Two Electronic Magazines:
The "Once a Month Caricature", and The
"Once a Month Communiqué" -
Something Every Other Week

Sometimes a simple nudge is all you need to get going - and that's all it takes to keep you drawing. Why? Because we want you to proceed confidently, adding consistently to your repertoire of real skills so you can cruise smoothly and productively through each lesson one at a time, knowing confidently there's always advice and a gentle nudge around the corner in the next issue when you need that extra push.

The Once a Month Communiqué

This is support feature #1. In the Every Other Week Communiqué we answer your and other members drawing questions, look at drawing techniques, sometimes we take a closer look at the anatomy around a hard to draw feature, sometimes we even touch on motivational techniques.

We try to keep it short but packed. The subjects vary - we respond to your questions. Members have even sent their actual drawings with the request that we evaluate what's working and what's not. (And we have - in a very nurturing and honest way - never critical. We know it takes courage to post your pictures for every one to see.)

Plus, if you do send your pictures for evaluation they'll become part of the permanent collection: you'll be published. With your permission of course. This helps us too. It's a place for you to participate and sometimes participation gets you more excited about your own art than anything else.

Keeping it fun: Your "Once a month Caricature"

This is support feature #2: We don't want things to get too heavy, so to give you little breath of fresh air every month.You'll get an e-mail laugh: the "Once a month Caricature" e-zine. In some issues you'll get a "work-in-progress", maybe a series of 3 pictures where we start with a realistic drawing (usually of a well known person). Together we'll explore what it is about our subject that makes them unique. Then, using the approach we've outlined in the e-Sourcebook, we'll caricature what's caricaturable. Sometines it's just a caricature with a list of things that we find notable for portrait or hot to exaggerate.

A tiny sampling of hot topics we've talked about in the e-zine (by the way, all of these have been saved for you in the e-Magazine Archives):

20 November 1998 Communiqué
1) Staying motivated/practice before talent
2) The Artist's contract - Growth comes in leaps and bounds after periods of apparent fallow. Not to worry, the brain continues working at it if you've been immersing yourself. Makig some kind of Committing to yourself and your craft is a powerful first step.

14 October 1999 Communiqué
1)"Feature by feature" series: ears.
2) Getting into and staying in the artist's mode
3) Buddy system: update 4) Chat room?

22 October 1999 Caricature:
Discussion and caricature of Atlanta Brave's
controversial relief pitcher: John Rocker

26 November 1999 Communiqué
In this issue:
1) Political cartoons and caricatures and links
2) A Fun little cartoon site
3) Feature by Feature Mini-series

10 December 1999 Communiqué
1) Tips on how to get a good likeness.
2) Featured site: Another way caricaturist's and cartoonist's can make money

14 February 2000 Caricature
1) Maria Shriver-Scwartzenegger picture and background
2) Links to National Caricaturist Network
3) News on upcoming National Convention
4) Link to Tad Barney's "The Nose"

21 April 2000 Caricature
Your Every Other Week Caricature
This week featuring a progression series of Rap star Snoop Doggy Dogg. Illustration is group of three drawings.

15 May 2000 Communiqué:
1) A lengthy little essay on "honest observation" and...
2) proven warm-up exercises for getting into R-mode (the Artist's mode).

15 June 2000 Communiqué
1) Working up to your first "live gig"
2) From stick figures to full portraits in 5 days: quick visit Betty Edwards "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" site

20 August 2000 Communiqué
Re-introducing an age old technique: The drawing grid - using the lips and teeth as an example.

30 September 2000 Communiqué
1) The Picture Plane
2) A fantastic little drawing aid
3) Making a permanent record of your "Vis-a-vis" marker drawing

14 October 2000 Communiqué
First Aid for "tough drawing" days

3 March 2001 Communiqué
Some simple and effective exercises for increasing your manual dexterity, circle-making, and straight lines ability

We even get into Marketing tips

When you come to that point where you're ready to build that web site, or start drawing at parties for tips or for $150 an hour, you'll want to know how to maximize your exposure and keep more of those paying jobs coming, things like understanding how to build your "Unique Selling Proposition", how and where to find more information on producing your own drawing book, on how to get and keep getting "gigs". We know for many of you that's your major goal: making real money running your own caricature entertainment business.

Why? Because any business needs more business to survive and the web (as an example) gives all artists the potential to play on a level playing field with all other businesses - large small. We can get you jumpstarted there too:

23 December 2000 Communiqué
1) Jeff's "Marketing 101 and 102": response to two questions 2) Related Links

26 December 2001 Communiqué
Elgin Bolling of Bronx, New York asks a great question about exaggeration; Ed Nemanic asks about self marketing, pricing in the beginning

30 April 2002 Communiqué
In today's e-zine: a Marketing primer

12 June 2002 Communiqué
Part II Marketing: mining your Unique Selling Proposition

...and over 140 more issues.

Sometimes a simple nudge is all you need to get going - and that's all it takes to keep you drawing. Yep, the simple nagging fear that maybe you'll never draw those masterpieces you've imagined you should be creating, the masterpieces you KNOW are inside you - well that can stop anyone. We don't want that to ever happen - we do our darndest to keep you excited and enthusisaic about your new avocation.

Why? Because we want you to proceed confidently, adding consistently to your repertoire of real skills so you can cruise smoothly and productively through each lesson one at a time, knowing confidently there's always advice around the corner if / when you need that extra nudge.