I can’t tell you when, exactly, Always Coming Soon got started. In many ways the mindset behind it has been around ever since I knew what art was. Stealing from the artists you love, showing how nice the very simple can look, doing what you’re called to do even if you don’t like it that much. The driving force came after I applied this to my born again lifestyle in 2009 – everything you see here is because of Him, for Him and with Him. But I can say that in 2011 – Saturday, February 5, to be exact, the current state of it was developed. As a post I made the day after states, this is when I painted that goofy “FP – the Canvas” painting that was supposed to be the banner for our small group of the same name. The small group failed to get off the ground (still alive as an idea, though) but the feelings I got when putting brush to canvas, heart to hand, box-cutter to paper that night are what eventually lead to what you know now as Always Coming Soon.

Some other year-in-review items: On Monday, January 31, I bought my Flip UltraHD camera that I’ve used to create all of the videos ACS developed this year (14 in total). I also started working on digital illustrations a little more hardcore, putting my previous feelings toward Adobe Illustrator to the side long enough to develop some awesome work with it (26 were created in total). I posted my first portraits on March 10th. Later in March (the 22) I posted photos and a video of my first-ever art-commission: “Number 3,” a terrifying, highly textured and sort of “hot” feeling Dale Earnhardt painting for a friend. This stencil became rather popular and found it’s way onto two other paintings later in the year. On May 20, I made my first sell on Etsy – “The Poes,” one of my first paintings and a set that I grew rather fond of and am still very proud of. I ended the year with a total of 36 individual paintings posted online – some that never got posted.

Speaking of My Etsy Store, in its first year in existence, it saw several sales and quite a bit of traffic considering my lack of promotion. I paid for one day of advertising and didn’t see any results, however, my shop was favorited six times and various listings were favorited a total of 46 times. Search terms that most frequently lead folks to my store: 1) “Death note” 2) “mario” 3) “willy wonka” 4) “deathnote” 5) eraserhead. While “The Marios: The Villains” were my most popular product in my store view-wise, the high search results ended in my Deathnote painting “Ryuk” to be sold early in December. “The Marios: The Villains” are still for sale.

Some of my favorite things I was able to get into this year was some artwork for some rock’n’roll bands. Woe to the Inhabiters not only got a logo, but also got a demo album cover out of it. Soul Radics got a possible t-shirt design and some sticker designs. Always Coming Soon got the burning desire to be able to work for bands full time out of it all. That’s still pending.

So what’s in store for 2012? More digital illustrations – I’ve become quite the fan of multiple techniques involving this method. I’d like to maybe make some collages this year with them and develop my skills in digital watercolors as well. I want to learn graffiti lettering and become more of a guerilla artist, though I’ll never be able to be anonymous the way some of my favorites, like Banksy, are. I say this every year, but I want to do more traditional, free-hand drawing this year because I’ve never really learned how to do it realistically. This year, I bought a book that teaches you how, put charcoal to paper and did a pretty nice drawing of a naked lady on a stool. It was so good, that I never did another one for some reason and she’s just been on display on my workbench in the studio ever since. That’s a problem and I want to fix that. I wouldn’t mind to get together an art show at some point or if nothing else, just set up at one of the local shops. Ooh, and also, I have a project in mind that requires nude / partial nude models (one male, one female) that will eventually turn into digital illustrations.

I guess overall my goal is to develop a little more confidence in my art. I’ve never been a big fan of my own stuff but I realize now that my lack of confidence is the main reason I don’t try to get myself “out there” any more than I do. People look, people “favorite,” and heck, people have even spent their hard-earned cash on my work, so it must have some value to at least a few people and that should be enough for me to try to push it a little further. Continuously developing, constantly learning, and Always Coming Soon.

My sincerest thank yous go out to everyone who has looked at my art, purchased my art, said something nice about my art, said something ugly about my art, watched one of my videos, “liked” one of my blog posts, Tweeted (or retweeted) some of my work, “liked” Always Coming Soon on Facebook, bought me a Hobby Lobby or Michael’s gift card, allowed me to use you as a subject in one of my digital illustrations, “shared” me in some other form online, paid for a commission, was thankful for something I did for you for free or in some shape, form or fashion enabled me to do as much as I have creatively this year.

Thanks for 2011, see ya in 2012.