Chad Sell is my Hero...

Latrice Royale

At the beginning of the year, I decided that this was going to be a year to try to keep up on blogging, and try to crank out as many posts as I could.  But, I wanted them to be worth-while.  I figured I would keep with the posts about the shows that I go to, and random things that pop into my head that have to do with drag.  So, it seemed fitting that I talk about an artistic idol of mine, who is best known for his RuPaul's Drag Race girls' portraits.

The question became, how do I tackle this?  Do I just write about how much I love his artwork, and leave it at that?  And, then, during an overnight, the thought hit me...I learned of Chad Sell through Facebook, so I could probably contact him the same way. I don't know exactly what it was about the work that I loved, whether it was the cartoon feel of the illustrations, or just the graphic way of capturing the costumes and personality quirks of the queens, but from Roxxy Andrews's fringe dress illustration, I was hooked.  And I've looked forward to each new season, for the new illustrations.

So, in the middle of the night, I took a shot in the dark and sent him a message. I honestly didn't think that I would hear back from him, so I was very surprised when I got a response a few hours later.  Even more so, when the answer was a yes, both to being able to use some of his artwork in a blog post, and to answering some of my questions.

With the beginning of Season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race, being just around the corner, and the fact that I put in my requests right at the end of his annual Week Of Ru (when he posts daily, two of the queens from the new season, until the whole cast is revealed) , I wasn't concerned with how soon I got back the answers to my questions.  I was still basking in the fact that my hero actually answered me.

Immediately, after sending him the questions, I remembered that he has a blog on his website, and went to it immediately, to try to ascertain that I wasn't asking questions that he had already answered on his own site.  (After about 3 hours of trolling his site, that night, I didn't find anything that was quite what I asked, so I figured I was safe.)  I also reinforced my love of his artwork, by checking out his older blog posts.  There are so many illustrations that I am in love with, and would have loved to feature here, but, I'm featuring pictures that I got his express permission as an artist to use.

After what felt like a year (and was in fact only about 2 weeks), I got the response to my questions.  I'm sure that he's probably asked most of these questions on a regular basis, but he was very gracious about answering them all for me.  So, here are the answers, to my most burning questions.

When the episodes start airing, how do you decide which queens to draw?

After I watch each episode, I start sketching out ideas for my favorite runway looks and moments.  I tend toward the more theatrical, outrageous outfits with bold colors and shapes which lend themselves to my style the best.  

Delta Work's First Workroom Look.

I often start with rough sketches for a lot of the queens, but I winnow down that number throughout my day of drawing as I run out of time.  There are frequently queens and outfits I *wish* I had drawn, but I just couldn't figure out a cool way to draw them in the time I had!

(Because I draw some myself, I'm always most interested in finding out how other people's artistic process works.)

What does your process look like? (Do you sketch on paper, or do you do it all on the computer?)  From initial sketch to final product, about how long does it take you? And, what program(s) do you use?

Depending on my moood, I'll either sketch out my ideas in a sketchbook or on my computer.  My process has changed a lot over the years, but these days, I do most of my work on a tablet monitor attached to my desktop.  I draw in a program called Manga Studio 5, which I love and evangelize to all my artist friends.

Following the Monday night airing of each episode, I give myself all of Tuesday to work on that week's pieces. I make final touches the next morning and try to post my work by around noon Wednesday.

Some pieces come together really quickly, and other frustrate me endlessly.  I fuss over likenesses and color palette at the end.  The self-imposed deadline helps me keep things in perspective, though, and it helps shut up my inner perfectionist.

The most important question, of course was: Were you surprised by how popular the RuGirls' portraits have become?

Yes. It's awesome.

I have my own favorites, including the Latrice Royale picture at the start of this post.  So, I was curious:  Do you have a favorite portrait?

BenDeLaCreme: Black and White

I'm always my own worst critic, so there are usually little things that bug me about a lot of my work.  That's true of even some of my most popular pieces!  I'll always be particularly fond of the very first Drag Race portrait I ever finished of Delta Work's first workroom look.  Something about my All-Stars portrait of Latrice Royale still sticks with me.  And, I was really happy with how BenDeLaCreme's "Black and White" portrait came out -- she's one of my all-time favorite queens and I was trying to depict her with a sense of grace and intensity.  It's definitely not one of my most popular images, but I love it, anyway.

Any responses from the RuGirls, that I've seen online have been overwhelmingly positive, so I had to know, if there have ever been any negative responses from them.

