graphic design & communication
Last week I was excited to receive an email from Wired Magazine UK asking me to do a series of five simple spot illustrations for a story on how to make a short film. Here's what they got.
1: Find Your Idea
2: Lights, Camera... (what equipment you should own)
3: Action!
4: Conquer the Cutting Room
5: Sell, Sell, Sell
Here's a sneak-peek at my entry into this year's CSCA Pinewood Derby. You gotta love the iconic Vandercook Letterpress. The tiny posters were actually letterpress printed on my C&P Pilot for authenticity.
More photos can be found on my Flickr page.
More about the CSCA derby here.
Come out and join the fun next Thursday!
It's that time of year again. Spray on a coat of paint, polish up those axels, and bring that chunk-o-wood to the 2011 CSCA Pinewood Derby. If you dont have a chunk-o-wood with wheels, come on down anyways and vote for your favorite cars and watch the races. All of the important information can be found on CSCA's Website.
In my world, "play" is as important as "work" and I'm grateful for clients and partners who understand this.
One month before I left for our 2-week vacation I sent out an email to all of my clients letting them know that I would be out of the office and would have no access to any of their project files. I know myself too well; if I had a computer with me, it wouldn't be a vacation and my time away with my wife and kids would suffer. To be honest, I wasn't 100% sure how this would be received. But, as hoped, the only responses I received were "have a great vacation; you deserve it; don't think about our project 'til you return." Wow, I'm so blessed.
For me, vacation (play) recharges my creative batteries. It allows me to connect with my family on a deeper level and create lasting memories. While it's hard to think about taking 2 weeks of billable time off, it really does pay off in the end. You can't recreate memories and you certainly can't love on your family too much. The kids will only be kids for so long and it's great to have a job that allows me to enjoy them while they are still living at home.
So, thank you to all of my clients, partners and vendors for giving us a break from the norm. Without you it wouldn't have been possible. For more vacation photos you can visit my Flickr site.
Come on out this Thursday evening to see Roanne Adams present at CSCA. Should be a good one. More info at www.cscarts.org.
Lomography.com just posted a very nice article about my vintage camera prints. Read it here:
http://www.lomography.com/magazine/news/2011/06/30/vintage-camera-post-a-prints
And while you are there, check out all of the other cool stuff on their site. It's packed with great content and beautiful photos.
Over the past couple of months I have been slowly outfitting my studio and it's coming together nicely. Almost everything here is from fleamarkets, garage sales or DIY. A friend of mine gave me a large round piece of butcher block a few years back and it's been sitting in my garage just waiting for the perfect time. I gave it a light sand and a few coats of Polyurathane. Getting it up into the studio was no easy task. I attached it to the half-wall at the top of the steps and it makes a perfect meeting place or paste-up area.
The bookshelves are made from a black walnut tree that used to stand in our backyard until it was struck by lightning several years ago. Now it's board-cut and stacked in the back of the garage. I love the color of natural walnut. The vintage Howard Miller clock was saved from the garbage by my friend Sue Hebberts. Thanks Sue!
My studio wouldnt be complete without surrounding myself with my favorite art. I have LOADS of posters so I had to be picky. Mikey Burton, Jessica Hishe and Dan Blackman made the cut along with some found letters and signs I have collected along the way.
I found this old triple bread pan out in Amish country at an antique store. It's the perfect home for my inks, pens and office supplies. My wife made the coasters for me for father's day so I don't leave any cup rings on the finish of my wood block table. I made sure there was plenty of room for old cameras and a few awards on my bookshelf.
I wanted to find a place to display some of my own work so I framed up a set of bicycle posters. The lamp on the right was pulled from the trash one day. Someone in the neighborhood was throwing out a pair of them. I snatched them up and they both work great.
Now that the 2011 Pinchflat show is over, I am selling the remaining posters at a discounted price on my site.
Please click here to purchase or for more information.
This spring, SpaceJunk Media hired me to create a memorable promotional kit for their sales team to send to current or prospective clients. Commander Carl is just part of this kit. He comes as a tri-fold printed piece in a custom anti-static bag, diecut and scored to make it easy to assemble--just fold and insert tabs into the corresponding slots. His hand holds a moon camera or he can sit on your desk and guard your favorite pencil.
You can see more photos and info here
The main event is over but the posters are for sale. You can buy them online through mid June at www.pinchflatcolumbus.com
We had close to 400 in attendance and sold a load of cool posters. Thanks to everyone who volunteered, contributed art, played your awesome music, and stopped in to support local artists. It was a great event--more than we could have imagined--especially for a first time. Next year's will be bigger and better. Start working on your designs for Pinchflat 2, coming May 2012.
See photos of the gallery opening on Flickr
