All About the Process

2010-05-07T12:58:00.001-05:00

Someone went into Google Earth and put together an alphabet from landscape features...very inventive! The designer is Rhett Dashwood.

Awwwwww.....so cuuuuuute

2010-05-07T12:52:00.000-05:00

Ridiculousdesignrules.com is a funny website to look at. It challenges the idea that we need to have rigid rules to make good design. This cat is a great example of typography as art and message. The designer does some other interesting things with type. Nice website...

Font

2010-05-07T12:33:00.000-05:00

This is a font created by Craig Ward whose poster I describe in the previous post.

About this typeface he designed, he says:

My final Fontlab Photofont (so far) was Bodinky and was inspired by some classic fashion illustrations I found in Vogue. I traced over the typeface Bodoni with a fountain pen and dripped water onto the letters, creating splashes of ink and color where the ink ran. This was a poster I created using the typeface.

Self-explanatory!

2010-05-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

I'm having trouble coming up with a lot to say about these examples of typography in use. This poster seems self-explanatory. I guess that might be a good criterion in terms of what good typography does. No one needs to explain it!! Its so great how the designer demonstrated the statement about good typography with his treatment of it. Designed by Craig Ward for Buck's New University in England.

Here's what he said about the design:

Before a series of typography workshops I was to conduct for second-year design students at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University, I created this poster to drum up student interest. It was created using 3D wooden letters and photographed using a combination of natural and studio light. The rest of the type was overlaid afterwards, digitally.

Kinda Gross but Cool Typographic Treatment!!

2010-05-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

From what I can gather this poster was done by a student in a typography class. I just think it's very funny and unexpected even though I don't feel this way about typography.

Israeli Posters

2010-05-07T12:10:00.000-05:00

I really like the way this designer created the letter G to send the message, I presume, about Russian oppression of Jewish people. This poster is part of a collection owned by a graphic designer. You can see more posters here. Unfortunately, there isn't any history about the poster on his website so I can't offer much more information.

I Am Not an Artist

2010-04-07T07:50:00.000-05:00

I just got my most recent issue of Eye Magazine and it happens that this is the Typography Special so I'll be posting some images from the magazine. This is actually an ad for Elisava which is (I think) a design school in Barcelona. If you go to imnotanartist.org you can see some funny little looping animations by designers. I like the dynamic, creative way they've used typography.

Project 2 Research

2010-04-05T15:02:00.001-05:00

For my project 2 brochure, I'm redesigning the brochures I use in my private practice. The two main forms are the Privacy Notice (which I'm required to provide by federal law) and the Psychological Services Agreement. The latter is not required by law but outlines information about my services so the client has clear, written information about what to expect (e.g., if they cancel an appointment, if they have a mental health emergency, etc.).
For my research, I edited the text down because it was pretty wordy and I tried to find examples of similar brochures. It's hard to make this stuff interesting so I'd like to at least try to make it easier to read!
Most of them are in tri-fold format. Many have images that seem a little hokey to me (a stack of papers with a padlock on them, one person whispering to another, etc.). I don't want to use human images because it's too difficult to be inclusive. We have some posters in our office that have the Doors of ... (can't remember where the doors are from but I'm sure you've seen these). I thought it would be interesting to have images of locks or locked doors to represent security and privacy.

Here are some relevant examples I found:

How About This One?

2010-04-04T20:48:00.001-05:00

Here's another font I found here that's difficult to read -- even harder that the previous one I posted! Can you tell what it says? Don't get me wrong...I love it when people push the envelope. I like working to figure out a visual concept.

Can You Read This?

2010-04-04T10:13:00.001-05:00

Found this poster here and found it really hard to read. Can you tell what it says? It seems like there's a very fine line between being interesting and new and going over the top. I think this one crosses the line because it takes too much work to figure out.The site where it's located is called behance.net and it's a place for "creative portfolios, projects and collaborations." Fun to look through.

Android Fonts

2010-02-03T17:47:00.000-06:00

I recently got an Android phone -- Motorolla/Verizon's answer to the I-Phone. Given that I haven't been able to get an internet connection to my computer through the phone yet, I've been having to do lots of internet interactions through this little bitty screen. I've noticed more than ever that special considerations in typography have to be taken into account with hand held devices. Apparently, Ascender Corporation provides "advanced font products" (not sure what that means, exactly) and developed a type specifically for Android phones. Here are samples:

I was disappointed because I really like the numbers that appear on the front of the phone. It doesn't look like they match any of these fonts...I'm going to look at more info about typography for hand held devices. I'll let you know if I find anything interesting.

Story Shop Brief

2010-02-03T17:13:00.000-06:00

To: Story Project Committee

From: Lori Davis

Date: February 3, 2010

Project: Story Project Book

Overview

Story Shop is a program sponsored by Parkland College. Seventh and eigth grade students submit 1500 word/5 page stories for review. Every author receives written comments and 20 stories are chosen based on quality of creativity, uniqueness, voice, character development, and consistency to be featured in a published book.

This is the third year the Story Shop Committee has enlisted the help of Graphic Design students to design the cover and body of the final compilation of stories. This year, the Typography II class has been invited to submit book design options.

The overall message of the design will be an energetic invitation to look inside to see the unique voices of young storytellers.

Target Audience

There are several target audiences in this project:

Authors of the stories

Teachers

Parents

Librarians

Book store shoppers

School administrators

Parkland administrators (as funding body)

Design Objectives

We will enlist principles of unity, emphasis, balance, rhythm, depth and color to convey energy, creativity, and movement. We want the design to be warm, playful, timeless and fresh. The color pallette will be bold and we will consider including the green used in the two previous designs in order to create an element of unity across publication years. Our designs will be unique in their

Parts of the design already determined are:

Logo design (color can vary)

ISBN number

Content

Order of stories

Book dimensions

Year and Story Shop logo on spine

Goal

The intended response depends on the audience. For kids, we'd like them to feel that their work has been taken seriously and that they're treated with respect. For parents, we want a more sophisticated, mature design. For librarians and book store shoppers we want the book to tempt them to take the book off the shelf and see what's inside. Once they look inside, we want them to stay engaged by the subtle interest of the design. Overall, the intent of the design is to feature the stories and not to distract from them.

Format

The committee will choose cover design and body design separately. The book will be 5.5” high X 4.25” wide. Number of pages will depend on number of stories and body design. The cover can use a 4-color printing process. Internal pages will use one color only. The logo will remain the same although the color may vary.

Schedule

February 5, 2010 Stories are due to Committee by authors

March 1, 2010 Electronic copies of stories will be provided by Committee

Present design ideas to the Committee on or before this date

March 19, 2010 Provide print-ready file to the Committee

Phipps Font

2010-01-29T18:53:00.001-06:00

I recently visited my sister in Pittsburgh, PA and we went to Phipps Conservatory. Really beautiful place. I took a picture of the logo and type on the entry doors. The image and type are really cohesive. The curves of the type mimic the curves of plants. I just used What the Font for the first time -- that is cool! The font is Aperto Semi-Bold. Very nice font and reasonably priced too!

Gunter Rambow

2009-12-08T20:15:00.002-06:00

Discovered this designer in Graphic Design history. Love his work! Here are some posters he did for a Theater in Wiesbaden, Germany. There are lots and lots of images on his website -- really interesting design.

I think these two are my favorites. They kinda hurt my eyes but I love the intricacies of them. If you look at the "Love Counts" poster, you can see the use of numbers (clever!) to create the image. You can also see the theater name in one of the lines toward the bottom but you have to work for it. They're mostly in German so I don't know what half of them say.

