Bowl of Crazy

We are moved, finally. After an insane couple of days, a pointless interview, and 1000 dollars we are in NYC. We are still living out of boxes due to being in town only a couple of days before we came back down to MD for JJ's family Xmas. I start work soon and while I am really excited I am also nervous. Parker Posey came in while I was training and ordered a latte. I also passed Benjamin Pratt on my way to catch Vamoose bus.
I think that is going to happen a lot. I just hope I have enough to sense to not ask them, "hey, which show are you on again?" I worked the Brooklyn Craft Market this past weekend also and that was great. It was super cold, but really worth it and I am going to try and do it at least once a month in the spring. An actress from CSI: NY (who is not on it anymore..the latina with the really bad nose job) came and looked at baby clothes that the woman next to me was selling.
I am going to look into indoor craft fairs but I have a feeling that after Xmas people will stop buying stuff until they pay off their credit cards.
The newest issue of Barista Magazine came out and you can look at the whole issue on their website. The contributors page features a beauuuutiful picture of me courtesy of JJ.
And here is a little something to look at:

Epco

Yay
Epidemik Coalition blogged about the cards I did for Jorge! Buy their shit. They are awesome.

Lalalalala

Officially a blogger on The Dieline.
I will be posting twice a week (minimum).

AIDS is a gay problem

Here is the Communication Arts Advertising winner.....it looks cute enough from the outset until you look more closely at the center illustration. I am still dumbfounded that something like this could get into a magazine that has Amnesty International ads, War Child ads, UNICEF, and The Action Group for World Solidarity.

Stop the ignorance. Write a letter. This is the reason things like Prop 8 pass.

A Letter to the editor of CA

As visual communicators it is our duty to dispel myths and promote truth. If we are the ones spreading ignorance and bigotry then what good are we as communicators.
--------

Dear Editor

I received the most recent communication arts magazine Advertising Annual 49 and spent some quality time pouring over it as I usually do each month. However, this issue I came across something that bothered me. It was on page 13 and was an ad series done by DDB World Wide. The ads showed bugs getting ready to off themselves with bug killer for various reasons. While it was a cute idea one of ads was extremely offensive. It showed a bug lying in a hospital bed dying. I looked this over further and the chart on the bed said HIV Positive, the bug had a nose ring and choke collar, and on the night stand a picture of him with a "friend" wearing leather harnesses and nipple rings. I can believe that an anti gay and anti AIDS ad was running in Singapore but I cannot believe that Communication Arts would give it an award?! Not only was this ad extremely offensive, but it was inaccurate as people who are HIV positive are not necessarily gay and HIV does not mean one is going die. AIDS and HIV are very different things. These might seem like obvious statements, but if an ignorant and offensive ad like this can be made then apparently it is not obvious to everyone.
I would hope that in this day and age something like this would be vetoed in the brain storming period, but that was not the case. I am just truly surprised that this ad was chosen for an award. I know you have a very competitive entry process and I am surprised and saddened that this made it through your screening process.

Sincerely

Charrow
www.charrow.com

By Design

Interesting new designs I have noticed:

The Giant (and Stop & Shop) changed their logo. Their plastic bags have this icon in purple and it looks so simple, clean, and Japanese. The type face is custom and very sophisticated.
(I cannot say the same for the uniforms...the yellow looks flattering on no one and I have not seen the purple but these are not easy colors to wear.)

Eugene and Louise Bakery
Is an amazing looking bakery in Belgium. They marzipan characters are so well developed that I would have a hard time eating them for fear they might protest. I will definitely put it on my list of places to go.

Intelligentsia has newish packaging that I really love. The color fits in so well with the rebranded logo.

