Say hello to the FAQ page for en-blog, where I take the time to make it easier to waste yours by reading all the random gooeyness that is my blog!
Who Are You?
I'm an illustrator and writer living in AZ. I've worked for magazines, newspapers, movie theaters, bookstores, art supply stores, five star resorts, and hospices; but not always as an artist or a writer.
I've been writing since I was 16, and drawing since I could hold a crayon. EnBlog came about in late 2004 and I've been posting to it ever since.
What Is en•Blog?
So you came across my blog, saw that I'm publishing web comics and pig illustrations, and said to yourself, "What the hell is going on here?" Well, my friend, I have mainly four things to offer to you in my fine establishment....
Comics
Recently en•blog has become the home of my web comic - Employees Only. I had started making comics under that title long before, but in 2010 I decided to commit to a comic a week. While I really am just starting, working on the comic has been so fun and fufilling that I doubt I'll ever stop. Employees Only will eventually have it's own website, but until then I'm content posting the strips here.Art
Beginning in 2011 I asked my readers what they wanted to see, and the two responses I got was 1) pigs and 2) space ferrets. So, if you've seen a lot of pig illustrations, or an occasional Space Ferret related comic, that's why.Occasionally I also don't mind letting you guys watch over my shoulder when I'm working on my illustrations and paintings. Take a look at my recreation of a Black Sabbath Album Cover from awhile ago and you'll see that sometimes I bring you guys along with development photos and explanations.
As for my professional work, I'm usually under deadlines to get that out, so stopping every once in awhile to show you all how it's coming along doesn't get done often. I'm still glad to show you the final images (and get your criticism) when they're done. Here's the latest stuff for illustration, and here's something that might interest you photo people.
Internet & Culture
This used to be the bulk of en•blog, but more lately I'll drop in interesting links randomly amongst the web comics and pig illustrations. Occasionally that might mean a book review, or maybe a great music album I want to spread the word about.For the real bulk of my random web nonsense I encourage you to follow me on Twitter.
Opinion
It's this aspect of en•Blog that has kept me maintaining it since 2004.In ASU, I attended a class called "The Human Event" where we read historical literature and discussed the implications brought on in it. I loved being able to discuss ideas that impacted my world view and made me think about the world in different ways.
This is what really ties together my artwork and my opinionated posts:
There's different ways to look at everything.What that means to me is usually a better way can be found in any situation, whether it's talking to your neighbors, your boss, or your best friend. Everything has layers of meaning and importance that doesn't strike us right away, and I can't help but want to tear it all apart and examine it to get to the stuff that I think is important.
Take a look at my rants if you're curious.
Do You Allow Comments?
As of right now - no. To be perfectly honest I think I've had about 30 comments that weren't spam since I started the blog; and enough of the actual comments were from trolls that I decided it wasn't worth allowing.
I Want to Ask a Question/ Commission Artwork/ ... ; How Can I Get In Touch With You?
Send me a tweet @enbasic or you can fill out the contact form on my portfolio site.
I'd Like to Use Your Artwork in My Website/ Article/ ... ; Is That OK?
All of my artwork is copyrighted material, and may not be used without permission or purchase. Rates are based on distribution, and can be low-cost to purchase for your publication, website, presentation, or other media. Payments are processed only through PayPal, although if interest becomes frequent I will create a store to handle other forms of payment. Contact me to request a pricing list.
For non-profit and/or personal websites and blogs, I'm happy to allow you to use the images for free, provided you contact me first for permission and follow these guidelines:
•Please include a link to www.ianconline.com.
•Please include an artist credit underneath the image, ie - "Illustration by Ian Castruita - www.ianconline.com"
•Please do not edit or translate any comics, illustrations or other images you use from my site.
•Please do not post more than one comic or illustration per month.
•Please use a copy of the image file that is stored on your own server space (i.e. no hotlinking).
Whatever Happened to the Deluvian Contingency? The Little People? Etc.?
Usually if you Google my name you'll see one of my old projects mentioned somewhere, and typically it's old friends and family who wonder about these types of things. I get asked about it often enough though...
The Deluvian Contingency was an Honors Thesis project I did during my senior year at ASU, and although I was happy with it at the time, I feel that my abilities are much better in both story telling and illustration now. You can expect a revamped version to make it's way to stores near you as soon as I can finish my revisions.
All other projects that I get asked about, like the Little People paintings, are usually done and filed away in my portfolio. If you are looking for something in particular, drop me a line and I'll get back to you. I do have plans for even more personal projects, but I do have a full plate with my commissioned work, so it'll usually be awhile before you see anything new.
Are You Accepting New Commissions?
Of course! If time isn't an issue, let me know what you'd like and we can discuss the details. Be sure to look at my portfolio first though - I can do a lot but not everything!
That's it (so far), but keep those questions coming! It's amazing to me that I've actually put up a FAQ for En•Blog, and I have all of you who visit my blog, and those of you who keep coming back, to thank for that!
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"The only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask."