I've tried to identify these fonts but I give up. There's always one little thing off. It's also possible that since the designer is German (Austrian?) he's using different fonts than what I can find. They're all sans serif and pretty classic, though. The font itself seems less important than the way he uses it.

He seems to like a black, white, gray, red palette. He also likes to use type in curves.

Many of his designs for the theater are type-focused. He's really able to use type and some imagery to capture attention in a simple way.

Some of his designs get a little "messy" too, though.

Things Made up of Things

2009-12-07T08:21:00.000-06:00

I found this in an ad placed in American Craft magazine. I really liked the treatment of the S. It's a gallery that represents glass artists. I'm not sure I fully understand the definition of silica (or silicone in the singular) but I think it's one of the contents of glass. The S is a larger curved thing made of smaller curved things. This could refer to both glass (a substance made up of a number of other substances) or to several artists making up the gallery. The color actually looks nicer in the ad than it does reproduced here.

Fragments

2009-12-02T23:31:00.001-06:00

This is a wall hanging that was pictured in an American Craft magazine (vol. 69, no. 3, Jun/July 2009). It was designed by Paul Loebach & Jessie Henson. I couldn't get the dimensions on it but it was hanging in one of the spreads and looks like it must be about 3' X 5'. The type treatment is interesting. I like the hand lettered look. Seems to match the sentiment.

I was interested in the saying so I looked it up and found that it comes from a Bible verse (John 6:12). After a meal, Jesus, tells his disciples to "gather up the fragments that remain that nothing will be lost." Good sentiment for today -- don't waste the leftovers! Wish I could afford the wall hanging for my dining room.

Research for New Year Card

2009-11-17T21:59:00.004-06:00

The last project in my typography class this semester involves designing a greeting card. If you're interested, you can see the full instructions here.

Client
Me. I'm looking for an interesting card to send to friends and family and maybe even people who refer clients my way. The designer can have free reign on the design. Whatever she likes, I'm sure I'll like too.

Research
I started by searching online for cards that I liked. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find cards that just used type rather than type and image. I did find some wonderful examples, though. Etsy actually has some beautiful handmade cards and stationery. I'd love to be able to make a letter press card. Unfortunately, I don't have the equipment so Adobe Illustrator will have to do. I went to Promenade and Art Mart because they often have interesting cards but I found nothing in terms of typography cards. Here are some cards from the web that I particularly liked:

I'm hoping to incorporate this cutout design. The card itself doesn't do much for me but this was a good example of what might work for numbers of the new year. When I was a kid, I really loved pop-up books. Not sure why. I just thought it was so cool that the book was 3-D and that little pieces would sort of jump off the page.

Clever use of words to create images:

The 12 Days of Christmas cards below are just plain clever. I don't think I could ever be a copywriter because I can't seem to come up with such clever ways to use words. Occasionally, I'll hit on something cool but usually, I just come up with something goofy and dorky!

I included this girlfriends card because my girlfriends are my lifesavers and also because I thought the use of typography was interesting.

The 2010 card has an interesting texture -- looks like woven textile.

I did some more specific research on pop-up or cut out cards so I can figure out if I want to incorporate something like that. The first is from a "maths and art" page and was made by a mathematician as part of his work with Maths and Arts club in York, Ontario. Painting the cut out part red, makes it stand out a lot more...good idea.

Some more cards with letter cut outs along with instructions:

Finally, a nice set of cut out wings:

Speaking of which -- it's late and I gotta fly.

The Poetry of Typography

2009-11-11T22:53:00.002-06:00

My sister Sarah (sounds like the name of a rock band), who is a Graphic Designer, sent me a link to the Poetry Foundation which has some really great photos of type treatments. These photos led me to Poetry in the Landscape a flickr page which contains photos of the projected word poetry. Like this

and this

From there, I clicked on over to the Winterhouse flickr page. Winterhouse looks like an interesting organization with very relevant links to socially responsible and forward looking design as well as other great organizations, publications, etc.

Their flickr page has images of Poetry magazine covers. I was captivated by these covers. The artwork conveys various moods across issues -- some calm (these are the ones that draw me the most)

and some energetic.

To my eye, Winterhouse has designed a beautifully poetic layout. The cover is culled down to essentials. As with poetry, the elements on the page seem to be chosen carefully with plentiful white space to "hold" the components. Picture a poem on the page.

Because I was trolling for possible typography posts, I especially noticed the masthead and thought it was a perfect match for the magazine. I tried to identify the font (so that I could dutifully name it in my post) and was able to almost get it except that I couldn't find an R that looked like the one in the masthead. So...being the brash, pushy woman I am, I just emailed the magazine and asked what font it was.

I was surprised to very promptly receive an email from none other than Fred Sasaki, an Associate Editor of Poetry. Here's the info he generously provided (links are mine):

The Poetry logo font is Gill Sans (however you'll see that the "R" is modified for the cover). Interior text is Pietro, which is a modified Bembo.

Interestingly, the Pegasus we are currently using (which the magazine used back in the forties or so) is an Eric Gill design, the typographer who created Gill Sans and contributed a great deal to modern typography.

I felt rather proud of myself for noting that the R was unique. What is really confusing me is that when I looked up the Pegasus font he notes in his email, fonts.com features it as a free font but it's an exact replica of ITC Benguiat of which I made the poster for class.

At any rate, this is some of what we're learning in class come to life!

Davis Sans Serif

2009-11-08T10:12:00.008-06:00

Spieking His Mind

2009-11-04T23:05:00.004-06:00

Erik Spiekermann put together this little typographic image and I just really like it.

Shaken or Stirred?

2009-10-31T20:59:00.011-05:00

During my recent trip to Boston, I went out with friends to a place called the Met Bar & Grill. The first thing I noticed when we walked in was how clever the logo was. Well...one of the logos. It's so clever to have the martini glass in the middle of the M. A typographic coup. Excuse the wrinkled napkin -- long trip home.

The problem I see with the branding of the Met Bar & Grill is that they have too many different things going on. There's the bar, the restaurant and then a separate Burger Bar but there really isn't a cohesive logo design that ties them all together. The logo for the burger bar is different and they also have a visual of a bunch of hamburgers making up a mosaic. Here are the burger bar logo and mosaic. I had a copy of the little burger mosaic but must've chucked it with my luggage tag and boarding passes!

Word Play

2009-10-31T09:49:00.009-05:00

In Graphic Design History, we watched the film Helvetica. I'd seen it before but that was way before the idea of pursuing Graphic Design had even entered my head. Even with so little formal training under my belt, I got a lot more from this viewing. I'm really hungry to learn so many things. So...after class yesterday, I came home and did all kinds of web searches with the names of designers that were interviewed -- Spiekermann (love this guy -- snarky and cynical), Bierut, Carson. And that's barely scratching the surface!

In these explorations, I found so many interesting web sites. I wish there were more time to explore them all and play. One I'll share with you now is Wordle. At this site, you can enter any text or blog content or your tags in del.iciou.us and the site will translate your text into a "word cloud." I can't tell you how much fun I had.

Wordle has features for changing color combos, font, and text orientation. It was interesting to notice which fonts, colors and orientation felt "right" for each piece I entered. I'll share three word clouds I created.

These del.icio.us tags clearly show what I've been focused on! The font is called Gunplay:

The word cloud below was created with a story I use sometimes when I do diversity training. It's a great story from Fatheralong: A Meditation on Fathers and Sons, Race and Society by John Edgar Wideman. It's about creating a world among us by hearing each other's stories and what happens when some stories aren't heard or are cut off. The font here is called Berylium.

