Update: I named my beastie (and put it on a greeting card):

[capri0mni]

I decided just to play around with sounds in my mouth, to see what tickled my fancy, and came up with "Quadiquafflump." 'Quadi-" is for 'four' (the number of different creatures from whom it gets its parts), and "quafflump" is for the sound it probably makes, as it moves through its native habitat -- mixed wetland forests.

Here's a link to the card in my store (tell me what you think of the copy I wrote about it? Thanks!):

The Quadiquafflump -- Friendship by Chimerigons
Create a greeting card online

Comments

[spiralsheep]

I hope you already know this, but you have real talent.

[capri0mni]

Thank you. I try.

The trick is to remember where my talent is strongest, and where it's weakest. Then, to defend my strength, and leave others to do what they're strongest at, and not to worry if I can't keep up.

The thing is, Zazzle's business model caters to those who are good at making pretty, multi-layered, photoshopped backdrops into which customers, who are intimated by blank pages, can insert the photos and names of their favorite people or teams, or whatever. So they encourage their sellers (i.e. me) to make designs that the customer can switch around at whim.

But my talent is not making pretty frames and backdrops: it's writing and illustrating wearable (and/or portable) "editorial cartoons." So I have to remember to "lock" all parts of my designs that I've put thought and energy into, and say: "No, sorry, these are parts of a whole-- period." And then, not to worry if the Zazzle 'bots fret at me for doing it wrong.

[jesse_the_k]

When forced to wrestle a "friendly" interface, it astonishes me yet again at how far computers have changed!

I like the layout, and the font choice and wording. The only drawback is I never send paper mail anymore.

It would make an awesome "change of career announcement" though.

[capri0mni]

Well, one neat thing about Zazzle is: they give you a way to upload a variety of art, and then, let you mix and match your art onto all sorts of different products (Right now, I'm working on sticking my 'quafflump critter on a couple of men's ties (tiled image) -- one for flying and one for "perched," a coffee mug, mousepad, iphone 4 protective case, keychains, coasters, maybe...

I just stuck 'er (I think it's an 'er) on a friendship card first, because of *Sigh* look she seemed to be giving me when I finished the pic, and that cover sentiment was what popped into my mind.

As I said: I think I'm more of a writer/illustrator than anything else.