I feel supremely lucky to have been embraced by the Drag Race queens and community -- every season brings new thrills, excitement and favorite new queens.  

I don't recall any negative responses from the actual queens on the Drag Race, though.  I think their approach to fans making art of them is to appreciate the effort, even if the final result isn't always very flattering.

A Self Portrait by Chad

 As he had just finished the Week of Ru, with the new Season 7 girls, I had to ask...Any predictions or hopes for Season 7?

I HAVE NO IDEA.  This is the first season where I personally knew some of the queens before they were cast.  So, that's weird and crazy. (Trixie Mattel and Pearl have both performed extensively in Chicago, and I've gotten to meet both.)

To me it's not so much important that all my favorite queens make it far in the competition. I just hope that they're depicted well and get a chance to show what they've got!

When it came to advice for budding artists, Chad's advice was this:

1. Get good.
2. Don't expect to be the best before you put your work out there.
3.  Find others who are excited by the same stuff you are.  Make art about that stuff, and they'll be excited about it, too.

Be sure to check out his website, www.chadsellcomics.com, during the Drag Race season, because he'll be featuring lots of fun interviews about the show, as well as his own thoughts and illustrations of the queens.

Books, postcards and prints of all his best Drag Race work are available at his Etsy store, https://www.etsy.com/ChadSellComics

And, aside from his illustration work, he's also written and drawn a ton of different comic stories, which can all be read at http://www.chadsellcomics.com/comics/.

You can also follow Chad on Twitter and Facebook.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/panja57
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chadsellcomics

If you're not following him and his work already, I suggest you do.  It's fun.  And, now that you have some of the inside secrets of what goes into the illustrations, keep an eye out for the Season 7 illustrations.

Chad, thank you again for your cooperation, and for being so sweet and responding to a crazy fan interview.  

Where I Come From...

My parents, Kathy and Steve, with Mimi Imfurst

"You really should write an article about your parents."  That was Wendy, at the Seacoast Rep show, last weekend.  "I loved that picture that you got of them with Mimi."  Wendy really likes my parents.  She has met them a couple of times.

But, what does one say about their parents?  Generally, people don't have anything good to say about their parents, until after they're gone.

I grew up in a small town, near Rockland, Maine.  Up until I was about 5, my parents moved around quite a bit.  Robbinston, Waldoboro, Thomaston, before they finally settled down in Warren, Maine.  They've lived in the same house for nearly 30 years.  They've been married for 36.  And, they have the kind of love that most people only dream of, or see on tv.  I've never seen them fight.  On rare occasions, I've seen tears, but they were never inflicted by each other.

My mom, Kathy, has had a number of different jobs, throughout her life, before settling into a job as a manager of a group home.  My dad, Steve, has worked for the Maine State Fire Marshall's Office, for as long as I can remember.  He started off working as a Fire Investigator, and has since moved on to being an inspector...he inspects amusement park/fair rides, and things like that now.

Mom and Dad with Latrice Royale at Styxx.

Like most kids, I spent a good amount of time disliking my parents.  We were far from rich, growing up... Back to school clothes shopping meant going to second hand clothing shops.  When we wanted video game systems, we actually had to work for them...We spent a whole winter, shoveling driveways around the neighborhood, in order to get our Super Nintendo.  And, I hated that they wouldn't just buy it for us, because I had friends, whose parents would, and did, do that kind of thing.

What I recognize now, is that they were, at the time, trying to prepare me for life.  Contrary to what drag queens will have you believe, life is not all about Rainbows and Butterflies, and pretty faces.  Life is about working for what you want, and appreciating it more, because you worked for it.

My parents allowed me to go to Art School, in Philadelphia, 500 miles away from home.  It was what I wanted, and they supported it.  They also supported me through the mental breakdown, that brought me back home, to Maine, a year and a half later.  They didn't throw me out of the house when I finally came out to them.  They instead, continued to show me the unconditional love that they have always given. They have always had my back.

Mom and Wendy with Me and Shaunna Rai at Paradym
for Alyssa Edwards.

When I decided to make the move to Portland, for the first time, my mom wasn't really okay with it.  It was really going to be my first time on my own.  I was going where I knew hardly anyone.  And, I was going to be further away than she thought I should be...especially given that I was still grieving a dead relationship.

Little did any of us know, how much that move would change things for all of us.  Three years later, I can't even think of how many times that my parents have come to drag shows.