For this last one, I put in three of my favorite poems: The Journey and Wild Geese by Mary Oliver and The Avowal by Denise Levertov. The font is Gnuolane Free.

Right Down My Alley

2009-10-21T22:21:00.003-05:00

I found this advertisement for the Museum of Arts and Design in an American Craft magazine (not crafts like decoupage or scrapbooking but like handcrafted works of art, furniture, jewelry, etc. - great publication). The copy, the image and the typography work so incredibly well together. The tagline "The edge of experience. The center of Manhattan" plays on the common phrase "the edge of reason" but also suggests that the experience will be modern and "edgy." Then, to have the red GO MAD type at the bottom is a really great way to continue the idea that things are just a little bit crazy over at the Museum of Arts and Design. You won't want to miss it! The modern look of the building with its hard edges, the copy and the typeface also work very well together.

Bloggelicious

2009-10-14T22:56:00.008-05:00

For a while now, I've been wanting to post something about Snickers. First of all, I love me a good Snickers bar. The colder the better. Since Halloween is almost here, I allow myself to indulge in the little baby Snickers more than I should.

Last summer, I think it was, I started noticing the new Snickers campaign where they used the distinctive Snickers font to advertise their Snickeriffic treat. It's so interesting that just the font, lettering and color of the word identifies the candy bar so clearly. Somebody did a good job with the original font design.

One blogger (Thomas Sherman) noted that Snickers really missed a web opportunity because they didn't link the words (through Google Ads) to the Snickers website. I don't see myself working in a commercial market like this (nonprofits or educational institutions for me) but it does seem like a missed opportunity to get people to buy things they probably don't need.

Some people have made a parody of the campaign, making up words like "fatassopolis," "nugatabetes," and "guterrific." One website was developed where you could make your own Snickers logo. Lest we forget that all this creativity is about the bottom line, the site closed because Snickers threatened to take legal action (more here).

I just think it's fascinating how these kinds of things take on a life of their own. Other people have been running with it, too. I thought this one was really funny:

Given my socialist and anti-commercial tendencies, I feel the parodies of ad campaigns are as creative and important as the campaigns themselves. Time not to take commercialism so seriously. As Leslie Cabarga says in her amazing book Logo Font and Lettering Bible (which I will accept as a gift from anyone who would like to give it to me), "...it helps to remember that no matter how fine, elegant or cool our design may be, it is usually being used to con people into buying mundane commodities, most of which lack quality and integrity, are unhealthful and bad for the environment, and in many cases, nobody really needs them, anyway." Now there's a Graphic Designer I'd like to have a Snickers with.

Face Time

2009-10-07T10:34:00.006-05:00

I recently went on a field trip to the Krannert Art Museum with the Graphic Design History class. One of the exhibits is entitled Effacement: Huang Yan's China in the 21st Century. I took pictures of the exhibit typography because I thought it was really clever and meaningful that the "face" part of the title was emphasized. The exhibit itself explores modern "Chineseness" and this part of the exhibit in particular struck me as conveying the way Westerners (and perhaps others) see only the traditional/ancient/stereotyped images of Chinese people.

In these images, I see a parallel to how people in our country (and others) who were not original inhabitants of North America tend to lock American Indians into the ancient stereotypes we've seen in movies and history books.

From my understanding, "face" also is an important concept in Chinese culture in reference to maintaining the respect of others and saving face when something shameful is perceived or when a person engages in a shameful behavior. Given the communal aspects of Chinese culture, face becomes a very important aspect of social harmony. From the outside, though, imposing these inaccurate, anachronistic faces on people erases their self-determined identity.

Ligatures

2009-09-30T23:13:00.008-05:00

Since the reading this week included something about ligatures, I thought I'd include these examples from American Craft magazine. I'm actually not sure I like it. The text says something about some ligatures adding an "elegance and
refinement" to the text. What do you think?

GDS 110

2009-09-23T23:04:00.004-05:00

I found this ad in Communication Arts. I thought it was interesting because it relates to the reading this week regarding how to create emphasis. This design breaks a lot of the rules but because it does so on purpose and for effect, the "don't's" become a deliberate part of the design. Given the Graphic Design history I've been reading about, I could see how the designers were going for a Victorian lithograph style. That's about all I got. I'm getting the cold everyone else has had so I'm keeping it short and sweet tonight.

My Date with Shame

2009-09-18T22:40:00.011-05:00

This blog is mainly for posts about graphic design (this semester, I'm using it for posts about typography). I also use it to post some more personal sketches and reflections.

If you've read much of my blog, you might have noticed that I have mentioned shame before; my lifelong companion, the devil on my shoulder, the bane of my existence, the stalker around every corner. I'm fighting the good fight, though. In talking about this with my therapist, she suggested that I spend a little more time with shame. Try to figure out what makes him tick. Get to know him better. Try to understand the good heart beneath the selfish, malicious beast. There must be a reason he's joined himself to my hip, no? So...I decided to go on a date with shame.

Didn't turn out too well. I let him know that I didn't want to see him any more.

Failing on Purpose

2009-09-16T11:21:00.007-05:00

As someone prone to making mistakes, I found a book about graphic design I was interested in: Design Disasters: Great Designers, Fabulous Failures and & Lessons Learned. When it came from the library, the type layout cracked me up. Very clever! Notice the picture of the Edsel at the bottom of the front cover. If you look on the back cover, you can see that the edsel has crashed into another car. Also on the top of the back cover, the title is upside down at the top and the copy is awkward and misaligned. What really works here, too, is that they don't overdo it. The Table of Contents head is off but the rest of the book is aligned just fine. If they had carried the humor too much throughout the book, I think the "gag" would have lost its punch.

The font used is Clarendon which was first introduced in 1845 and was generally used in combination with other faces in books like dictionaries. The font experienced a revival in the 50's. It's most commonly used in heading and display contexts. Clarendon is a bracketed slab serif font and, according to fonts.com "can be regarded as a refined version of the Egyptian style." Egyptian is a general term referring to slab serif fonts. The term has an interesting history (to me, anyway!).

During Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, Europeans became obsessed with Egyptian style furnishings, wallpapers, etc. There is no relationship between slab serif styles and Egyptian writing but the fonts came out in the early 1800's at the time the European obsession was at its peak. So...the slab serif fonts that also came out at the time were associated with Egyptian styles.

I'm not sure what led the designer(s) of this book cover to choose Clarendon. It's definitely a good font for headlines and is clear and bold. It would be great if the cover designer chose the font because of the historical mistake of naming the general style Egyptian. I like it because the font isn't just a font, it's also part of the art of the cover.

Title sequence

2009-09-09T23:21:00.003-05:00

My daughter recently got me hooked on the HBO series True Blood. Among other things, the title sequence is really, really interesting. The whole title sequence for the series is handled in a dynamic way - disturbing and compelling. Here's a still of the title. Perfect fit for the story.

What makes me tick?

2009-09-09T00:03:00.004-05:00

The Shadow

The Light

GDS 110 - Poster Copy for ITC Benguiat

2009-09-02T10:33:00.008-05:00

Here's the copy I wrote for my poster...I'll probably need to shorten it and I'm not sure how to handle the citations -- I'd really like to include the quotes but I imagine I have to somehow cite the sources -- not good for poster format. This font was a hard one to research because no one seems to use it or like it much these days. Given all the other more popular typefaces he's designed, I'm not sure why ITC keeps it as a classic.

