Something I knocked up quickly for Illustration Friday.

When I saw this week’s theme, “detach”, all I could think of were cells dividing. This is a little homage to Gary Larson, but the scientific basis behind his cartoons is probably more sound.

The current version of Wordpress does not provide a mechanism for retrieving comments accidentally marked as spam. This can be circumvented with the Akismet plugin.

Akismet is a Wordpress plugin that evaluates and deals with regular spam comments as well as trackback spam.

If a comment matches up with spam in their database, Akismet dispatches it swiftly, saving you the hassle of moderating several spam comments on a daily basis.

As an added bonus, Akismet allows you to view caught (or marked) spam and retrieve it from the database.

Step-by-step instructions for recovering a comment accidentally marked as spam in Wordpress:

Step 1. Install the Akismet plugin.

Akismet is included in the core Wordpress distribution. It can also be downloaded from the Akismet website as a zip file.

If Akismet is not already in the plugins list, then:

1. Download the plugin.
2. Extract the zip file into the wp-content/plugins folder in the hosting area for the Wordpress website. This will create a new folder called “akismet” in the plugins folder.
   

Step 2. Activate the Akismet plugin.

1. In the main Wordpress dashboard, click Plugins in the top right corner to access the Plugin Panel. Akismet will now be in the list of inactive plugins.
2. Select Akismet and click Activate.

Note: Akismet activation requires a Wordpress API key. If you have a Wordpress.com account, you will find the API key in your profile page at Wordpress.com, or in the e-mail you received from Wordpress.com to acknowledge user registration.

Step 3. Find the comment that was accidentally marked as spam and retrieve it.

1. Click Comments at the top of the Wordpress dashboard.
2. Click Akismet Spam to access the “Caught Spam” panel.
3. Find the comment to be retrieved and tick the “Not Spam” checkbox underneath it.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click De-spam marked comments. The comment will reappear in the “Manage Comments” panel.

Look in the top right corner. What a wonderful sight!

Mouse Party can also be seen with the rest of my t-shirt designs in the Art section of this website.

Thank you, RedBubble!

Return to the Art News page.

This piece was inspired by my good friend, Emma, who is not only a well-known health researcher (oops, make that Dr Emma) but also the smart, funny woman behind the From Bud to Bub Pregnancy Calendar.

If you know someone special who is expecting, please visit the From Bud to Bub website to get them a gift that is unusual and useful at the same time. And you can feel good about it, because you’ll be supporting a wonderful Aussie product!

You might even want to finish your present off with a lovely card or print! *wink*

Kate Smith is the author of Wolf Hollow, a book featuring an irrepressible vampire heroine named Scarlet. Scarlet has a fetish for shoes, a talent for trouble, and an eye for a great t-shirt.

Today, the Mouse Party t-shirt made its literary debut in V is for Viking, the latest of the Wolf Hollow episodes.

Kate was even kind enough to write a post in her RedBubble journal promoting the Mouse Party tee alongside V is for Viking. You rock, Kate!

Return to the Art News page.

by Evangeline Than
November 25, 2007

I’m going to confess three things: I like buffets, I prefer to give useful gifts, and I’m shallow enough to be influenced by first impressions – if there is no ‘wow’ factor I’m going to make my excuses and sidle away stealthily so I can go back to stuffing myself with crab puffs.

I received my RedBubble calendar in the mail yesterday, less than 24 hours after James Pierce (one of RedBubble’s founders) said he would send me one to review. Wow #1.

Now, I’m not saying all RedBubble deliveries get sent by Express Roadrunner, but this confirms my belief that when the Bubble folks say they’re going to do something, it gets done.

I was pleasantly surprised when I removed my calendar from its packaging. It was not rolled up, but thoughtfully packed in a padded bag and kept flat in between two sheets of cardboard. Let’s give the packaging Wow #2.

The calendar’s lovely sheen, silky feel and elegant simplicity (all of which arrived in pristine condition, thanks to the solid packaging) made Wow #3 a no-brainer.

RedBubble have put a lot of thought into this calendar, and it shows. Most impressively, they’ve managed to keep the base price affordable (I can hear all the artists celebrating) while providing a quality product with a sophisticated finish.

Some things you may notice when you start flipping through the calendar (apart from how nice it feels under your fingertips):

• A metal hanger means displaying the calendar is a breeze. It also protects the paper, unlike conventional calendars which have a punched hole at the top of the page.
• The A3 size makes this calendar perfect for doors, offices, hallways, kitchens – it will blend in, but it is certainly not a wallflower.
• Matt-coated 175 gsm (grams per square metre) paper provides a satin finish that shows pictures off to their best advantage.
• RedBubble’s signature font quietly but unmistakeably broadcasts the calendar’s origins.
• The days of the month are softly delineated in dove grey squares – a nice touch – and provide an adequate amount of space for writing down things like birthday reminders.
• The bottom right-hand corner of the page tells you where to go for more image goodness – a great move that acknowledges the artist and subtly markets more RedBubble products at the same time.

