Seltzer Studio's Daily Dog

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2010-04-28T07:11:00.001-07:00

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Holy Intersecting Ellipses!

2010-03-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

This has gone too far. The kid’s dad refused to refill my water bowl. Again. Even when I arfed very clearly and brought it over to him in my teeth, he did nothing.

So I just got up and refilled the damn thing myself. I bored my eyes into his head the whole time while I lapped it up.

Loser.

••••••••••••••••••••

A couple of quick pieces of info:

1) If you have a blog and you want comments, mention either Batman or Venn Diagrams. I got more emails on last week’s entry, which had, let’s face it, only the most tangential relationship to either Batman or Venn Diagrams, than I have to any other entry in months. Evidentally there is a large Venn-Diagram/Batman-obsessed audience out there, which presents a remarkably weird yet apparently under-served market opportunity. Exceptionally daring capitalists, go for it!

2) I have also gotten quite a lot of queries about my gallery show. The good folks at TAMA have decided that the recent business environment isn’t quite suitable for any openings, and who can argue with that? Thus we’ve agreed to postpone the show for now, but we’ll revisit the idea down the line.

3) Which leaves me now one PR stunt short. Here’s an idea for another one: Anyone interested in a dog drawing party? I’m a pretty fast hand with a brush, and while I can’t see getting dogs to sit still for me, I’m pretty sure a digital camera and my trusty laptop could solve that problem. All I’d need is a venue, a stool, a couple of dozen dogs, a couple of bottles of ink, a couple of bottles of bourbon, and a couple of bottles of aspirin. Anyone interested in

helping me organize this?

This week’s dog is a particularly affecting Chihuahua, courtesy Jessica Wicken of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Must run – I’m off to draw Spider-Man and Captain America battling the Pythagorean Theorem. Spidey will be wrestling a hairy hypotenuse.

More soon! In the meantime, keep sending in dog photos (thanks to all of those I got this week!!), write me emails, make some comments on the blog, read the story so far or check out seltzerstudio.com. By the way, to see the Studio's portfolio in the same great format as Part-Time Dog, just click here.

Out of Order

2010-02-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

I’ve been pretty good with this book so far, you know. I started on page one, went on to page two, proceeded to page 3, etcetera etcetera.

I never do this. If you were to somehow flip through my sketchbooks, you’d find that I always start drawing somewhere around, oh page seven, then I skip around some, then I draw a lot, I mean a LOT, of pictures of Batman. Which is why I don’t like it when people flip through my sketchbooks.

But like I said, with this book I’ve been very disciplined -- until this week, when I skipped ahead a couple of

pages. It’s not a great big discontinuity, but I’ve always carefully followed my script, which has made a point of interspersing story with pure gag, like the page above.

There’s not a great big reason for the jump. What happened is that I penciled a couple of pages in order to speed up my work, and then I decided to ink this one first, because I had a brand new bottle of ink and it looked like so much fun to do.

And I had this great dog to draw with it! For everybody who has sent it dog pictures so far, I want to explain that the way I pick which one to use is totally arbitrary. I look for a dog who looks like his or her image would complement the story. And this week I had this wonderful image of a moodily lit daschund! If you think about it, the number of people who have daschunds intersected with the number of people that think that taking moodily lit pictures of them would be a good idea intersected with the number of people who have sent me photos is a really, really small number, and also a very strange Venn diagram. So I offer especial thanks to Laura Marmo and her lovely dog Tippy.

Next week, I’ll backtrack a little to go back to the story, give some news about the gallery show, and avoid talking about Batman. In the meantime, keep sending in dog photos (thanks to all of those I got this week!!), write me emails, make some comments on the blog, read the story so far or check out seltzerstudio.com. By the way, to see the Studio's portfolio in the same great format as Part-Time Dog, just click here.

Return of the Return of the Not-Even-Remotely Daily Dog

2010-02-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

So about a month ago, after a layoff for the holidays, I was raring to get back to regularly semi-regular postings. I was keen eyed, quick witted and sweet smelling. I was enthusiastic, energetic and copacetic. In short, I was the very model of a modern graphic novelist.

So what, you ask, happened? A waning of enthusiasm, a bolt of remorse, a dearth of dogs?

