#nomencreatures

[maljones]

There are only 16 days left to go in the Kickstarter. We’re already fully funded and we’re moving along towards stretch goals. We’ve hit one (stickers!) and maybe we’ll the second (coloring books!)

Make sure you hop on the Nomencreatures parade if you want a book. Once the Kickstarter is done, that’s it. 

[maljones]

Thanks to you and your support (both by backing the project and by promoting it on social media), we've exceeded our initial funding goal in five days. I'm truly blown away.

Five days. IT WAS FUNDED IN FIVE DAYS. THANK YOU! Now to work on stretch goals.

[maljones]

Who wouldn’t want to buy something from a guy talking about wombat butts with such enthusiasm?

[maljones]

A group of Mals is called a Maladroit. (For the bio page in Nomencreatures.)

[maljones]

More proof of the Nomencreatures book coming to life! Getting this together is gonna put Fan Art Friday on hold for a bit. Only so many hours in a week.

[maljones]

A Nomencreatures B-Side: Gang of Turtles

I screwed up my notes while I was working on Nomencreatures and had a group of turtles listed as a gang. That was wrong! It should’ve been a gang of Turkeys.

But enjoy my mistake on Word Turtle Day!

I went ahead and put it up as a print, because why not: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/maljones/gang-of-turtles/

[maljones]

When is a side project not a side project? When it’s a project.

As a co-owner and designer at Rocketkoi, the line between “side project” and “work project” gets really blurry. Client work falls on the “work project” side of things, obviously, but what about projects like Nomencreatures? That raises awareness of us, makes a little money (emphasis on little), it’s a blast, and we have future plans for it.

Let’s say that those things (raises awareness, makes money, is fun, etc) move it from “side project” side of the line and over to “work project.” Now that it’s work, that means I need to find a way to prioritize it during 9-5:30 so that it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. I don’t want to always be up till midnight and I want to be sure it gets the attention it deserves

But wasn’t it already getting the attention it deserves? So “the attention” just means carving out more time for things like analytics, budgeting, and marketing plans. Don’t let it sit around and treat it more like client work.

Which means that at the end of the day there is no “side” or “work” project. They’re all just projects.

I’m thinking about the self-employed designer’s existential crisis because we’re working up a Kickstarter for a Nomecreatures book. We’ve got spreadsheets, we’ve got art, we’ve got facts (it’s an alphabet book with some fun facts tossed in), and now we’re working to get some momentum behind it.

It’s a project, like any other, and I’m doing it a disservice by thinking there is a line between the types of projects I’m working on.

[maljones]

Thanks to everyone for the links and reblogs. @inprnt​ is having a special this weekend where you if you spend $25 and use the code FREE817 when you check out to get free worldwide shipping!

SO if you want to pick up a Nomencreatures for a little less, now is the time! Get two small prints and BLAMMO you get the special.

Support your local illustrator: Get a print at inPRNT