Edward Benguiat is an icon of typography. The Brooklynite, who describes himself as a jazz percussionist first, likens design and typography to music in terms of balance, rhythm and the task of creating a pleasing order. Benguiat has been a cleavage retoucher, a successful musician, an ITC co-founder, and a prolific typeface designer. He has created more than 600 typefaces and highly recognized typographic designs. His accomplishments include logotypes for the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Reader's Digest. He also designed movie titles for Super Fly and Planet of the Apes. Benguiat describes his typefaces as his children. Despite his refusal to choose favorites, it may be safe to say that ITC Benguiat is not his golden child.

Released in 1977, ITC Benguiat was initiated as a favor to a friend who needed signage for his storefront. Benguiat went through dozens of iterations before coming to the final typeface, submitting three versions before the ITC Board agreed to market it. Referencing the Art Nouveau movement of the late 1800's, ITC Benguiat reflects the "sudden violent curves generated by the crack of a whip" typical of the period. More recently, the typeface seems to have been demoted from classic to cliche. Contemporary designers have described the font as "horrible...for its Art Nouveau pretensions" and "a distinctive 1970's pariah." We can say that while ITC Benguiat is not the designer's most brilliant child, it has certainly survived against the odds.

GDS 110 - Coraline

2009-08-31T20:43:00.006-05:00

I just watched the movie Coraline and thought the title sequence was really well done. Here are two versions of the title. The first one was on a website and the second is a still from the title sequence. The two are similar but tweaked to work for the different contexts in which they'll be used. If you've seen the movie, you'll know the significance of the sewing, button, cat.

Typography Image - GDS110

2009-08-27T21:58:00.018-05:00

This Sierra Magazine cover really caught my eye. I like the design because the lettering really fits the content. This cover is accessible and inviting - the kid in me wants to see more. It's witty, bold and playful with lots of energy. Makes me want to have an organic food fight, ride a free range bike, and wear gnarly baubles. How hip would that be?!

Some of the font is serif and some sans - the mix works really well here. It's like several different people wrote on the chalkboard. The content is both informational and identity related. The only things that remain constant across issues are the title, the menu right above it (topics separated by vertical lines), and the tagline below.

Sierra often has a wide variety of covers that closely reflect the content of the particular issue. They also seem to go for a youthful, hip image. It was also pretty neat to see that they make a commitment to bring more cultural diversity and activism into environmentalism. They have a list of initiatives on the Sierra website.

The info about the cover provided by the magazine led me to the designer's web page. His name is Nate Williams and he hand-lettered this design. His site is amazing so check it out! He has a section called "letter playground" where he explores letter forms.

Death of a Fantasy

2009-08-27T21:49:00.008-05:00

Even though this could be seen as a depressing sketch, it's a good thing...really!

Short and Stout

2009-08-24T22:38:00.003-05:00

I wanted to sketch something calm and soothing this evening so I did a pretty little iron teapot. Back to classes today, returning clients and new clients -- life's gonna get interesting again.

Hungry Ghosts

2009-08-16T18:27:00.006-05:00

I mentioned in a previous entry that I'm reading a book called Open to Desire. The author is a psychotherapist and a Buddhist exploring ways to "hold" our desires (whatever these desires may covet) in a manner that is enlightening rather than clinging and craving.

Late last night, I was reading about the Hungry Ghosts in Buddhism. These are "beings who are in a state of chronic deprivation and longing, always searching for a nourishment that they are not equipped to digest....Their attempts at gratification just make them hungrier and thirstier." These Hungry Ghosts "obsessively seek nourishment from people and things who can only disappoint ....The gratification that the Hungry Ghost seeks cannot be found in the form in which it is imagined." Wow.

Reading this part of the book helped me realize that I may be chumming around with these guys too much. The author indicates that to begin to move away from the futile circle of the Hungry Ghosts, we need to acknowledge that they exist. In that vein, I've tried to capture what the Hungry Ghosts feel like to me.

Traditional imagery portrays the Hungry Ghosts as having tiny necks and pinhole sized mouths. In my mind, they have cavernous, voracious mouths wanting to devour everything; so hungry and thirsty, they feel like they can't get enough. Thank goodness I'm finding ways not to hang out with them any more...

Up Up and Away

2009-08-16T10:02:00.002-05:00

Went through a Photoshop tutorial that one of the other students in the class did. Here's the result. Harder than it looks!

Beached Whales...in the Cornfields

2009-08-13T14:16:00.012-05:00

I'm in Alexandria, VA now. Spending time with my nephew this afternoon.

He was nice enough to get me at Dulles in DC when he thought he was going to get me at Reagan Int'l which is closer to my sister's house. I thought for sure I'd booked a flight to Reagan...woops. Oh, well, he was nice enough to come get me and we've had a good time together.

On the drive to Indy to catch my flight, I saw three huge trucks stopped by the side of the highway, each carrying a huge wind turbine blade. My sketch:

I have no idea why but I love these things. Maybe it's their sheer enormity. They looked kind of like beached whales. A little sad, actually. So clean and bright and peaceful in a weird way. Knowing that they're going somewhere to generate "clean" power makes me like them even more. I haven't been to the wind farm in Bloomington but I really want to get over there. I drove past a wind farm once and it looked kind of futuristic and ghostly. So cool! I'd love to just sit there for a while -- I've heard the blades make this big "whooshing" sound. So different from all the other engines we hear all the time. I wonder if anyone's written/illustrated a children's book following the blade from where it's built to where it gets put together. I think that could really work. Cool AND educational.

Art opening this evening. Should be fun! More sketches later.

Me...only different

2009-08-08T11:59:00.004-05:00

Check out the self-portrait I made in Illustrator. It's kinda cool that I can give myself lusher lashes. The possibilities are endless!

Crashing

2009-08-06T22:48:00.006-05:00

Crashing a little after my intensive summer class. Man, that was a lot of work but I really loved every minute of it! I'm finding it hard to believe that my graphic design class is actually over. Fun party at my house last night to celebrate the last day of class and get to know each other better. We're hoping to get together for critiques on whatever work we're doing next and to support each other in whatever graphic design adventures are next. Some of us will continue to follow each others' blogs. I feel a little narcissistic but I like this blogging thing. Look at me!!! Look at my stuff!! Read what I write!!! It also helps to organize my thoughts so the narcissistic satisfaction is mainly a nice perk. You should try it if you haven't.

For those of you who have asked about seeing my "work" (I'm using that word loosely at this point), here's a website that has my projects posted on it. We worked just bit with creating this little projects page and posting things to it. I felt a bit slow at learning this part. In spite of that, I'm amazed at how much I learned. Paul was an excellent instructor. Anyway, here's the url: http://gds.parkland.edu/student/su09/gds108/ldavis/

I'm off to Alexandria, VA next week to attend an opening for an art exhibit at The Torpedo Factory in which my brother-in-law has a piece. There were 300 submissions and his was one of 27 accepted! I'm pretty darned proud of him. I've never been to an art opening so it will be a new experience - especially when I feel legitimate about being there! What to wear? I have to leave here at the butt crack of dawn (as one of my clients so eloquently put it) to get over to the airport but the benefit is that if anyone asks (not likely), I'll be able to say I'm flying "back east" for an art opening. They'll think my bleary-eyed look is because I'm an important jet setter, right?

It will be great to spend time with my sisters and hang out in DC. Then, two weeks until classes start again and many of my clients return from their summer break. Summer's almost over, I guess. Sigh...

Almost There

2009-08-02T14:42:00.005-05:00

I'm going a little nuts trying to get all my graphic design projects done. What was that Paul said about not waiting until the last minute? Oh, yeah....

Even though it's a little stressful, I'm still enjoying every project. I just didn't know I'd be enjoying each project for 12 hours straight. I'm taking a break from working and wanted to post a little design I made using a "pattern brush." I did a tutorial on how to make new brushes in one of the computer applications and this was my practice. Wish I would've left out those big black circles on the corners. Really distracting. Now that I've said that, you'll be distracted by them too, huh?

