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So I heard DA screwed up royally?
1 min read
I don't really poke my head in here much, as I really just don't care for what this site has become. But my goodness, this AI nonsense, if I understand correctly, has taken DA to a whole new level of low.
Just curious (assuming I even have active followers) if anyone knows if I should be deleting my art from here? My understanding is it may already be too late. Also, is there anything else like Deviant Art that doesnt crap all over their user base? (Instagram is kind of neat, but also really mostly caters to OnlyFans girls, it seems. So yeah, looking for feedback for certain, thanks to anyone who might know more than me on this and appropriate measure should be taken to protect myself from this AI nonsense. Thx.
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Still Alive and Arting
1 min read
So as it turns out, I haven't spent much time here. If anyone here still has any interest in following my work, I've been posting arts regularly on Instagram, which I surprisingly enjoy. I suspect it is because the format is simple and uncluttered. Hope everyone here is still doing well, best wishes to all. Find me here V
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Five Years Later
3 min read
Yeah, I'm not very active here but I do poke my head in from time to time. Quick overview, I still make my living (such as it is) as a freelance artist. Amazing right? Also, I'm still living in Hell, Iowa. Would love to relocate someplace warmer. Or at least someplace that doesn't suck. But relocating takes a metric-crap-ton of money. Yeah, as anyone that followed me probably won't be to surprised I had something of a nervous breakdown a few years back. Went to therapy for like two years and they pumped me full of pills and I pretty much slept away two years of my life. One day recently I just stopped all that and here I am trying to get some energy back and salvage my last years on this planet. Holy crap, I'm 50!!!
On the plus side, I'm fortunate enough to work with four different agencies that find me events to draw caricatures at events and parties and such. The money is great when you can get it, much better than working theme parks unless you can get in at one of the big ones I suppose. It's kind of a blast making fun of people for a living. If you have the caricature skill and don't do this, you really should consider it.
For anyone that cares, I worked freelance and remote-from-home for an unnamed pin company (think sports or lapel pins) for quite a few years. This is kind of a strange/interesting story. The original owner that found me (drawing on Fiverr of all places) and hired me built up this company we all worked at. Then he sold it (who can blame him, right?) and the new owner was this twat-waffle who drove away all the old guard. I was one of the last hold outs (because not having a steady stream of cashflow blows), unfortunately they put this chick with zero art skills in charge of the art department. She's the type that sucks up to the teacher in class and it's blatant to everyone but the teacher. (Ever notice that people who can't actually DO anything typically get put in management because they aren't good enough to actually produce?). Anyways, long story sort was the company eventually canned me in favor of outsourcing from the Philippines. I think. They never actually told me why. Dumb on their part, the rest of the art department was not very talented. Maybe they just canned me because I'm an @$$hole? Probably that. LOL. Anyways, the whole point of the story is I'm now back with the original bunch of folks that were all forced out. It's a brand new start-up company and a MUCH healthier work environment. Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself! LOL
I also sell t-shirts on line through most of the major Print On Demand online shops-- except Cafe Press (which is just trash. Don't waste your time there). And that's more or less what I've been doing with my time. So I'm here to pimp my shirts out, so to speak. So why not follow my Tees page on Facebook? Without spending a dime, you can share a shirt on your page and help out an impoverished 50 year old artist make a living? Please? DavesTees [link] Thanks!
So let me know who the heck is even reading this in the comments below!! I'm amazed I even have any followers here at this point. Peace!
On the plus side, I'm fortunate enough to work with four different agencies that find me events to draw caricatures at events and parties and such. The money is great when you can get it, much better than working theme parks unless you can get in at one of the big ones I suppose. It's kind of a blast making fun of people for a living. If you have the caricature skill and don't do this, you really should consider it.