None of the above. Basically, I got sick. Not deathly ill, just sick enough that for about a week I couldn’t do much except the bare minimum of work and the absolute maximum of sleep. Yet somehow during that week, I acquired two new clients and a half dozen new projects. Since then, I’ve been working my larger-than-average tuchus (a word that Microsoft Word, in its Gentile heart, does not recognize) off trying to make enough time to get back to this soul–satisfying-but-as-of-yet-not-mortgage-paying project. But now I am back with the whole dog posting thing.

So why just a dog and no story in this email? Well, this week’s segment contains a mildly objectionable word that may offend SPAM filters for the faint of heart, so to read it, you’ll have to click on the link down below. (I don’t really want a big buildup here; the word in question is Occidental for “tuchus.”) But it is quite a dog, isn’t it? This week’s dog is the steadfast Sam the Man, sent in by Jerry and Lenore Katz.

More soon, promise. (Really!) In the meantime, keep sending in dog photos, write me emails, make some comments on the blog, read the story so far or check out seltzerstudio.com. By the way, to see the Studio's portfolio in the same great format as Part-Time Dog, just click here.

Return of the Recently-Not-So-at-All-So-Daily Dog

2010-01-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

Went to a party in Williamsburg. I’m not much of a party guy, but tonight, everybody was fascinating. Made a lot of friends. Got my tummy rubbed for half an hour. Drooled a little.

*************************

Here's the thing about sending out newsletters (or whatever this missive is): no one wants to get them from about mid-December to at least the first of January. At least, that was the impression I got after I send out the last Not-So-Daily Dog in mid-December, which was roundly bah, humbugged.

So out of deference to the holidays, I held off. Then in deference to any lingering hangovers (and are there any other kinds?) I held off. And out of deference to sloth on my part, I held off. In fact, I've held off until sending out this new one until this very morning, which is the most mind-numbingly obvious sentence that I have typed in nearly a month. Oh Part-Time Dog, how I have missed you!

A little rough getting back into the drawing, but I was aided by the inspiration given to me by Lucy, a havanese sent in by Jeeyun Lee.

More soon, promise. (Really!) In the meantime, keep sending in dog photos (thanks to all of those I got this week!!), write me emails, make some comments on the blog, read the story so far or check out seltzerstudio.com. By the way, to see the Studio's portfolio in the same great format as Part-Time Dog, just click here.

It means "potato pancake," if you're confused

2009-12-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

It occurs to me that this is the first- and probably last-ever Hanukah Not-So-Daily Dog entry. For that reason, the dominant color of this page is that of a well-cooked latke. I would ask you just to go ahead and swallow that story in the spirit of the holiday, but the spirit of the holiday would actually require you to foment a violent rebellion while getting weirdly sentimental over a particularly fuel-efficient lamp. So forget the spirit of the holiday, but happy Hanukah, regardless!

This panel took me forever, probably because I’ve been busy juggling six other projects, including the new pieces for the gallery show, which, yes, I promise to post on my site as soon as I get the chance, but who has the time to do that when I can’t even, as you may have noticed, figure out how to end this God-forsaken sentence.

Having now extricated myself from that final clause, let me gratefully acknowledge this week’s dog, based on a photo sent in by the lovely Scarlett Rigby. By the way, while all of the dog’s I’ve received photos for are unquestionably the greatest, truest, most loyal dogs in all of canine history, Scarlett’s photos were really exceptional pieces of photography, and I hope that I’ve done them justice.

That’s it for now. Happy Hanukah again, and also Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, Joyous Kwanzaa, etc.! More soon, promise. In the meantime, keep sending in dog photos (thanks to all of those I got this week!!), write me emails, make some comments on the blog, read the story so far or check out seltzerstudio.com. By the way, to see the Studio's portfolio in the same great format as Part-Time Dog, just click here.

Giving Thanks, Belatedly

2009-12-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

The whole gang was out at the park today. I’m starting to get used the smell, too. We roughhoused together a little, but not too much because it scares the kid. I had to do quite a little growling to restore order, but they listened. I’ve earned their respect.

