Print Sizes, Math, and Cat Valhalla
Hey Folks… it’s been a week, my friends.
So, let’s talk about print sizes. You ever try to eyeball the size of a print? Yeah, turns out that’s dang near impossible. I paint on literally anything—plywood, old canvases, random scraps of wood, whatever looks like it needs paint on it. Translating that into something that fits a standard frame is like solving… I dunno… math… or something.
And look, I can make it work. I’m great with Photoshop. I can resize, tweak, and manipulate images like a wizard, but explaining it? That’s where things get sketchy. People ask, “Hey, what’s a Medium print?” and I’m like, “Uhhh… depends? On, like… life?” Anyway, to avoid more of those conversations, I added a page to the site explaining the sizing and stuff and what Small, Medium, and Large mean in inches, centimeters, hectares, parsecs—or whatever measurement system speaks to your soul. Hope that helps.
Big shoutout to my friend Elise for helping me with that because without her, that page would probably just say:
Small = Not big
Medium = Bigger than small
Large = Big
Extra Large = Whoa Buddy
Also…
Finding a Print Shop That Doesn’t Suck
Alright, so I’m on the hunt for a solid print house—one that can actually print my work without making it look like it was photocopied at a gas station in 1997. And you’d think, in the 21st century, this wouldn’t be hard. Like, we have self-driving cars and AI that can write Shakespearean sonnets about cheeseburgers, but somehow, getting a high-quality art print is still a dang quest of Indiana Jones epicness.
So, I’m doing all my searching online because, again, it’s 2024, not 1824. But every time I land on some boojie-art-house website, they hit me with:
“Let’s make an appointment to discuss your needs.”
Uh… no. My "needs" are simple: print my damn art. You don’t need to light some candles and ask me about my feelings. You don’t need to invite me in for a soul-searching consultation.
Never mind that if you look up the address its exactly what I remember most print shops looking like…. A little shop in Myrtle Beach in a strip-mall crammed between a headshop called “Bongzilla’s” and a vape shop called “The Vapatorium.”
Just print something that doesn’t look like a garage band flyer from 1992.
How about that? Can you do that? No? Cool, moving on.
So yeah, the hunt continues. If you know a print shop that doesn’t require a TED Talk before they take my money, let me know.
RIP Mr. Kit-Kat – The Best Old Garage Cat
Now, on a much sadder note… this week, I had to say goodbye to Mr. Kit-Kat, our very old, very good yard/porch/garage cat. That old dude just wandered up one day, took over the porch, and decided to stay. He wasn’t a cuddle cat often. He wasn't even friendly, but he was like 20 and had aches and pains, and despite that, he’d let me pet him. he was cool, independent, and kept the mice from forming a union.
The poor old guy passed on Thursday.
We had a nice little cat funeral, sent him off to Cat Heaven, or Cat Valhalla, or whatever afterlife he was into. I never asked him about his religious views, and honestly, he didn’t seem too concerned about mine either. Wherever he is, I hope he’s getting all the sunbeams and tuna snacks he wants.
Life, Stress, and Actually Making Art Again
On top of all that, I helped a buddy with some personal stuff this week, which was draining but worth it. Meanwhile, my lovely wife has had a raging toothache all week, so now she gets to experience the joy of a root canal. That’s gonna be fun for everyone.
With all that going on, I didn’t work on any art all week. Not a dang thing. Until last night. Finally, I sat down and picked up a brush, and it felt so good to get back to work on a project.
SOLD MY FIRST PAINTING!
And now for the best news of the week: I sold my first painting.
Big thank you to the wonderful lady who snagged a large print of my Heron piece—on the very first day my site went live, no less. She’s been super cool and super supportive as I figure out this whole “Sell Brett’s Art” business.
I got a lot of positive vibes and comments from folks on Facebook, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.
So yeah, chaotic week, but progress is happening. Thanks for sticking around for the ride. Let’s see what next week throws at me. - B
