A drawing I did much earlier this summer and had on the back burner - I really like this one. Wasn't sure how to color it, but had fun making it look like a springy explosion of clown vomit. Lyrics are from the song "Dirge" by Japanther, a band I can't get enough of. I used photos of flowers, night-drives, and clouds.
Another lyric piece. This time I quoted a line from the new Gaslight Anthem album that dropped today. It's an understatement to say that I love it. I used more photos that I had on my computer (a cow, a card tower, a cat...) and pushed them together in photoshop, and in Illustrator, I used the live trace and live paint tools to create blocks of color over the different areas such as the fire, the lyrics, and the eye.
Fun sketch-turned design I made up based off song lyrics by a band called The Number Twelve Looks Like You. I was inspired last night to start thinking about the art sale this fall - I am wanting to make a small book of basic vectors - probably just black and white, thus being a small coloring book - to make a few extra bucks and give anyone who doesn't want to spend too much that day something to take home. Below is the vector I created after the sketch/scan, then the textures I pushed into it in photoshop. Above is the finished pushed together illustrator file.
Behold! I think this design is done, at least for now. I am going to order a tanktop of it after I finish this blog post so that hopefully I can get it within a week. I had the suggestion to change the Ohio to a color instead of a solid outline, as well as take the outline out completely. I updated the Ohio itself to a more solid representation (less wonky), I added whiskers, and I added a few overlays of a striped texture to the fur and Ohio. If I were to do any more to this, I would want to add grime/dirt to the entire design (an ongoing debate) and I would thicken the lines between the eyebrows and the eyes.
I am stoked on it, though - this is a design I want to continuously visit and update to create different versions of. That being said - it's good to finally get it out there and out of my head. Let the games begin.
Today I pushed this a bit harder, with blends, textures, the draw inside option, and opacity levels. My favorite bit would be the plugs - that's a map of Ohio, folks. I think I want to call this done - And I might be slightly worried I already over did it - but I am not sure. I just really want to order it on a tank top via skreened.com. I plan on either taking the texture out of the ears, or adding more texture to the cow itself. Afterwards I might add some "dirt" to the overall design, to give it the worn/vintage feel that everyone (including myself) seems to dig. Also, I have to decide what to do with that text. I think where it is at is the best place to have it - though I am really conscious of the tangent on the top right of Ohio. I might tip the Ohio-outline more to the right.
A few hours in, I added some irises to see what they'd look like - and behold: instant Disney.
The only thing is - despite the smirkingly-serious appeal I want with this design, I really love those Disney eyes. A lot. The inner character-designer/lover in me has a deep need for them.
Finally taking a serious slap at an idea that has been floating through my thoughts and my sketchbook for what feels like more than one year. The idea is that local art and local music, as well as any other passion that anyone has and is in pursuit of - should be celebrated and supported, especially by the community surrounding it. Everyone has to start somewhere, and everyone who's anywhere started somewhere: what are we without our roots?
This design is meant to commemorate and raise awareness of local art forms. Why not go out to a show, why not get to know people - make the most of where you are/whatever community you were born into. Being in Ohio, sometimes we might feel like we're all just cows surrounded by fields of corn and soybeans. But we aren't just any cows. We're hardcow cows. ... haha, puns.
Finally finished! Today, I headed up to local print shop Digital Impressions and put my order in for 100 copies of this. It's been a handful of late nights and early mornings, but I am really satisfied with the turn out. I added some texture by using layers of different photos and brushes. Here version sans-photoshop:
Further progress on the project. I have been really trying to stay true to my style whilst using the pen tool - I think that it's working. In order to amp it up a bit more, I think I'll be pushing more bold outlines in different areas (like I have in my sketch). I will be using the knife tool to slice in some new colors - shades, highlights - tomorrow, as well as talking to the local print shop and seeing what we can do. I threw these colors together on a whim, not sure how I like them. The most fun part about this last installment was exporting two separate layers and opening them in photoshop, then doodling my little "people" who are rooting for the buck and holding the sign up. They stressed me out horribly for a few minutes until I remembered that Adobe doesn't want me to do everything on one program.
Today I also got a surge of inspiration regarding an idea I have had in my mind for a long time now. I am hoping I can put some serious effort behind the push for it in the near future. Get ready.
On my way to completing the poster design! On the left is my finalized comp that I made on copy paper with pen, and on the right is what I have been doing on Adobe Illustrator. I am so glad that I took the Into to Illustrator Graphics course, because I am realizing just how far my knowledge of the program has come since last summer. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm getting faster!
Since the team's theme is the color blue, I plan on using a blue-based color palette in the final product. Since the whole theme of Relay for Life is purple-based, I also want to push some purples into it.
The pizza box is complete, and has been sent out to be printed! I am really stoked on the outcome, and even more stoked to see it in person here in a few weeks. The design will be revisited in the near future to be printed on tees that are going to be sold at the gas station, too. It's been a few years since we have done that up there, but we have had at least four designs in the past - I have always wanted to do the honors of making one myself.
Now it's on to making a design for the Johnstown-Ohio's Relay For Life. A close family friend of ours recently lost her battle to lung cancer, and I have been really wanting to do something to commemorate her as well as support the effort of cancer awareness and research. I am going to be joining a team I joined last year - "Buck Up Cancer" (for Cindy Buck), and doing a poster design that I will be selling for 5 dollars a print. If I sell 100 posters at $5, I can raise $500 for the American Cancer Society. I will also be sitting there, all day (sunrise to sundown, and then some) sketching and drawing anything that anyone wants for any donation amount. That's my goal. I am really, really excited about it. The date is July 27-28. Time to get drawing. Here's a very quick sketch of my idea:
I have been working on this project here and there for awhile this summer, but have just recently had time to completely pursue it. First is my initial sketch/scan, then my idea breakdown, and then my silhouette, and then the point I'm currently at. I keep making adjustments and experimenting, and I have a ways to go yet. I am using Illustrator, and falling back in love with it (the knife tool is my best friend). The piece is going to be featured on the pizza boxes of the gas station I work at/my family owns, and printed on tees, and actually painted on the side of the gas station itself. Exciting times in small-town, Ohio!
I haven't posted in awhile - but not out of complete laziness. I've been busy with Orientation, the 9-to-5, and this project I've been working on for the past month. I'd never touched flash beforehand, but my summer goal was to learn it. This video gave me the extra push to really get comfortable with the program. I had lots of fun learning and creating this, and I was so happy to be able to it. I am looking forward to/and am really interested in working more with flash in the future, definitely.
The background is composed of lots of photos I've taken over the past year, pushed around in photoshop like crazy - antique shops, late night adventures, sparklers, parades, etc. For the logo, I was happy to finally get a grasp of how to create a grimey-looking effect, and also VERY happy to realize that live-trace has a "ignore white" option (I know, I know... about time, Sarah).
Check out Fixed in Color on facebook and show some support!
Combining time-based artwork of music and visuals is always really rewarding to me, and I feel very fortunate that I can use my skills to support other young artists. Now, if only I could finally run with my "Support Local Hardcow" idea... it's going to happen. I promise.
