Where do you get your ideas?

[preacher_eric]

This is something that every artist gets asked at some point in time. Where do you, as a custom cuemaker, get the ideas for the designs of your cues? More importantly, do you ever accept or purchase design ideas from outside sources? I teach high school art and dream of being able to incorporate my talent for art with my love of pool. Would I be wasting my time coming up with designs for custom cues or would some cuemakers be open to the idea?

 

[bandido]

This is something that every artist gets asked at some point in time. Where do you, as a custom cuemaker, get the ideas for the designs of your cues? More importantly, do you ever accept or purchase design ideas from outside sources? I teach high school art and dream of being able to incorporate my talent for art with my love of pool. Would I be wasting my time coming up with designs for custom cues or would some cuemakers be open to the idea?

Like you, I wanted to "incorporate my talent for art with my love for pool". One of the fields that I dabbled in when I was in college was Fine Arts major in Advertising Arts and eventually worked as an ad illustrator for a cosmetics company. I started making a cue with a "just for my satisfaction" mindset and to this day still use that rule before letting go of a cue. If I won't be satisfied and proud to own the cue then it ceases existance.

With regards to the business side of cuemaking, most of my design inspiration comes from the customer. And I usually work up to getting to the concept by getting to know the customer while talking or playing with them. Trying to blend their personality, preferences in colors, shapes and interests in other objects or hobbies. I try to find out if they're conservative or if they're risk-takers that'll welcome surprises.

As for designing for myself, ideas come from my emotions, experiences and environmental influences. Cue designing is very challenging as I have to convey my idea in a very small canvas and yet balance it out with the structural engineering demanded by its function.

Edwin Reyes

 

[bandido]

More importantly, do you ever accept or purchase design ideas from outside sources? I teach high school art and dream of being able to incorporate my talent for art with my love of pool. Would I be wasting my time coming up with designs for custom cues or would some cuemakers be open to the idea?

I'm open to this but the designer has to understand that their idea will never be depicted faithfully. I go through this experience a lot as there are customers who scribbles design components on paper (napkins) or hands me finished illustrations. To me, the real art part of cuemaking is the blending of the aesthetic with the structural design to function as intended.

Edwin Reyes

 

[billfishhead]

My ideas come at night,,,,,,,,,,,I guess that explains all the wriring and drawing on the walls,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,thats my story and Im stickin to it

 

[pogiboy]

Another great post by real master cue artist!

Like you, I wanted to "incorporate my talent for art with my love for pool". One of the fields that I dabbled in when I was in college was Fine Arts major in Advertising Arts and eventually worked as an ad illustrator for a cosmetics company. I started making a cue with a "just for my satisfaction" mindset and to this day still use that rule before letting go of a cue. If I won't be satisfied and proud to own the cue then it ceases existance.

With regards to the business side of cuemaking, most of my design inspiration comes from the customer. And I usually work up to getting to the concept by getting to know the customer while talking or playing with them. Trying to blend their personality, preferences in colors, shapes and interests in other objects or hobbies. I try to find out if they're conservative or if they're risk-takers that'll welcome surprises.

As for designing for myself, ideas come from my emotions, experiences and environmental influences. Cue designing is very challenging as I have to convey my idea in a very small canvas and yet balance it out with the structural engineering demanded by its function.

Edwin Reyes

 

[blud]

art

This is something that every artist gets asked at some point in time. Where do you, as a custom cuemaker, get the ideas for the designs of your cues? More importantly, do you ever accept or purchase design ideas from outside sources? I teach high school art and dream of being able to incorporate my talent for art with my love of pool. Would I be wasting my time coming up with designs for custom cues or would some cuemakers be open to the idea?

I agree with some of what Edwin said. My designs comes from cut glass in hotels and finer eating joints, as well as womens skirts, shirts, boots, dresses, billboard signs and so on.
Not many customers have many ideas about cue designs.

blud