Sketches

Some recent sketches; lots inspired by my bird, Moby! One of my personal favorites is the bird with the bell on the bottom of the first page spread... :)

Other than that, some are pretty messy still, but I'm working with only ink. I'm trying to get back into the swing of sketching as often as possible by forcing myself not to be too precious with sketches. No pencils allowed! And no references just yet, other than looking at my bird...

Media Dream Sequences Video

This video was an assignment for my Power of the Image class; a "Media Dream Sequence."

The prompt was to find about a minute of audio, and put both videos and images to its track in a way that created a message/paradox.

To me, this sequence supports Elizabeth Gilbert's (speaking) ideas about creativity and how we can't consider ourselves, as mere humans, the source of creativity. (That maybe creativity is like an external sense of genius on loan to us every now and then...)

But I also think my imagery, in conjunction with what Gilbert says, add a layer of intrigue. I used a lot of the masters' work (really a lot of art from the Renaissance and forward in time): artists who had adapted that mentality of "being a genius" vs. "having a genius."

We have come to truly admire and work after these artists; is it possible that we could have some balance of thinking we are the source of creativity but also that it could be a random, almost "otherworldly" thing on loan to us? 

That to a certain degree, we are responsible for honing our creativity, and for actively using it: but that we also cannot expect to be "geniuses" 100% of the time?

Thesis: Family Creativity Book (Dummy?) Done!!

Cover

Dedication/Title Pages

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So my Thesis Book (Dummy) "Family Creativity" has been sent out for publishing! Not without a hitch, however; I learned the hard way that as great as Lulu.com is, it's really "what you see is what you get." I didn't realize I had to add my own blank pages into the format, nor did I realize before I ordered the (first) set of 4 copies that the first uploaded file (other than the cover) is positioned on the right, as a single-page spread. That messed up all of my 2-page spreads after and including the dedication/title page. So I guess when I get that set, I will be cutting it apart to frame for gifts. :) No harm done; just didn't expect to be getting my Christmas shopping done yet!

Overall, I'm really happy with how these pages look. They certainly are not final to the point that I would sell this book yet, but they are getting there. For now, I really went with the 2-page spreads, but I might mix up some of the images as single-page spreads in the future. (Some of the images don't really need to be 2-page spreads...) Also, I plan on making all aspects of the cover mine as well: no Photoshop shapes. Just have yet to sketch up those heart and frame aspects to a point I would put them on the cover; the shapes are placeholders for now.

As is, if it prints like we see it here (cross your fingers!), I will be proud to present this to my Thesis class and committee for graduation. Beyond graduation, I can be picky and work heavier into making it its "final" edition. :)

(By the way, this book was a documentation of family creativity research I did a couple semesters ago; I interviewed about 30 of my family members to find out how they are creative and where my creativity might come from. Distilling as much of my research as possible, I came up with this storyline: "We are all creative in some way: it's all in how you define it. In addition, creativity starts in the home, with family.")

MEd in Community Arts, HERE I COME!! (Now, it's just to finish that monster thesis PAPER...)

COMMISSION WORK DONE!! :D

It is officially done, and sent off to its happy new owner! I adjusted the brightness just a tad, and its final size will fit a standard 11x14 frame...

I will post a photo of it hanging, framed, when that happens! Can't wait to see what it looks like, and I'm so happy to have been able to do this project. It makes me feel a little more confident in my work's appeal!

More Commission Progress!! :) (DONE?)

So I've added the background now, and the coloring is pretty final! The background is a mix of my own watercolor textures and some photos of the teacup ride that's altered in Photoshop...

Looks like the JPEG is still a little too bright, though. Their shoulders and the background got a little blown-out. I will have to re-look at that and maybe adjust Levels... ;)

Commission In Progress!! (For A Friend)

I have been doing some work on a commission for a friend at grad school, and here is the progress! She gave me a photo of her and her boyfriend on the teacups at Disney, and I am creating a mixed media illustration for their new place/ her boyfriend's birthday. The story behind the photo reference is that they closed on their new place while waiting in line for the ride! So cute.

So far I have completed a graphite drawing of their portraits, and I have colorized it and painted into it a bit. It is very light color with some of the pencil strokes still showing, and I like that look. I think it suits Disney and my experimentation with style. I'm considering a few options for the background... I will either do a photo collage of her own snapshots from Disney, or I will substitute some Disney textures (from her photos still) for their clothing (see the red areas in the sketches). I'm also playing with blocking out the clothes with white, because it really makes their happy faces stand out.

Still a lot of work to do, but it's coming along!!

(Always In Progress) Artist Statement

As a budding children's book illustrator, I figured I should start tailoring my illustrator's artist statement a little bit more to my specific goals... Before it more or less referred my illustration goals in general: advertising, book, or editorial...:

We are so often negatively influenced by manipulative media.

Consumer culture inundates us with visual and verbal subconscious messages,

and an overwhelming amount of them are harmful, demeaning, unnerving, and flat out wrong.

My personal brand of visual communication can innovate media’s molding of society.

As an illustrator, I have the power to improve the quality of published and projected images.

Through my work, I want to revolutionize the way we, as human beings, currently see the world and ourselves.

My dream is to be a children’s book illustrator.

Through children’s books, my work will influence the young generations’ lessons and fantasies. The ways in which I have understood my world will feed others’ perspectives, and then be passed down through families in book form.

My visual messages and narratives will form and mold young minds, positively impacting society.

I strive for my work to express my vision. I am not merely drawing or painting; instead, I am exercising powerful visual language. In addition, integrity is forever present in my vision and what I illustrate. My life goal is to be an honest illustrator, ever conscious of and judicious with my work’s psychological effects on viewers.

I have the power to manipulate people, but I choose to use this power to educate and to tell truths.