I'm sad to see this class end because I've liked it so much. I've appreciated how friendly everyone's been and that we've supported each other. Next semester, I'm taking a drawing class - I know, you probably think I don't need it. Ha, ha, ha! I'm also taking The History of Graphic Design. Both will be great but neither will involve any of this technical/software stuff I've been learning. I hope my tired little brain cells manage to hold onto some of it. I really think (and hope) I've found a second calling.

Back to work for me, I guess.

Who ARE you people?

2009-07-30T19:39:00.006-05:00

As those of you in my class know, one of the assignments we did was to use line to capture the feel of various types of music -- classical, blue grass, hip hop, death metal, jazz, etc. Since much of my career has focused on reading people rather than music, I thought it would be fun to capture my perception of the members of my GDS class through line. Here's what I came up with. These include everyone in the class, including Paul (the instructor). I also did one of myself at the last minute. If you want to know which one is yours, just let me know and I'll tell you. They're all positive, by the way. I enjoyed thinking about my impression of the good qualities I've seen in this short time we've had class together and then trying to translate those qualities into lines. I hope you enjoy them!

Just Sketches

2009-07-26T22:12:00.006-05:00

Ok. I know I'm wordy a lot of the time and always trying to process everything and read meaning into everything. And, no, you wouldn't be the first person to tease me about it.

So...today, I just sketched things I saw without analyzing anything. I was driving home this afternoon and was behind a man and woman riding a motorcycle. He was driving and she was riding. I just thought it was an interesting perspective because all I could see from behind was her! I thought it would be a challenge to try to draw what I saw. I even tried to take a reference picture with my cell phone, frantically dumping the contents of my cavernous purse onto the passenger seat since my phone had disappeared into it. I only just now uploaded it. Looks like it would have helped as a reference. They looked a lot smaller on my cell phone! Duh. Too late now for this sketch, I guess.

I just played around with the shapes a little. As you might notice, she wasn't headless. I just seem to have trouble when I start a sketch, not really having a sense of how much space I'm going to need so I often seem to draw right off the page.

Later this evening, I spent some time sketching a vase that was a gift from a very close friend, Molly. I've always liked the curvy shape and interesting shadows (of the vase, not Molly, although she is quite attractive). I need to learn to be more bold with the pencil. My sketch makes the vase look pretty timid but the vase itself is actually very self-assured.

I Just Want to Be OK

2009-07-23T22:52:00.004-05:00

From the song "I Just Want to Be OK" by Ingrid Michaelson:

Open me up and you will see
I'm a gallery of broken hearts

See a penny...

2009-07-21T21:08:00.006-05:00

Ok. I'm better now. It usually takes me a couple of days to get back to normal (normal for me, anyway) after a long trip. I'm getting there.

I'm reading a book called Open to desire: Embracing a lust for life: Insights from Buddhism and psychotherapy. It starts with an interesting concept that I'm already finding helpful and that inspired my latest sketch.

As part of my midlife crisis, I've been struggling with the feeling that time is slipping out of my hands and I'm frantically trying to grasp and hold tightly to the things I desire or feel I might lose or have lost. Reminds me of one time several years ago when I was water skiing and I fell. I hadn't been water skiing in a long time so I was a little rusty. Instead of just letting go of the tow rope and gently sliding back down into the water, I tightly clung on for dear life while the boat proceeded to pull me, bouncing painfully on the water, skis up in every direction for several yards before I realized that I just had to let go! I was sore for a couple of days after that in some places on my body I didn't even know existed. Lesson learned.

Well...the author of Open to Desire talks about two concepts in Buddhism: one is the concept of desire and one is the concept of tanha (thirst, craving, clinging). If you're familiar with Buddhism at all, you'll know that Buddhists believe that life is about suffering and that the cause of suffering is attachment or desire. The goal of many Buddhist practices is to learn how to let go; how not to be so attached to things, people, etc. Very oversimplified summary by a non-Buddhist (me).

This author argues that Buddhism is about learning to let go of tanha. Here's the story he uses to explain the concept and I really like it:

A Buddist speaker was asked about the concept of non-attachment and that it makes sense in some ways (e.g., not getting overly attached to material posessions) but not in others (e.g., attaching to family and friends). The speaker said, "It's like holding a coin." and he held out one arm with his palm up and his fist closed. "We can hold it like this," and he emphasized the closed nature of his fist, "or we can hold it like this," and he opened his hand to show the coin sitting in the center of his palm. "The closed fist is like clinging (tanha) but with my hand open, I still hold the coin."

The author says that "desire...is a vehicle for personal transformation. Rather than treating it as the cause of suffering, desire is embraced as a valuable and precious resource, an emotion that, if harnessed correctly, can awaken and liberate the mind."

This may be more than any of you want to know about me but I'm really interested in learning how to hold things, including the people in my life, in a more open way. To have them in my life without clinging or wanting to possess or forcing a particular kind of relationship. The image of the open hand holding the coin is perfect!!

'nuf said

2009-07-19T23:28:00.002-05:00

Before and After

2009-07-17T14:08:00.009-05:00

Well...vacation time is winding down. I don't even want to think about trying to cram all my clothes into my suitcase again...I'm looking forward to home, though!

One of the things that I'm definitely feeling is the effect of all the eating out. I decided to do a before and after sketch. I think I've gained about 50 pounds in the past week. Here's what I look like now:

Here's what I looked like before:

Just jokin'. The first sketch is a weak copy of one of Botero's paintings. I like his paintings and sculptures a lot. He has some pretty intense social commentary pieces about Abu Ghraib, too. I don't know much about him except that I think he's kind of a rebel. I've always liked his figures -- very thick and hefty. No stick thin people here. It's nice to see images that look more like the other 80% of the population.

Don't Laugh

2009-07-16T20:35:00.004-05:00

Last day in Boston. I think I was ready to go home a couple of days ago. I'm really just a homebody. I'm tired of living out of a suitcase. It's been a good trip, though. Boston's a great city.

One of the things I like to do when I'm in a city is ride the subway -- T, El, Metra, whatever it's called in a particular city. This time, when I got off the T here in Boston, it was so funny to see this flock of people exiting the subway and another flock of people moving toward the subway to get on it. So...I tried to sketch what I saw. This is where the post title comes in -- please don't laugh at my drawing! Or...if you do laugh, be gentle.

I conducted an informal poll and the 2 respondents couldn't really tell what it was supposed to be a sketch of. As I've mentioned before, I don't know how to draw people yet. So...instead of trying to draw people, I decided to draw something abstract to represent them. Brilliant idea, right? Apparently, what represents them is an image of a sail, an ivory tusk, or a talon - take your pick. I wanted to capture the movement. I'll keep trying! Surely someday I'll look back on these sketches and laugh my pants off.

Awakenings

2009-07-14T15:55:00.004-05:00

The person who looks outward dreams. The person who looks inward awakens.
-- Carl Jung

Well, THAT'S embarrassing

2009-07-13T21:10:00.004-05:00

My wonderful friend and soulsister Susan gently corrected one of my previous posts. She pointed out that I had described the delicious treat I crave as a Moon Pie. In fact, the chocolaty goodness with icing in the middle is called a Whoopie Pie. Apparently, Moon Pies are more of a Southern thing. They consist of marshmallow filling between two graham crackers, with the whole thing dipped in chocolate. There's also a weird tradition of drinking RC Cola with your Moon Pie. I didn't even know they still made RC Cola!!