Bad taste of the week:
2008 Advertising Annual had an ad on page 13 for Sara Lee Singapore. The ad was created by DDB World Wide Pte Ltd (Singapore). I looked on their site and could not find the ad. There are three ads. All have illustrations of bugs getting ready to off themselves with bug killer for various reasons. One because its love had left it, the other because it had piles of overdue notices, and the last because it had a disease and was lying in a hospital bed. I did not really get what was going on in this last one until I looked more carefully. I observed: the bug is lying in a bed, his chart says HIV Positive, he has a nose ring and a choke collar on, there are pill bottles lining a shelf, and on the shelf is a photograph of him with another buddy and they are both wearing leather (leather daddy cross straps), nipple rings, and one has a police man's hat on. I can believe that an ad like this ran in Singapore, but I cannot believe that CA would give it an award. This is inaccurate and completely offensive. Poor taste is what comes to mind. The worst part is I have no idea what it is supposed to be selling. There is no description just the ad agency and the client. Who do I talk to about this? I will scan it in at a later time to make this point understood more fully.
More to come as I continue to look and not buy many things.

Putting the pieces together

I have grand plans of doing a children's book in the near future. It is the most common thing that people say I should so if anyone has an idea send it my way.
For now here is a an illustration that I am going to try and get made into a puzzle for kids (this is just one of the color combos I came up with. Ideally it would come in a bunch of different colors so that kids and parents would have a choice).

hits the spot

I am currently in MD for the Thanksgiving and maybe a trip up to NY for an interview?? Well we are just hoping we have had no reason to believe we will have an interview we just want one...as it would be easier to take a train up, interview, come down to my folks, and drive back to ATL. Because a plane ticket is kinda expensive....and I have no job.

We did get to go peregrine espresso which JJ will post a few pictures from soon. Seeing Ryan was amazing and the shop looked so beautiful...when I open a shop I want it to have a similar look and feel. It was modern and bright but still cozy and inviting. Anyway, it was a great time and they were doing some amazing things with coffee. Stuff that is common sense, but overlooked.

I cant really say there is much else going on besided eating and sleeping. I have been in contact with everyone in NY except the apartment people. I have been in regular emailing with Jonathan which is great. I think I will really like it at Joe's.

The only real problem right now is being done with school I "should" be finding a job in a design firm and have a real job for a year.
I did not do a good job of defending myself against my father on the thanksgiving "vacation." We will see what happens in the next couple of months to either give me a better argument or send me to an office.

Bleh

Here is art:

Old

I was going through my music files today....all day...and I came across some misfiled doodled from the beginning of PC. I do not have anything new to post b/c of said music filing, but I will do some tomorrow while listening to Ratatat

Cats on my ears

Its true. I was asked by my potential future rep to draw more "marketable" stuff with ipods and whatever else, but I have been so anxious that it just won't come. Instead I have been doing weird things:

Exhibit A:


It is true we are still waiting on the apartment people to plan an interview...they have not scheduled it yet....and we put in our application 2 months ago....Atlanta has a death grip. Now they want to have proof of employment.....I am speechless.
Luckily my future employer knows the ways of the co-op board and wrote and faxed a letter without delay. Maybe we will get in by New Years.
In the mean time I have more new work....soon to come

Loose lips

Tacky but true.

I keep my eye on the coffee prize and the joy of work in coffee again. As much as I like obsessing over websites I am so bad at being aimless.

coffee coffee

t-shirt design!!!!
Very excited to get this out there once we move.
rock

cat butt!

I drew this today and it made me as happy as I am going to be

Limbo how low can it go

I shouldn't be here anymore. It is really difficult to express how I am feeling because I have verbalized everything already. The issue right now is we are still waiting. Not only that but we still have no clue, we will probably have to fly up for an interview, we are scared that we will not move in until dec 1. That would mean a plane ticket to Ny for an interview and then a plane ticket home for thanksgiving....because I promised my folks. So instead of taking a vamoose bus round trip for 30 dollars I will be paying $$ for a thanksgiving plane flight. I am so sad. I also have a job, a freelance interview, and a job interview waiting for me when I get to NY, but currently have no $ coming in. I look for stuff on craigslist, but its slow going and there are no shifts at Octane right now. If I could do something I would not be as concerned, but as it is going my moving fund is dwindling. NOt ok.
Craft fair was ok, but the economy made it less than fruitful and the people that bought stuff were friends more than strangers. I love that my friends bought stuff, but they have as much money as me. Poop.

