s) you want to illustrate, you will basically draw whatever the poem 'inspires' you to. Anything you feel the poem draws to you, well, draw, go right ahead and do it. I think it will add a unique element to the book for the artists to draw what they feel when reading the poem, and make the illustration a bit more personal than if I were to dictate what I think people should draw.
The Artwork
The specifications for the artwork are pretty open, and offer a great deal of artistic freedom.
- Must be 100% original work. You may use existing work of yours, as long as it is 100% original content
- Must be 300dpi minimum (more than that shouldn't be necessary)
- Must be in .bmp or .png format (whichever gives the greater/maintains the quality)
- Must be Black and White (color printing is atrociously priced, but Gray-scale pictures are fully acceptable)
- Must be 6.5"x9.5" minimum. The book is in a 6x9 format, but the extra .5 inch is for leeway for the bleed area of the book and printing process. So whatever artwork you do, make sure you keep the bleed area in mind, and situate the focal point of the artwork in a place where it won't be cut off. Even if your finished artwork is -less- than 6.5x9.5, please make sure to send it in a file of that size specification.
- If you wish to title your artwork, then feel free to name the file whatever you wish to name it within the book.
Also, while this is open to anyone of pretty much any talent, I do reserve the right to ask anyone who may want to become involved for samples of their work if I am unfamiliar with them. This is mostly because I do want a professional looking and feeling book, and stick-men aren't very professional (Unless done in a particular way
)
Any artwork you create you still hold full rights to, as stated in the contract below.
The Contract
Here is the basic contract everyone involved will agree to, to protect both myself, and the artists from anything bad that -may- happen for whatever reason. If you contact me, I'll send it to, and all you have to do is e-mail it back to myself with your name, and stating you understand and agree to the terms set forth.
Nothing too major there, just a way for both of us to understand what's expected, and to protect the two of us from any misunderstandings. Hopefully that is acceptable for everyone who may be interested in getting involved.
If you are interested, please PM or e-mail me directly, and especially if you have any questions. Thanks for looking, and I look forward to working with you!
The link to the poetry is right here:
http://sketch.pcis-studios.com/poem/sketch_poetry.zip
I'll post a list soon once I get some people interested with what poetry they'll be illustrating. It'll be first come first pick, so that's how I'll determine who would get which poem in case more than one person choose the same one.
This is posted here and at another site I frequent (http://www.canadiangeeks.com) but I still am gonna stick with the first come first pick philosophy with this. Also, if a lot of people want to do the -same- poems, then I may do a special thing and include all the artwork for that in some fashion.
And...
Thanks for looking, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
I'm going to be publishing a book of my poetry soon, and I have an idea for that to make it a bit more interesting and appealing to people instead of just straight words. What I want to do is have original artwork accompany each poem. The title of the book I've decided on is going to be Mind Erosions.
Now, as of this moment I am unable to pay anyone for any work they contribute to the book, other then a mention within the book. In the index I'll have the name of the poem, and list who did the artwork in a similar fashion to:
POEM NAME -
Artwork by PERSON
I know that not getting paid seems unfair to many people, and I don't blame them. It's solely because of financial stress right now I'm unable to pay, and that may change sometime, especially if the book happens to actually sell well, which I'm hoping for but not expecting honestly. This is a labor of love more than anything else and to see something of mine in print. I hope others can understand that, and would still be interested in helping out with, and contributing to, this project. Plus, it's an excellent way to get more exposure for yourself, even if it is in a book of poetry.
What I'm debating on doing, for each artist that is looking to become involved, is have a bit at the end of the book where they can list their 'online contacts' such as websites, etc for others to get in touch with them, and help increase their exposure. Good idea? Bad Idea?
The Process
Now, how this will work is I've got the full collection of 80 poems online (Including the shorter ones, and the 3 'joke' poems) in a .zip file for download, for potential artists to read over. Then, the process will pretty much follow this:
- Read the poems; pick a few (as many as you'd like/think you can handle honestly)
- Contact myself to let me know which poems you're willing to do
- I contact you back and have you agree to a simple contract, as shown below
- Create the artwork according to the specifications below
- Send it to me
- Get my eternal praise and thanks for helping me
- See your art and name in the book in a few weeks!
