the art of Will Terrell

This is Gemini, my cat. She’s made of evil and adorableness. EVIL!

I will be at Star Comics, 2014 34th Street in Lubbock,
Tomorrow starting at 11 a.m. for Free Comic Book Day!
I will be selling books and prints, doing free sketches with any purchase
and from 2 – 3 I will be doing a cartooning-for-kids demonstration.
If you are in Lubbock, come by and get your selection of
Free Comics provided by the ever generous, Star Comics.

I’ve got a big deadline coming up, I’ve already penciled/inked and lettered 160 pages on this book since July 1st. I’ve got about 30 pages to go by Friday Dec 31st. If you’re doing the math, that’s about 5 pages a day. I can, and have been doing that. I’ll be glad when I can go back to a normal, sane 1 page a day though. For this last chapter, I’d like to live stream most of it as we go. If I’m working, you’ll see it below, come chat with me if you’ve got some time. Ask questions, I’d love to get some dialogue going.

-Keep smiling!
–Will

This was a caricature commission from a few weeks back.  It was a lot of faces from a lot of photos.  Not the most I’ve ever drawn, but I was able to turn it around quicker than any I’ve done.  The client seemed really happy with it too.  I think its going on a T-shirt for a family reunion.  Not sure exactly, they just wanted the drawing.

-Will

Here is a commission I did recently for a friend of mine.  I really like how it turned out.  I’m enjoying doing multimedia these days.  This one was pen and ink, then watercolor, acrylic with a little airbrush mixed in for atmosphere.

Ira Glass, host of “This American Life,” giving a talk about stories and storytelling.

Ira Glass at Gel 2007 from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

My faith is strong. I have developed a very strong trust in following signs in life, and trusting God. They have always led me down paths that were far more rewarding and abundant than anything I could have crafted for myself. But I had a strange situation recently that really spun me around. And its been a long time since I’ve been surprised like this before.

I have learned that the best way to get what you want out of life, is to figure out EXACTLY what it is you are looking for, and then pray that the path is laid before you and its simply up to you to follow the signs.

About a month ago I took a job as a graphic designer for a local comapny that does t-shirts for the university here. It was following signs that led me to there. And then it was follwoing signs that led me to what is going on in my life now.

The job is alright. I get to draw some of the time. But a lot of the time its just getting stuff done. Not near as much creativity as I expected. And in the beginning it was a quick crash course in learning to draw in Illustrator, which I have only occassional experience with. Then two weeks in, I went to do caricatures at a party, and one of the parents, whose daughter I was drawing, asked if I’d ever thought of working for this international toy company she works for, that is also here in town thats been here for 30 years. That blew me away, cause I’d never even heard of them. I called them up that day, they’d already heard of me, and they had me come in with a portfolio for an interview. It went very well. And they said I’d probably be starting at 6-10k more a year than what I’m making at the current job. Plus benefits. I would also be drawing cartoons the majority of the time… instead of the ten percent of the time I am now. And I’d be working with 12 other cartoonists. My jaw dropped.

I worked up these samples (in Illustrator) and came back a few days later for the follow up interview. It seemed to go well. A few days later, they called me… and told me I didnt get the job. They only had one opening left, they said, and they needed someone that did design, for catalogues and such, of which I have experience, but I dont know the program they’re wanting me to use. Plus… I doubt I would have enjoyed doing that instead.

So… I was thrown. It made no sense. There were so many coincidences. Many more of which I havent even mentioned. It left me very confused. Until I remind myself of what my heart desires. I am certain I could get a really high paying job with my art if that was what I wanted. I am even more certain of that after this experience. Sometimes when you ask God for something, he gives you choices. This would be perfect for me. If I wanted to work for a paycheck.. this would be the way to go. And its no coincidence that it happened two weeks after taking my first “real” job in more than 6 years. This is a reflection of one reality that I can choose for myself. But its not what my heart desires.

Next week I’m going to Ohio to follow my heart’s desire. It is a pilgrimage of sorts to find my heritage. My journey to Mecca. lol. I’m sure that sounds strange to a lot of people (prolly especially to anyone living in Ohio haha) I want to be a comic book artist. I want to make stories that millions of people enjoy. I want to create other worlds for people to explore. Its what I’ve done since I was 12 years old. Its what my Soul aches for every day I think of it but put it off. Its what I want to do. Its what I’m ready to let flow through me now Its what is now my life. I’m ready.