Now, before I head for the mini spring rolls, I will make one last confession – I loved this calendar at first sight, and I would be proud to give it to someone special.

Bonus: RedBubble is providing free shipping for the month of November. Just enter “Novembershipping” in the checkout code area when you enter your mailing address.

Some great RedBubble calendars for you to check out:

• Beautiful landscapes by James Pierce
• Life in Motion and Black and White by Paul Louis Villani
• Daydreams by Ljubica Rapaic
• Wilde Women by Lee Wilde

Return to the Writing Folio page.

Disclaimer: All information is true to the best of the writer’s knowledge at the time of writing.

Another happy customer! Click here to see Camouflage in the Buyer’s Booth section of RedBubble.

Return to the News page.

Please bear with me as I try and make this a cleaner, simpler website.

Wordpress is proving fantastic for this job. I’ve known about Wordpress as a blog platform for a long time, but I’ve only just found out what an excellent content management tool it is.

In my implementation, all the written content like posts, text for web pages and so forth, is stored in a mySQL database (provided with most hosting packages nowadays), while Wordpress manages the fancy stuff in front. And it’s free, under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

There are also a lot of plugins available for Wordpress, which are basically Wordpress-compatible programs that add extra functionality to your site. Some plugins are simple bug fixes, overriding things that won’t be fixed until the next Wordpress release (or later), while others are fully-fledged applications that help you with tasks like setting up a photoblog or hosting a podcast. Plugins are usually free, but this will depend on the user that created them.

When I started this site a few months ago, I used HTML, some CSS, and a simple WYSIWYG site builder, because I needed to get the job done quickly, using what I knew. Now I wish I’d taken the extra few minutes to familiarise myself with Wordpress instead. Still, I’ve made up for that with a vengeance!

The main reason I procrastinated was because I couldn’t find a theme that I liked. I’ve now compromised by finding a theme that’s “close enough” and teaching myself more CSS to modify it.

Thortz’s Skimmed Milk theme is gloriously minimal, and what I like most is that the code is well-documented and elegantly written so that it’s easy to make your own changes.

Well, that’s enough geek-evangelising for now.

Planned improvements to evangelinethan.com include:

• an easy-to-navigate gallery to showcase my art,
• the possible inclusion of a “News” section to do a little trumpet-blowing about any writing or illustration achievements (hey, if you don’t market yourself, who else is going to do it for you?),
• images on every page to spruce things up a bit.

I hope you’ll like what I’ve done.

Thank you for your patience,

Angie

This is a wonderful opportunity to get some free publicity for your portfolio. Not only have I been getting lots of new comments on my work, but I’ve also sold another print (Camouflage) and a t-shirt (The Wrong Unicorn) since yesterday.

Thank you, RedBubble!

Return to the News page.

Please click here to read the interview in its original context, or continue below for the text portion of the interview.

Interview
The Lion, the Witch, and Thickblackoutline’s Wardrobe

by Evangeline Than
October 12, 2007

Have you ever thought of a thick black outline as sexy?

If not, you need to dive into thickblackoutline’s wardrobe and rub your cheek against some of her delicious, dark designs.

Like I did, until I was caught and put to work writing this interview.

Mystical cats, queenly but sinister geishas, dessert-loving dragon chefs, and hungry, hungry hippos turn a mundane human torso into a hypnotic canvas that will have heads turning and eyes staring.

All finished, of course, with a thick black outline.

Mastermind behind the popular Bubblerock series, winner of the 100% RedBubble T-shirt Competition, featured illustrator in Blanket Magazine, Design Federation, and The Age’s Creativity Corner, and most recently, one of the winners of the Melbourne Fringe Festival’s 25 sacks for ya back exhibition – it should come as no surprise to learn that thickblackoutline creates some of the most popular and memorable t-shirts on RedBubble.

Thickblackoutline was kind enough to talk about her inimitable style, her coveted t-shirts, and what it is really like to “live the dream” that is freelance illustration.

Which came first, thickblackoutline the style, or thickblackoutline the name?

The style came first. I noticed that everything had a better vibe to it with a thick black outline around it. It gave it that certain something, it made it pop, so I ran with it.

It’s different, and it’s something that I’m passionate about – that is, having bold designs that are colourful, which pack a bit of punch.

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an artist?

I think it was when I had enough of the 9 to 5 job. I really wanted to pour my energy into my passion, instead of doing something I silently hated.

What were the stages of your journey to freelancer?

I worked in the wine industry, and really loved it, but had the chance to move interstate, and took this as the perfect opportunity for a career change.

I did two diploma courses, and then managed to pick up a bit of work via the people at the college – people approach art colleges all the time.

I had done a little bit of 9 to 5 grinding, but it really wasn’t what I wanted to do, so I decided to go full-time freelance, as well as writing and illustrating my own children’s books.

