To celebrate Halloween, I thought I’d show you a little anim I created this time last year.

A few people have asked where my Facebook photo (above) is from, and this is it. The clown was created (modified from an existing character I had made) and this animation completed in 2 days as a quick test. The audio is from a sample video from Hollow3D.

Check it out after the jump (hehe I’ve always wanted to say that…).

I just came across this sketch I drew last year, and thought I’d post it. I had been working on some car designs for a show I’m creating when I watched the Top Gear Botswana special. In the show, Richard Hammond bought a 1964 Opel Kadett which he ended up naming Oliver (I also had a kitten named Oliver so the name is kinda special to me too). The character that Hammond created for the car set my imagination going and I created this little design:

Edit: I just realized not everyone will know what the original Oliver looks like so here’s a couple of pics. Oliver in Botswana (driven by the Stig) and the restored Oliver with Richard Hammond.

I first wrote this article in 2001 as a partner to How to Determine an Hourly Rate. Since then it’s been published in books, magazines, and numerous times on the web. Since most of the sites it was published on have long since vanished I thought I’d post it here.

Download the Excel file used in this article.

Part 1 – Why Schedule?

One of the most important things about being in business is proper scheduling. Whether you’re working for yourself or part of a team, knowing how long things take, and when tasks will be complete are vital to a productive environment.

One question I hear asked quite often is how long a particlular task should take. The answer is quite simply just 5 minutes a day. The question can sometimes be valid if the task is something that the person hasn’t done before. The trouble is that everyone works at a different pace, and everyone has differing opinions about how long a task might take.

By following the tips in this article, in a very short time you will be able to estimate much more accurately how long a particular task will take you. This will benefit in quoting for jobs, organising your workflow, and enhance productivity.

I first wrote this article in 2001. Since then it’s been published in books, magazines, and numerous times on the web. Since most of the sites it was published on have long since vanished I thought I’d post it here, as it seems that it’s more relevant now than ever.

Step 1 – Preparation

So you’d like to be your own boss, or maybe you are picking up some contract jobs while looking for full-time work. Either way one of the most difficult things can be knowing how much to quote a client.

Many of your contemporaries are hesitant to advertise their rates, in case they are undercut in a bid, and potential clients would undermine their ability to negotiate if they were to advertise what they are prepared to pay. So how do you find that magic figure that is low enough to get work, but not so low that you can’t pay the rent? High enough to compensate your time appropriately, but not so high that you price yourself out of the bid?