_________________________________________

Sorry for the delay in posting. Aside from Thanksgiving, a few things came up:

1) I spent a fair amount of time getting new pictures ready for my one-man show at TAMA Gallery. I modestly admit to the new pictures' total awesomeness, and I might be persuaded to post them to my site if I get any requests or even sense grudging assent from some or even one of you.

But be forewarned: the show has been postponed. TAMA is having a densely packed December (Auction this Saturday! Fundraiser the week after!), and taking down the current show and hanging mine was more than they could do. So we're now planning on opening in February. I'll send more info when we firm up the date.*

All in all, a good thing. Less craziness for all involved, and more lead time can't help but be good for an event like this. So, thanks!

2) Part-Time Dog (and me) was the subject of a feature in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle! (The Eagle was founded by Walt Whitman's old paper, by the way, until he managed to get himself fired off his own paper. That has nothing to do with the article, but I find that story just damn wonderful.) Thanks again!

3) Finally, I am now being represented by the renowned Bob Mecoy Literary Agency. Bob is an amazing guy, a true professional and one of the best representatives for graphic novels in the business. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be working with him. Thanks, Bob!

This week's dogs were roughly modeled on pictures from Steve Weinstein, Fiona Watson, Robery Fullum and Emily Newman. (None of these were really portraits, so it's possible that their pets may show up elsewhere down the line...)

More soon, promise. In the meantime, keep sending in dog photos (thanks to all of those I got this week!!), write me emails, make some comments on the blog, read the story so far or check out seltzerstudio.com. By the way, to see the Studio's portfolio in the same great format as Part-Time Dog, just click here.

*As for the contest, I've decided to extend the entry dates until closer to the actual opening. If you're reading this, you're entered.

**For all other agents or agencies on this list, thank you very much for your time and interest. Even if we're not doing business, I hope you're enjoying the story and I'll keep you on and include you in the contest unless I hear otherwise.

Portratis, Four-Legged and Two

2009-11-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

Did Hegel have a dog? If he did, did he demean him and smack him on the nose with a rolled-up manuscript? I bet he did. He seems like that kind of a guy.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

It's official: TAMA Gallery in Tribeca will be hosting a one-man show of my work, opening on December 16. The show will focus on Part-Time Dog, and will feature dog pictures, original artwork and limited prints from the book, but will also include several other original works exhibited for the first time ever.

I am now officially in a frenzy of finishing pieces, arranging for printing and framing, gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. Please come and enjoy the artwork and quite possibly the spectacle of my complete hysterical paralysis! You won't forget it!

This means the art contest will end before the show. All people who are receiving this email who don't unsubscribe before December 1 are eligible to win a piece of artwork. Two winners will win a piece of original art, and the grand prize winner will win a choice of a piece of original art or an original commission based on the characters (or dogs) featured in the book. The winners will be announced at the opening.

This week’s dog is Jetta Belle, a husky/shephard mix sent in by JoAnn & Louis Marrerro. Lovely dog, and I figured the German half of Jetta went well with Hegel. As well, I suppose, as anything goes with Hegel.

The Incredibly Minor Price of Barely Perceptible Frame

2009-11-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

I think my other job is starting to affect my work.

*******************************

Thanks for all the amazing dog pictures I’ve received this week in response to the Daily News article! (For those who haven’t read the piece, you can catch it here. The link now features an accompanying photo of me, so apologies in advance.) I have been overwhelmed by the submissions, but in a good way. Remember, the decision-making process by which dogs get in the book is totally arbitrary, so it’s never too late to send more. Keep ‘em coming!

By the way, the dog I am holding up in the aforementioned photo is Cuba, who has just entered "America’s Next Top Dog Contest." If he wins, his prize will be donated in its entirety to Animal Haven, a New York City-based animal shelter. If you could, please take a second to vote here. (Whether Cuba is, in fact, America's Next Top Dog is not my department -- the last thing I want to do is to rouse the ire of the other doubtless justly proud dog owners reading this -- but it is a very good cause.)

This week’s dog is Chester, sent in by John Acquafredda. He’s a Dogue De Bordeau. Chester, that is. John is unquestionably human, and doubtlessly roguishly handsome, at least that’s what I’ll say if I ever meet him, because from what I can tell from this picture Chester is unquestionably large.

