Illustrations in Process

I am still in the first 3 weeks of resolution season, and 40% of us who make resolutions will drop out by 3 weeks. I am still going strong (for now). I have mostly stuck to drawing with pencil and pen, but in the coming weeks hope to bring and color and maybe some computer drawings. (I have done a little bit with color on my ipad. I have been enjoying trying out different sketching apps for iPad). Staying passionate becomes increasingly difficult as work picks up again and my house just seems to be falling apart. "When it Rains it Pours".

 I may be struggling to create my own personal work, but luckily work has provided some suprises with some projects that need some "affordable" illustration.

Cut It Out!

Die cut done by hand require artistry, skill, and patients. Technology has come a long way to allow computers to make complicated die cuts simple and fairly affordable. It instantly gives a new dimension and dynamic to your printed piece. Especially since communication is moving more and more digital. I find that most clients do not want to make the leap to this extra expense, but it can be fun to dream about a future project with die cuts like these:



Via CardObserver

Via Avie Design

Nicolas Zentner

via Design Boom

Made by Julene

I don't know where this came from, but it is amazing

Making a Mark

With my efforts to improve my illustration skills I have been thinking more about mark making tools. My weapon of chose is usually the nearest pen or sharpie lying around. They are good enough tools, but do not allow for much variation in line width or my illustration characteristics. Different tools that have some interesting qualities to add to my pen drawings:

1. Watercolor: one of the easiest marking tools to add, since I have a watercolor set from my grandmother and some brushes that I can begin to dabble with this fluid form.
   
2. India Ink: this thick black ink was a great tool for my serigraphy prints in school, because its light-fast qualities. I still have some lying around. Similar to watercolors is that this ink can be very fluid, but you can use it with a calligraphy pen for more control.
   
3. Potato Printing: I have always wanted to try this technique. I have all the tools I need for this, but have always been hesitant to waste these delicious spuds on something other than food. But the texture these prints can supply would be worth the risk. Definitely it is on my must try-list.
   

Do you have any favorite techniques you like to use?
Photo from Oh Happy Day!

Blank Page

I love looking at a blank page—knowing its potential and the fresh start that it provides every time I pull out a new sheet. I am known for having a piles of "used" paper cluttering my desktop. I tend to keep paper around until I have used both sides of the paper to its fullest potential.

Whether it is a sketch, painting, doodle, or just a lengthy list; the process of filling a blank page is cathartic and stimulates my brain. I can more quickly see a solution and new ideas in the few minutes it takes me to fill a page, and that is refreshing.

So FILL a page today.

The Next Generation

The other day an email came into my inbox from a freshman at the local university. They had questions about my studies, my career, and why I wanted to be a desire. It is about passion. Telling this student reminded me about why I wanted to be where I am.

How do you spend your time? Email, Adobe Creative Suite, Doodling, managing printers, preparing files for flash, web, and print,  and dealing with clients and publications.

A typical day? Checking my email and take care of projects based on urgency and deadlines.

How did you choose this career? When I first entered school I was undecided and took basic courses required for every student, but I had taken an intro to design course and it changed my college career completely. In this class I created books, digital patterns and illustrations, and I was able to realize that I had been doing "graphic design" activities my whole life. I used to layout, illustrate, and work with color on my Christmas Letter to Santa, I developed my own websites in high school, and I always carried a sketch book with me. It is more than a career; I am passionate about what I do.

 What are your favorite thing to do?  I find I am always looking for the new project or a challenge, something that helps me stretch my creative muscles. When I have a project I haven't worked on before or a new client, that creates something for me to learn. You are never done learning in this career, because it is person-based. People likes, dislikes and how they interact with brands or products changes with internet, social media, and personal growth. I like working on logos because it can combine some of my favorite skills: iconography and typography. I am able to put a lot of work and creativity behind each logo.

"Family Dinner" by Me  |  An original screenprint

Choosing a career in college can be based on a lot of things, and most likely you will change your mind. But if you choose a career that you have passion for it will be easier to go to work everyday, even when you don't bring hope as much "bacon" as you would like.

New Beginnings

New Years always renews the hope that we can better ourselves to be the person we have always wanted to be. Most resolutions fail because it is hard to break habits. Changing habits take time and resolution. Creating a goal helps you to strive for completion, but it is important to make that goal attainable. 

Photo for today.

Make a Routine: Some recommend daily habits, and if you are focusing on a daily schedule I would recommend only change one habit at once. Typically we make resolution lists, not a single item. If you can focus it down to one that is great, but I have too many goals. Instead, I make a weekly schedule that works in each goal in a routine. Maybe, one item occurs on every Monday and Thursday and another on Tuesday and Friday. The importance is consistency, because humans are creatures of habits. Creating a routine helps to develop new habits.

Self-control: Many people struggle with the ability to let their no mean no, and yes mean yes. Whether it is working out or avoiding distractions to complete a client project, exerting self-control is essential to success. This is one of the hardest skills to perfect. Building up your willpower takes baby steps, because it hard to come to a dead stop. It takes grit.

30-day Trial: Similar to making a routine, taking a trial is about rewiring our brains for new habits to form. Popularized by Steve Pavlina you take one habit and focus on it dailyfor 30 days to become a conditioned habit. Once you commit to this strict monthly act, it becomes easier to keep making that choice after the 30 days are over.

Do you have any helpful suggestions for developing new habits?