A Salt and Battery

My joke:

JJ's take on it:

Load of Craft

This weekend is nearing! I am so excited. I have been feeling bummed and there is nothing like a little crafting to lift my spirits. I think that even though the economy is in the shitter people are going to buy stuff..even if is just a greeting card. In the mean time here are a couple doodles with ginkgo leaves.

Sustaining

In a constant state of waiting is tiresome. The closer we get to maybe moving the closer it gets to thanksgiving and the possibility of winter...if we have to move in the snow I will cry icicle tears.
IN the mean time I am doing freelance. One of my favorite (the only) magazines I do work for asked me to do a piece for them on sustainability. The idea is a lot of places use cups that are made from recycled materials and they can be recycled again to make compost, but if people throw them out they just become waste and their sustainability ends. I only got a summary because the article had not been written yet, but I think it will be a really good article. Here is the illustration I created for it:

I don't know if this is the final. I am waiting on some feedback b/c I have been too close to it for the past 24 hours.
I sent in a bid for another job that is about recycling. I cannot give details right now, but here is the sketch I sent for my bid (I will know if I get the job within two weeks).


For now that's what I got, but hopefully more will be coming in.

The waiting game

"Still no word from the board, but I did hear from the management company.

No luck on the Skype idea. She says you will both need to be present for the interview, when it happens."
-----

that's right we are going to have to shell out two plane tickets for an interview for an apartment and we don't know when it will happen....we have no time line and dwindling resources.

For those of you who want to hang out we will be here a bit longer....the south has a death grip.

Rejection reflection

I was displeased with the way the last illustration turned out and so without much prompting I redid it a 4th time. I know it is not good form for an artists to show how many times they screw up especially because I am in the midst of trying to secure an agent and this does not instill confidence in my ability. But that being said here is the 4th edition and I really think it was worth the extra work.

In other news I have rejections! A couple of firms have graced me with some responses:

1. Thanks for sending your work. I think your style still needs to develop a bit. Please keep in touch with me as your work progresses.

Have a nice weekend!

2. I reviewed your illustration samples, however your work is not the right match for our agency. I am sure you will find a rep that has the kind of clients and direction that are compatible with your style of illustration. I recommend looking in The Workbook or The Directory of Illustration for reps that focus on illustration styles similar to your own.

I encourage you to contact other agencies for representation as well. Every agency has a set of preferences for style, content and direction. For any illustrator many agencies may need to be contacted to find the perfect match.

Thank you most sincerely for your compliments and interest in Magnet Reps.

3. hi charrow. i presented your work to kiki yesterday and told her to look at them soon, in private. she called me back today and told me (uncharacteristically) that she LOVED it. she just think your work is fabulous and would consider repping you if you were not just out of school. she thinks you have a great gift and you are dead on with whats happening now in illustration. she said you should get as many email addresses as possible and send 'epromos' out every week or so!
she was REALLY excited charrow, lindy.

SO there it is. I am going to post these as they come in.
Hurrah rejection!

Rejection reflection

I was displeased with the way the last illustration turned out and so without much prompting I redid it a 4th time. I know it is not good form for an artists to show how many times they screw up especially because I am in the midst of trying to secure an agent and this does not instill confidence in my ability. But that being said here is the 4th edition and I really think it was worth the extra work.

In other news I have rejections! A couple of firms have graced me with some responses:

1. Thanks for sending your work. I think your style still needs to develop a bit. Please keep in touch with me as your work progresses.

Have a nice weekend!

2. I reviewed your illustration samples, however your work is not the right match for our agency. I am sure you will find a rep that has the kind of clients and direction that are compatible with your style of illustration. I recommend looking in The Workbook or The Directory of Illustration for reps that focus on illustration styles similar to your own.

I encourage you to contact other agencies for representation as well. Every agency has a set of preferences for style, content and direction. For any illustrator many agencies may need to be contacted to find the perfect match.

Thank you most sincerely for your compliments and interest in Magnet Reps.

3. hi charrow. i presented your work to kiki yesterday and told her to look at them soon, in private. she called me back today and told me (uncharacteristically) that she LOVED it. she just think your work is fabulous and would consider repping you if you were not just out of school. she thinks you have a great gift and you are dead on with whats happening now in illustration. she said you should get as many email addresses as possible and send 'epromos' out every week or so!
she was REALLY excited charrow, lindy.

