Special thanks to these folks who made donations this month!
I'm thinking about continuing the lessons on a subscription model, since the honor system does not seem to be working too well. Of course anyone who has already made a donation would be invited to an exclusive blog.
That's where I would continue these lessons. I would leave a few up, like the Preston Blair lessons, since that book is available anywhere.
I have lots more series to post, like "color", "layout", "acting", "storyboarding", "drawing cartoon shapes from toys in 3 dimensions" and more, but I might put them on a separate pay-only site.
I see I have over a hundred followers, so I'm imagining someone is using this site. I hate to
be a pain, but most schools flat out charge money, and a lot. I won't leave this post up for long, just long enough to decide what to do next. I have lots more lessons on these and other subjects, but would like to see some more evidence that they are useful to people.Boy, I would make a lousy used car salesman.
I think its understandable if you charge. I know your blog is useful to me, Im still working on drawing and have yet to make it to the posts about composition and color.
ReplyDeleteSorry one additional note about this blog is there still might be people who dont know about it. I dont think theres a link on your other blog to it.
ReplyDeleteyou could easily make this a pay site. But is it in your heart to do so. i have always believed in your product as a high quality, fun and smart. i recently found this blog (seriously this week) and was so excited to see you giving back to the world from your heart, the skills required for a kid whom may not have the access to Art Center or Otis or Disney. My first reaction to your blog was, "John did it again." you seem to always have a bigger picture in your focus, not the narrow minded gaze down the tube of money. You have done very well for yourself, your hard work and countless hours devoted to cartooning, have payed you handsomely, given you a very decent lifestyle, and created an animation company that will one day be spoken of in the top five of all time. SPUMCO. who can forget that name? Ren and Stimpy, even people who didn't get it, know those two names. So i will finish my argument thus, i do not have a lot to give and a donation for your work is in order... but to deprive the budding artist this information would be a fail. this information has never been set out in such a caring educated way as you have done here. I think that when the fruit of your effort ripens, it will be sweeter than any pile of money you could have accumulated (plus money tastes of blood, strippers and coke(cocaine). ) continue this with the love you started it with, remind yourself often that you are doing the right thing, and this will be another successful chapter in your career as an intellectual. Why i feel so strong: When i was 20 years old i was inspired enough to put all my sketch books into a box and send it to SPUMCO for review... i boxed it up and put a message in a bottle, some sand and everything i had drawn in five sketch books... silly stoner things, graffiti, cartoons, characters.. i felt that i was on a desert island, lost and not relating to anyone as a artist... then you came along. i understood your humor and product. i did not get the job (but i did make you think it might be a bomb, and you thought to call the bomb squad) but i felt it was seen and that continues to inspeire to this day. Thanks John K. for that. I am now still trying to build my own style and business with my art, but it never seems hopeless thanks to you guys just looking at my stuff that ince. just remeber you are not that kind of a douchebag.
ReplyDeletelove Doyle Jr.
NICE IS LIFE
I'll let you explain that to my landlord.
ReplyDeleteJohn, the amount of time and effort spent on these is well worth a fee.
ReplyDeleteI can't explain how your blog has improved my drawings. And there is still much improvement needed- If you feel you must charge- please do.
I'll drop a donation tonight, and I'm still trying to find a damn place for cashiers checks so I can get a caricature from you!
Still thinking about opening a cartooning program/school?
-Owen!
Ding! January donation is in. If more people who CAN afford it will chip in, this stuff may continue to be around for everybody. If not, it sure is worth paying for.
ReplyDeletePS: I agree with Joey that more people may not know about this Curriculum site. I'll put a link on CartoonSnap and fire of a Tweet...hopefully that'll help.
Just sent a payment. Hopefully you got it, I'm new to the paypal thing. Please make it a pay site if it helps you out. Lord knows it's helping me. I found a couple others I'll be subscribing to and to add yours would be a welcome addition. As Eidenbrock said, if you must charge please do.
ReplyDelete"Of course anyone who has already made a donation would be invited to an exclusive blog."
ReplyDeleteWeee! (So I'm in?)
John, maybe you could maintain a few lessons for free, so that newcomers would know what's the blog about (and how precious is the information is provides!)
Yeah, that's what it says in the post.
ReplyDeleteI've been a quiet(shy) follower for about a year now and I think it's time I said something.
ReplyDeleteI am one of those people who spent well over 30 grand on animation school and let me tell you that I have learned WAY more from your blog than anywhere else. No word of a lie. Thank you John. Just as soon as my boyfriend gets home I will be using his credit card to make a donation, hahahh, but seriously I am.
...30 grand sounds like a reasonable price for a 3-year subscription to this site...
ReplyDeleteDonation Sent.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment I am mainly working on life drawing, and I've still got a bunch of the initial animation school lessons to go through. So the rest hasn't been useful quite yet.
Have you thought about charging for appraisals of the lessons people attempt? You could charge an amount for a quick comment and a larger amount for something more in depth. People could buy a bunch at once to use over time.
