Alaska Creative

Fall 2011 Semester

2012-01-18T20:29:00.001-09:00

Well... I didn't post much for Fall 2011 Semester since much of what I was working on was personal (portraits), experimental (techniques), and didn't work the way I wanted them to.

The first one is a better scan of the "Centennial Hall Parking Lot" version for my "Parking Lots that were once my home" series.

The next ones are of Sierra (my son, Kanon's sister). I wanted to do commemorative portraits from this last summer which was the first time they ever met. She was 15 and he was 10, so it was a big deal. They really loved each other and I hope they will stay in touch with each other for the rest of their lives~ The picture I used for Sierra's portrait was taken by Kanon soon after she arrived (so her eyes sparkle with the excitement of getting to meet him) and the picture of Kanon was the first picture taken with his sister (so he has a sheepish look on his face). The frames are purposely elaborate and ornate to elevate them from regular portraits. As for the frames themselves, neither of them worked out like I wanted them to... but I do love the portraits and will keep working on them to make them perfect!

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2011-11-02T15:35:00.001-08:00

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Reworking of Centennial Hall p/l

2011-09-29T16:21:00.000-08:00

Not quite right... The scale is wrong on the house and I couldn't get the etching dark enough. It's worth another shot, though~

It's a gorgeous day... And the last 2nd Saturday is goin on at the Airport Mall... Come say hello!

2011-09-10T11:04:00.001-08:00

IF - Mysterious

2011-09-05T02:21:00.001-08:00

I caught this mysterious raven as it began to fly away; I believe it had something (food/garbage) in it's claws, but that didn't show up in the photo, so I didn't add it to the illustration.

I haven't done an Illustration Friday challenge in a long time... I'm trying to kick start my creativity, because I will be starting Printmaking again on Wednesday! I can't wait, but my ideas are scattered. I want to do some portraits, trees, flowers, maybe a raven (maybe this raven...?), and some landscapes, but I'm not sure how to sell (as in justify) all of those things as one package. Maybe if I start sketching the connection will appear naturally...

One more Second Saturday Market... Sept 10th @ Airport Mall P/L

2011-09-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

I haven't been consistent with my posting...mostly I post on Facebook, but I'm trying to post all my art related here, too! I have spent the Summer checking out the "markets" and trying my hand at selling my prints... it has been a success! I'm always amazed when someone "finds" my work and falls in love with something. It is a fun process to watch! And I'm thankful to everyone who has fallen in love with something and taken it home, it is great validation to know I'm not the only one who like these creations!~

These are images from August Second Saturday Market... one more Second Saturday Market is coming up on Sept 10th @ the parking lot of the Airport Mall! It's organized by Home Spun Mercantile, an awesome arts and crafts consignment shop (behind Donna's, next to Curves); they are there year-round... On Sept 10 come check out all the fun crafts, art, food, produce, etc ~and wish for nice weather!

Juneau Artist Market - Sunday Market at the JACC 12-3pm!

2011-07-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

Come down and see all the arts, crafts, and produce!

Basin Rd - parking lot #1

2011-04-27T01:26:00.000-08:00

The first of my childhood homes that is now a parking lot...

This etching is of the house on Basin Road which was the second house I lived in as a child... the first one was on Calhoun which was my address when I was born; they moved me here when I was 3 months old (actually born in CA). No one (that I've talked to lately) in my family can remember what the address was on Calhoun - but I think it was towards the park and not where the apts that were torn down in the 80's-90's. I think that is one that is still standing!

So, from the age of (?) 6 months to 4 1/2 years we lived in the house that no longer exists on Basin Road. It was right across from what is now a B&B and the Wiley's. I guess my parents were going to buy it but the city condemned it because the foundation was giving way. It would have ended up in the sandbox in Evergreen Bowl (known today as Cope Park). I would go down the very steep hill to play in the park when allowed.The Wiley's told me the owner had cables running from the house across the road and attached to the hillside to keep it from sliding down the hill - that was after we moved.

That was the 70's when Juneau was a truly small town... everyone knew everyone and the valley was really the boondocks. The building boom happened in the 80's creating what I always thought of as the suburbs (ha!) until I actually lived outside of Denver.

My Dad worked at the State as a Computer Programmer and my Mom opened a macramé shop called "Lois' Hangups" in the Emporium mall. I would hang out there occasionally... Foggy Mountain Shop opened soon after she did and I would play in the tents and I guess I colored on their walls which they hid with the tents~ There was a toy-maker who had a shop there as well and I would watch him create toys out of wood.

The carefree 70's!