SO there it is. I am going to post these as they come in.
Hurrah rejection!

fluff

Two weeks ago when in NY we went to the Shake shack and I saw a celeb whose name was escaping me at the time. It turns out it was Elizabeth Banks. She was meeting with someone extremely jewish looking....I am guessing it was a producer of some sort. Anyway, this revelation came this evening while watching a promo for Role Models. this is not important, but I thought I should mention it.

Swooning for the Swedes

Anticipation of employment is not the same thing as having it; however, I still managed to spend money I should not be. I see a Swede and I can't help myself. If I ever go to the country I will have a very difficult time finding the wall space for all my purchases. That being said here is what I got:

Transfer (which I will put on tiles or something to make some affordable Camilla art


Tea towel....which is awesome and will be framed for another piece of wall art....hurrah

For those of you in the market for awesome things check out Third Drawer Down

A full plate

Projects!!
I am lazy when it comes to uploading new work that I cannot scan. JJ is usually the photographing/photoshopping go to person, but she is busy being broken (lazy) so here is my latest.

Whale and balloons on wood panel


Little boy in a whale and balloon on panel


Bird and flower on a plate.


I am doing a whole series of paintings on plates for sale at the holiday festival. If they sell well I will do a slew more for Brooklyn craft fairs. They are a lot of fun. I got the idea from another crafty blogger. Hers are a lot more expensive than mine will be, but to each their own (maybe her plates are organic).

The paint is old and moldy

Sometimes it takes distance to see what is right in front of you.....

Talk about Hallmark. But really, I usually need some time away from my work to figure out what is wrong with it. I was not completely satisfied with the direction of "Lift" so I kept working on the 3rd round and finally feel happy with the results. Its difficult because this not for anything except another group piece and so having only myself as a critic makes it that much harder to know when it is done. And really, done is such an arbitrary thing. I could keep redoing this painting and every time it would look different. At a certain point it becomes like a stilllife.....boring moldy fruit.

So here is the moldy fruit.

I dont't know????

This is an exercise in group illustration. This was the first attempt:

This was the second attempt:

And there was a third attempt, but it is really bad. So now, I don't know. They have things that are good about both. I am still happiest with the first. Compromise parts for the whole....

Post grad angst

I forgot completely

Charrow

yay!
(I will post a longer more substantial post later but for now Mgmt- Time to pretend pretty much sums it up:


Its just a start I feel like there will be more to come, but click on the links and look at my work if you dare.
I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.
Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives.
I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and fuck with the stars.
You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars.

This is our decision, to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah, it's overwhelming, but what else can we do.
Get jobs in offices, and wake up for the morning commute.

Forget about our mothers and our friends
We're fated to pretend
To pretend
We're fated to pretend
To pretend

I'll miss the playgrounds and the animals and digging up worms
I'll miss the comfort of my mother and the weight of the world
I'll miss my sister, miss my father, miss my dog and my home
Yeah, I'll miss the boredom and the freedom and the time spent alone.

There's really nothing, nothing we can do
Love must be forgotten, life can always start up anew.
The models will have children, we'll get a divorce
We'll find some more models, everything must run it's course.

We'll choke on our vomit and that will be the end
We were fated to pretend
To pretend
We're fated to pretend
To pretend