It might be able to fund the free lessons plus it could give a better idea of which lessons are being used. Of course this could also be incorporated into the subscription lessons.
Hey John.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your other blog for a while now, donated once and bought a t-shirt!!
I ordered the Preston Blair book today so I'm only just getting started on the lessons.
Anyways, just letting you know that I'd be more than happy to pay for the lessons on this blog.
How much would you charge?
Cheers
Dan
I think a reasonable monthly fee would be just fine. I'd think about $10 a month but maybe that's too low? Definitely leave some of this for free so people get hooked and want to pay for more.
ReplyDeleteMore money for personal attention makes sense too. I saw on Don Bluth's site that he offers this. You could check out his site to get some ideas. You could also add things like online video lessons, forums, etc. You could get real fancy, get some other animators together, and try something like this:
http://www.animationmentor.com/
People would pay for that, you could pass on this very important knowledge about this medium you're so passionate about and have dedicated your life too.
As a bonus you would have a captive audience for you to complain too about The Smurfs and Transformers. :P
Take this advice with a grain of salt as, I'm sorry John, I don't think there is anything you can say to me that will stop me from loving transformers dearly, even though I know it's a terrible cartoon. :)
Hey John,
ReplyDeleteI got to an online 3d school called Animation Mentor and I can honestly say I know a lot of individuals who wish there was the same thing but for 2d. I think people would be even more interested (and even more willing to let go of more money) if you did some sort of video critique or videos lessons, I know a lot of animators with websites are doing similiar things. Keith Lango and Jason Ryan have teaching websites. Maybe you could get a bit more publicity on sites like Cartoon Brew?
Anyway really cool to see that you're developing this collection of super cool info.. your 'stuff' blog is amazing as is.
Just thought I'd say there's definitely a market for this sort of stuff, especially since there aren't a lot of 2d instructors outside of the universities as far as I've been able to find. Check out:
http://www.jasonryananimation.com/
http://keithlango.blogspot.com/
(click on the animation clinic for the paid part)
I'm curious what you would charge also. I would not be against a pay per month for the curriculum site.
ReplyDeletei knew everybody agrees with you making money. you deserve it. i just wanted to play devils advocate, because the word "devil" is in it. money well spent. thanks.
ReplyDeleteP.s. teach your landlord how to cartoon, or do a cartoon on your landlord.
John, i am just starting your lesson 1 on construction - i hope to (within the week) get the blogspot account setup and get my first examples posted. I will certainly be donating soon - and i really appreciate any suggestions you have. Thanks alot!
ReplyDeleteIf you assembled all of this into a book / notebook, I'm sure tons of people would snap it up even if the site remains free (the XKCD business model)
ReplyDeleteBut with all this superb continent, I'd definitely understand you charging for it.
Anyway, whatever you decide, fantastic stuff!
charge for it. everyone else makes money off poor products why shouldn't u make some money off a good product?
ReplyDelete"but would like to see some more evidence that they are useful to people"
ReplyDeletefor evidence do you mean u want to see drawings using the lessons (or donations)?
Making it subscription based is not a bad idea. At least then I could give to you the amount you feel your time is worth rather than feeling like I am just throwing a random number out there. I'm donating this week. You are a wonderful person for doing what you do.
ReplyDeleteHey John, just made my first donation today. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteHey John,
ReplyDeleteI've been a Ren & Stimpy fan since I first laid eyes on your cartoon and style. You have been a big inspiration to me. I recently bought all the seasons and its all i've been watching lately. Big Childhood memory for me.
I'm new to this Blog thing, and have recently come across your blogs. I think what you are doing here, by putting together all these lessons is AMAZING. I'm so happy I came across your blog. I see that you are thinking about charging people for your services. This is understandable since I can tell you put a lot of time into this, and its great advice/lessons. I have to say though, that when I found this blog It made me very happy and excited(especially because it was easily accessible) and I could go through it on my own time and pace. If you do choose to charge, I will still be a follower. I'm always down to donate, just being a college art student makes money scarce to come by. Love all that you do. And many thanks.
John, just donated. Long-time fan of your work. If you ever do give lessons, please let me know. I just recently purchased the spotlight collections of one of my all-time favorites, Tom and Jerry. The art of those old toons is simply fantastic, miles better than anything that passes for a cartoon on TV today. What they do without voices, but with pure style, posing, and timing is awe-inspiring...and most likely cartoons like this would not make it onto TV in today's world. Of course, the few times Tom does speak, it's always hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI aspire but I never know where to start. A full-time job, lots of ideas, but *no time*. I'll take a look around the site and see what's here (I have the Preston Blair book and should crack it open again, with your help).
For me, knowing where to start is the hardest part. Again, I feel like I have a lot of ideas, but not sure the skill is there to implement them. Would love to get into a discussion with you about art vs timing being the most important part of a cartoon.
Good luck, hope all is well.
