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In a supreme case of "oh, we get it now!" it seems that the hierarchy at the mouse house have spawned a new demon it seems. May be it will be something we can all look forward to rather than with the anticipation we all have for direct to DVD sequels of their animated features. Original stories would be great to read, if only they'd initiate what they used to do so well.

The Touch of the Master's Hand

It was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
Hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three",
But, No,
From the room far back a grey haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet,
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.
"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,
All battered with bourbon and gin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin.
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Master's Hand.

"The Master's Hand" was written by Myra Brooks Welch. She was called "The poet with the singing soul."

The cartoon field is fairly saturated here in Australia. There's always someone out there who maybe not as skilled who is willing to work for less money. That's a problem we have. And we aren't saturated by means of there being plenty of work abound. There isn't. There are less opportunities around now as the industry adjusts and opens itself to accepting the artform for what it does best. 3D illustration and animation certainly hasn't helped the issue as interest from Pixar films and the like build interest in clients seeking more three dimensional characters to represent their ideals. But I do believe that this bubble will burst, and the current trend for 3D illustration will fade to a more moderate level. Even Disney realised this recently when it announced it would be producing a 2D feature film from its US studios.

I'm asked often about how to get in to this industry. And it's getting harder to answer that question. I felt I needed to point this situation out. I'm not hard up for work, I take what I am interested in. I don't accept just any old job anymore. I have the luxury of being choosey. It was me who decided I'd had enough of drawing and not for the enjoyment of it. Frankly, I'm not going to do 3D work and have no interest in it. I admire and enjoy watching what others do with it. But frankly the whole idea of 3D has removed the artist even further from being artistically talented to technically savvy. The majority of people I've met who are in 3D can't draw. Yet they're animators. I find that hard to handle. The jobs are becoming more about technology than who has creative talent. Factory work at its best. Train someone in Maya and you've got an instant monkey for the factory. I haven't anything against those who do amazing work in the field, i'm just miffed that much of where my income came from is now being given to someone who is trained in manipulating a 3D puppet.

I'm responding to what many freelance ask me when we get together or simply communicate over email. The common question amongst many has been what do I charge. I've written before about how to calculate your time and there are some set prices recommended by the Australian Cartoonists' Association. I thought I'd cover another area that I'm sure will upset some as I reveal another secret that freelancers keep to themselves.

It is perfectly okay to ask for a budget. When a client calls to get a quote you should always ask if they have a set budget to adhere to. In many cases a corporation is given guidelines on expenditure and the more intelligent client will work with you on enhancing what they get given their budget. Still there are a lot of clients out there that are newbies to the scene and are very cautious when they are asked for a budget. Their belief is that your quote will match their budget rather than you giving them a price up front for the task.

There has been a real boom in the industry or change in what companies we are now dealing with. Public Relations companies are now starting to expand in to traditional areas that would normally be covered by Advertising Agencies or Direct Marketing companies. Unfortunately with this comes staff who are unfamiliar with how to deal with the creative industry and tend to talk or haggle their way to get a quote.

Too many times in the past year have I had the unfortunate circumstance of having to deal with clients who have no clear defintion of what the final product is they want or what they are trying to achieve. Gone are the days of being given a creative brief that could be quoted and fulfilled without hesitation. Now the trend seems to be that an idea sparks a thought which is passed on via chinese whispers to a staff member who must now complete the project with no real idea on budget or goal set in place.

Here is something that I hope will set in place a way of weeding out the clients who will be worth working for. Lets find those who have a budget or close to one in mind. At least they know what talks.

If the client cannot answer what their budget is, try asking this...

What has been spent on similar projects?
At least this will give you an idea if they have done something similar before.

What is the annual budget and how does this project fit into it?
Here you're asking for a measuring stick ie. if they say the budget is $100,000 per year then you can roughly estimate how much they're used to spending.

You need this information to provide an accurate quote. If this seems to become an issue sorting out the money side of the commission then it is a safe bet that the job will be a painful one. Every client I take on board now must be organised enough to be able to inform me of a rough budget, timescale and a brief that I can work with to create the final product without hassle.

Jeph Loeb has been hired to adapt Will Eisner’s THE SPIRIT for a cinema release. The story follows a presumed dead masked detective who uses his questionable existence as an advantage in fighting crime in Central City.

Loeb is a supervising producer on the WB's SMALLVILLE. His comicbook credits include the Eisner Award winners BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN and BATMAN: DARK VICTORY. And if you haven't seen his work with Tim Sale, look it up!

I get asked about where to find out more about learning the cartooning trade. Well if you want to learn from some of the best in the Lettering trade of the Comics industry then look no further than here ...