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Carbon copy conundrum

I have been trying to be productive in this in between time which is difficult for my wandering brain. I did a very cute sketch on the plane back from NY and proceeded to do the first painting of said illustration. Now as you might know if you spend enough time around me that I redo an illustration at least 4 times....I hope to get it down to two eventually. For whimsical paintings this is not the case, but for illustrations with multiple people, background, dramatic lighting, and theme it takes a little more screwing up in order to get it right. I copied the sketch on tracing paper and as the first painting looks lack luster I went to copy it to another piece of board. I use a home made carbon sheet, but the sheet is no where to be found. I spent the last three hours looking for the sheet and only half paying attention to Pushing Daisies....an amazing show that takes all the cuteness and creative stage settings of amelie and makes a great show. SO now I have to wait to redo my painting. I hate waiting.
To make a home made carbon sheet is very simple if you have the right ingredients:
Vellum, bestine, and pastel (chalk and not oil)
Take your piece of vellum and rub the chalk pastel all over it (I use blue because it makes a subtle line), then take a cloth or paper towel and rub bestine over your now chalk covered vellum, and let it dry. Ta da! You now have a reusable piece of carbon paper. Your final step is the bring it to my apartment because mine is missing....
But really its great and you can reuse it many times. The bestine seals the chalk pigment into the vellum and makes it resistant to rubbing off except when you transfer.
On a brighter note I spent the evening sending emails to reps. If you are an illustrator looking for a rep, also known as representation or an agent, go to: http://www.workbook.com or http://www.directoryofillustration.com/ (this one I have not tried yet). I know there are more sites, but I am just getting started. Hopefully tomorrow I can do another version or two so I have some images to upload.

We got in.

Here is the flier and some info. more to come about the week in NY.

minimalist porn

When does design become kitschy clutter? This is the question I argue with myself every day when I look at the long list of design (print, packaging, interior, furniture, and ornamental) blogs I look at for the first three hours of my day. I try to limit myself to 30 minutes, but by the end of the day I feel like all I have done is look at blogs of other peoples design and art.
Now getting back to my original issue, some of the design out there is really no more than pretty clutter. People talk about the great little things they make or find and repurpose, but sometimes those purposes just become another thing that collects dust. Keeping this in mind I am trying very hard to not keep things even if I think I can DO SOMETHING with them. I look at a handmade book (not made by me) and thing "I can recover the cover and make it my own and then sell it at a show" or "I will paint this mug and make it look unique and funky so maybe then I will use it." This is how my clutter is born; good intention is the seed of the clutter baby. So while I still create clutter (JJ attests to this all the time) I am trying to be mindful of how long term it clutters my life. If I am selling a book on half.com then I can only keep the book for a limited time before it is decided that it will not sell. Right now I am trying to part with a pair of Diesel jeans I bought on ebay. I have had them for two years now. They do not fit, will never fit, are a bad wash, and the cut is really bad...wanna buy them?! No, but really, I brought them to my local used clothing store and they were not interested. They said the cut and color were not in right now (my seed of hope was left intact...very bad), but I could keep them and see if they would sell later. The problem with this is how long do I keep them before they become just another clutterer in my life? I could make money off of them, but I would be losing money if I were equating space with money. If you are like me most of the things you keep are somehow going to save you money or make you money and have nothing to do with sentimentality. This makes things even harder because one day those jeans might sell and they take up so little space in the mean time. But these things add up and eventually your space is filled with "might" and "could." I am moving to NY where every square foot really is going to cost me money and I hope I can keep that in mind. In fact, one day I hope I have the strength to divest without reservation and live in a space that would make minimalists blush.

The way the paint cracks

I met with Steff Geissbuhler yesterday to discuss my portfolio which was a cool thing. He was the seminar speaker and it was really cool to hear him talk about the NBC logo (which he designed) but which sat on the shelf for something like 6 years before it was finally introduced because NBC did not have enough money to change all the watermarks on their cameras, microphones, and everywhere else they hide a logo mark. He was a very nice guy although I think we were both a little akward. He was trying to talk to me and relate a little, but it was blatanly clear that he was older white male in his 60s and I was a young strangely groomed, overly punctured, homo and we were never meant to understand each other. I mentioned that "we" were moving to NY and he asked who "we" was. I said my girlfriend and he (in a manner as frighteningly like my father) said "oh why don't you two do a project together." I mentioned she was a writer, but still it was the kind of random comment one gets when someone does not know what else to say when you mention casually that you are a big HOMO. My father said an equally random "I accept you people" statement when he said at dinner "I have a gay woman in my office." This statement was made completely out of the blue and having nothing to do with the dinner conversation.
Despite that Steff was really nice and helpful. He questioned some of my design choices in a really good way. It became clear very quickly that my illustration work was much more successful than my design work. (He did like my DIY/recycled business card and asked if he could have one) It is not say that my design work is bad, but my illustration work is what people get excited about. This is the second time this has occured. I had another interview with a company and the main woman, who had a sour lemon resting face, was looking at my design work and as soon as she flipped to my illustration work her sourness broke and she said "I love this." You never know if someone dislikes your work until you hear them say something they particular like. Later the younger of the two people from this company said I would fit well at Rolling Stone magazine.
I know review in NY will bring positive and negative responses, but I hope I have the ability to take both with a grain of salt or drop of paint or pixel...
In the mean time here is a new design for a generic station set I am working on