Centennial Hall Parking Lot

2011-04-10T22:45:00.001-08:00

This is number two in the "Parking Lots That Were Once My Homes" series... this is just the etching, but each piece will consist of an etching of the modern day view and a relief/embossing of the old house... The houses are simplistic to represent my childhood memories of these places. The relief/embossed images are supposed to be faded like the memories of them, almost like an afterimage that you would see after looking at a bright light. My intention is to layer the two different media to compare and contrast them by superimposing the house image on top of the modern views of the places where they once stood.

Willoughby St. (Channel Apts)

2011-04-10T22:26:00.001-08:00

First in the series of four "Parking Lots That Were Once My
Homes"... It's the first etching, but it was the 2nd one that I live in after we moved back from CA in 1979.

This one was on the big corner on Willoughby. 3rd and 4th grade... use to walk up the stairs to Capital School. We would play in the SOB parking garage - climbing up the sides and jumping off the top into the snow they would (and still do) pile up along the outside. We all ran wild back then... it was a smaller and safer town, but we could always find trouble if we looked hard enough! Life further "out the road" was much different and running wild changed a lot when we moved to Lemon Creek when I was in 6th grade. It meant running through the woods and playing near the creek since there really wasn't anything that was close enough or interesting enough to walk to.

West 10th & D

2011-04-10T20:36:00.002-08:00

My latest etching of "Parking lots that were once my homes"...

This was at West 10th and D Street - We lived here the year the first Dividends went out and sat mesmerized in front of the TV when MTV first came on the air. The church owned the house next door and ours - we did not attend... my parents were Unitarians but didn't make us go. Someone left an old three speed bike in the garage and they told my Dad I could have it... freedom! I rode all over - trying to keep in touch with friends in the old neighborhood, but they weren't as accepting of me now that I lived else-where. It helped widen our world though and I made other friends and the old ones realized there were other neighborhoods to play in and explore.

Journey, Pat Benatar, The Police, J. Giles Band, Blondie etc were popular and this was the year I started buying records. I bought a turntable at a garage sale and inherited an old boombox someone didn't want any more. I remember begging to watch The Blue Lagoon on TV...

I walk part of the same route to work every day that I once walked on the way to Capital School - 5th grade. I hated walking after a while and would beg my Dad to drive me... I don't think it ever worked. Now I enjoy the exercise and love to look at the scenery that has changed very little since those days... houses are different colors and cars are modern but not much else is new on Calhoun.

Winter Berries

2010-12-19T22:32:00.000-09:00

The latest "Winter Berries" - it's an Aquatint... No lines etched yet;
I will dry point etch lines next month, but I really like the look of
these so far~

"Sea Urchin" in the frame I made this last Spring~ I like the way it turned out!

2010-12-15T16:45:00.000-09:00

Night of Gallery Walk...

2010-12-03T22:46:00.000-09:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by! I also saw Rob Roy's, Sherrie
McDonald, Ruby Room, Juneau Artist Gallery, Plein Rain, and UAS
Student Show... So many talented people in our little town!

They are hanging...

2010-12-03T08:18:00.001-09:00

Only two small things that I forgot, so off without (much of) a hitch!

I'll take more close-ups tonight!

My First Solo Show

2010-12-02T22:19:00.001-09:00

Here's my final flyer/postcard... My show will be hanging at the Heritage Cafe on 2nd Street (in Juneau) through the end of December... I'll be there tomorrow night, Dec 3rd, for Gallery Walk from 6:00-7:30pm - come say hello if you can!

This project was funded in part by the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council - We are very lucky to have an organization helping local artist!

My First Show...

2010-11-11T13:22:00.000-09:00

I received a small but generous grant from the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council this Summer and wasn't able to pull things together in time for "My Summer Art Show" project. They were kind enough to allow me to finish my project this Winter... so now it will by "My Winter Art Show"~

WHO: Julie Bates
WHAT: Show of my Etchings and Silkscreens (and one wood block - featured on the postcard)
WHEN: Opening December 3rd (Gallery Walk) - through the end of December, 2010
WHERE: Heritage Cafe on 2nd Street, Downtown Juneau

Here are the roughs of my postcard/flyer, front and back:

New etching - "Soar"

2010-11-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

Ebb - new etching

2010-10-14T19:32:00.002-08:00

I Decided to call it "Ebb Tide" - meaning "The receding or outgoing tide; the period between high water and the succeeding low." It also can be use as a way of describing a state of decline... which kind of goes with the Lord of the Flies feel of these "wild" images of Kanon!

and a haiku for this image and my last woodblock image:

“Sea Urchin”
Summers ebb and flow,
Sun glistens through the air,
Urchin on the beach.

Newest sketch to be turned into an etching...

2010-10-14T17:06:00.001-08:00

Back to the vertical orientation that I love! Also, working on
turning my last woodblock into a much larger piece - 28"x12" ~ I'll
share the background which I sandblasted to bring out the woods grain
and the final etching of this one (I'm calling it "Ebb" but reserve
the right to change it) later!