So things are about to change.

This is no coincidence.

-Will

I finished coloring this the other night. Its the cover for the Trade paperback of Goblin Chronicles.  I’m looking forward to adding another trade to my bookshelf though! This and Gargoyles makes 2!!. The trade should be out around November, from what I understand.

I actually inked this cover myself.  I printed it out in blue lines, inked it and colored it from that. I’m happy with the result.

-Will

If you have not heard about the Orphan Works act,. please read up on it here..
ORPHAN WORKS ACT  The basics are that it is a congressional attempt to replace current copyright practices with a registration system, where each work must be individually copyrighted for a fee.  It takes the burden of copyright off of the user and puts it unfairly on artists, while removing almost all reasonable compensation and punishment for theft of copyright. 

To put it in perspective, I produce upwards of 5000 drawings, illustrations, and sketches a year that, under current law, are copyrighted the moment they’re created, signed and dated.  This bill takes that away completely. 

PLEASE HELP US!!! ALL artists, writers, photographers… we need your support.  There’s rumor this bill is a hoax.  I assure it is NOT.  In fact it was slipped through committee LAST NIGHT 5/19… and is fast tracked without debate to be voted in Senate.  We need your voice to speak for all of us artists that bring good things to the world.  If this bill passes, you will see a lot more Copyright Blemishes splashed across every image you see… if you even see nearly as many images as now.  No artist wants their work to be taken and abused by anyone without compensation or permission. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP!

Even if you are not an artist, Contact your representatives in the Senate and House, TODAY visit http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml  Ask that they stop the bill so that it can be reviewed and debated. 

Contact your Congressman in opposition bill S.2913, the Orphan Works Act

Here is the basic email I’ve sent, but make it your own…

“Senator, I am writing to you to request that you speak for me in opposition to bill S.2913, the Orphan Works Act;  Because it has been negotiated behind closed doors, introduced on short notice and fast-tracked for imminent passage without open hearings, ask that this bill not be passed until it can be exposed to an open, informed and transparent public debate.  Thank you sir for your time.”

The House Judiciary Committee is considering H.R. 5889, the companion bill now. Please write them as well:

Congressman,

I am writing to you to request that you speak for me in opposition to H.R. 5889, a companion bill to Senates bill S.2913: the Orphan Works act; Because it has been negotiated behind closed doors, introduced on short notice and fast-tracked for imminent passage without open hearings, I ask that this bill not be passed until it can be exposed to an open, informed and transparent public debate. Thank you sir for your time.

I dont normally watermark my artwork with copyright.  But if this law passes, this may be one of the only ways to protect our artwork when we post online. Essentially, I would be rendering my artwork useless with a watermark to would-be users seeking to use my artwork without just compensation. But this watermark protection isn’t a guarantee, because anything printed or reproduced without your copyright will now be subject to theft! (That’s not to say your copyright wouldn’t be purposefully stripped for the purpose of theft.)

Right now, anyone can download my artwork, but no one can legally profit off my artwork without just compensation to me. This is all about to change with this new bill.

The Orphan Works act works like this. Is someone finds your artwork on the web, or printed elsewhere, without proper copyright and registration (or with the copyright stripped off), they can register it — after a “reasonable and diligent search.”

Now, if you want to protect your images from being ripped off, you would need to register your images with all these privately owned registries. How much will cost? Who knows? How many images do you draw per year?

If you’re in Lubbock, John Cornyn is our senator, and he was one of the folks on this committee.  So lets step up the effort to get this thing at least stalled so it can be looked through.  the Orphan Works Act Senate Bill S.2913 and House Bill H.R. 5889. Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA),Howard Coble (R-NC), John Conyers (D-MI), Lamar Smith (R-TX), (Chairman and Ranking Members of House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property and Full Judiciary Committee Chairman and Ranking Member respectively) and Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

Please get active and protect your copyrights, or be prepared to lose them!

Read the act, testimony or full report
Go to the Illustrator’s Partnership Resource Page !
See the Brad Holland video about this act
Government contacts and sample letter!

Labels: Orphan Works Orphan drawing Copyright

Just a reminder: I will be at Wizard World Texas Nov. 16-18. I’m splitting a table with my friend Collin. We’ll be at table #3230 in Artist Alley. I’ll be doing sketches and selling my comics and sketchbooks. See you there!

–Will