55DSL Logo Remix Challenge...

I just uploaded my entry for the 55DSL logo remix challenge. The contest is through Cut & Paste, so I figured I'd represent Portland to the best of my abilities. Hit the link below and vote me up! I will love you forever if you do.

http://logoremix.55dsl.com/logo/1041

Get Pumped!

The arrow points that-a-way...

A busy week...

These past few weeks have been some of the busiest since thesis time in the spring. I'm up in the studio by 9 and out around 6:30 just to keep on top of everything. Some project I've worked on over the summer will be coming to fruition soon. I love that gap between completing a project and then seeing it in print or on the web, whichever format it was intended for. It's almost as if someone completely seperate from me created the work, and I'm seeing it for the first time. When I'm in the midst of a project it can be hard to step back and look at the work objectively, I am too acquainted with every minute detail. I'll be sure to keep you readers informed when my projects hit the streets.

An afternoon at Nike...

Last week I was invited out to Nike to participate in their Thirst Thursday employee party. Carolyn Davidson, the designer of the swoosh was present as the guest of honor. Because she was a Portland State design student when she developed Nike's legendary mark, the organizers thought it would be fitting to bring out some local designers and artists to customize some Nike bags. Mia Nolting, Ryan Bubnis and I were given the task of customizing white Nike iD messenger bags. The embellished bags would then be auctioned off to benefit the Children's Cancer Association. Armed with our tools of choice, we went to work customizing the bags in our respective styles. Mia worked in Sharpie, Ryan in acrylic paint and I had an assortment of paint pens. To prepare, I did some sketching in my book to get some ideas to reference in case I drew a blank on the spot.


It was a 101 degree afternoon, but I was fueled by RebBull and ready to go. I decided to wing it for my first bag, just flowing from the top of my head. The paint pens worked great on the bag material, which appeared to be a sturdy nylon. The Nike ID bag was a great canvas to draw on.


For my second bag I referenced some of the sketches I had prepared beforehand. I wanted to give my personal take on Nike culture, treating this one as almost a commissioned piece. I had a lot of fun with both of the bags. Working in the creative field, it's easy to take art for granted. Most people don't get to see art being made so it's a special treat to watch artists doing their thing. This is the second time that I've done art in a live setting, it's very exhilarating to get peoples' feedback on the spot. I really enjoy doing this and hope I'll get another chance to do something similar in the future.


After finishing two bags I took a walk around to see what my comrades had been up to:

Ryan Bubnis


Mia Nolting

We finished off the event with a joint collaboration bag:


The event was a great success. It was a lot of fun spending some time outside of the studio in the sun. We all got some great exposure within the Nike community. All of our bags were auctioned off. Along with the bags that were customized by Nike's in house designers, the auctions raised over $7000 dollars for the Children's Cancer Association. The three of us were all PNCA alums, so it was a great chance to represent alma matter. I'm very thankful for the opportunity and honored that my work was able to help such a great cause.

Obsession...

Madness...

Into the Galaxy...

I don't consider this an MP3 blog by any means, but I want to post this track. This is the type of stuff that really fuels my creativity, so I figured I'd share it with you readers, whoever you may be. Give it a listen and send your minds out into the edge of the galaxy. The Midnight Juggernauts are definitely ones to watch.

Midnight Juggernauts - Into the Galaxy (Metronomy Remix)

I heart script type...

Back in the stu-stu-studio...

I'm back from what I would call a very successful camping trip. We ventured out towards Mt. Hood, with a certain camp spot in mind and ended up getting it. Situated right next to the Salmon River we set up our tents and camp stove. Mostly it involved a lot of campfire, s'mores, whittling and eating. I sat up on a rock for an hour or so and got some drawing time in. It was great to have a break from the rigid right angle geometry of the city. The organic, rounded forms of nature provide so much inspiration for a city kid like myself. Things in the forest take on such unexpected forms, dictated by the forces of nature. It was a great chance to recharge my creative battery and kick off a great summer. Many many pictures to come, soon enough.

Now I am back in the studio, surrounded by my digital tools. I have a fresh set of illustrations to tackle, along with some designs to finalize. The sounds of Ratatat's LP3 bubble from the speakers and I'm officially back in action. It feels good.

Where to now?

Lately I've felt as though I'm at a junction in my career. I have two options before me: hit the job hunt with full force or dive headlong into the world of freelance design. I am strongly considering the latter option. I did a good deal of freelance work during school, as a means to make some extra cash and bolster my portfolio at the same time. I have a website already built and I'm in the process of planning another. I've received some good exposure through the Cut & Paste competition, PNCA and the Portland Funbook. Now is as good a time as ever to try doing my own thing. I have no mortgage, outstanding debt or children (knock on wood). In other words, what do I have to lose? There are a lot of things I would like to accomplish as a freelancer, and I'm steadily moving down the list. It's great to be the art director on projects. Right now I have wrapped up a couple of great projects since finishing school. I'm waiting for them to be published to talk about them on here, but they'll be up soon enough.