Daily News Features Not-So-Daily Dog

2009-10-27T09:38:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note: Today's New York Daily News features an interview with me on Part-Time Dog.

If you want to fight the trend of declining newspaper circulation and buy the paper, you will be treated(?) to a photo of me holding up a sketch of Cuba, a lovely Havanese, on page 13. That we have approximately the same hair is mere coincidence.

To read the text, you can just click here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/10/27/2009-10-27_illustrators_dogged_pursuit_to_draw_perfect_pooch.html

Thanks for supporting this project so far. I received my first new dog photo submission at 8:45 this morning, so if you have a dog photo you want to send in, the sooner the better, please.

Now Officially a Work of Art

2009-10-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning was not fun. It was rainy again, so the kid and I stayed inside and watched Sesame Street DVDs. But the dad was there too. He sat down on his chair and told me imperiously, “Dog, go fetch the paper.” I didn’t move. “Dog, don’t you know how to fetch?” I’m two chapters away from my PhD, from an Ivy, for God’s sake. I’ve completely refuted the idea that Hegel’s “Phenomenology of Spirit” was propaedeutic to philosophy instead of an exercise in it. Of course I know how to fetch.

So I got him his damn paper, but I gave him a look. Baleful. A baleful look. I hope he’s ashamed for lowering himself like that.

**************************

Fantastic news! TAMA Gallery in New York's TriBeCa has offered to host an exhibit of original art from Part-Time Dog. The lovely and extremely discerning Lilia Villanueva will be curating the show, which should open in Mid-December.

I haven't decided how this will affect the art contest, but here are my preliminary thoughts: I'm going to have a cut-off for new entrants by December 1. The winners will be announced at the show's opening, but the artwork will be held until after the show is closed. Seem fair?

None of this will affect my need for more dog pictures, because I'll keep drawing new ones even after the show is up. (I have to finish this thing, nu?)

Speaking of which, this week's dog is Pearl, sent in by Madeliene Taylor. Madeleine found Pearl injured on the streets of Baltimore and she and her husband adopted her. Pearl soon recovered enough to model for high-end fashion magazines. (Really.) Pearl's story is of course close to my heart because her story so closely mirrors my own. Except for the generalities and particulars.

More big, big news about Part-Time Dog very soon, but it's so good that I don't want to curse it. Prepare yourself for an electronic kvell very soon.

De-Faced

2009-10-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

There was a really cute girl in the park yesterday and she came over to coo at the kid. “Arf,” I said. The kids’ mom mumbled, “He’s being my boy’s dog.”

“Confidentially,” I told her,“I’m a talking dog.”

That girl couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The kid’s mom looked mortified. But I don’t get it: who wouldn’t be impressed with a talking dog?

************************

I once had a drawing instructor who told me that anytime you cropped a woman's head out of a drawing, it was a sign of incipient misogyny. I really couldn't argue the case at the time, because I was 13 and she had used two very hard words. I apologized reflexively - a practice that has served me well - but after a brief pause for consideration of two and a half decades, I believe I'd like to change my plea to not guilty.

Sometimes figures just spill off of the page as you draw them. Sometimes gesture trumps everything else. And sometimes drawing the face is beside the point, as is the case in this week's drawing.

Obviously the woman rushing away thinks our hero is some kind of weirdo. This might make for a funny picture, but I think funnier is the fact that our hero is genuinely confused by her reaction, an idea underscored by the mother's embarrassment. (The kid looks confused too, but that's just the way some kids look. If they're not giggling, crying or about to cry, they look confused. Some adults too, come to think of it.)

In any case, throw in the “this guy is a weirdo” face into this already ongepotchtik arrangement and it's like topping the joke with a rimshot. At least that's how I figured it. If anyone disagrees strongly, I'll apologize reflexively.

This week's dog is a lovely Havanese, appropriately named Cuba, sent in by Bob, who runs DPFamily, a New York-based social networking site for dogs. For info, send a line to cuba@chelseacommons.com. Thanks, Bob!

Whither Holbein?

2009-10-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

That day at the park the kid and I were tearing it up. He’s finally got the hang of throwing the stick, and I’ve gotten to like the taste of bark. He clapped his hands when I brought it back to him the first time and said, “Good dog!”

