Mike Milo’s Journal

I just simply don’t know what it is about art that makes people think it’s so easy to do. Why do people think animation is cheap to produce? Is it the fact that we can all pick up a pencil? We all have ideas? We’ve seen so much of it we think we know what stuff should look like?

I don’t know… but I will tell you the average client puts no value on artwork.

None.

They can’t at the prices they expect artists to work for them.

I have had people ask me for an entire 22 minute television show and want to pay me $100 to make it. No I’m not kidding. That would take me a year to do by the way. I have had people want me to draw 300 panels of art for their children’s book for $300. That’s a dollar a drawing. I have had people want me to produce a full color 22 minute storyboard for less than $250 bucks.

I have also had people call me up and berate me when I won’t do work for these insane prices.

It takes the average artist about 2 hours to rough out a drawing of a cartoon character, and (more…)

With the kids and wife away camping in Lakota, I am left to my own ambitious endeavors.

With gas prices soaring (screw you very much OPEC)… I have decided to start taking the train to work. It’s great because we have a station right in my own town and it’s only about 2 miles from where I live. I hop on the train in the morning and take it all the way to CN, which pays for 1/2 of the fare.

(Have I mentioned what a great company CN is?)

Anyway, it’s only about a 1/2 hour there and then a short 10 min walk to the office which is good for me because these days I am slowly looking more and more like a harpooned whale. Cardio is my friend. I had just enough time to draw the lil’ cartoon above on my trusty Tablet PC using Sketchbook Pro.

Fun stuff!

There are several men sitting around in the locker room of a private
club after exercising. 

Suddenly a cell phone on one of the benches rings. 

A man picks it up, and the following conversation ensues:

"Hello?"
"Honey, it's me. Are you at the club?"
"Yes."
"Great! I am at the mall two blocks from where you are. I just saw a
beautiful mink coat. It's absolutely gorgeous!! Can I buy it?"
"What's the price?"
"Only $1,500.00."
"Well, OK, go ahead and get it, if you like it that much ... "
"Ahhh, and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the 2001
models. I saw one I really liked. I spoke with the salesman, and he gave
me a really good price ... and since we need to exchange the BMW that we
bought last year ... "
"What price did he quote you?"
"Only $60,000 ... "
"OK, but for that price I want it with all the options."
"Great! But before we hang up, something else ... "
"What?"
"It might look like a lot, but I was reconciling your bank account and
... I stopped by the real estate agent this morning and saw the house we
had looked at last year. It's on sale!! Remember? The one with a pool,
English Garden, acre of park area, beachfront property ... "
"How much are they asking?"
"Only $450,000 - a magnificent price...and I see that we have that much
in the bank to cover ... "
"Well, then go ahead and buy it, but just bid $420,000. OK?"
"OK, sweetie ... Thanks! I'll see you later!! I love you!!!"
"Bye ... I do too ... "

The man hangs up, closes the phone's flap, and raises his hand and asks
all those present, "Okay... who's phone is this?"

I hate my printer…it’s so stupid. It can’t tell what I want to print, or the way the page is setup by default.

I think I’m going to break up with her.

She doesn’t undertstand me. Then again maybe it’s not her fault.

It’s her creator’s fault!

Seriously, is it just me or are printer software manufacturers idiots? Why the HELL would I want to print a twenty page document back wards? Why would I WANT to reshuffle the pages to the correct order? Sure I know I can check the little box that tells me to reverse printing order so that it prints the way it’s SUPPOSED to print but WHY do I NEED to do that in the first place? Most people still have trouble working the damn computer let alone find a buried setting allowing them to put ti the logical way. In this day and age, we have robotic lawnmowers, refrigerators that tell you when you’re food expires and phones that tell you directions but we can;t get a frickin’ printer to print out a document correctly by default. WTF is THAT about?!?!?!?!

Another thing that pisses me off is why the hell can’t hardware makers add the drivers the computer needs into the hardware itself. Seems easy enough. It’s only a 1mb file and there’s not that many choices. I can count three, Windows, Mac and Linux. that’s it/ A little flash disk on the printer that holds the drivers and viola! Instant true Plug and Play!

You plug the printer in and it downloads the correct driver to your system. Yes I know you’d have to say OK and all that because of spyware and viruses etc but it seems pretty simple. There’s only one driver for each platform unless you count Windows 98 and earlier and who cares about them at this point? I just want my damn printer to work as well as my fridge. is that too much to ask these days?

There… I’ve said it and I still don’t feel any better.

I got up on the wrong side of the bed today. Must be the heat.

As I’ve said before I was on the beta team for SBP earlier this year and my frequent posting and keyboard diarrhea on the forums there got the attention of the guys over at Autodesk I guess.
Anyway, they asked me to write an article on Digital Storyboarding and I have to say I had so much fun doing it, I want to do more! Article writing is fun! I only wish I had learned that writing could be fun back in school. I might have turned out better!

Anyway, you can read the article here.

My friend Paul Stadden, works as a director/assistant producer for Bubba Up in the Morning, a radio show down in Pensacola Florida for NewsRadio 1620. The host, T Bubba Bechtol, is going out of town and my friend will be co-hosting with Bubba’s wife, Tarsha.

Guess who they interviewed? :-D

The show runs until 9:00 am Central so catch it if you can.

If not you can hear it here.

Thanks Paul! It was fun!

What does Bush have to do with Mother’s Day? Well he’s a Muthuh too!

Seriously… I don’t know but it’s a funny clip!