I have eaten a Moon Pie and there's no comparison. Whoopie Pies are hands down more tasty. According to Wikipedia, the official source of all information for high school students and lazy adults in the US, you should also be careful not to confuse Moon Pies with Mooncakes, the latter of which is a Chinese pastry with very different ingredients.

Now that we have that all cleared up, we can move on with our lives...

You Do Not Have to Be Good

2009-07-13T18:52:00.013-05:00

Here's a poem by one of my favorite poets who happens to live in Provincetown, MA, which is where I spent the day today. Click on the poem to read it...

The line about the "brittle beauty of understanding" really stood out for me. Sometimes, having all the consciousness that we have as humans feels burdensome to me. While I value complexity, I also at times long for a life that doesn't involve understanding. A life that requires only that I eat, breathe, sleep. No thinking, analyzing, striving to understand. I guess this is what Buddhists strive for. I'm not sure I'm quite that enlightened. I wonder if insurance would cover a labotomy -- or do you think that would be an elective procedure? Hmmmm.....

Mary Oliver also has a poem called Wild Geese which I think may be my favorite. If you've ever felt isolated or questioned your value, read this poem. The poem starts by saying "You do not have to be good" and there's a later line that says "You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves." How much simpler can life be? I love being reminded that I don't have to be anything other than I am and even with the flaws, I have a place "in the family of things."

That's my philosophizing for the evening. Back to The Sea poem - here's an image that came to mind as I read it.

Little Piggies

2009-07-12T17:00:00.011-05:00

What a great day! No bike riding but a very relaxed morning and then the afternoon at the beach. It was really wonderful.

Any time I've walked up and down a beach, I've just loved how the little kids play with the waves...running up to them, then laughing and squealing as the waves play back and chase after them. I think the laugh of a small child is one of the best sounds in the world. The ocean just seems to have an effect on everyone. Wish I lived nearer to one...

Here's a sketch of my little piggies. I have to say that I think they look much more attractive in real life. You see my toes, the seaweed from high tide, the surf and then the horizon. As I was sitting on the beach soaking up the ambiance and drawing my own toes, a family of 4 (a man, a woman, and two children) walked along the beach and then went to stand where the waves were coming in. They stood across the beach (child, dad, child, mom) right in front of where I was sitting and held hands while the waves came in. The kids were thrilled. I grabbed my camera and took some pictures of them. It was the sweetest family scene. I was a little worried they'd think I was a stalker but I approached them to see if they'd like me to email the photos to them. They were happy that I'd taken the pictures and said it was the first time the kids had been to the beach. It's so cool that I could give them pictures of part of their experience! Digital cameras and email have really changed the way the world works.

I also did some sketches of people. They were pissing me off, though, because they wouldn't stand still! I'd just barely get their head drawn and then they'd start moving. :-/ I did not offer to send them pictures of the sketches I did. Especially not the seagull. Tracking him down would have been such a hassle.

I guess that's it for today! We'll hit Provincetown tomorrow and I'll be able to hang out with a good friend for the day. You may not hear from me tomorrow. I know, I know, it's disappointing but you'll survive. I'm loving this vacation thing! I should do it more often. If only I had the means...

The Cape

2009-07-11T21:54:00.009-05:00

I am now on?/in?/at? Cape Cod. Never been here before. Lots and lots of people. Made it to the beach to take a long walk. I took some time to make a sketch of the ocean. I really challenged myself to focus and try to capture the beauty of it all. Isn't it beautiful?!

Just jokin...I did sketch a few things today. Before leaving Providence, I went back to a cemetery we'd driven past a couple of times. It was just kind of in a field across the street from some houses and on the edge of the Naragansett River. We thought it might be a military cemetery because the tombstones were all so uniform. When I went back and read the information there, I found it to be really poignant and sad.

The graves were those of people who had died in the Rhode Island state mental institution or the "almshouse" and didn't have any other family, friends or arrangements for themselves. The saddest part was that most of the tombstones didn't even have a name. Just a number. The time frame for the deaths was between 1933 and 1952.

Rows and rows of tombstones with no name, no family, no date of birth or death.

I haven't been hospitalized for mental health issues but I've certainly had my share of struggles and have worked with some wonderful people who needed to go to the hospital. I can't imagine what it would have been like to go through those times without sufficient financial resources or support to get better. It must have been a very difficult life. I can only hope that they were treated well and with some tenderness. Although, given the time frame, I doubt that a mental hospital was a very nice place to be.

It was a powerful reminder to be in the moment, to be true to myself and to take risks because life is very, very short. Eventually, I won't have any more moments or any more opportunities to feel alive. My heart broke for these people who were institutionalized or destitute and who died without knowing if there were people who cared. Perhaps even feeling like they were a number rather than a person. Very sad.

I found myself wishing I had time to do some research and find out if there is a record of names, etc. It would be interesting to pull all of that together and acknowledge the lives of people who were so vulnerable and forgotten. Unfortunately, there are still people who are having the same experience today. I guess it helps me value the work that I do because I try to give the people I work with some sense of their worth which is often lacking in other places in their lives.

To entirely change gears and in the interest of living life to the fullest, though, I had to do a drawing of an image I had about moon pies. Have you ever had a moon pie? They're the most delicious, mouthwatering treat you can imagine. I think it's a northeast thing. A moon pie is basically an eight inch wide, two inch thick oreo only much, much, much better. The cakey outside is like a mix between rich, dark chocolate cake and a brownie because it's soft and moist but it holds together. Then on the inside, they put soft, fluffy white icing. Heaven.

I had an image of the skies raining moon pies down on me so that all I'd have to do is open my mouth and eat them up. Maybe I'll find a recipe and bring some to class...

So that's my little trip report for the day. Bike riding and reading on the beach tomorrow...peaceful and reflective.

Providence Has Been Kind

2009-07-10T22:22:00.011-05:00

Last day here in Providence. I didn't do much sketching today. Here's one little thing I tried. There were some interesting sculptures scattered throughout the downtown area or "downcity" as they like to call it here for some odd reason. Not as many as I might have expected, though, given that the Rhode Island School of Design is right up the street. I couldn't find a placard for this one but thought it was cool so I sketched it. It was made out of some kind of metal and was reddish with rust. I liked.

I also took some pictures. Couldn't believe how decorative some of the storm drains were...Yes. I took a picture of a storm drain.

And, of course, here are me and my lovely daughter Maddy at Johnson & Wales. She's really a cool young woman. I'll miss her when she goes.

How's this photo for three point perspective? This is a picture I took of a Unitarian church in Providence. The sky was really that blue today. It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon and evening.

Tomorrow...the ocean. Yay!!

Drawing's Hard

2009-07-09T21:14:00.014-05:00

Well, I'm in Providence, RI and will not be in GDS 108 next week. My daughter is going through orientation for college (she's going to Johnson & Wales to become a pastry chef) which is what brings me here. After orientation is done, we'll go to Cape Cod for a few days and then to Boston for a few days to visit with a good friend. I figured that I'd sketch throughout the trip and post the sketches (and other things) on this blog. I'm really going to miss you guys in Graphic Design class because I've really been enjoying it and think it's a great group! I know you'll miss me too, because all the times I don't know things make you look better.

So...we drove to Indy yesterday and then flew to Charlotte, NC and then flew to Providence, RI. Here are a couple of pages of sketches. My scanner was a little cumbersome to travel with so I'm taking photos and then uploading them -- that's why they're kinda fuzzy. Plus, I'm too exhausted right now to work very hard at getting them clearer. I'm not proud of the sketches. I can't wait to take the drawing class in the fall. Think I need it? Naaahhhhhh....