I AM a good dog!

–––––––––––––

Last week's entry - an innocent picture of a knees-bent confrontation - apparently raised eyebrows, temperature, hackles. The picture a few week's back of our hero inserting his proboscis directly into a canine's hindquarters was downloaded by more than a few as a screensaver. I offer this comparison as a simple fact, without comment. Or judgment. No judgment at all.

This week's entry should raise no objections, except from me. My beloved Holbein square-bound sketchbooks have disappeared from the shelves, and this drawing was done on different paper. Artists, like baseball players, become extremely superstitious about their equipment. If you're on a streak, you don't change nothing,

your paper, your pencil, your socks. But I think this picture looks about the same as last week's, so maybe I've been fooling myself all along. Or maybe it's the continuity in my socks that has salvaged this painful transition.

This week's dog is Jimmy, as sent by the lovely and talented Nissa Blocher. Thanks, Nissa!

One last note: more major-league publicity for Part-Time Dog is coming, although I will be obli

que and mysterious and not mention what it is. BUT I will beg and plead you all to please take a little time and send some emails, post some comments and forward on the NSDD to your loved ones because that would be oh so very helpful. Also, I think this project has now generated enough momentum to be attractive to a publisher, so if any of you know anyone I should talk to or you happen to be the shadowy but benevolent head of a large publishing conglomerate yourself, this would be the time to mention it.

Part-Time Dog Featured on TheIspot.com

2009-09-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

"The kid’s dad keeps rolling up newspapers whenever I walk into the room. But he must know that if he swats me, I’ll just have to bite him on the ankle. I want to tell him, “Look, you’re a grown man. I’m a grown man. Neither of us wants this to escalate. Let’s work it out.” But I’m on the clock, so I just walked up to him, said “Arf,” and tried to look both mature and resolute. This is pretty tough to do when you are eye level with someone’s crotch. I don’t think I pulled it off."

It's pretty unusual for me to post this frequently, but I just got a note that made my week. Jami Giovanopoulos, VP of TheIspot.com wrote, “I think this is just about the funniest, smartest work around! I can't wait to see what happens next ... in the meantime, I gave you a shout in our newsfeed: You are live in Art News and Theispot Blog.”

For those of you not familiar with the illustration world, TheIspot.com is the premiere illustration portfolio site on the net. Getting a shout-out like that from the site that features the best illustrators in the business is an enormous head-sweller. At least that's what my wife said. Twice.

For those who want to mosey on over, the blog can be found here. (You can also check out my portfolio on TheIspot here.) Thanks, Jami!

But don't let Jami stand alone. Blurb my book! Sing my praises! Remember I'm six foot one, 210 pounds of curly-haired need.

I couldn't wait to send out the news, but I needed some progress on the book to justify a new email. Fortunately I had a drawing at the ready, one I'd been looking forward to doing for a long time. Easily the most disturbing picture I've ever done when viewed out of context, nu? Forward it to all your friends! Then enjoy some fascinating and drawn-out conversations with human resources!!

This week's dog is the inimitable Rosie from the inimitable Allan Cunningham. Thanks, Allan!

More soon, promise. In the meantime, keep sending in dog photos (thanks to all of those I got this week!!), write me emails, make some comments on the blog, read the story so far or check out seltzerstudio.com. By the way, to see the Studio's portfolio in the same great format as Part-Time Dog, just click here.

P.S. Don't forget the fundraiser for The Dysfunctional Theatre Company, Rob Brown's (the model for the Part-Time Dog) troupe, at Deacon Brodie's Bar at 370 West 46th Street from 6-10 PM TONIGHT, October 1. For more info, click here. I'm going to try to drop by myself to hoist a few for a good cause.

Open publication - Free publishing - More satire

Squaresville

2009-09-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

"Slow day at the bookstore. I read about dogs. Turns out that they’re color blind, and now I keep staring at my shirt, trying to decide whether it’s yellow or green. Also, I think my ears are perking up whenever I hear a high-pitched noise."

