7 reasons why an Artist will still stay in Business in 2021

Hey there fellow artists, here are 7 good reasons why we still are in business. However, I would advice just have an alternative line of activity for you to make a living out of too because an art, animation career is all about ups and downs even if you work for someone it is dependent upon a third layer of a luxury item. 

If promotion of your services is a necessity (the first level), advertising is only a want (the second level) and art and animation (is only the third level) and in tough economic times lets face it, even for me as a creator it is a luxury :o/

But these 7 points could brighten up the dark scene that we think impends us:

1. The other day I noticed my friends whatsapp profile page, looked great at first glance, when I looked at it closer I saw that it was a sketch but realized my friend looked 10 years older than she actually was in that sketch. After a momentary shock I sighed in relief because I realized wow technology managed to mess up her looks. So don’t tell me technology can replace the artist’s talent? Technology can replace an engine designer/someone who has no money to replace a car engine if it conks. Technology with a lot of money could do that. But a real talent still has work to do baby and still  is needed with pay.
2. I have been contacted in the middle of the night at times to make weird paintings sometimes. Unless its not an obscene portrayal or breaking the laws I do it for them gladly. There was this request several years ago from a person who lost love and wanted to win it back. He and his now crush only had a silent relationship on Facebook where they only communicated through pictures for whatever cultural limitations they had between them. He wanted me to make him a few series of paintings and this whole plan was so emotionally attached to him that after he met me, he trusted my art enough (that I had not yet created for him) He paid his dollars upfront across the table.
3. There was an SOS type call one evening one among many i can list below. He was a salesman who was entrusted by his boss to get his daughter’s portrait painted as a surprise gift for her birthday. He was so desperate for his promotion he said he depended on this portrait and he gladly transferred me a 100% advance. 
4. Talking about SOS calls here is another one she wanted to impress her Ex fiancé who blocked her off even on whatsapp and wanted to win him back by doing a portrait and gifting him. She was so broken when she contacted me I did not feel like charging her anything. But she insisted as it was a personal cause for her she wanted to pay for the gift that she believed would make things fall in place for her.
5. Then there was a request from someone to do an oil painting in a hurry of a beautiful lady his wife. I had to hand over even before it dried. He was in that of a mighty hurry. After that I had 3 requests from him. He seemed to be wanting to impress one girl friend after another with gifting them with portraits to impress.
6. I made a spiritual painting for my maternal uncle on one of my summer vacations to that tropical Island. The next year when I visited them, my painting was blessed by their priest and was carefully given a place next to a miraculous deity’s statue that the village folk came to worship or seek blessings before an important event they considered more auspicious if they prayed in that tiny prayer room. And I was pleasantly surprised that my painting was given a place in that room where 1000s worshipped by praying to the deity on my painting as well.
7. I can go on with a lot of instances where artists are needed just that we need to be visible always to be wanted by our targets and fans.

Thank you and stay safe and stay skillful! :o)

Graphite Sketch of a Golden Retriever's portrait

A few months back I started with a quick sketch of my former pet Golden Retriever and pleased to upload it here to keep as my memory booster and to share with all of you how I do Pet Portraits using pencils. This is extra special that I am going to make it into a hyper-realistic portrait of Gypsy to circulate among my family and friends who enjoyed her company those days. She was a friendly one always busy playing her own pranks but yet ready enough to guard our household as soon as night falls to steal a wink only at daybreak.

Breaking Free - Line test - animation release

Animation - work-in-progress

In 1998 I wrote this story I made into 3D animation using the primitive tools I had using the Dos version of 3D Studio. While at Siggraph 1999 I was glad to pass on copies of it to some of my associates there. Since then production of this story has slowly taken shape as a book illustration and animation. It is going at a snail pace because I am interested in having it done on my own free time. Because if it was to be released sooner I would have had to make a serious investment into it by putting aside my mainstream #creative jobs. So here I am presenting my first official release of the animation work-in-progress. I had released about 75% of this line test way back in 2010 the sketches on paper I had made on campus at New York University, NYC  in 2007 but did not really discuss the message of the story. Keep following these WIPs to piece together my story and aesthetic progress while I produce the completed version soon.

Title of this clip: Breaking Free

Type of Animation: Line test

Release date: 20 Sept 18

Author: Remy Francis

Crossing Oceans, plateaus, rivers to meet my dreams

It was 1994, the year when all my trials and tribulations while choosing a career path came to rest and my journey into the arts began fully unravelling.

source: awesomejelly.com

I was a computer science tutor at my family owned training centre from the late 80s when I started dabbling with PCs and teaching programs such as BASIC, FORTRAN, PASCAL, and applications such as WordStar, WORDPERFECT etc. Although we have come a long way since then, the grounding I acquired from teaching these programs and meandering around limitations in that kind of computer life would make my career life more meaningful and easy to manoeuvre more than a decade from then.

I land this interview at an animation studio that just gets recognized for a few top commercials in my country. And voila like magic I get accepted into a job I least expected. As an animator! I was overjoyed because I was that ardent fan of Disney animation. Struggling to get any and every information I could gather about Disney even during those days when there was no internet. I remember during my sophomore years as a Math student to get ready to be job-worthy, my independent mind had another alternative route to a job-worthy field I was trying unofficially by not spending my parents' money to reach this passion. Because from where I come from, our societies have a tradition where the parent funds for the child's education from the first grade to university unlike the USA or Europe where the child is left to fend for itself after school through student loans or a job to fund their own education. Such societies as mine hence have their children come back to their home nests to return the favor back to their parents to take care of them in thick or thin. There is a good side and challenging side to this just as there is a challenging side to the way western societies too have a positive and negative side.

With this said, let me get back to 1994 when I took up my role as a young animator and dashed away to a progressive, commercial capital in my country. In this city, much like New York city, I get to learn my trade better working night and day. Today, 24 years later as times have changed with everyone having access to technologies I still have no regrets about how far it has taken me and how it has led me to be part of other evolving transitional cities and to have an opportunity to see the world's people. Now it is time to transport my learnings to the roots so that this global way of life makes more meaning for many of us.

Digital Portrait Painting of Senator John McCain (1936-2018)

HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Portrait Painting by Remy Francis

The Year of Zayed Portrait release by Remy Francis@rembrandz.com
© 2018 Francis Remy Teresa

This Portrait painted of the late H. H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE by the artist celebrates 2018 declared as The Year of Zayed to commemorate 100 years since his birth. Contact Rembrandz.com for limited Edition prints or a high-resolution version of this video.