As I've worked to develop my mailing lists over the years, I've also looked at various means of managing them and easily printing them out for mailing promotional materials.

I've tried various programs, some that proved to be over-rated and others that were more than what I needed (or more than I wanted to spend).

Then I discovered the best solution was already on my Mac: Address Book. (PC users: please forgive me, but this pertains only to Mac users. Nothing personal.)

I've always used Address Book but I didn't realize that it also had a great printing feature that can be customized to print either to labels or even directly to envelopes. Here's how:

Open Address Book. Create a new Group and name is something creative like MAILING LIST.



In the control strip at the top of the Finder, select PRINT.

Once the print dialog box opens, you are given several options for printing labels or envelopes. Next to the STYLE option, choose MAILING LABELS. The label option includes dozens of Avery's standard label layouts currently available. Select the one you want and you're good to go.



If you want to print directly to the envelope, select ENVELOPES from the STYLE option. You are then asked to pick your envelope style and layout.



Once you've selected your format, you can then designate your distribution list, in this case I would choose MAILING LIST.



Voila!

No need to invest in over-blown spread-sheet programs just to print your mailing labels and envelopes.

If you're like me, when you brough home your nice new Wacom Tablet, you pulled everything out of the box and started using it immediately, giddy as only a true geek can be. And, if you're like me, in your excitement, you gave only a cursory glance to some of the small extras that accompanied your pen. The nibs.

For a long time I simply forgot about those things. The standard nib always seemed to work just fine. Even when I did my Photoshop work I never gave the point of my pen a second thought. But I kept getting frustrated with the seeming lack of finesse I was experiencing when needing some soft effects on my illustrations and I just couldn't get what I was looking for. That's when I remembered the extra nibs tucked away in the pen box. I took a look and found the Stroke nib.



The Stroke nib is the one with the small spring added for greater finesse. The Stroke nib adds extra "give" to the pen, allowing for greater control of stroke pressure and thickness. When drawing, the Stroke nib also feels more natural.

I now make a habit of going back and forth between nibs as I work. When I do work in Illustrator, I use the Standard nib. But when it comes time to add texture and details in Photoshop, I grab the needle-nosed pliers and replace nibs. I've noticed that the strok nib actually reduces the finger stress I sometimes experience when I work.

If you have a Wacom, don't forget to experiment with the different nibs that come with your pen. They really do make a difference.

I was asked today about why I post links to other artists. "Aren't you worried that you'll lose work to someone else?" this person asked.

Well, yeah. But that chance already exists. An art director has only to go online and she has immediate access to artists across the world.

I link to other artists for a couple of reasons:

1. I like their work. Something about the way they draw, their sensibility, their technique. I just like it. Generally, there's something about their work that I wish I could do. Basically: I'm jealous.

2. Benevolent selfishness: I link to other artists because I would like other artists to link to me. It increases our search engine placements when someone is looking for an illustrator.

3. I have been working a long time to get my stuff noticed by people in the industry and I know how hard it can be to stand out or even be acknowledged. As an illustrator, it's nice to have someone notice what you do and when it comes from other illustrators, I'm personally humbled and encouraged. Yeah, I'm competing with other artists for an increasingly smaller design budget, but it doesn't mean I won't point an art director toward an artist who won't better meet their needs.

We're all trying to make a living off our talent. Who doesn't want to do that? But life is too short to refuse to recognize the ability of fellow illustrators or to think that I'm the best one for the next big illustration assignment.

Is it stupid? I dunno.