"Fieldwork Fail" Kickstarter project -- case study of 3 phases -- UPDATED 10.27.20

UPDATE 10.27.20

Very limited number of copies available. On the SNB website now! 

https://stuartngbooks.com/fieldwork-fails-the-messy-side-of-science.html

UPDATE 5.26.20

Stuart was able to purchase a few copies of this book -- the English edition -- directly from Jim at the Angouleme Festival in Jan 2020. These copies are part of a shipment of books coming to SNB from France and are due to arrived in the summer (due to Covid, this shipment arrived in October).

Original June 2016 post continues here.....

This post presents an outstanding case study of an artist who 1) followed a passion... 2) combined his art talents with a educational online event... and 3) used social media to build a following for a book project based on the on-line collaboration..... BRILLIANT!!

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Science and art are connected. Follow some science pages on Facebook and discover an educational way to find new artists. Art is often the answer to presenting complicated science in an accessible way.

Non-profit Bat Conservation International (BCI)  http://www.batcon.org/ connects conservation science with the general public. The photo posts on the BCI Facebook page offer fantastic reference for bats .. and for creature design. Just one reason why BCI is one of my favorite science-themed pages on Facebook. For Biodiversity Day...they posted this graphic on their Facebook page.

This art charmed me. I loved the shapes of the animal silhouettes and the clever design. When I went to the BCI page to try to learn more about the image used in the post, I was delighted to see they had a link for the source of the image... and this link lead me to an amazing find!

The art is by Jim Jourdane
 http://jimjourdane.com/

He's an illustrator, based in France, with 1) ... a passion for the human side of science.

Using the hashtag #fieldworkfail, scientists were using social media to share their most embarrassing incidents in the trenches of field work. Jourdane started following these updates.. and began communicating with the scientists.

Inspired by his conversations with these scientists working in the field..
2) ... Jourdane used his illustration skills to capture the scientists who have had brushes with failure instead of fame. He was also able to obtain more in-depth information from the scientists about their work...and the conservation issues they are studying.

3) He started posting his illustrations on social media... on his blog http://jimjourdane.com/blog/
...twitter  https://twitter.com/JimJourdane/
...and instagram https://www.instagram.com/fieldworkfail/

Soon, his "Fieldworkfail" illustrations were being featured on sites like Visual News
https://www.visualnews.com/2016/04/27/hilarious-illustrations-depict-scientists-disastrous-fieldworkfails/
and Mental Floss http://mentalfloss.com/article/73940/10-niche-blogs-you-might-enjoy

In addition to his website, Jim has a  Fieldwork Fail Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/fieldworkfail/

June 1st is the launch date of his Kickstarter project.... to turn his Fieldwork Fail illustrations into a hard cover book.

UPDATE -- FUNDING GOAL FOR PUBLICATION ACHIEVED JUNE 7th!!! -- NOW ON TO THE STRETCH GOALS, INCLUDING MORE CONTENT FOR BOOK

This crowdfunded book will feature the illustrations he's posted...

The book will include behind the story information he's learned from the scientists themselves... 

These photos from the Kickstarter project page show the cover of the book...

As well as some of the reward tiers...

You can view.. and PLEDGE.. the  FieldworkFail Kickstarter project via this link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/953074743/fieldwork-fail-when-science-goes-messy-book

UPDATE 6.3 -- Kickstarter staff has highlighted Fieldwork Fail as a  "Projects We Love" ... 
UPDATE 6.7 -- PUBLICATION FUNDING GOAL REACHED
UPDATE 6.12 -- KICKSTARTER "Project of the Day" -- highlight on Kickstarter Home Page
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Online crowdfunding is a way the internet and fans are teaming up to support artists.

Life as an indie artist is never easy. The unauthorized use of images posted on the internet is a constant threat. Updates and case studies are covered on this frequently updated post:
 http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2014/07/copyright-info-for-artists_15.html

The good news is that the internet offers a world-wide connection between artists and patrons. Many times.. it is educated fans who alert artists about image theft.

Fans can move the internet culture away from the erroneous concept that online art is "free"...

Online art is protected... it is the property and creation of artists. Let's not just "like" artists. Where would social media be without online images to "like" and share??? Image sharing makes money for the internet corporations. What are we fans doing to protect the artists we love?

Small contributions from many fans ... the price of a lunch or a cup of coffee... can have real impact. Let's value the art we all enjoy and rely on!