I wouldn't mind paying subscription if need be, your lessons are an inspiring resource and I'm sure they'll be a massive help in developing my style. Sent a donation your way, hope it's some help, just sorry it couldn't be a little more.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteI have a few questions for you related to your online college. I'd be happy to email you off-board if you'd rather but I wouldn't want to do so without invitation. I do know of an aol.com address but I can be reached at sales (at) olsondisplays dot com. My questions range from suggestions of structuring a fee-based schedule to a couple questions regarding 1957 H-B television budgets and translating them to 2010 budgets and work methods.
Hope to hear from you.
Best,
Brian
John.
ReplyDeleteJust sent my first Donation. I hope it helps you out. Thanks for all this cool stuff. Let me know what you do about making it a pay site.
You should make it a paid membership site. You deserve to be compensated for you time. Quote from Dan Kennedy: "Never do anything for free – especially dispense advice or professional services. Never, never, never. It is futile and useless. People can get value only when they assign value to what they are getting. Yes, use “free” in marketing because there it is illusion and tactic. But do not do it in other circumstances." See the rest of his post here: http://dankennedy.com/blog/small-business-marketing-tips/sometimes-free-isnt-free/
ReplyDeleteDon Bluths running an animation school website like this and its pay, he's able to get involved on a one-on-one basis with peoples work (for a fee) and 'students' have the chance of getting involved in a short test film
ReplyDeleteEven if you don't provide this depth of contact, you're still providing a wealth of knowledge and experience.
its seems the best resource available for all round animation related theory, its well worth a subscription fee...
ReplyDeleteJohn, first-time poster, long-time fan (and aspiring cartoonist). I just wanted to say I am making a donation because I support this blog and need affordable animation lessons, and it's both a surprise and an honor to be able to study under you, even if it is indirectly. Thanks so much for putting up these lessons! -J
ReplyDeleteMy first time on the 'new' curriculum blog, but really looking forward to digging into it in the coming weeks. Thank you so much for a) posting all this great information and b) making it so easy to access.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you are still mulling the free/pay issue over, but I certainly understand the dilemma. Obviously you have not put this stuff up with the intention of making money, but since people are using it, why shouldn't they pay? It's a toughie.
I like that you publish the names of donators. It seems that you are rewarding support for your work and that seems appropriate.
I think you might also regularly 'recommend' donations ($5 per lesson/$10 per month or something - the business brain speaks!) so that people can answer a flat 'yes' or 'no' to the question 'are you willing to shell out for this?'. Might give you better/more information about setting up a subscription site.
Again, many thanks for making this knowledge available. I hope you keep it freely available, but then I also hope that people who study your lessons donate (as they are able) and respect your choice either way.
Regards,
Erik
CHARGE , its only fare you do. Then maybe one day we can see more Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
ReplyDeletePLEASEEEE DON'T CHARGE, MOST ARTIST ARE POOR, STARVING, AND STRUGGLING. YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND FREE TEACHING IS GREATLY APPRECIATED NATIONALLY. COLLEGE CANT COMPETE WITH YOU TALENT AND WISDOM. WOULD HATE TO NOT BE ABLE TO BE APART OF THAT.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely charge for it - you are amazing. But. Just start charging as soon as I'm done. And I haven't started yet, so, yeah. Might be a while.
ReplyDeleteActually you really should make this a pay site. I clicked the cartoon school link for the first time just see how much you charged, because there hasn't been any drawing in a while on your main site.
ReplyDeleteTell us how much you would like a month and for my bit, since I'm in LA and will have extra cash, I will pay it.
Go for it, Mr. Kricfalusi!
Maybe try getting people to subscribe to a paid e-mail ( they might pirate, but it beats the honour system ):
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyletter.com/?pay
Hey John, I made a donation back in April (soon to make my next) and was wondering if the exclusive blog is still running or if I could be invited? Either way, I will continue to donate because I'm using the free lessons.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have no issues with you charging for your coursework material, I am not a fan of the "subscription" model for websites. As a customer, that tends to mean limited access to materials, which may or may not be updated in as timely a manner as billing.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest rather packaging up individual essays/tutorials/lessons in a standalone format and selling them piecemeal on a one-time payment basis. If prices are kept relatively low, I expect the specificity of materials so packaged would lead to many dive-by sales to people who aren't regular followers of the site (simple little $5 Photoshop tutorials by unknown artists have sold hundreds of units at tutsplus.com, for instance).
If you want to offer personal interaction (critiquing and individual guidance) as a service, that's another matter. Could be more hassle than it's worth, though.
Hey John, i dont know if you still watch over this or not but i would be willing to pay you money to continue this as a subscription model. Obviously it would depend on the price, but if possible i would pay for the lessons i needed or pay for you to view my work and give the any necessary critique.
ReplyDeleteHello John,
ReplyDeleteI hope you still do these lessons, and I hope you will find a little of time to see the work I did (lesson 1 and 2 for now, I'm working on lesson 3). These lessons definitely are useful to me. I hope you're not giving up !
This is the site : http://learningwithjohnk.blogspot.com/
By the way, I've been reading your blog for about a year and I find it great, useful, informative ; so I thought you deserved a donation :)
Keep the good work !
Louis