–––––

Would it be too precious to say that I chose the square format for this book because I was deeply influenced by Gustav Klimt's Secessionist Movement? Yes? Would you believe me anyway? No? Howzabout if I said that the square format fancy-pants Holbein drawing pads I like so much are considerably cheaper than the rectangular pads? You'd buy that? So let's see: somehow you've intuited I'm pretentious, insincere and cheap. Wonderful. This has been a fine Yom Kippur all around.

Why this matters is because this panel is nominally a crowd scene, but in a square format it's hard to fit in much of a crowd. Two and a half people is what you get, and that's not much to get the feeling of Boerum Hil across. If the ratio of hipsters to normal people (1.5:1) in this image seems a little high, remember, I have to live here.

This week's dog is Jake, sent by Belinda Hoosech of Lake St. Louis, MO. I'm from University City, MO, myself, which is about 45 minutes or so east of Lake St. Louis. And while I've lived in New York for more than 20 years, because I am not some type of pinko commie, I am still loyal to the St. Louis Cardinals, who just clinched their division. I am assuming that Belinda, and also Jake, neither of whom give off a pinko commie vibe, will join in when I say: Go Cards!

One other St. Louis-area native of note, Rob Brown, the model for the protagonist of this book, is hosting a fundraiser for The Dysfunctional Theatre Company at Deacon Brodie's Bar at 370 West 46th Street from 6-10 PM this Thursday, October 1. For more info, click here. I'm going to try to drop by myself to hoist a few for a good cause.

Open publication - Free publishing - More satire

Excuses, excuses

2009-09-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

Been busy. Deadline crunches. Last-minute jobs. No time for drawing. No time for painting. No time for verbs.

But now I'm back into the groove. As usual, time away from this project encouraged me to improve it. Hence the new, streamlined look and a couple of new features. Now when you click “Forward to a Friend” up top, a new email self-generates that both directs your friend to the Blog and automatically cc's me, thus guaranteeing your extra contest entry. If you hit “Subscribe,” an email will automatically be created with my address and a request to sign up. And if you hit “Unsubscribe,” I burst into tears without any annoying lagtime.

My one regret about this format is that I'm no longer including the entire project as a readable page in the email. It's not gone -- it can still be found on the blog, or when you click on “Read the Story So Far” at the top of the page. But because it was Flash-based, enough people couldn't get it to work in their email reader that I figured I might as well drop it. (If you want it back in, or if you find any features aren't working, or if you have anything else to say, please send me a note.)

Open publication - Free publishing - More satire

Something Old, Something Else Old

2009-09-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

The drawing this week is actually pretty old. It's the first direct pen-to-paper piece I did when I was starting Part-Time Dog, and I realized that, flaws and all, I liked its energy more than I did the more worked-over pieces I was doing at the time. Hope you agree.

In terms of new art, I encourage everyone to flip through the book in its entirety. I've tweaked pretty much every drawing so far, and completely redrew last week's page, which I wasn't entirely satisfied with. Actually, that page is once again the first version of the drawing I did, which in retrospect I liked it better than the more carefully rendered one I posted last time. Yes, a theme seems to be developing here.

This week's dog (find it in the book) courtesy Chris Mueller!

Open publication

Career Damage

2009-08-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Two notes this week:

1) At the top of the email, there is now a big honking “ Subscribe Here” button. If you received a message as an email forward and you want to get more, please hit the button to sign up. Remember, anyone can read the email or the blog, but only people who sign up are eligible to win original art. (And please mention the person who forwarded you the email when you sign up, because that person gets an extra contest entry.)

2) Here's the best story I've heard about this book since I started this project: I was at a birthday party last week, attended by no less than Rob Brown, model for Part-Time Dog and actor extrordinaire (www.dysfunctionaltheatre.org).

I told him that he should be proud. The mailing list was up to about 1,400 people, and I was getting new members every week. He told me that he had been forwarding it to friends, colleagues, everybody, and everybody was enjoying it – except his mother. “Your mother?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said. “She kind it looked it over, read it through a couple of times, and then turned around and asked me, 'Rob, explain to me again how this is helping your career.'”

Mrs. Brown: I got nothing. But I will at least publicize that Rob's troupe, the Dysfunctional Theatre Company, is having a fall Fundraiser at Deacon Brodie's on 370 West 46th Street on Thursday, October 1st and that everybody who loves new theater in New York should come. It is apparently the very, very least I can do.

