Beat the heat...

We're officially into the dog days of summer. It's been a hot one and I've spent most of it behind this computer screen. This heat makes it hard to keep at it, but I trudge on. It's a battle just figuring out what to type here. Tomorrow is looking even hotter. I've been invited out to Nike HQ to do some live art for their monthly Thirst Thursday employee party. I don't have a whole lot of details at this point, but I will most definitely write a follow up post on this. I'm really stoked to get some exposure over at Nike.





My seventeen year-old sister Madeline just recently completed a pre-college course in design at PNCA. The work from the high schoolers this year is some of the best I've seen from the age group. I'm gonna have to start watching my back 'cuz the kids are coming up. My sister has quite a talent for graphic design, especially hand lettering. The pre-college course culminated in a First Thursday show in the commons. Madeline produced a 3D illustration with little electric lights behind the windows. I told her to keep posting stuff, she could be freelancing before she graduates high school. I'm really stoked to watch her progress. Her Flickr photostream is linked below, add her and watch her grow. The show is up through the month of August and definitely a must see. This is the new school, so watch out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28807584@N08/

Process: The 511 Building

As a rule, I never talk about my commissioned projects before they're published. This is primarily to respect the privacy of the client, but also I don't want to jinx the outcome of the project in any way. Yes, I tend to have a superstitious mind.

That being said, yesterday I found that an illustration I had done in june for PNCA has just been published in the summer edition of their quarterly newsletter. The commission was for a rendering of the Federal Building, or 511 Building as it is now called. The turn of the century building currently houses the PDX outpost of the Dept. of Homeland Security, but in a few years time it will be the new home of the Pacific Northwest College of Art.



The hardest part of this illustration was determining the widths of the windows as they receded into the distance. I used standard 2-point perspective the determine the angles of the roof. I wanted the perspective to be accurate, but I also wanted the illustration to have a certain impressionistic quality. To achieve this I used nib pen and brush for most of the ink work, relying on my microns only to touch up certain areas. I put a lot of work into this piece and I'm stoked to finally see it in print. It's crazy to see my illustration over the words "$32 million." If you'd like a copy of the PNCA newsletter, they're available at the front desk of the school, located on NW 13th and Johnson.

A visit to the archives...

I found this piece in the depths of my iPhoto. It looks to be part of the original portfolio I submitted for admission into PNCA over three years ago. I can see a lot of little mistakes, but my general sensibility has carried through. It's strange to look back on work you've completed years ago. It happens often with me, I'll stumble upon some project or file that I haven't seen in ages. It's a good way to chart your progress navigating this landscape of a creative industry.

Obsession...

Madness...

Chaos...

Why does the human brain often feel like a vast library with no dewey decimal system? It's tough to keep everything organized inside your head. Just when I feel I'm on a good creative track, it starts to feel like a trap and I want to try something different. I wish I had the type of mind that can focus on one thing for a very long time and get very good at it. The only thing I consider myself truly good at is visualizing a concept.

Just last week I had the opportunity to give a talk to a group of high school design students taking a summer course at PNCA. The focus was using the computer to bring your handmade work to the next level. I purposefully did not discuss any technical aspects of digital art, such as scanning resolutions, filters, curves, the pen tool, paths etc... All the technical wizardry a designer could want is just a quick Google search away. Instead, I focused on instilling a sense of exploration. I believe that to fully explore and get the most out of digital design, you need to have an inquisitive mind, and a willingness to make mistakes. Most of what I have learned in my time practicing design has been self taught, with the aid of online tutorials. The more time spent designing the better the mind gets at deconstructing others' work in order to learn techniques. I finished off the talk with some advice that I try to keep close to my heart: Do the work that YOU want to see, not what you see other people doing.

I couldn't resist the urge to post another track. This one is from an Austin, TX band by the name of Sunset. Their new LP "The Glowing City" is an instant cult classic. Sunset weaves strains of Harry Nilsson, Pink Floyd, Neutral Milk Hotel and the macabre sensibilities of the Unicorns into a completely new tapestry. In an age of ten track LPs, "The Glowing City" is an epic 80 minutes long, 18-track journey. It's well worth the ten dollars on iTunes. Sunset, along with bands such as the Evangelicals and Animal Collective are ushering in the new psychadelia of the 21st century.

Sunset - Zombies

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)