The first drag show my parents ever attended, was at the (now defunct) second location of Altera, in Lewiston.  My mom was excited, because she was going to meet Shaunna Rai, and Taffy Pulls...I actually think that she was most excited to meet Taffy.  She made sure to tell me that she was knocking things off her Bucket List that night.  It was her first time at a Bar.  It was her first ever drag show. (I think she had forgotten my one night stint as Spice Andrews, in Damariscotta...) And, it was her first time at a gay bar.

Mom with Taffy Pulls at Altera.

I was more uncomfortable than either of them, I think...because, I felt the need to protect the straight couple, who seemed totally out of place.  They didn't really need protection though.  I'm sure that they both had cameras blazing, as did I.  I get the photography thing from them.  They never go anywhere, without a camera.  Literally.  There is a camera in the back seat of the car at all times.  After the show, I introduced my mom to Taffy, and she got her picture with her...a high point of the night.  And, I found out how my dad felt about the show in the bar...he was great with the show, but thought that the bar patrons were rude, because they were there for a show, so should not be talking.

They've come quite a ways.  During the first Dragapalooza that they came to, Shaunna had been in their lives long enough for my mom to be "inspired" by her.  She came to Dragapalooza decked out in a Duck Dynasty t-shirt, and glittery heels.  Again, cameras blazing, during the show...and then, they came to the after show, at (the now defunct) Mama's Cabaret, also in Lewiston.  At this point, I knew that my parents would be "safe" at a show, and so I was less protective, and let my inhibitions down a little.  And, had a few drinks.  Enough so, that at one point, I noticed Shaunna's contact was out, and she had two different colored eyes, and said that she reminded me of a husky.  She then, went on the mic, not once, I don't even think twice...I think it was three or four times, and told everyone in the bar how she was going to "fuck me doggy-style", because I said she looked like a dog.

Dad with Alyssa Edwards.

Obviously, they enjoyed themselves, because they continue to come to every show that they can.  They were there for JuJubee, Latrice and Mimi, at Styxx.  They took the trip to Manchester, NH, to see Alyssa Edwards (where they met Wendy for the first time.)  And, I still get asked, so when is the next show?

During Mimi's Holiday Hangover Show, at Styxx, my mom got to see what really goes into making Shaunna Rai into Shaunna.  She knew how long the makeup took, and that there was some work to make the body.  But, she had never actually seen the process.  That night, she did.  And, she left, saying that she had a new appreciation for it.  Although she had known that there was a lot of work to it, she had no idea about the hips, and the butt, and the corsets and the bras...the list goes on and on.  She seemed to be in awe of the process.

Mom with one of her favorites, Alyssa Edwards.

While I'm on the receiving end of being given unconditional support, I am often reminded of the fact that not everyone is so lucky.  In three years, I have yet to meet Dan's parents.  And, they definitely haven't been nearly as supportive of the drag.  My parents, in the short time that they've known Shaunna Rai, have been to see her more often than Dan's own parents.  I'm extremely grateful for this, and a little bit saddened by it as well.

I started the blog, as a way to let my parents see what I was up to, much like any other blogs that I have had since I first got the internet.  It was a way of sharing people, places and events that I enjoyed.  And, in the process, I hadn't really thought about how much it has actually affected them.  Mom wore heels! She's looking for RuPaul's Drag Race to buy on DVD.  And, she was trying to talk Dad into going on the Drag at Sea Cruise next time it happens.

I realize now that I haven't been the only one dragged to the inside.  My parents have as well, although, to a slightly lesser degree.  And, I think I love them more for that.  Mom, Dad, thank you for being you.  Thank you for being so supportive of us both.

2014: A Year in Drag

Each year, I realize that I'm getting older.  A thought that I am still not ready to succumb to.  This year, like every year before, has gone by faster than I would have liked for it to.  Some awesome things happened.  Some horrible things happened.  Some things that are really sad happened, and some things that I will never forget, (because I took the time to write about them, so when I get to be old and senile, I'll at least have some kind of record of what I have done).  Over all, I don't have a lot to complain about for the year.  And, yes, I know I still have 4 days, technically, before the year is over...but the news channels have been pushing this end of the year crap for a week now, already, even before Christmas...