When you pick the poem(s) you want to illustrate, you will basically draw whatever the poem 'inspires' you to. Anything you feel the poem draws to you, well, draw, go right ahead and do it. I think it will add a unique element to the book for the artists to draw what they feel when reading the poem, and make the illustration a bit more personal than if I were to dictate what I think people should draw.
The Artwork
The specifications for the artwork are pretty open, and offer a great deal of artistic freedom.
- Must be 100% original work. You may use existing work of yours, as long as it is 100% original content
- Must be 300dpi minimum (more than that shouldn't be necessary)
- Must be in .bmp or .png format (whichever gives the greater/maintains the quality)
- Must be Black and White (color printing is atrociously priced, but Gray-scale pictures are fully acceptable)
- Must be 6.5"x9.5" minimum. The book is in a 6x9 format, but the extra .5 inch is for leeway for the bleed area of the book and printing process. So whatever artwork you do, make sure you keep the bleed area in mind, and situate the focal point of the artwork in a place where it won't be cut off. Even if your finished artwork is -less- than 6.5x9.5, please make sure to send it in a file of that size specification.
- If you wish to title your artwork, then feel free to name the file whatever you wish to name it within the book.
Also, while this is open to anyone of pretty much any talent, I do reserve the right to ask anyone who may want to become involved for samples of their work if I am unfamiliar with them. This is mostly because I do want a professional looking and feeling book, and stick-men aren't very professional (Unless done in a particular way
)Any artwork you create you still hold full rights to, as stated in the contract below.
The Contract
Here is the basic contract everyone involved will agree to, to protect both myself, and the artists from anything bad that -may- happen for whatever reason. If you contact me, I'll send it to, and all you have to do is e-mail it back to myself with your name, and stating you understand and agree to the terms set forth.
I attest the artwork I will produce for the book Mind Erosions (hereby referred to as book) is one-hundred percent an original work I have created specifically for this project, or have created in the past.
I also attest that the image(s) I produce for this book use no copy-written images or characters that I do not personally hold the copyrights to.
I understand that the author of the book, Chris Hawkins, may use the images I produce for this book to promote this book, and only this book, as he sees fit. I also understand that I retain full ownership, copyrights and interests in the artwork submitted, and may use them for whatever purpose I see fit.
I understand and agree to the preceding;
Signed
NAME
I also attest that the image(s) I produce for this book use no copy-written images or characters that I do not personally hold the copyrights to.
I understand that the author of the book, Chris Hawkins, may use the images I produce for this book to promote this book, and only this book, as he sees fit. I also understand that I retain full ownership, copyrights and interests in the artwork submitted, and may use them for whatever purpose I see fit.
I understand and agree to the preceding;
Signed
NAME
Nothing too major there, just a way for both of us to understand what's expected, and to protect the two of us from any misunderstandings. Hopefully that is acceptable for everyone who may be interested in getting involved.
If you are interested, please PM or e-mail me directly, and especially if you have any questions. Thanks for looking, and I look forward to working with you!
The link to the poetry is right here:
http://sketch.pcis-studios.com/poem/sketch_poetry.zip
I'll post a list soon once I get some people interested with what poetry they'll be illustrating. It'll be first come first pick, so that's how I'll determine who would get which poem in case more than one person choose the same one.
This is posted here and at another site I frequent (http://www.canadiangeeks.com) but I still am gonna stick with the first come first pick philosophy with this. Also, if a lot of people want to do the -same- poems, then I may do a special thing and include all the artwork for that in some fashion.