At present you work from home?

Yes, that’s right. There is no escape from work, unfortunately – so you really have to love it, to live with it.

How do you do that without going crazy? And do you wear your pyjamas all day? Because that was one of my childhood dreams.

Yes, I wear pyjamas all day, company rule – and I’m quite crazy, you have to let the craziness guide you, or else I think you’d be a curled-up, crippled mess.

Which pieces on RedBubble are you most proud of? Which is the child you would trot out to play the piano at a party, so to speak?

I’d say The Tea Party would be way up there. That was my first attempt at something as intricate as that. It was basically me for 6 days thinking, “But it needs more stuff!”

Death Becomes Her would be another, it was a dark time for me when I did that one, I’m proud of it for a lot of reasons – it came together as I had hoped, and also I’ve recently taught myself to pour more emotion, good and bad, into my work.

I remember when you put up Death Becomes Her. I just thought, “WOW”.

Thanks, around the same time as Death Becomes Her was Seppuku – another powerful time for me also.

And more recently Yakuza Babe on a Tee – I’m REALLY proud of that one.

Ah look, I’m proud of them all.

The Japan influence is certainly prominent in your work. When and how did you get bitten by the Japan bug?

To be honest I couldn’t really tell you. I’ve always felt some sort of a connection to it – you could say it started with my love affair with sushi from a young age, and it took off from there.

Sometimes it really feels like a past-life connection, and I have done some pieces on the Bub, where they’ve truly “just happened” and I was sort of left at the end thinking, “Just who did this?”

A classic example of that is the Geisha DJ in Osaka Nights.

How do you decide which pieces will become t-shirts?

Well, in the beginning, it was all about not being able to find a t-shirt with sushi on it that I really liked, and then there were also things that were in the retail market, which I just didn’t like, let alone would spend money on. So I felt it was time to take matters into my own hands.

A lot of my t-shirts have elements of my cards and prints anyway. Something just clicks; someone turns the light on.

What kind of music do you listen to when you work? Is music important to your illustration work?

I listen to all types of music, it’s crazy.

Without it I’d go (even more) insane, and I use it to push me through those jobs that are painful. Sometimes it inspires some art too.

When I really have to concentrate, talk-radio is the best! I’m a Podcast Junkie.

The new album listen-through while working is always good. I like how there’s always a song that really grabs you, and shakes the art out of you.

Sales are a topic that always seems to be cropping up in the forum. Do you think sales on RedBubble are slow? Are sales on the Bubble meeting or exceeding your expectations?

Quite simply, I just think there are more artists uploading than buying.

As for my own sales, I’m pretty happy with how my stuff travels along, for sure. Whoever bought three of my tees needs to stand up, so I can shower them in thanks and affection!

I’d really like to see who is purchasing. There was talk about that a while ago; the customer should have the choice to remain anonymous or not, of course.

Cards have been really good – the bulk of my sales. I haven’t sold a print as yet.

I tend to think the prints seem to be a big thing for photography though – the illustrators need to step up and unite!

Since we’re hanging out in your wardrobe, let’s pick some tees and you can tell me about them.

1) Icy-Snow – a buyer’s booth winner

Icy-Snow – it’s a pretty “old” design, which wasn’t accepted on another Australian t-shirt site. It would be nice if it indeed snowed icy poles.

I guess I was a bit inspired by that Simpsons episode where Homer leaves the parallel universe (with the toaster time-machine), not knowing it rained donuts – heaven!

2) Have You Got Some Change? That’s the t-shirt that started it all, isn’t it?

Sushi Gumball Machine or Have you got some Change? – yes, this is the one that started it all, in a way. I had been kicking around that gumball machine for a while, it has had fish and paintbrushes in it as well.

It’s all about some of the things we want … one of them being sushi.

3) One of the “geisha” tees. You’ll have to pick. Don’t make me choose between Ultimate Weapon, Yakuza Babe, Bloody Mary, Geisha Tea — it’s impossible!

It’s going to have to be Bloody Mary.

It started with me taking an illustration brief for some pro-bono work for this magazine the wrong way. The brief was about interpretations of Bloody Mary.

They were actually talking about an urban myth called Bloody Mary. I hadn’t heard of it, it was something about saying “Bloody Mary” three times in the dark, into a mirror, and all hell breaking loose.

In a way, you could say that was when the “geishas on a t-shirt” were born. That was my take on a Bloody Mary, what with the impending slaughter of the lamb. The kanji is Destiny, of which the lamb’s Destiny is death.

My work usually has a bit of darkness behind it, whilst looking sweet and innocent.

If you could go back in time and tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

Oh wow! Um … that’s really hard.

I feel like Michael Parkinson.

What your art does for you on the inside, is exactly what you need, and when you discover that, it’s such a beautiful thing.

Return to the Writing Folio page.

Disclaimer: All information is true to the best of the writer’s knowledge at the time of writing.