Is that a blog in your pocket or are you just happy to read me

SO we are all officially signed off. Now it is time to focus on the NY review. So what am I doing right now...sitting on my butt and it is amazing. Another amazing thing I have discovered is porcelain from a really neat blog. I saw the image in ffffound and thought it was super cool. I bought some of the stuff and will post my first attempt tomorrow after it bakes! Hurrah to crafting. In other great news I have my first craft fair in Brooklyn on Dec 6th. I am so excited and I hope it proves to be a fruitful experience. I am also waiting to hear back on another craft fair that will be happening on the 15th of Nov...one day before we move. Yes, I know this is a little crazy, but JJ said it would be fine...grantid she was on lots and lots of percaset when she agreed, but whatever. I don't know when I will hear back, but it is organized by the ICE folks so there is chance we will get in. Yes, I said "we" because JJ applied with me to sell some photographs to see if her work is "marketable." So either we will get accepted or we will get rejected.
If we get in get your wallets ready cause its holiday shopping time!

Vote or diet!

Done. I had sign off today and aside from the perfuse sweating it went well. I now officially have almost nothing to do. I have a couple of minor things to do like get ready to move, find a job, art reps, and take care of the invalid. So while I have a little time to kill I will hopefully be making more work and posting it. For now here is a poster to encourage people to vote.

charrow+freedom= economic stimulation

Oh the joy of being free! Free to do nothing. Yes, I have been spending this day, this amazing day of being done with all my work forever, shopping. I do not like shopping for it tends to bring defeat and the desire to stop eating, but not today. Yesterday was a different story. Yesturday I was dumb. I went to the store on my bike (which I could do b/c I was free of work having finished at 2 am on friday with everything) and on the way home decided on Urban Outfitters. I know this was a bad idea, but coming out of my two year computer coma I thought, "they will have something that looks flattering on me" (more like fattering). This failed attempt to find clothing left me feeling slightly defeated, but not surprised as I have never bought anything from Urban Outfitters. By the way they keep the larger sizes higher up on the shelves so as you reach for them the world knows what you wear...and a couple pairs were so high up on the shelves I thought I might have to ask for help...which would have been even more fun. Like going to a check out with Hemorrhoid cream or vagacil and the cashier having to get "A PRICE CHECK ON VAGACIL" "I NEED A PRICE CHECK ON V-A-G-A-C-I-L."
Right, so today is a new day. I was going to go to Target seeing as that usually has better results and they have size up to the triple digits which always makes me feel better. The land where size 8 is below average. I called up my reenforcemets and discussed the game plan to which she said, "H&M would probably have some cute stuff." Now I love H&M and in DC and NY they have always brought me joy, but I have heard bad things about the ATL store. For one thing it's still really new and always crowded and I have heard from people who know H&M from other northern cities that this is a watered down version of the real thing. Apparently, the buyer is not as adventurous because in the city of the good ol boy you can't be too fashion forward or an implant might fall out of a low cut baby doll shirt. Taking this into account I decided to give it a go. I have to say that even though it is a little different than the other ones I have been to (the dressy work clothing section is huge) I still managed to find three pairs of pants and one of them was a pair of womens skinny jeans.....never happened (and they look good)...no muffin top. I also found a really cool sweater. Now all I need is the shoes. I have my cowboy boots if all else fails, but there are a pair of shoes so beautiful only a picture can describe so without further ado...my lust:

None of my business

So Leslo are gaying in public, good job, convert one for the home team. I think its funny that people are surprised that Mantha doesn't dj gay venues....if I was important and perform I wouldn't do gay venues either. I have no problems with homos, but when you start doing gay venues when you are gay then you get pigeon holed. People are not open minded enough to understand that gay people sometimes do not want to be associated with all things gay. Being a mo is not first on her list of identity traits. She is a dj that happens to be a mo and not a mo that happens to be a dj. The day that people stop turning gayness into the pink elephant in the room is the day everyone will come out of closet.
And it seems right now it is more marketable to be gay because everyone is coming out. Difficult economic times call for deperate measure.
Maybe I should name my greeting cards HOMO greetings.

seasons fleetings

So I am in the midst of the push to finish. Of course I have decided to begin other important projects such as greeting cards. It started with my father asking for a seasons greetings card to send out to all his closest associates...all 100 of them. I finished it and thought how great would it be to do a series of them to sell on Etsy and then I thought I could take them up to NY as things employers could take away from our review. So now I am going to knee deep in december holiday cards and its not even Halloween yet.

wann fly away

The gas stations around our area are closed or don't have any unleaded gas and I am worried it is going to get worse before we drive to NY. This of course is the thing I think about as we try to fill out out 10 page apartment application.
I keep saying I will relax and stop worrying about things when certain things get done, but I always find something new to put me back in a state of anxiety. First it was getting my work done, then it was finding an apartment in NY, now its the application, and after that is all done, its going to be having enough money to make it to NY, and I am sure after that it will be finding a job...let alone a job that will allow me to live, save money, and pay off my loans. I am thinking of moving to the woods...whose with me?
On a good note:
I had my photo shoot this weekend and it went really well. Jorge Menes, a friend, and wonderful photographer shot my design work and I have a feeling it is going to be an amazing book based on his skills and art direction as much as my work.
The only issue I have with being done with the shooting bit is now I have to wait and waiting makes me feel aimless and moneyless. I feel so lazy when I am not working. Its not that I have time for work right now anyway, but I have enough free time to feel like I am being lazy.

Leggo my Logo

Blarg

Client and designer relationships. In school we learn to design and make the design that fits the design brief. The first step is to figure out the target audience, design a mark (if you are designing a logo mark and not a word mark. Example: logo mark- the Target logo and a word mark-IKEA), and then find a type face that goes with the mark. (A type face is what people usually call a font. The font is actually the different styles within a face. So, a font family is all the different weights of a type face. Helvetica is a type face and Helvetica bold is a font.) In real life a client will try to rearrange the order of these elements. You can design a mark and find a face and then the client decides the face for the word is not what they want. The issue with this of course is you find a face they like and it might completely oppose the logo mark. Are you still with me?
Here is the case in point. The first logo below is the one I came up with with a face that really works with the mark. The color is blue (there is a little grey and maybe some red, but it never shows up when I save things for web. It fulfilled the mission.



This is what the client wanted b/c its younger and more hip. The client wanted the word to be bigger than the mark. This usually is not the case. Yes this logo below feels funky, and I was able to make the mark fit with the type. I am not unhappy with the clients decision, but it was not where I wanted to go. I think when you think PR you think professional.



Conclusion: You cant always get what you want, but hopefully you will get paid anyway. And remember you can put whatever you want in your portfolio not what the client chose. Also, don't be a Kinley from project runway...clients do not like to be belittled even when they have no taste and are wrong....they are the one's footing the bill.

dingle bells

Its coming! The end is near and with the end will come a website...ooh...aaah. More on that in a while. In the mean time here is the holiday card I made for my father. I will be printing 100 for this holiday season. I cannot wait until I get paid to do this stuff....economy willing.

the quality of quanity

An oldie but goodie. This was one of the first pieces I did in a style that I felt was mine. I had to go through all my illustrations and decide which are going into my final illustration portfolio and this one made the cut. I have what looks to be 30 pieces that are good enough to make the first cut. I plan to cut it down to 15 or 20, but really 20 is the limit. Its an odd thing to look through two years of work and have to make such big decisions. I am glad I have been prolific though b/c out of over 200 illustrations there are only 30 good enough to even be considered. I cannot wait until this is over and I can stop dissecting my work every day. I have not painted in 3 months and it makes me sad.

word of the day is word

This makes me think I should give up now and go into animal husbandry or something. Dear god she amazing.