Manila Luzon

I'll start with the sad stuff, first, and get it out of the way.  This year marked the passings of Crystal Eaton, Scott Randall, Chase Wakeling, and Mildred Poland.  These are all people who at some point have had some kind of impact on my life.  Only one did any kind of drag.  Evie Does-It/Scott, made an otherwise exciting day, less so, as his passing happened to coincide with Latrice Royale's appearance at Styxx.  Crystal, who got her own post at the beginning of the year, was my babysitter, when I was a kid.  Chase invited Dan to live with him and his husband, when Dan had to evacuate an apartment, with only days notice, and Dan was still living there, when we met.  Chase was a supporter of us as a couple, from the very beginning, and it's still a shock to me that he's gone.  And, Mildred was my ex's aunt.  She reminded me an awful lot of my grandmother, and even after the breakup, she kept in contact with me via Facebook.  Her passing was a shock, but, it wasn't unexpected, and she had already made plans that it was her time to go.  Out of respect to the family, I opted to not go, because I didn't want anything to be weird, nor did I want to make it about me.  

Jessica Wild

2014 also marked the passing of one of the first "drag queens" that I was exposed to...Robin Williams, as Mrs. Doubtfire.  When I first heard the news, I thought it was another hoax, like, Macaulay Culkin's three deaths.  When it turned out to be true, it brought up a lot of things, for the kids I work with, as well as myself.  If nothing else, Robin Williams, as Mrs. Doubtfire, taught me that there is sometimes a thin line between the place where Love is Everything, and Love just isn't enough.  And, his final teaching, was that life is short, and let the people who mean anything, and everything to you, know that, because you never know for sure, when you won't get the chance to tell them again.

Joslyn Fox

There, now that the sad stuff is out of the way, I'll focus on some of the big things that happened this year.

2014 brought about my biggest year in RuPaul girls, yet.  I will have met, by the end of tonight, seven different RuPaul girls... Jujubee, Joslyn Fox (twice), Manila Luzon, Jessica Wild, Alyssa Edwards, Latrice Royale, and Mimi Imfurst.  It also brought about the first time I've ever won any kind of contest.  It only took me 34 years to win something more than a participation ribbon... This was the year, that I accidentally won a VIP ticket to see Alyssa Edwards...accidentally, because I forgot that I had entered, and, given that it was a Facebook contest, I didn't actually expect to win...

Alyssa Edwards

While my attempt to create a graphic novel, featuring drag came to a screeching halt, due to a lack of interest (on my part), and an attack on my creativity and imagination, due to doing some actual research by interviewing some queens, I put it aside.  It hasn't been scrapped entirely.  But, it's not a main focus.  At this point, I'd do better, writing a book..."The Boyfriend's Guide to Drag Husbandry." While it wouldn't necessarily be a best seller (or maybe it would), it would give me an opportunity to write what I know, and then nobody could attack me based on a lack of creativity, or plagarizing stories, by using bits and pieces of someone else's life...

Latrice Royale

I learned just how much my parents love the drag.  I have to admit, when I first started dating Dan, the biggest fear, was how they would react to the drag.  I obviously had nothing to worry about, since my mom's goal for this year was to start getting picture

s of her with the RuPaul queens, and, she's now working on hunting down DVD's of all the seasons of Drag Race.  It's been through this whole process, that I realized just how cool my parents really are.  They probably always have been, but you never think that your parents are cool, when you're a kid.  

Mimi Imfurst 

The year has been a giant teaching experience for me. I started to take my blog seriously, as a soapbox of sorts. On top of teaching about the acceptance of drag as an art, and an understanding of trans issues, I have also tackled why drag is dying in Maine, why we need to continue to teach about AIDS, and I grew a beard for testicular cancer. 

My No-Shave November Beard

At work, I've also been able to teach more about acceptance as well.  We took the kids to Salem, Massachusetts back in October, just before Halloween.  While we were there, the (at the time) Duchess Gigi Gill was out and about taking pictures with the tourists.  The boys all saw her, and started saying really mean things about her. So, it was my job to talk about the fact that not all drag is RuPaul "grade". And that it is as much about playing a character, as it is about dressing in the opposite gender's clothes.

Cherry Lemonade

Over the course of the year, I made some friends, and lost some friends. The friendscape of my life is in a big time flux right now. People are moving away. Other people just have stopped making the effort. And, I've done the same. Yet other people have surprised me. Cherry Lemonade has become someone  I consider to be a good friend...and she's going to be famous now. Starting January 7th we'll get to see her journey on American Idol.  