On a related note, I'd like to showcase a few great illustrators and designers that have inspired me to keep pushing myself to the next level with each project. These folks are truly great. Just click on the name to check their portfolios. Note: All images courtesy of their respective artists.

Yuko Shimizu


Amazing inkwork, delightfully twisted subject matter and a sophisticated color pallate, what more could you ask for?

Ashley Wood


A painterly style with a graphic sensibility; Woods's work inspires me to loosen up and try anything with my compositions.


Mike Perry


Guru of handmade type. Inspires me to keep on playing with words.

Benny Gold


Super skilled, super slick. Benny Gold breaks down the design process to the fundamental level. His solutions are always elegant and remarkable.

Hope this little series gives you some bookmark fodder, these are definitely ones to garner inspiration from. I'll continue on with this series of tributes to my heroes, so check back.

shoe...

Neighborhood Party...

Take me galaxy...

When I finish up a big project, I like to take some time to do a sketchbook piece for my own pleasure. The title of this post is taken from the song "Midnight Surprise" by Lightspeed Champion, I definitely suggest looking him up. I like the way the phrase sounds. I started this piece by simply drawing in a stream of consciousness. I find this method of drawing to be very therapeutic. I'm not worried about concept or form, I just go with whatever pops into my mind. It's a way to sort through the random clutter of thoughts that swirl through my head at any given moment. I often feel overwhelmed with everything that I'm thinking, this is a way to clarify things.

I'm trying my best to keep this blog updated on a regular basis. I have this urge to constantly get my work out there.

Portland Funbook submission...

Yesterday was the deadline for submissions to Psilo Design's Portland Funbook 3. Of course I had waited until the day of to get my piece together. I blocked off the whole day to work on it, so I had enough time to produce a good piece of art. After roughing two concepts that I wasn't quite feeling, I got a hit of inspiration from the Micron Hero sticker I produced last year. My piece for this years Funbook is a continuation of the Demon Samurai legend. The Samurai is predominantly inspired by the legendary Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi is quite possibly one of the most famous Samurai of all time. Fittingly enough he was also an artist, known for his ink paintings and brushwork. His life is chronicled in the somewhat fictional book Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. It's probably one of my favorite books.

I see many parallels between graphic artists and the Samurai class. A freelance graphic artist is akin to a wandering Ronin, working for whoever will pay. Of course I would like to experience working for a studio of firm, which would be like serving a lord. We practice our skills in times of peace to be sharp in battle, which is when big project comes along. I nerd out on this stuff on a regular basis. I'll talk more about this at a later time, I just wanted to shed some light on the Micron Hero Samurai.

My fixie has been fixed...

I've been riding a fixed gear for, oh about a year now. I love the visceral experience of having your legs in constant motion, the bike really feels like more of an extension of your body than a vehicle. I don't really have a commute at the moment, with school being just down the way and any work I do usually taking place from home. I ride for fun, to get away from the confining glow of this computer screen.

I haven't gotten much riding in over the past couple of months, mainly do to the thesis project and its drain on my time. Combine this with a slipped lockring on my cog and I'm off the road for awhile. Last saturday I took my bike to the shop for a tuneup. The mechanic took the chain off and looked at the hub/lockring setup. Turns out the lockring had been screwed on crooked, messing up the threads. I put a new wheel on it with a much better hub and cog. Hopefully this will stand up better than the last one. I also replaced my dropdown handlebars with a low-rise moustache bar. I like a more upright ride I've found. Time to hit the Springwater Corridor, I'm looking forward to a summer of great riding.

Stapler...

Iron...

Caffeine...

Let's just say this is a little ode to caffeine. I know it's not the healthiest practice but I often start my days with a cup of coffee, waiting until lunch to eat. Usually after lunch I'll start on some more administrative type tasks, but before lunch it's draw time. When I'm in a creative groove I tend to ignore the bodies' needs, focusing solely on my work. In short I need to work on balancing creative time with more physically healthy activities.

The nature of process...

I've talked about my process before, but it is worth discussing from time to time. I'm talking more about process in general, what is it good for? Process is what you fall back on when you're crunched for time. It is the tried and true method of working that produces satisfactory results. A process can be a cage as well as a liberator. I often feel trapped within a certain style or method. I don't want to tread the same trail twice, so I feel frustrated when I find myself in a rut.

Planning is a crucial part of a client based project. You essentially need to cover your ass each step along the way. A strong conceptual backbone helps you defend your work and justify the decisions you made along the way to the final solution. But what about the work you produce in between projects? I feel that this personal work is what defines you as and artist, by you I mean anyone that makes a living in the creative field. It's the work that makes YOU happy that defines your creative identity. I am often most happy with work that exists solely in my sketchbook. This is the work that most reflects my raw creative energy. Of course a creative being needs to send work out in the world. It's this give and take, keeping and giving up that provides the tension necessary to sustain an artistic career. It's like a workout regimen, or yoga, tension and release.

Right now I'm in a period of release. These periods tend to be short lived, which is good because there are bills to pay.

-Jake