Zub Tales

Imagine you’re juggling management of the following for the studio:

– 2 different card games totaling well over 250 pieces of artwork. Assigning artwork, gathering reference, negotiating with the client and figuring out what still needs to get done. One of the games has a killer deadline and we’re pushing some of our boys ragged to make it come together smoothly.

– an extensive set of magazine illustrations.

– 2 covers for one of your favorite RPG lines.

– planning for 6-8 convention trips over the summer and all the lodging, travel, sales crap that goes along with it.

– a secret still unannounced project that’s supposed to be the real focus of your time and efforts as of late. Development, gathering a team, marketing, scheduling, every facet of this thing slowly moving forward.

– development artwork for another company’s secret unannounced project.

Then throw in marking final assignments and exams from your students.

Then throw in a phone call which yields a killer project for one of the biggest companies in our geeky business. You’ve wanted to work with this company for years and now it comes out of nowhere in the craziest of ways.

Then wake up with your back on fire after you actually got out for the first time in months, went dancing on Saturday night and your body never recovered.

Holy shit… I am swamped. Erik and I wondered if we were going to hit a dry spell there a couple months ago and the industry answered with a monsoon instead. NEVER have I seen so many opportunities or crazy projects carpet bombing us at once. It’s awe inspiring and crazy. Every couple days Erik or I tell each other about something new and laugh about how there’s too much work and not enough talent.

Our gang delivers and the industry very happily responds with more – craploads more. I’m honored, amazed and scared all at the same time. When this deluge is over I think it’ll feel like some kind of hallucination. I thought we were the “go-to” guys, but this is nuts.

So many artists want work in this business… let me tell you: there is work to be had! Bring me strong artists, reliable artists, capable artists. Artists who can think and push themselves. Artists who can mold their styles to suit a project and learn on their feet. Artists who can manage their time and have a strong sense of deadline responsibility. You will not want for work. You can be creative and draw all sorts of wild stuff, making money for it at the same time.

Okay, sleep time… so badly I need the sleep. My spine is searing with pain. Can’t afford to have my back go out at this stage.