It rained some as we were driving to Indy and I noticed the shape of the raindrops and how the rain gathers in streams in certain places. I'm not doing it on purpose but my drawings really look like cartoons. Well, I guess I'm kinda doing it on purpose because I know I can't draw realistically! Of course, I had to sketch the very unhappy looking flight attendant demonstrating how to buckle a seat belt. I'd be unhappy too if I had to repeat such idiotic instructions several times a day while everyone ignored me. I always try to smile and nod and look interested just so they feel like at least one person was paying attention.

Perspective! Phew...Looks like this woman's seat is going to take off all on its own! She's practically levitating. I'm trying to get over my fears of drawing poorly so I figured if I put these very-less-than-perfect sketches out there for the world to see, I'll get used to everyone knowing I'm learning and I won't care so much.

I also wanted to share some photos of the "branding" done by the hotel I'm staying in. It's called Nylo and is probably one of the coolest places I've ever stayed. I thought they may have a "how hip are you" quiz before they would let me stay here. It's very mod and environmentally conscious. I thought GDS108 students would be interested in these:

Given what we've been talking about in class, I've really been noticing these things. It just seemed neat to me that these designers picked four letter words to work with the concept (the bag that says hair holds a hair dryer, not a bag to place your hair in when you shed. That would just be gross). There are a few four letter words that didn't show up (no, they did not have a wrapper designed for the toilet paper and no, they did not have a wrapper designed for the complimentary condom they left on the pillow).

I'm actually mixed about the design because I find it hard to read - my eyes are trying to figure out where to look and in what direction. A little bit of knowledge is dangerous. I'm looking at every visual composition critically now! Where's the emphasis? Where's the movement? Is it balanced? Is it unified? Does it have any rhythm? depth? What would you do to make this design better (if anything)?

That's it for today. One more day in Providence and then to the beach! More sketches to come...

Ancient Art

2009-07-05T19:17:00.019-05:00

Well...I seem to have misplaced the memory stick that has all my work on it!! I'm hoping it's in the computer lab. It's ok, I have backups. I just couldn't work on much this weekend! Bummer. Instead, I've put together this long post that will probably bore everyone but me. I had fun doing it, though!

In a loosely structured art class that I took maybe 10 years ago, the instructor had a stack of magazines and asked that I go through them and tear out any images that struck me or that I liked on a gut level. We then spread out the 25 or so images to get a more holistic idea of my natural visual style. We noticed that I lean toward more organic shapes (curves rather than hard lines), abstract rather than highly representational, and that I like things within things within things. I like to think the latter is because I'm such a complex, "layered" person but it may just be that I remember playing with dolls in toy houses and with a little toy kitchen when I was a kid. I also love the miniature rooms at The Art Institute.

Anyway, one of the ways my tendency to like big things made out of little things shows up is that I'm really fascinated with mosaics. As I explored this form, I found Byzantine art. There's a lot of complicated history of the time period (wars, emperors, etc., etc.) which I won't even pretend to know much about. I've also never been to Italy or Turkey where these pieces were made.

I'll just share some images here that I think are beautiful. They're all from a book called Early Christian & Byzantine Art by John Lowden. This book is published by Phaidon. I could drool all day over the books this publishing company puts out. I will be honest and say with the Byzantine Art book, I just got it for the pictures. I don't look at the articles. I'm not ashamed to say it, either. I'll bring the book to class in case anyone wants to look more! If you just want to see my little sketch, it straggles in after all these stunning Byzantine mosaics. Click on any of the images for a closer look.

I scanned this one because it shows the detail of the little mosaic tiles.

Oooooooooo, shiny. Most of this art was made to glorify Christ or other Christian religious figures or to do so and also recognize some rich and/or powerful men. While I take issue with the ways these powerful men often used their power and religion to oppress others, I can really appreciate the imagery and technical expertise it must have taken to put these together and can understand how they would have inspired faith and belief in the common person.

I included the image below because of the color; the detail; the little scenes in different parts of the mosaic!

The next two images struck me as interesting because of how the folds of cloth were represented. I like how geometric they are. They're almost abstract. Neat. I especially like the way Mary's cloak was done (this one is a painting on panel rather than a mosaic).

Finally, for some unknown reason, I fell in love with this reliquary:

Reliquaries were designed to hold a sacred remnant (or relic) from a saint or some other holy person or place. I think they mostly tended to be body parts (e.g., the knuckle of a saint). How they were able to get the knuckle away from the rest of the body and determine who got which part is a mystery to me. From what I can gather (the text doesn't really explain a lot of the history of the specific piece), the cross in this reliquary was believed to contain slivers of the "true cross" -- the cross on which Christ was crucified.

Because I don't identify as Christian, the reason this reliquary was made doesn't particularly move me. It just drew me in with the precious jewels, the little pictures of different people, angels, etc. The use of various materials. I suppose that the artist's passion for his god infused the piece with particular reverence and I might be responding to that. It just occurred to me that these pieces had a very similar purpose as that of modern graphic designers -- persuade, convince, create interest in the focus of the piece.

In congruence with my much more secular beliefs, I created something that represents what I find precious, my beliefs and values. It was kind of hard to just pick 9 and even harder to figure out an image to represent each belief/value without being hokey (I didn't always succeed!). If you have ideas of other images for these things, let me know! Here's a sketch of what I came up with:

Goals

2009-07-05T12:30:00.004-05:00

I've spent most of the weekend working on graphic design projects in one way or another so I'll have lots of posts. Since it rained all day on the fourth of July, what better way to spend the day!

One of our assignments includes learning about the creative process and the importance of stress and time-management. We're asked to set some specific goals using a process described in the text. Here are the goals I've developed for myself. I haven't learned yet which colors translate well onto the web so the type is a little fuzzy. If you click on the image, it will get bigger and actually be mostly readable. I'm not much of a resolution-maker or goal-setter because I think I do a lot of that in my head automatically (a perk or burden of my trade, depending on the day) but this was a good exercise to help me be more mindful of what I'd like to be focusing on.

Leap and the Net Will Appear

2009-07-03T22:36:00.002-05:00

2009-06-30T22:29:00.002-05:00

rooted but reaching
which is more desirable?
to run deep or free?

This is a haiku I wrote quite some time ago about what a tree represents to me. Always the tension between reaching up toward the sky with leaves flying while at the same time, digging deeper and deeper into the ground and rooting to the spot.

I was thinking about my last sketch of the "blob" of myself and how I said I'd wrap myself around whatever was closest in order to take a shape. Luckily, I'm getting much of my sense of humor back so I thought of all kinds of things I could wrap around and started sketching some of them. Here's one image that came to me.

I'm not happy with how dark it turned out but that's the way it goes. I'm beginning to like this little guy. He's developing some personality!

Take it for what it is

2009-06-26T09:43:00.001-05:00

"Every one of us is called upon, probably many times, to start a new life. A frightening diagnosis, a marriage, a move, loss of a job...And onward full tilt we go, pitched and wrecked and absurdly resolute, driven in spite of everything to make good on a new shore. To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another -- that is surely the basic instinct....Crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is." -- Barbara Kingsolver, From High Tide in Tucson.

Is that sausage?

2009-06-24T19:32:00.005-05:00

It's hard for me to describe where in my head this image came from. As I've noted elsewhere on this blog, I'm experiencing a major mid-life crisis. Sometimes, I wish I could've just bought a little red sports car and be done with it. Instead, however, the universe has asked me to turn myself inside out, scour my insides with steel wool, and then hang myself out to cure for a while.

