A Week of Calm...

The Cut & Paste Tournament is over. It's been a calm week since then, I've been slowly settling the nerves that were built up in anticipation of the competition. It was an amazing experience getting up there to crack out a design in 15 minutes. Now deadlines seem a lot easier to meet, having proven I can work fast. I battled to the semifinal round and was honored with the Audience Choice prize. I should be getting Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection in the mail pretty soon. I can't wait to delve into After Effects. I've had a desire to design motion graphics for a long time now, it looks like it's finally about to happen. Keep an eye out for some motion pieces in the near future.

I just completed my piece for Tender Loving Empire's upcoming October show: Headless Body in a Topless Bar. The working theme of the show is monsters. For my piece I got in touch with my morbid side, channeling my fears into a gruesome tribute to Halloween. I didn't get a chance to scan the piece, so you'll have to show up at TLE in October to check it out.
It's finally looking like autumn outside my studio window. This is a sketchbook piece I did a couple nights ago. I've been drawing clowns and mimes a bit lately. I'm not sure why I've been exploring these themes, perhaps it's because I used to be afraid of clowns and mimes that I now want to use them for my own purposes. They baffle me still though.

Featured Blog

This week I've been commissioned by PNCA to do a featured blog about my experiences preparing for the Cut & Paste competition. I'll be blogging there up until the 22nd. So go to http://www.pnca.edu/ and check it out. And be sure to make it out to Cut & Paste at the Wonder Ballroom on friday the 21st. You can buy tickets online for $5 cheaper than at the door, so it pays to plan in advance. http://cutandpaste.com/events/portland.html

Carpal Tunnel, anyone?

I've been in the studio all day and it's made me a bit crazy. I'm doubled up on illustration projects so I've been working solidly since 10:30 or so. My wrists are feeling it. I've been working 6 days a week lately, saved only by my rule of not doing any work on sundays.

Cut & Paste is less than two weeks away. I'm hoping that my current state of busy-ness will serve as a trial-by-fire for the competition. I have no summer rust to shake off, I've hit the school year running. I'm in that state of mind where there is no premeditation, simply design instinct transferred into action. I'm looking forward to representing PNCA in the tournament. They've given me so much these past two years, the least I can give back is my very best effort.

Cut & Paste - Portland

Busier than ever

This is a sketch I did in class yesterday. School started on tuesday, which means on top of freelance projects and the C4D I've got homework to add to the pile. Once you get to a certain point of being busy, it's all momentum from there. You just tackle everything that comes along and hit the deadlines on time, it's all about the deadlines. Might as well tack on an 11th commandment: Thou Shalt Not Miss a Deadline.

On Sept.10th I'm going to start writing a short-run blog about my Cut & Paste experience for the PNCA homepage. I'll post a link to it on this blog because most likely that blog will need to be updated more frequently. Good times, keep an eye out folks.

Digging through the archives

The other day I was rummaging through a bin of my old stuff and I came across several folders worth of old drawings, some from as far back as grade-school. To celebrate Labor Day, I'll post some work I did in my past. Basically I'm a huge nerd and have been for all my life, there's no escaping it.