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Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005 - 4:24 a.m.

Cost of the War in Iraq
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WARNING!!!! if you know me personally, you may read my diary, but if you do, you take the chance of hearing things you don't want to know, misunderstanding what I've written and being hurt by it. If you are unsure if it is ok to read, save yourself and me the grief and heartache, and ask first!!! Please note that this is a DIARY, ie my subjective feelings, hearsay, suppositions, and outpourings of ranting of the moment. It does not represent objective news, the whole of what I think of a topic or someone, or even a thought-out representation of any of the above. Keep that in mind. Thanks. * Here is a Diary Etiquette Read Me.

Revelations and Butt Indentations

Today I had a breakthrough discovery in my hairpullingout with one publisher (not the ones I dropped on Monday doing the lesbian mom's book).

I keep complaining that the last two books in a series of five that they have presented me with, the author has not remained consistent in the new texts to previously published texts and illustrations depicting the same characters.

Ie in books 1-3 the main character has a black brushcut and passionately loves soccer. His best friend has blond curly hair. In the fourth book, the main character has a dilemna that his normally shoulder length hair is growing really long past the middle of his back. He is the same age, the same grade at school. But suddenly his 'NORMALLY SHOULDERLENGTH HAIR".... what happened to the inch long brushcut on the previous three bookcovers? And suddenly he has freckles. I did my best. i gave him a mullet and freckles. At least he SORT of looks similar from the front with a partial brushcut.

Book five, his hair is suddenly LONG EVERYWHERE, not even bangs. And he can't play soccer, and needs a double to play for him on tv. ??? Once the mullet is dropped, and with the freckles, there is no way anyone would even think it is the same kid as books 1-3.

And then the text for book #5 discribes his best friend, the same name as always, as having a black brushcut. ??!! What happened to the blond curls? He has suddenly morphed into the original main character who had a black brushcut, and was freckleless. So bizarre.

Now they seem to think I am a difficult complaining person to bring these things up. They are like 'draw what is in the text'. And I am like, but how will the reader recognize the characters in the drawings if they go from blond curlyhaired to black brushcut?

And they always seemed just stymied I would even ask such a question. The woman says, 'Usually there are no questions in a series, cuz it is just the same characters you are drawing", Um yeahhuh. Which means i usually DRAW THEM THE SAME!! but if the text describes them differently, do I draw them the same as the previous books or do I draw what the text says, which is completely different?

I am like 'Why in heaven's sake wasn't this discrepancy caught by the publisher, the editor, the proofreader etc? Why is it the illustrator saying that the text doesn't match the characters who have existed for four books in the series already?".


And today we had a breakthrough. The woman in charge of art direction told me " SHE DOESNT READ THE TEXTS UNTIL ALL THE DRAWINGS ARE DONE, AND THEN SHE JUST READS THROUGH TO MAKE SURE THE DRAWINGS FIT WHAT THE TEXT SAYS"

Now suddenly her consternation at me asking any questions, discussing this assuming she has some clue of the story, that she can see the problem, make decisions and suggestions to guide me ALL make sense. SHE HASN'T EVEN READ IT!!! So how's them for apples. How the heck can I discuss the drawings before drawing them if she doesn't even read ANY of the books before the drawings are done. Am I the only one here who finds this disfunctional and insane? How can you work with people doing the art if you have no idea what the books are about, the descriptions of the characters etc? And then you don't keep in context the previous four books in the series, but rather just check that the art matches what is in this one book.

yay for quality control. Yay for editing. Yay for working as a team.

Absolutely insane.

and she is like 'of course I don't read the books. I have 50 to work on". Anyone see any problem with this??

I really have no clue if every other place i work for, that they work like this and just have less idiotic writers who actually make some attempt to keep character consistency, so the editor's lack of oversight of the project doesn't show, or if this is the only place like this.

But I find it boggling, even though now all makes sense.

OK, back to work.

Oh, yeah, they okayed the sketch I did for the cover two weeks ago. I colored it in and delivered it ten days ago cuz they needed it rush for the catalogue. Then yesterday they wrote me 'oh, they don't like the mullet. Make his hair all long, we'll pay you to recolor it". Fine. And then I sketched it without mullet, and was ready to do the new colors. And today they are like 'we don't like the two people behind them, can you replace them?". Dang.

And I'm thinking that they were wanting this super rush two weeks ago. So I phoned. No it is too late to put it in the catalogue now, so it is no longer rush.

Thanks alot for telling me.

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this industry.

Gag.

ps. I went over to artsyguy's tonight to ask if he could help me tighten my bike brakes (the rear one the cable is too loose and it does not brake at all. Bad for freezing rain). He came to the door in a TOWEL. hmm. Well, if I wanted to see most of his body, I got to see it. It is funny, hairy men. I don't think I have ever done a hairy man. Or maybe it was dark. But yeah, we discussed this before didn't we. But not TOOO hairy. And pretty good body. So NO he did not come outside for my bike. He threw on some sweats and we sat on the couch for about three hours chatting, during which there was much discussion of aging bodies (you know, to go with checking out eachother's dental work a week ago), some straightening of his legs over mine, a bit of showing off of massage moves, a hand on mine, more chatting. Hmmm.

A hug with some back feeling. (ok ok, I can't help it, he is tall.... when I reach behind him I get butt. Tight butt with them boy indentations on the sides). And he got to feel the back of my leather jacket over a huge sweater. Sexy as hell I am sure. I got side cheek kisses and then one quick on the mouth a little open. But not exactly sexy either. I am so confused.

OK, I am not so confused. He seems to like me, but is not zooming into it and neither am I, but he is going for hugging. Hmmm. I should maybe make a rule that says 'no mouth kissing unless you actually want to KISS, for god's sakes'. It IS a bit confusing. hmm.

What do you think??

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previous meanderings - future past

Goodbye Michael. May your next life be kinder to you. - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Taking Care of Your Cows - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Saint Joseph robs the cradle and eats spaghetti - Sunday, Jun. 14, 2009
sticky notes and broken irises - Friday, Jun. 12, 2009
The FOODCOMMANDER - Monday, Jun. 08, 2009

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