I went to so many shows throughout the course of the year.  Two fundraisers in January, March Dragness,  Jujubee at Styxx, Joslyn Fox at Mainestreet,  the Frannie Peabody AIDS Walk weekend in Ogunquit, Dragapalooza,  Zumba Wekend at Point Sebago,  all the Pride events and fundraisers, the shows at Seacoast Rep with Manila Luzon, Jessica Wild and Joslyn Fox,  Alyssa Edwards at Paradym, Latrice Royale at Styxx, the Miss AIDS Awareness Pageant, and Mimi Imfurst at Styxx. And I'm sure I missed a few shows as well.

The year gave me a totally different view of RuPaul's Drag Race, as a show. While it is still one of my favorite shows on tv, I learned through listening to stories from some of the girls, just how much the show is edited. What you're seeing on air, likely is not necessarily the way things happened in reality. 

I learned that some people just don't get how to promote. If you're trying to get people to come support your venue with a show,  it's important to get the word out on the street as early as possible. A last minute, "I need a poster for tomorrow,"  is NEVER going to get you the same business that you would get if you let people know a month or more in advance. 

I'm looking forward to New Year's Eve in Lynn, Massachusetts. I'm hoping that this will be the beginning of a year when I finally step out of the role of silent photographer, and start mingling on my own. I've done it a couple times this year, but it's always awkward.  I just have to keep trying. You know, "Fake it til you make it."

And, here's to a great 2015,  to all of you, my readers. Thank you for your support!

Evie Does It

Sometimes, people creep into your life, and make their way into your heart. Often, I fight against letting this happen.  I have a bad habit of pushing people away, who want to be close to me, because I have this fear of them leaving.  So, if I don't let them in, they can't hurt me when they leave. (I know, it's lame.  But, it's real. Working in Social work, I see it all the time.)

When I first moved to Portland, it was to get away from having been hurt.  I figured, if I moved somewhere, where nobody knew me, that I could start over fresh.  And, really, I didn't expect that I would end up with friends...all my friends were from other places, and eventually, I would let those friendships lapse, as I got busier and busier with my new life.

Somewhere along the lines about two and a half years ago, I went to Blackstones, for the first time.  I knew of it, because of my roommate at the time, talking about it.  It had a reputation, from what I had heard of being a "leather bar," a "daddy bar", and "a dive bar," but above all else, it was most decidedly, "a GAY bar."  I was terrified.  I did the straight boy thing, and worried that everyone in the bar was going to hit on me, because I was a new, fresh face in the bar.  (I wasn't entirely wrong...)

Scott was one of the first people that I met.  He came over, and started talking to me, and introduced himself.  He intimidated me, at first.  We connected over the fact that I work in the social work field, and was at the time, working with a population of people with developmental disabilities, because he had a son who was disabled.

The first time I met Evie Does-It, I was flustered.  I couldn't figure out why I knew her, but I knew that I knew her.  Evie had a bad habit of talking more than she should, and throwing attitude at the wrong people.  At first I didn't get it.  But, when Shaunna Rai started bartending at Blackstones earlier this year, things started to finally make sense.

A lot of people have a bad habit of talking too much, when they shouldn't about people who don't deserve it.  Scott/Evie had medical problems, and a lot of ribbing came at the expense of those medical problems.  And, so, Evie did what I do, and pushed people away, by being bitchy to them.  She tried it with Shaunna once, and was read the riot act.  After that, their relationship changed, more to a mentoring kind of relationship.  Evie would ask Shaunna for advice about drag, and that was that.

Evie came to every drag show that I ever went to, in Portland.  She loved it.  And, a few months ago, she was talking about the fact that she was going to have a surgery to help lose some weight. Then, after the surgery, watch out world, because Evie is going to hit the stage.

Evie had started having wigs done by Dan, and her look was evolving, somewhat.  I would have loved to have seen what she could have become, with more time and guidance.

Unfortunately, Scott passed away last Saturday.  His timing couldn't have been worse.  Latrice Royale, from RuPaul's Drag Race, was coming to Styxx that night, and he was really looking forward to going.  Scott even had a date for the night.

I found out that he had passed, while I was at work.  And, working in the field I work in, it's hard to keep your emotions in check all the time. Especially for me, because my poker face is busted, and everything that goes through my mind shows up on my face. And, the kids I work with have been in the system long enough that they know how to read someone.  I was worried that something was going to happen to him, because he'd been in the hospital, and Dan, after one of the last shows, had said that he thought that something bad was going to happen, because Scott's skin looked off colored.  What I didn't expect, though, was how hard it would hit me.