Open publication

A Matter of Degree

2009-08-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

First off my standard apology: I have been totally overwhelmed in the last week (yay!), so I'm behind on posting. But a great number of you have found the time to send me some really tremendous dog pictures. Thank you all! I am absolutely shame-faced but tremendously grateful. Make me feel even guiltier, please, and keep 'em coming.

The question I was pondering this week was how broad to make the caricature for this page. I ask myself this question quite a lot, because while some of my illustration is pretty broad (see www.seltzerstudio.com for examples), I've toned down a lot of the distortion for Part-Time Dog, and I'm a little self-conscious about it. I think the book is funnier if the drawing plays it a little straighter. Too much caricature and the story would lose its sense of verisimilitude: the big yuks would be like rim-shots, and the jokes would die on the page. But if the drawing gets too straight, I'm afraid that the story will just be too, um, weird.

It's almost as though there might be a mathematical ratio, like an inverse square law, between level of caricature, level of humor and general weirdness. If I were any good at math, I'd figure it out. Of course, if I were any good at math, I'd probably be doing something else for a living.

Open publication

FAQs

2009-08-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

The mailing list has expanded greatly lately (thanks!!!), so I thought I'd get everyone up to speed who missed the early days.

1) Somebody just forwarded this email to me. How do I subscribe? Send me a note here and I'll add you to the list. You are then eligible to win a piece of original art when the book is finished.

2) Can I send you pictures of my dog for inclusion in the book? You have phrased the question incorrectly. The correct phrasing is, “Should I send you pictures of my dog?” The answer is “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.”

3) If you draw my dog, do I keep the drawing? Sorry, no, because it's part of the book and may therefore become a prize for someone. But I will email you a high-resolution JPG, suitable for printing and framing. And I will credit you in the emails, blog and in the book proper when published.

4) Will you draw my dog on commission? Yup. See this blog entry for details.

5) Do you have a dog? Nope, but I'd like one. I mentioned to my wife that if I sold 10 commissions, we could get a dog. She said that if I sold 10 commissions, we could get a maid. If I sold 20 commissions, we could get a dog.

6) Your wife sounds pretty together. She is that.

7) This Dog is not even remotely Daily. Does it really take you a week to draw these pictures or are you just lazy? First, you could have thought of a more diplomatic way to ask that. But no, not even close. I'm a pretty fast hand when it comes to drawing. But getting this email out is fairly time-consuming. Here's how it goes: I draw the new story page and dog picture, scan 'em, clean 'em up, and color 'em in Photoshop. Then I import them into InDesign, make a PDF of the book so far, and post it. Then I take the Photoshop file of the story page, and reduce it in size and resolution for the web. Then I write the blog post, which includes the new image and a link to the story so far. Then I create the email with the new image in Dreamweaver, updating all links. Then I update the Welcome page on my website. Then I ready the email for all members, making sure to remove anyone who wanted off the rolls. Then I prep a Welcome email to all new members. Then I email everyone all 1,200 current subscribers. In between, I have to do some work. And also, commenters tell me that getting the email once a week is a pleasure, once a day is an annoyance.

8) You go through all that for bupkes? Are you insane? Possibly. I started this as a way to get my friends to communally bug me to finish this project, but the list (and the work involved) has expanded greatly. I do it now because I love, love, love to get the comments and emails every week. So please send more.

9) You do realize that this picture this week is gross, right? Yes, I do. And yet I drew it anyway. I could blame the story, but I wrote the story.

10) But it is a pretty awesome illustration. Is there any possible way I can make it my screensaver? Yes, there is and thank you! Click here to download.

11) Also, the web version of the book is pretty cool. Do you have any other books online? Yup. Here's a link to my latest portfolio. Feel free to hit the subscribe button on that page, and you'll be notified of any other work I publish.

12) Is this the longest email you've ever sent? Yes, but it ends abruptly.