Learning to Write

There are many skills I would like to become more proficient in; one of these is copy-writing. A wonderful aspect of my job is the variety it enables me to practice. Most of the time I am pushing pixels and organizing my designs. Sometimes I get to venture into photography, printing, data entry, marketing, and copy-writing. I have not developed anything profound, such as Nike's "Just Do it" campaign, but I have added lines that have enhanced a project. Copy-writing is very much intertwined in the design process, which is why I want to gain a greater skill-set in this area. In large agencies copy-writing is its own full-time profession. In a smaller office its just a bunch of creative people talking together to come up with the best idea.

One way that I am building on my copy-writing skill is by using this blog on a frequent basis. Here I am able to collect my thoughts and let my ideas come across in a clear and concise way (hopefully). This may help practice writing, but this does not help me to create liners or tags to pull in a reader/consumer and make them want to participate/buy the client's product or event. How can I become better and delivery concise statements that are attractive to a vast audience? Is it just something you are born with? I have found a few things that improve my writing.

• Writing Drafts: similar to sketching for designers, the best idea won't necessarily be the first one that comes to mind, so keep trying. I do not always write drafts for this blog, but when I do my writing seems better written.

• Think about the audience: the look and feel of any design has to appeal to the consumer/reader; it is the same for writing. I wouldn't use difficult scientific language to write a children's book. In the same respect, I wouldn't want to offend my consumer/reader by speaking down to them. 

• Find a voice, and stick to it. Writing is the voice of any design/brand/company/product so keep that voice consistent.

• WRITE IT OUT: I find this one to be the most useful for me. There have been studies that show that printing by hand improves language fluency, spelling, and have more developed sentence structure and story-line. At the very least writing it out first puts at least two drafts to go through my writing before it ends up on my blog.

BIG Grownup Experiences

I have some big grownup experiences coming up in this next month. I am going to try to keep this blog going even as the personal to do list grows exponentially. Maybe I will be able to share photos of the exciting new things ahead. Until then:

I have been working another card/print. Chevron pattern is huge right now. I see a lot of crisp zigzags filling the blogosphere. Using linoleum blocks enabled me to get a little grungy and organic. Of course each one is hand printed by me! this time I used turquoise ink.

Staying Creative

It is probably one of the most talked about subject within the creative community. How do you continually come up with ideas day in and day out? It is a real challenge, especially when your lively-hood depends on it. There are many things that can help boost creativity.


Many creatives keep a full desk with knickknacks with nostalgia or interesting design qualities, and others want no distractions from keeping them from the task at hand. They treat their desks with minimalism.


Others have mood/visual boards. Literally boards with images, words, or colors to express a mood, goal, or style. This can be a great way to bring a multitude of elements together to share in a similar time or feeling.


Exercise. Newsweek had this to say:
 

"Almost every dimension of cognition improves from 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, and creativity is no exception. The type of exercise doesn't matter, and the boost lasts for at least two hours afterward. However, there's a catch: this is the case only for the physically fit. For those who rarely exercise, the fatigue from aerobic activity counteracts the short-term benefits."

Lists can be a helpful way to stay focused and organized, but lists can become overwhelming and put a damper on your creativity when it becomes too long. Keep it concise. 

Sketching or working in a different medium helps you to use different brain connections. Your work can also take a different texture than it would otherwise. Even if you are a writer: using a pen/pencil and paper creates different results than when you are exclusively using a computer. 


Take a break. I am bad at following this advice. when i am working on a project I try to sit and just pull through it, and maybe taking 15 minutes away from my work to take a walk or even sit at a new location can give a well earned break and stimulation ----> making me more productive!


Working harder and more diligently can work for short spurts, but it leads to burnout. Do you have anything you look at, do, listen, or read to help you stay creative?

Periodic Table of Visual Methods

http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html

The visuals are clunky, but the idea behind this is pretty sweet. If you go to the website each "element" is a rollover to help illustrate the element. Just like the scientific periodic table the elements are parted into categories.

Do you use any of these elements to help in your creative process?

Vector Illustration

My illustration for this week is a little doodle of Wisconsin. I did not set out to make it  about Wisconsin. I had started with the sky then the hills. It felt like it needed a cow, and cows make me think of Wisconsin. I started on computer, though I would prefer to start with a sketchbook, then scanning, then vector work on the computer.

Each project has its own process. What is nice about non-work work is that I don't need to be as strict in my discipline. I do what I feel like.

Linoleum Illustration

For this month's illustration I went the analog route. I freehand cut a linoleum block and made a simple nesting doll stamp, that I have put on a few cards. If you would like one (email me your address, and I will send one to you!) I love way the lines become thick textured lines from the way the knife pulls at the linoleum (if you are having trouble carving you can always use a hair dryer or iron it heat it up, then it carves like butter!)

Illustration Aspirations

I am trying to work through my goals, and someday I want them to lead me to a place that has me sketching and creating like this:


our creative process/. 01 from Casey Warren | MINDCASTLE on Vimeo.

Importance of Drawing

Whether you have the skill to make a realistic portrait or you relate more to stick figures, I find that drawing is a skill that every designer should continue to hone. It is easy to fall into the trap of doing everything on computer, because it ends up there any way right? Well the speed and ease of drawing comes naturally. Even simple drawings of squiggles and boxes can be the quickest way to cycle through a variety of layouts. My new year's resolution of doing something creative everyday can become a challenge on the weekends, all week I make ads and when I am home I begin to vegetate. But the importance of drawing and keeping the creative part of my brain enticed is essential to who I am as a designer and as a person. Drawing stimulates a different part of the brain than using a computer and is faster than what we could achieve on the computer. Drawing also has brain development benefits. Studies have shown improved memory cognition if a person utilizes drawing, and that can help prevent and slow brain deterioration due to Alzheimers.

So get out there and draw. It won't cost you much. Grab a pencil or pen and some already used computer paper, and you are ready to activate your brain cells and get inspired.