Any time I tried to talk about him, I got choked up.  And, twice, before the show, I almost broke down in tears.  I would have skipped the show altogether, if I hadn't been tasked as the official photographer for the show.  And, then I thought about what he would have said to me.  And, realized that for as long as I've known him, he always wanted happiness for everyone he knew.  And, he would have wanted me to go, enjoy the drag, to know that he wasn't in pain anymore, and that he was there in spirit...

My heart goes out to Scott's family and friends.  I'm not able to go to his funeral, which makes me sad.  So, I will figure out some other way to say my goodbyes to him.

Evie, you'll be missed, and Blackstones will never be the same place without you. Good bye my friend.

Graphic Art is Hard

My first Drag Show Poster

Over the past few weeks, I haven't really had much to say about drag, because, well, there hasn't been anything going on.  I mean, for real, we live in Maine.  Unfortunately, it's not like there's a drag show every night everywhere here, like there is in Boston.

So, instead of doing my usual escort/chauffeur/bag boy thing, I've been doing the other side of what a good drag husband would do.  I've been making posters, and helping get out the word about shows that are coming up. (Quick plug for Seacoast Rep theater in Portsmouth, NH, tomorrow night, August 6th, with RuPaul's Drag Race past contestant, Manilla Luzon.)

Sept 13, 2014

Originally, my posters started off as a "Hey, can you just throw something together for me for this show?" from Shaunna Rai.  A couple of them, have come off because I had time, and I was excited for the show, like my old Jujubee poster, and the new Latrice Royale poster.

In my own mind, these posters are going to make me famous, somehow.  I'm going to be like Brian Kinney's character from Queer as Folk, only with a lot less sex and drugs.  In my mind, I'll be making money off from my posters, instead of just doing them because I can. The truth of the matter is, I have a lot of fun making the posters.  Until I don't.

Sept. 6, 2014

Generally, I ask the patron for an idea of what they're looking for in a poster (unless it's an "I'm bored, so I'm just making one".)  From there, I can usually get something put out really quickly.  This, to me, is a good thing.  If I were getting paid, the more that I could do, keeping the client's idea in the forefront, the better I would be making off from them.

My biggest pet peeve, however, is a client who says, "I don't really know what I want, so just use your own judgment."  Because, really, they do know what they want, and it usually isn't the same as what I want.  Dan tells me all the time, "You need to use your words, and tell me what you want, because I can't read your mind."  It's good advice if you ever decide that you need a poster from me.  Because what I think looks good, may be far different than what you think looks good.  So, we need to have a common ground somewhere, where we can start off, and go from there.

Honestly, it's not a big deal if I'm working up a poster, and you say, "Scrap the idea, it's not working, try this."  It's not even a big deal if I have seven different saved copies of your poster...unless after the seventh, you decide to go with the first after all.

April 12, 2014

My issue here, is that I'm currently working for free, to get myself some experience, and some exposure.  I don't always mind that.  For instance, back in December, I had done a quick poster for Styxx/Frannie Peabody Center, to advertise that they were doing free HIV testing.  Given that Frannie, through Shaunna Rai, has become my charity of choice, I would have done the poster for free anyway, because it's a way for me to give back.  And, the Styxx shows with the RuPaul girls, I'm getting tickets for not only myself, but, my parents too.  These posters, I don't mind doing, because I'm getting some kind of "reimbursement" for...be it the ability to feel like I'm doing something important, or the opportunity to get to go to a show that I don't have to pay for.

Add caption

I do art.  That's my thing.  I can't always do it on command.  I may start a project 5 times, before I show you what looks like the first version of it that you can critique and change.  It takes time.  It takes the right mood.  And, it takes a little bit of understanding from the person ordering the poster to get that I have a full time job, and I do this on my own time.  Art is fun for me.  But, when a poster turns into a monster, I'm going to want to be done with it as soon as I possibly can, to never think about again.

And, now for the shameless plug for myself.  I'm open to doing posters.  You can shoot me a message on Facebook, or via email.  We can work something out.  A little cash would be appreciated, because I do have bills to pay, but as I said before, I'm willing to barter as well.  If it's a show, I'll work for tickets, if it's realistic for me to get to it.