STORY: this post concludes the unicorn's journey into jerkdom. hope you enjoyed it. i will be self-publishing soon, and contacting a few formal publishing organizations once that has occurred. please, wish me luck and thanks for reading.
STORY: for my graphic design studio course, we were asked to create four, 24 x 36 posters for a film series that we would theme and curate ourselves. i chose to build my posters along the idea of pain, because i find it can be such an informing and shaping experience.
'dancer in the dark' is about people inflicting pain on others, 'they shoot horses, don't they?' is about inflicting pain upon yourself, and flying lotus' 'parisian goldfish' was about hurting the viewer (through the possibility of seizure from flashing lights). the fourth poster was supposed to feel at home with the other three, but be completely different from the others - and thus, i wanted to create a poster that was a bit hard to look at. with my ideas in place, i titled the series "when it hurts."
from the beginning, there were messages for each poster that i really felt needed to be conveyed. i had a very strong emotional connection and care for each film - and, thus, attempted to give the posters a chance to entice the viewer while still being informative without spoiling the film. my greatest concern was that the spirit of each film be conveyed in an honest and inviting way.
the series was our main project for the graphic design communication studio, and each week gave me new opportunities to really refine and shape the big picture and devilish details. by the time of the poster show last week, i had come to the point of spending so much time with the posters that i wasn't sure how successful they really were. i completely understood what they meant to me, but had to cross my fingers that they could feel the same to the viewers. after hanging the posters, i was fortunate enough to receive a good response - and two awards for 'best overall' and 'poster i want to hang in my room'.
THANKS: i need to say that these posters wouldn't be half what they are without my teacher, JESSICA WEXLER. she worked with me every week to talk about the big picture and all the minute, little details. also, DAVEY WHITCRAFT also gave me a lot of incredible input. finally, the kids - many of whom can be found in my friends list. this semester of growth felt great. thanks everyone.
STORY: on this glorious day, i wish to introduce you to a new project called 'six words of varying length'. since early high school, i had always had an interest in concise vignettes - more specifically, the six word short story popularized by ernest hemingway. as i was told, his was "for sale: baby shoes, never worn." from that polarizing day grew this project, which i now present to you. at this moment, the site has only a couple handfuls of writers, but it will be growing gradually over time. with this sentence, i cut the ribbon.
STORY: i met this kind woman in the tulsa airport. i felt like a portrait needed to be done. the final piece is 3' x 4'. the piece is made from crayons.
STORY: for pat and natalie's wedding, i wanted to create a piece that would speak to them and their newfound union. late one night, i went over to pat's parents home and spoke with both of them about their favorite animals, items, and etceteras - coming up with a top 3 list for each.
i began collecting images for reference. i thought about the things i wanted to convey. i began sketching lightly with a pencil, which was followed by watercolor, and finished with pens.
this will be a bit of insight into my process.
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PENCIL:
STORY: my pencilling in process is very simple. i use it as a very rough guide. it allows me to set up a composition without having to be to constrained. i forgot to photograph the piece during this part. my apologies.
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WATERCOLORING:
STORY: when working with watercolor, i find it best to build and build. i will, initially, work with very light faint color and lots of water. it helps me establish boundaries when i am unsure of the tids and bits. over time, i work places and pieces darker and darker. the last part of my process, i establish shadows with light greys, working darker and darker over time. overall, i would estimate that i layed down about 12 layers of color in some areas and about 6 layers of shadows.
LIGHT COLOR:
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DETAIL:
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INKING:
STORY: for this piece, i wanted to establish a bit of a hierarchy through different line weights. i used four pigment liner pens, ranging from .1 to .7. generally, i ink then watercolor the piece; this time, it felt necessary to work the colors in and establish lines following. after all the lines were set, i added a few more passes of color and shade to really help pieces stand out.
STORY: on this last, beautiful sunday, the staple design SPRING 2009 COLLECTION made its debut on the internet. in the collection, i had the privilege of helping to produce two designs, which would become three items. it is truly a complete honor to see my work displayed under the name of STAPLE DESIGN. i've been incredibly grateful to learn so many things from JEFF (NG) STAPLE over the years, whether through his blog or in interviews.
last year, to show how grateful i was for everything learned, i did a SIMPLE DRAWING based on a quote that jeff had NOTED on his blog. i attached the a scan of the drawing to the comments, and within a few days, THIS was posted on his blog. of course, a bit of CONTROVERSY AND HONOR followed.
i contacted jeff and he spoke with me about life, the piece, and thoughts on life with a blog. it was one of the most thrilling experiences i have ever had. being completely honest, he is in a three way tie for numero uno on my list of inspirations. within a week, i was working on the billy joel piece, which shows a drawing of every event that mr. joel mentions in the song. next, the research came, then sketches, followed by DETAILED DRAWINGS. all in all the project was long, hard, and one of the most enjoyable i've ever had.
then came the hardest part of the whole project, which was the wait. i didn't hear much, until around DECEMBER a little package arrived. everything looked beautiful and, then, i slipped up in an INTERVIEW by forgetting to mention that the details of the work should probably be kept under wraps until they arrive in stores. in the end, it was an unnecessary worry in a project that was, in the truest sense of the word, incredible to work on.
MOTTO:
SCREENPRINTED:
T-SHIRT:
START THE FIRE:
EVERYTHING, CLOSER:
MY FAVORITE:
THE ACTUAL SONG:
HINT: i recommend playing the video, while viewing the illustration. also, remember to click on the images to see them enlarged.
TO BUY: jeff said that the items should be available for purchase online from DIGITAL GRAVEL, TOBI, REVOLVE CLOTHING, and TURNTABLE LAB. the actual pieces from the collection won't be out for another few weeks, but i'll do my best to post about them when i see they've arrived in stores.
STORY: the photo series i had previously hinted at HERE and HERE is completed. simply put, the photos are about how death and masculinity relate to growth. for more info, download the book and have the photos altogether.