Anger spatters against the moon -
Anticipation of the first touch - Bri
Appreciate the intricate subtly -
Be the key to the rest of the torrent -
Break me -
Brilliant emerald -
Broken sons of Chaos - Paul
Burn as hot as you can -
Capture yourself -
Chaos -
Choice -
Clang upon the weapon -
Clicking clock -
Cool winds blow -
Crescendo this last dance -
Cut from the same gem -
Cut me deeply -
Darkness peeking out from within - Paul (Maybe...Will Update if he is unable)
Destinies written to intertwine -
Destroy the door -
Distance is -
Double-Edged -
Dream into the night -
Dreams born of hope -
Dreams born of the love -
Droplet of the soul -
Emotional flux breaking the circuit -
Fade into the distance -
Follow my words -
Forced to the word -
Frozen -
Furious Heavens crack against my walls -
Future brings the tales of past -
He who was -
Hide from my view - Bri
Hone me to an edge -
How do you fix -
Howl at the moon -
I look out across the life -
I sit and wait for what may become -
I walked the path in life -
Impulses run pounding -
Jagged -
Lie awake and drift into dream -
Like a prayer -
Lonely with and without -
Long time coming -
Look to the future -
Madness is a doorway -
Measure the unique against the hue -
Miracles tiny as they are -
My Heart is my own -
One Love -
One minute to glory -
One of the same -
Pain is the tool -
Puppet -
Rock gently with me -
Scratching against the glass -
See The eyes bright -
Seep to the surface -
Sliced through the shield -
Slicing through the air -
Slipping away -
So Many Unspoken words -
Something about the deaf and the blind -
Soul Breath -
Stand rooted -
The beauty of violence is all around us -
The blank page is looking back at me -
The rift drives deep -
The tears -
The thoughts of two -
There was the woman -
They dont love you like I love you -
This night -
This path is familiar -
Time is nothing but difference -
Walking the path -
Wanting the needs -
What is it when the fire dims -
Without the destinies -
Wonderment is nothing -
Wonderment leads to realizations -
Words flow from me -
Words flow sharply -
Anticipation of the first touch - Bri
Appreciate the intricate subtly -
Be the key to the rest of the torrent -
Break me -
Brilliant emerald -
Broken sons of Chaos - Paul
Burn as hot as you can -
Capture yourself -
Chaos -
Choice -
Clang upon the weapon -
Clicking clock -
Cool winds blow -
Crescendo this last dance -
Cut from the same gem -
Cut me deeply -
Darkness peeking out from within - Paul (Maybe...Will Update if he is unable)
Destinies written to intertwine -
Destroy the door -
Distance is -
Double-Edged -
Dream into the night -
Dreams born of hope -
Dreams born of the love -
Droplet of the soul -
Emotional flux breaking the circuit -
Fade into the distance -
Follow my words -
Forced to the word -
Frozen -
Furious Heavens crack against my walls -
Future brings the tales of past -
He who was -
Hide from my view - Bri
Hone me to an edge -
How do you fix -
Howl at the moon -
I look out across the life -
I sit and wait for what may become -
I walked the path in life -
Impulses run pounding -
Jagged -
Lie awake and drift into dream -
Like a prayer -
Lonely with and without -
Long time coming -
Look to the future -
Madness is a doorway -
Measure the unique against the hue -
Miracles tiny as they are -
My Heart is my own -
One Love -
One minute to glory -
One of the same -
Pain is the tool -
Puppet -
Rock gently with me -
Scratching against the glass -
See The eyes bright -
Seep to the surface -
Sliced through the shield -
Slicing through the air -
Slipping away -
So Many Unspoken words -
Something about the deaf and the blind -
Soul Breath -
Stand rooted -
The beauty of violence is all around us -
The blank page is looking back at me -
The rift drives deep -
The tears -
The thoughts of two -
There was the woman -
They dont love you like I love you -
This night -
This path is familiar -
Time is nothing but difference -
Walking the path -
Wanting the needs -
What is it when the fire dims -
Without the destinies -
Wonderment is nothing -
Wonderment leads to realizations -
Words flow from me -
Words flow sharply -
And...
Since this is going to be published, and sold, I can imagine why people would be wondering 'well, why can't he pay us for our time?!?' and honestly I really do wish I -could-. But the main reason I cannot is because of the sheer amount of people I'd need for this project (I'm guessing around at LEAST 20) an if I were to pay them all around the going rate of 10-15 dollars, that's a 200-300 dollar cost right there. Now, even though I'm publishing this for money, it'll probably never be sold outside of a local comic book shop near where I live, for the price of about 12 bucks a book (9 dollars to make, they take 20%, leaving me with a profit of around 60 cents.) leaves me with little profit. I'd have to sell well over 500 books to be able to pay everyone.
This is an exercise more in creating art for the sake of creating it. Seeing how my words affect artists and inspire them, and then sharing that with others who can see and appreciate the art within. NOT to make money. So, hopefully that clears the air a bit, and puts this into a different perspective.
This is an exercise more in creating art for the sake of creating it. Seeing how my words affect artists and inspire them, and then sharing that with others who can see and appreciate the art within. NOT to make money. So, hopefully that clears the air a bit, and puts this into a different perspective.
Thanks for looking, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!