Anybody who is curious will now know that JSVB started three years ago on January 1, 2010. The matrix chart above shows every graphic I have produced for JSVB since then. Each column represents a year of work. I find it humbling to see everything that I have produced for JSVB reduced to this collection of postage stamps. "Is that all there is? Is there no more?"
Did I meet my production goals for 2012? Like 2011, 2012 was a partial success, in that I did meet some of my goals but missed others. Also like 2011, I was able to make improvements on my workflow and technology, which at the very least provided the foundation for stronger artistic practise. As you can see, I posted less frequently in 2012 than I did in 2011 or 2010. Whereas in 2010 I posted almost every day, in 2011 I posted roughly every three days. I feel I should challenge myself by posting more frequently. On the flip side, the quality of my posts has improved. I am getting more interest and more positive reviews of my work. Personally, I am more satisfied with a portfolio of quality posts over quantity. How I wish I could have both, though.
While I received some beneficial technological boosts, I also took a couple of hits as well, primarily from the Blogger/Google provider. Early in the year, a Blogger patch wrecked my filing system as they made changes to Picasa, their acolyte picture-sharing service. The third column is missing a dozen or so entries, which are scattered into the Picasa servers. I can hunt them down, but it takes a long time for the servers to retrieve those pictures, so I don't see the value in making the effort. Later in the year, Blogger produced a cluster of black-outs, where either the system went down or some features were unavailable. In particular, the statistical tracking reset to zero, which erased two-plus years of collected data. After I complained to Blogger, somehow their engineers managed to restore the numbers. I trust the statistics a lot less now. That's part of the package when you deal with a "free" blog publisher.
So, with a grain of trepidation, I present the top ten most referenced entries on JSVB, as of December 31, 2012:
TOP 10 JSVB ENTRIES:
10) How To Hold Scissors - An exercise on life drawing for hand poses that also shows the correct way to hold scissors.
9) Savage Reality - My photographic take on Doug Savage's famous comic strip. His website still provides hits to this JSVB post. This entry was #4 on the popularity list for 2011.
8) A-One And A-Two - Proof that boobs run the Internet. Or put another way, that naked women draw a lot of attention, something that artists have capitalized on since the first Neanderthal drew the first Raquel Welch "One Million Years BC" (1966) movie poster on a cave wall. This entry was #5 on the 2011 popularity list.
7) Roman Dress - Just a quick sketch, I don't know why this post endures on JSVB. I keep thinking I should finish the sketch and make an improved version. And that's exactly what I said about this drawing this time last year. It was #7 on the JSVB popularity list in 2011, and remains #7 today.
6) 30th Terry Fox Run - Since Terry's hometown was Port Coquitlam where I now live, I have created a number of entries on the topic of Terry Fox. This one remains the most popular. It used to be #3 on the JSVB popularity list for 2011.
5) Back Of The Bus - The corollary to "A-One And A-Two" above, where women's bosoms drive traffic. In this case, the traffic driven is political hopeful Danielle Smith's horribly mis-designed campaign bus. I like this post as one of my personal favourites for 2012.
4) Happy Birthday To Me (2) - Another sexy post, popular because even after all these years, people want to see Uhura with her clothes off. This post was #6 on the JSVB popularity list for 2011.
3) Ricci de Mare (Sea Urchin) Recipe - There aren't very many resources on the Internet that fully illustrate how to prepare sea urchin. JSVB gets a continuous stream of hits from those who are curious about this exotic animal and its safe preparation as food. This post was #2 last year and #1 for 2010 on JSVB.
2) The Dish Fairy - What appears far more relevant to the Internet than sexy women is The Dish Fairy, who taps into the never-ending river of office coffee-room angst. Despite her primitive artwork, the sentiment of the Dish Fairy remains as strong as anything I have ever created.
1) Nat Bailey Nooner - This is easily the most looked-at image on JSVB. After all these months, it remains a solid, evocative example of JSVB photography. It was the #2 post for 2010 and the #1 last year and this year. Long live The Nat!
Another year has passed. I would like to thank friends, family, and supporters of JSVB for taking the time to enjoy my blog. By ordering the images you like for print, you provide much-needed financial assistance towards my artwork. I would especially like to thank those who have already order their prints! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
"Is this all there is?" You could look up that phrase and check out the crazy, dark song sung by Peggy Lee. "If that's all there is, my friends, then let's keep dancing! Let's break out the booze and have a ball."
Keep care for 2013 - my best wishes to all readers of JSVB!
Sincerely,
JEFF SHYLUK
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