Episode 105 'Back to the Future'

What's that proverbial phrase that people say? When life gives you lemons...

Well fuck those lemons! 

Perhaps I'm a little frustrated because I am currently harvesting lemons for a quest on Farmville 2 'Escape to the Country' and they take so long to grow. I have an order of lemonade to produce and Eagle Eyed Eddie will not suffer another late delivery. 

Life is not giving me any metaphorical lemons at the moment. There seems to be a void and an endless limbo between the past and the future. I feel like my career in animation can continue and can, if I push myself a little more, lead me to some wonderful projects and studios. This limbo I speak of is a result, unfortunately, of a few life changes that have been occurring over the past 6-12 months. It has set my mind into a whirlwind of questions that have no answers. But I know I can get through it. Art must be the answer. 

So my plan will begin with revisiting my collections of artwork. Quite a simple task, but one that could take some time. I have hundreds of illustrations and paintings, sketches and nonsense on various paper sizes, gradients and colour. And after speaking with other artists about how they promote/sell themselves, it has given me some ideas with what to actually do with these collections. 

The Whimsi-Bird collection

Most of these illustrations can be found on my Instagram page @tommygraingerart along with other creatures from the animal kingdom (including dinosaurs!). But I receive most comments and praise from the birds, therefore I have always imagined that these illustrations would be my most advocated designs for whatever venture I decided to pursue. 

For years I have been saying that I would use the whimsi-birds on the fronts of postcards, greetings cards and other artisan keepsakes. And for years I have been putting it off or avoiding the opportunity. I have been very lucky in regards to keeping relatively steady jobs in the animation and television industries, respectively, so perhaps there was always reason for me to delay these plans. Although, to give myself some credit, I did design and illustrate almost an entire children's book in the lockdown of 2020 (but more on that later on!). 

Whilst working on the most recent animation production, I was talking to Ana. I know several Ana's here in Portugal. But this is Ana. You can follow her Instagram here actually - @ancrodr . She is an exceptional prop maker, painter and sculptor, who gave me some really sound advice on selling your artwork at fairs and markets. She has a collection of cards, prints, keyrings, stickers and much more that she takes to various events (including Comic Cons) all over Portugal. So speaking with her has given me motivation to really push my designs into the public eye. Because most of the time I can be a massive artistic coward!

I also need to speak to a different Ana about this. No, not this Ana. That Ana. Hmm... I shall contact her immediately. 

Flower Illustrations

These are something that have been associated more with the wedding and special events designs that I have been doing over the past year or so. The floral designs would be a header or a corner piece of an invitation, followed by text and other designs appropriate for the occasion. But individually, the flowers look very charming. And I must credit Ana here, once again, because she had the idea of using these designs as stickers! Something very quick and easy to get printed, packaged and displayed on a board at a market stall; small packs of 6-8 stickers for 3 Euros? I need to work on the price, but I can envisage them right now!

They could even be pins! This would also work with the whimsi-birds. 

Quirky Buildings and Landmarks

Alas, I desperately need a better title than this. But for the meantime it shall suffice. This is another collection that could be quite popular, especially with the tourists and locale of that particular city. My only example thus far is the Torre de Belém. But I have plans for the bridge, Jerónimos Monastery, Praça do Comércio and many other landmarks around Lisbon.

The Dinosaurchestra

I am very pleased with my work on this book. It was an idea I had quite randomly at the beginning of 2020, possibly from a dream? Without sounding too much like a cliché I distinctly remember waking up one morning and destiny was etched in my mind at the union of two words: dinosaur and orchestra. I was so proud of myself and immediately went about researching this word. Had it been used before? Was there any copyright infringement here? And most importantly, could I get away with it? 

It turns out that it does exist. In 2006 an American electric/pop band called Lemon Demon released an album titled Dinosaurchestra. At first I was a little disheartened, but then I remembered something from 'Waking Life' (an animated philosophical rollercoaster of lucid dreaming and the nature of reality) where one of the characters talks about how original ideas are spontaneously being conceived all over the world completely isolated from one another. It is possible that I had this idea without any influence or knowledge of its pre-existence, and therefore I feel pretty happy about using it.

Also, I am writing a children's book! Completely different. Although, inevitably when this becomes an animated television series there will be an element of music. Perhaps I should contact the band? 

The illustrations for this project have been very fun to do. The main problem has stemmed from creating new names for each dinosaur character. I continued the theme of merging two words together (like the title) with each species of dinosaur and a particular musical instrument that fitted. Again, this was something that popped into my head quite naturally (at least with the first character). So I would like you to meet the first dinosaur from the orchestra; Trianglesaurus Rex.

I have illustrated all of the characters and written most of the book. This is the stage I am currently at, but it will be an ongoing project. I can foresee it never even coming into fruition. I am sooner going to work on the bird and flower designs than the Dinosaurchestra. But it is definitely an ace up my sleeve if I meet the right publicist and actually spend the time and effort on it. Please don't steal my idea you pirates!

The Future

I think the most important thing is to truly focus on me. I have little confidence as an individual creator, which is why I enjoy being a cog in the bigger machine such as these animation productions offer. To work as a collaborative team is really what I enjoy. Don't get me wrong; if the conditions are perfect for some solitary painting, then I would take it. And the projects above are all a product of my hard work when I work alone. I am happy with them and the potential they can offer, so I would like to keep that momentum going. 

I have joined a creative collaborative group called the Curious Creators Club @randomactsofcreating where we all gather around on extremely comfy lounge chairs and discuss our personal projects. This is anything from painting, illustrating (by hand and digital), photography, crochet and ceramic sculpting. Lisbon is full of lovely and incredibly giving people, creatives and muggles alike. This group was a strong reflection of that, where each member received feedback, advice, support and real affection for their artistic talent. If I continue to meet people who can give me that little nudge out the door, there's no knowing where I might be swept off to.