For anyone that cares, I worked freelance and remote-from-home for an unnamed pin company (think sports or lapel pins) for quite a few years. This is kind of a strange/interesting story. The original owner that found me (drawing on Fiverr of all places) and hired me built up this company we all worked at. Then he sold it (who can blame him, right?) and the new owner was this twat-waffle who drove away all the old guard. I was one of the last hold outs (because not having a steady stream of cashflow blows), unfortunately they put this chick with zero art skills in charge of the art department. She's the type that sucks up to the teacher in class and it's blatant to everyone but the teacher. (Ever notice that people who can't actually DO anything typically get put in management because they aren't good enough to actually produce?). Anyways, long story sort was the company eventually canned me in favor of outsourcing from the Philippines. I think. They never actually told me why. Dumb on their part, the rest of the art department was not very talented. Maybe they just canned me because I'm an @$$hole? Probably that. LOL. Anyways, the whole point of the story is I'm now back with the original bunch of folks that were all forced out. It's a brand new start-up company and a MUCH healthier work environment. Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself! LOL
I also sell t-shirts on line through most of the major Print On Demand online shops-- except Cafe Press (which is just trash. Don't waste your time there). And that's more or less what I've been doing with my time. So I'm here to pimp my shirts out, so to speak. So why not follow my Tees page on Facebook? Without spending a dime, you can share a shirt on your page and help out an impoverished 50 year old artist make a living? Please? DavesTees [link] Thanks!
So let me know who the heck is even reading this in the comments below!! I'm amazed I even have any followers here at this point. Peace!
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Plot twist...
3 min read
As some of you may recall, I self-published my first book a few months back even after having mostly finished it well over a year ago. I sat on it. This was personal--it was me in those pages. And it was primarily embarrassing stories about my own life. It took a year to decide if I wanted this book out there for the world to read? But with fresh eyes, I reread my words and realized, "Yes, this is an entertaining to anyone who has tried to find love." So I published "Diving Back into the Dating Pool" and it is now available on Amazon and Kindle. BUY ME, PLEASE? The stories within contain my hilarious misadventures during a period of my life no longer than 4 to 5 years. Here's the blurb that explains it all. And please stick with me, things get good.
"These are the true confessions of a forty year old man diving back into the dating pool. However, Cupid does things differently these days. No longer does a man spot his mate, club her over the head, and drag her by the hair back to the cave. These are sophisticated times and meeting new people occurs primarily on the web, even if most are loathe to admit it. Over the course of two years, the author meets with a variety of women: the Country Girl, the Princess, the Psychiatrist, the Preacher’s Ex-Wife, the Farmer’s Daughter, Phone Girl, the Crazy Cat Lady, that strange Goth Girl, the Sapiophile and many more. Will any of them capture his heart?"
As it turns out, yes. One of them did capture my heart, and really always had it. The one I truly wanted the most, but I never believed she would feel the same towards me. I kept trying anyway--awkwardly. Now I am head over heels for her, and we have been dating for a month now. This time that spark ignited. This is what people write those love sings about. Yes, there was fireworks and rainbows and scampering bunnies celebrating out in the fields. But stop and think for just one moment. At some point, I had to confess, "Um, I wrote this book about my dating experiences, and... um, you're in it."
Let that sink in.
<3
"These are the true confessions of a forty year old man diving back into the dating pool. However, Cupid does things differently these days. No longer does a man spot his mate, club her over the head, and drag her by the hair back to the cave. These are sophisticated times and meeting new people occurs primarily on the web, even if most are loathe to admit it. Over the course of two years, the author meets with a variety of women: the Country Girl, the Princess, the Psychiatrist, the Preacher’s Ex-Wife, the Farmer’s Daughter, Phone Girl, the Crazy Cat Lady, that strange Goth Girl, the Sapiophile and many more. Will any of them capture his heart?"
As it turns out, yes. One of them did capture my heart, and really always had it. The one I truly wanted the most, but I never believed she would feel the same towards me. I kept trying anyway--awkwardly. Now I am head over heels for her, and we have been dating for a month now. This time that spark ignited. This is what people write those love sings about. Yes, there was fireworks and rainbows and scampering bunnies celebrating out in the fields. But stop and think for just one moment. At some point, I had to confess, "Um, I wrote this book about my dating experiences, and... um, you're in it."