When the universe speaks, I try to listen. This blob of stuff is how I see myself being in the world for the past several years. It kinda looks like intestines or sausage to me - I'm a Psychologist but I have NO idea how to interpret this form. Feel free to project your own interpretation and share. The essence I was trying to capture was a feeling of not having a clear form; not having a core around which this "stuff" could wrap and take shape. My career, relationships, day to day life provided a structure. At times, I would lock onto the closest shape and wrap myself around it because that's less scary. Now I'm wanting to find that core internally.

I know it's quite a luxury to be able to spend all this time navel gazing when some are working their fingers to the bone just to put food on the table or trying to survive in a combat zone. My hope is that the form I'm able to take will allow me to add something of use to this world. I will likely continue to sketch the process to see what takes shape. I'm kind of interested in what will happen next.

Demons

2009-06-18T20:27:00.005-05:00

I've heard of an art exercise called 100 Demons where the artist creates...well...100 Demons! I started with my worst demon: shame. This sketch is based on a picture of a magnified cancer cell (breast cancer, I believe). To me, shame is like a cancer that's insidious and difficult to get rid of -- all those tentacles reaching out to take over and kill the healthy stuff. I'd like to stylize this more so it really looks like a demon -- kind of make it funny or over the top as a way of mastering it! The design principles at work here are repetition (the tentacles repeat within the main cell and are also repeated at the edges of the page) and movement (the tentacles lead the eye back to the sphere of the cell again and again; the diagonals and the hashmarks of the shadow - yup - that's a shadow - also create a sense of movement). I'm not quite sure how to apply the containment idea but I might say that the white space around the cell provides containment for the image of the cell (??).

When I Come To It

2009-04-12T15:56:00.008-05:00

I must have been thinking about traveling a lot in the past several years. I wanted to name my private practice Waypoint because it represents a point to stop and rest, to regroup for the remainder of the journey, or to get oriented on the path. It can also be a goal to reach. I got the idea from Geoff as he used a GPS to designate waypoints for our travel destinations. I had no idea exactly what my journey would entail. I thought I was on a straight path that would take me through the rest of my life. To my surprise, this year feels like the beginning of a regrouping process. At this point, the trip seems like it's going to be an extended one. I'm reconsidering everything I used to take for granted. Kind of feels like I'm driving at night without any headlights.

When I do travel, I like flying for the convenience of it but I think I prefer driving to my destination when I can. It feels disconcerting not to see everything that lies between the two points, especially if I'm going to a place that's very different from where I started. I like "experiencing" the change process from point A to point B. With this life change stuff, I'd just as soon get on a leer jet and zip across time to the next waypoint, knowing more quickly how things turn out. Am I happy? fulfilled?

Given the metaphor of travel that's been creeping up in my vision of life right now, it's not surprising that when I went for a walk several days ago and wanted to make some sketches, I chose to capture a bridge crossing over a creek. I feel like I'm stepping onto a bridge right now in my life. I'm not quite sure what's on the other side. It looks harmless enough. As I step onto the bridge, however, I begin to feel excitement and trepidation. I've never been so aware of crossing to the next place. Endless questions nag me -- is this the best direction for me? can I handle what's on the other side? what exactly am I crossing over? will the bridge hold my weight or will I tumble into the chasm of death and destruction underneath? Sorry, just a little bit of an exaggeration.

When I first made this sketch, the perspective was WAY off. I can see that it is still a little bit off but with a little correction, it got better. I guess all I can ask of myself right now is to take whatever time I need, make sure I have as clear a perspective as possible and cross each bridge as I come to it, trusting that what's on the other side will be worth the trip. Wish me luck!

The Almost Skyline

2009-04-10T22:45:00.002-05:00

Soon after I moved to Champaign-Urbana (CU), one of my new friends who had lived here for several years said "People don't decide to stay in Champaign, they just stop thinking about leaving." There are many things to love about CU. The traffic rush hour is essentially non-existent. Yeah, there are more people on the road but a couple of extra minutes at the stoplight isn't exactly gridlock. Housing is affordable. The dirt here is great so yards and gardens are beautiful. There are enough liberal-minded people that I don't feel the suffocating squeeze of conservatism that exists in the more rural areas of the Midwest. The University supports interesting performances at a number of venues. It's a big enough place to have two hospitals so if I have a botched surgery in one, there's another to try. The U of Illinois attracts a culturally diverse population. And, now, we have a marathon!

According to the US Census Bureau, by size, CU is 192nd of 363 US metropolitan areas. Not a very distinguished position. Kind of like being a middle child. Nothing really special about us. We're not the biggest or the smallest. Neither first nor last. No one pays any attention...We're just not inherently special. Take note, however, we almost have a skyline. One of my clients looked at the view from my 5th floor office, including some of the new, taller apartment/retail buildings and asked humorously, "are we getting a skyline?" My response? "Almost."

We don't have a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods. No Container Store or Ikea. No H&M or Anthropologie. No Crate & Barrell or Pottery Barn. We do, however, have 3 Super Walmarts. Woo-hoo! Why not embrace our almost-ness? We can see it as a place of striving. A place where being the 190th largest city is just around the corner. It's not clear that CU will ever move into the realm of skylines and cityscapes but, hey, as a middle child, I like it just fine.

[The sketch is the view from my office. I did some work on it in Photoshop but I'm now having problems editing it -- the lettering is awful. Back to the Photoshop tutorial to learn how to work with layers!]

Figure Drawing (and Quartering?)

2009-03-16T21:51:00.016-05:00

I haven't had much practice and don't have much skill at drawing the human figure so I've been looking at various approaches to learning how to do so. In Figure Drawing Without a Model by Ron Tiner, I found this exercise.

Kind of strange but it looked fun so I thought I'd try it. Reminded me of losing myself in painstakingly cutting out paper dolls and their clothes when I was a child. I didn't decapitate and dismember my paper dolls as a general rule but now that I've done this, I see what I was missing. I'm not sure I actually learned what the exercise intended to teach but some of the images are a bit...

...interesting.

Discovery and Encounter

2009-03-14T08:11:00.004-05:00

I'm beginning a new journey. Changing directions. Stretching myself. The professional home I've been living in doesn't fit me very well any more. As a Psychologist and psychotherapist for 17 years, I've heard about trauma, anxiety, depression, loss, despair, substance abuse, anger, and much, much more. I've also heard about success, resilience, hope, and healing.

I've loved my clients and the privilege of helping them find and listen to their true selves. In therapy, we start with unformed ideas, jumbled information, and confusing or intense emotional experiences. We then work together to problem-solve, uncover, process, and illuminate options. The process is both life-affirming and perilous. Perhaps these two are inextricably related.

The very fact that we take risks that are frightening to us is what brings energy to life and keeps us growing. It's tempting to stay with the safe and familiar. This is, of course, a legitimate choice. For me, right now, however, I'm choosing risk and change. Standing at the beginning of this journey into the world of graphic design feels risky. I don't know what awaits me. I don't know what I will bring to the process.

In discussion with my graphic design sister (Sarah) -- you'll probably be hearing a lot about her as well as the other guides in my life -- I've learned that the process of psychotherapy and the process of graphic design are not all that different. From what I understand, both involve problem-solving, interpersonal skills, and creativity. David Ulrich writes about the creative process. As I review the seven stages of creativity and the guiding principles of creativity he outlines in The Widening Stream, it's clear to me that while the content of my work might change, the process might be quite similar.

I sure hope that's the case because, otherwise, I'm about to have a very rude awakening!! My goal is to post things that I'm proud of and also things that are crap. I hope you'll join me for part of my journey; that you'll read and look with compassion; and that you'll challenge and question me too. Here goes...