Magnetic life

Sometimes you need a little change. Last night I was feeling burnt out after two hours of printing....which equates to only 3 book jackets. I decided to cut up some magazines and came up with some collage doodles. I think I might do a bit more of this when my portfolio is done. I am shooting to be finished with everything in the next two weeks. I think during crit week for the rest of the pc kids (I don't have crits as we will be going to NY for real life abuse from possible employers. Altho in this market place I might just go to 9th street while Im there and ask for a job.)
I did a bunch of these in high school and like magnetic poetry it is really easy to make yourself feel good when you cut up existing stuff and new compositions. I love magnetic poetry. They should come up with magnetic parts of magazines so people can make magnetic collages. Maybe I will do that when I am done with school.

Night of the Living Dead

I never really listened to the words to Night of the Living Dead by Tilly and the Wall, but today while working a book about me I happened to hear the familiar reference to Atlanta. Ever since I moved here I started noticing that a lot of songs reference ATL and not just hip hop songs. When the Postal Service made a reference to Washington DC (the district sleeping alone tonight) I felt a strong connection and pride for my home. When I hear reference to ATL all I can think is "I am surviving this hole and I have the emotional scars to prove it. Yeah, I am being melodramatic, but I hate the looks. The disgust and anger like somehow me being a homo cause the economy to suck and for the roads to be littered with craters they have the audacity to call potholes...more like black holes. Maybe its just because I have so little to focus on aside from school that when I venture out it is to places where one would see phobes...like the grocery store, gas station, restaurants, malls, and running. I have been holding my breath for two years and I am the better off of the two of us. The other day someone said to me "charrow, I didn't realize you hated Atlanta so much." Have you ever talked me before? I would rather be a little fish in a huge pond than a fish too big for the pond.

btw: I live off of North Ave. and there are prostitutes.

Oh and just when we thought we were no longer lost
They kicked us out into the dirty streets of Atlanta
So it's Friday night down on North Avenue
Where gas station parking lot prostitutes
Tried to fix their hair in our rearview mirrors

Crewd

I am hard at work or something while browsing blogs with breakfast I looked over JJ's shoulder and saw a familiar image of a woman floating in a house. It was a piece by Gregory Crewdson an amazing photographer who's work looks more like a still from a movie than photography. His photographs are slice of life if life is the twilight zone. I saw his work in New York, not at the MOMA as you might think, but in a Manhattan apartment. I was baby sitting for a nice lesbian couple who have a Cambodian baby girl (you think I am kidding but I'm not) and live in an apartment in Battery Park facing the statue of liberty. After 9/11 the prices of apartments near ground zero dropped. They had had a place facing ground zero and after the market broke they moved to the other side of the building facing the butt of the statue of liberty. The apartment was everything you would expect from a couple who could afford to own in Manhattan. It was impeccably furnished with forties wood and leather chairs and amazing art. Even the babies room had been touched by the hands of taste. The walls had graphic images painted on it by my cousin who is a successful artist (who also owns in Manhattan) and for awhile I wished this was my family. The thing I remember most was that they had a huge photograph in the living room by Gregory Crewdson. By huge I mean 5 feet wide by 7 feet tall. It was of a boy in a shower reaching down into the guts of the house. It was so cool. I may never have that kind of money, but at least I had the story seeing an original Crewson in a private home.

pretty mess

Two more.

A shape experience. These are for a book I am making for the post kindergarten crowd. Kindergarten is essentially an introduction to design. It helps kids develop a relationship between shapes and nature...well at least that is principle it was built on. After kindergarten children are thrust into first grade and thus begin their decent into structure, discipline, and hatred of school. For some reason there is no no bridge from kindergarten to first grade. This book is for kids who want to continue their design experience (or rather parents who want to continue their children's visual education). The spreads will have colors that are harmonies so that children can focus on the shapes and not be overpowered by the color. While they do not make actual images they will, hopefully, inspire kids to play more with shapes and not feel constrained by making literal image. I have an image in mind for each collage, but I do not want to influence viewers so I am going to keep my thoughts to myself.