Open publication

Shoe Business

2009-07-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

First, a little old business. Some people told me that they didn't get the last email, so I wanted to mention that the new cover features dogs based on photos from the Mendlow family (Phil, Fran & Susana, and I believe Susana's roommate Rachel) and Kevin Marbury. Thanks again. This week's dog comes courtesy Joann McVicker. (Please check it out in the book preview below). Sadly, I am still desperately behind on emailing high-resolution JPGs of dog drawings to the people who have been kind enough to send me photos, so if you want yours, feel free to send me an email with a small but potent guilt trip and I will get right to it.

As for this week's installment, I'm happy with the drawing, but now that I'm looking at it, I wonder if our hero might be more likely to be lounging around with his shoes off instead of on. On the other hand, I sometimes lounge around with my shoes on, so I don't think it's a completely bizarre drawing. It may be a completely bizarre character trait to lounge around with your shoes on, but if so, I'm unqualified to judge.

As always, PLEASE SEND ME YOUR DOGS. If you have friends who have dogs, tell them about this email, and have them SEND ME THEIR DOGS. Please.

Open publication

Judge This Book by its Cover

2009-07-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

I was just about to send off the latest installment, when I realized that I'd grown sick of looking at the old cover. It was the only ink & watercolor piece left, and it looked more and more out of place with every new drawing I finished. So I whipped up a new cover, seen below on the snazzy story-so-far document at the bottom of this post.

This cover features dogs based on photos from the Mendlow family (Phil, Fran & Susana, and I'm guessing Susana's roommate Rebecca) and Kevin Marbury. The interior dog is, well, Rob Brown, but that's neither here nor there. I was originally going to feature Joann McVicker's dog – the drawing came out really well – but it didn't fit with the spread and will have to wait until next week.

By the way, I'm going to email everyone whose dog gets drawn a print-resolution JPG of their drawing. I should get everyone whose dog I've already drawn his or her drawing by next week (it's been a busy week). In the meantime, SEND ME YOUR DOGS. If you have friends who have dogs, tell them about this email, and have them SEND ME THEIR DOGS. Please.

More soon, promise. In the meantime, keep sending in dog photos (thanks to all of those I got this week!!), write me emails, make some comments on the blog, read the story so far or check out seltzerstudio.com.

Open publication

Tom Seltzer Will Draw Your Dog

2009-07-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

As I've said before, thanks to everyone who sends me a picture of their dog to use in the book. Of course, I will draw your dog absolutely gratis, and send you a print-resolution of the drawing JPG as a thank-you. I could not be more grateful to everyone who participates.

But I have gotten inquiries as to whether I would be willing to draw or paint dogs on commission, not for use in the book. And I said I'd post on that.

Here’s what I’m thinking: A pen, brush & ink – with or without a color wash added – on acid-free archival paper, up to 11” x 14”, will go for $150, plus shipping. (That’s the same technique as I’m using for the dog pictures in the book.) A full-on watercolor painting on acid-free archival quality paper, up to 11” x 14”, will go for $350, plus shipping.

I do believe that I’ll have to charge sales tax on these, too. I haven’t checked officially, but my understanding is that when an actual object changes hands, as opposed to merely the rights to reproduce the objects, the boys in Albany want their cut.

Test of Some New Tech

2009-07-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

Let's see if this works:

Open publication - Free publishing

Drawing Dogs for Money

2009-07-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

With this latest page, I have, I believe, finally caught up to where I was before I decided to switch illustration techniques. All new material up ahead! The story progresses! The drama develops!

But that's not what you care about, is it? You care about dogs. When am I going to draw more dogs? Am I drawing more dogs today? When am I going to draw your dog? How about cats? Cats are kind of like dogs, right?

The answers are, respectively: 1) Just finished one now, 2) Probably, 3) Today!*, 4) What about cats exactly?, and 5) No, they're not. Honestly, people, cats are not dogs. We are all adults here. That should not be news.

The other question I keep getting is, will you draw dog portraits on commission? Well, I've never thought about it before, but the answer is sure, happily. Turns out I really like drawing dogs. I'll post information about pricing here on the blog, or you can contact me via email. Spread the word!

More soon, promise. In the meantime, keep sending in dog photos (thanks to all of those I got this week!), write me emails, make some comments on the blog, read the story so far or check out seltzerstudio.com.

* assuming that you are Cara Spenser, whose dog graces the last page of this week's PDF; and if you're not Cara, sorry for getting your hopes up.