Let that sink in.
<3
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Oh Deer(s)
3 min read
Yes folks, here it is. Another zany installment in the ridiculous life of Dave. For those who haven't been following along, previously I kissed a girl and I liked it. So of course she dumped for no sane reason. Honestly, in retrospect, I'm good with that. The level of selfishness she displayed was beyond any capacity I've ever witnessed. I mean who breaks up with someone and then three days laters asks, ".. but would you still be interested in working on my book cover?" She was talented, and a cutey though. She was always, "Me, me, me, me." But to listen to her talk, she's the most selfless person that ever existed. Ugh, women.
Anyways, so I manage to go about duct-taping my fragile heart. And it's fragile, believe me, just check out my hilarious book "Diving Back Into the Dating Pool" now available on Amazon and Kindle, and you can get a more detailed account of the insanity I've endured over the last two years. Regardless, when I fall off the horse I get right back on. I'm cool like that, and I recommend you do the same. FOr better or worse, go out and live that life. So I found a nice enough lady to take out on a date or two. She seems to be a vast improvement over the previous mental-health case. So yay me, right? Well, not exactly. On the way back I'm zipping along the highway--obeying all traffic laws I might add--when not one but two deers decided to slam their bodies into my lovely Green VANtern. So my minivan is pretty thrashed, I'm okay at least, so there's that. I can't speak for the deers but parts of them are still on my van. There's dents. Windshield is shattered. No side-view mirror. No front headlight, blah, blah, yadda yadda, etc. If I had to guess, the insure will probably declare my claim as a total loss (for those following along with my silly life for a while now know previously I almost died spinning off of a 15-20 foot high icey road into some farmer's field and that was a total loss as well.) So I might get a check. IT won't be enough. The van doesn't bluebook for nearly what it is worth to me as a dependably running vehicle. Better the devil you know, as the saying goes. So anything I purchase at that price isn't bound to run as well. So whoop dee dee!
If that wasn't enough excitement, the following day my daughter informed me she's "expecting". I'd be more excited if she and my grandson weren't already living with me. And her and the boyfriend are kind of fighting. Or broke up. Or something. So this will make grandchild number four for me. Almost have a basketball team...
Luckily six inches of snow fell.
Yeesh, what next?
Stay tuned, it'll only get more interesting.
Anyways, so I manage to go about duct-taping my fragile heart. And it's fragile, believe me, just check out my hilarious book "Diving Back Into the Dating Pool" now available on Amazon and Kindle, and you can get a more detailed account of the insanity I've endured over the last two years. Regardless, when I fall off the horse I get right back on. I'm cool like that, and I recommend you do the same. FOr better or worse, go out and live that life. So I found a nice enough lady to take out on a date or two. She seems to be a vast improvement over the previous mental-health case. So yay me, right? Well, not exactly. On the way back I'm zipping along the highway--obeying all traffic laws I might add--when not one but two deers decided to slam their bodies into my lovely Green VANtern. So my minivan is pretty thrashed, I'm okay at least, so there's that. I can't speak for the deers but parts of them are still on my van. There's dents. Windshield is shattered. No side-view mirror. No front headlight, blah, blah, yadda yadda, etc. If I had to guess, the insure will probably declare my claim as a total loss (for those following along with my silly life for a while now know previously I almost died spinning off of a 15-20 foot high icey road into some farmer's field and that was a total loss as well.) So I might get a check. IT won't be enough. The van doesn't bluebook for nearly what it is worth to me as a dependably running vehicle. Better the devil you know, as the saying goes. So anything I purchase at that price isn't bound to run as well. So whoop dee dee!
If that wasn't enough excitement, the following day my daughter informed me she's "expecting". I'd be more excited if she and my grandson weren't already living with me. And her and the boyfriend are kind of fighting. Or broke up. Or something. So this will make grandchild number four for me. Almost have a basketball team...
Luckily six inches of snow fell.
Yeesh, what next?
Stay tuned, it'll only get more interesting.
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