This time small ... Next time a big one! I'm happy with the look and style; woodblocking is fun!

2010-09-24T01:01:00.001-08:00

New sketch...

2010-09-16T17:26:00.001-08:00

I am trying to be more aware of my "style" when I sketch. I realize it
comes out on it's own, but I'm trying to be more deliberate in the way
I make my marks... Instead of timid little sketches I want solid
studies that reflect the final peice more. I'd like people to be able
to say I have a recognizable style some day!

Orange paint and my latest etching!

2010-07-30T11:52:00.000-08:00

I LOVE my new orange coffee table... It brightened the rainy July! It
turned out to be too bright a background for my newest etching... This
one is my favorite so far (the newest one always is:). I'm calling it
"freshly fallen" and is a continuation of my snow covered trees series.

New work... Etching with silkscreened backgrounds!

2010-04-15T15:38:00.000-08:00

Etching with silkscreen background...

2010-04-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

"Through the Trees" at the UAS Juried art show at the JAHCC

2010-04-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

Some of my Spring Semester work

Etching & Aquatint - Some of my work this semester

2009-12-02T21:59:00.000-09:00

Winter berries and the first snow...

2009-11-04T14:43:00.000-09:00

My Columbus Day hike to John Muir cabin... Gorgeous day!

2009-11-04T14:36:00.000-09:00

making due with what I've got...

2009-04-16T09:43:00.005-08:00

I don't have a great camera... I was pretty disappointed with the quality of the pictures it takes after I bought it. The flash isn't good and it isn't consistent; sometimes the flash goes off sometimes it doesn't. And the shutter speed is REALLY slow. Enough complaining, though...

Despite the deficiencies of my camera, here are some cool pics I took the other day. I love the green and that spring is finally happening... and I love these curtains that I've had for years and am finally using! For someone who never liked flowers... I think I like flowers now (they are very well designed, by nature, and since I'm obsessed with design it makes sense - in my defense).

small victories

2009-04-12T21:04:00.003-08:00

Having a busy life can be so frustrating! I try my best to take care of things right away, but when difficulties arise, I only have so much time (during business hours) and energy before I have to move on.

Case in point: Two full months ago I decided I would figure out how to put a FAVICON on the website at work and on a friends I was working on... so, work said they didn't trust the code I had provided (I got it from a forum; perfectly valid). They have to be concerned for security, so understanding this, I decided I would put one on my site and prove that it was safe. When I tried to log in via ftp to do this, I was locked out of my web-hosting account. Many password resets later I still couldn't get in. This must have gone on for at least a week, when I had to abandon it for more pressing things. My friends had another friend put theirs on their site; mine (and work's ) were still default... until tonight! Yay for perseverance:) It was such a small, simple task and for life and technology to join forces to keep me from my goal... not cool. I can't believe how many dashboards my web-hosting co. has for my one tiny, tiny site... that was most of the battle. I finally found where my hosting log-in was located (and it wasn't very intuitive).

This just proves that I don't give up that easily(!!!!) Ha!

www.eclecticalchemie.com

next evolution of SOAR

2009-03-07T13:02:00.010-09:00

This proves it... I'm always saying it's all over for me come Halloween. I have been crazy busy; going to school in the fall was a new thing for me and I'm not sure about taking "thinking classes" next fall. I'll probably take two art classes, instead:) I mean, if I'm going to shirk the repayment of student loans, I might as well enjoy myself. I have a lot of new art from last fall and this winter.

This one is a silkscreen interpretation of a sketch and digital illustration "Soar" I did for Illustration Friday... it's the evolution from media to media - I also started a pastel of it, but haven't finished it. This turned out very MESSY, but it was fun to experiment. I did the background as a speedball reduction, the "airstreams" behind the birds were cut paper and I used an ink extender to make the ink transparent (it didn't work perfectly, but I think it is a good representation of the look I wanted). I did an embossing for the "wave" patterns down below, and the birds are photo-emulsion. I did a frame that was photo-emulsion that broke down, so less then half ended up with that screen and only one of them turned out (shown here).

organic seascape

2008-10-23T21:24:00.003-08:00

I love silk-screening! It is so magical... I love the rainbow pulls. You can get so much atmosphere and mood out of combining the colors and playing with how you "slop" the ink on! I created something really beautiful tonight; can you say "Christmas Presents"? Each one is different and I've experimented in almost every one of them. Their imperfections just add character and I've placed the leaves at the bottom so they hide most of the worst ones. I love how the leaves break the frame... something I always love to play with:) I couldn't get the whole thing on the scanner, but this is the majority of it... I only did two black and the rest are on off-white flecked paper. The colors came out sooooo yummy. I got the idea for them from some fabulous "organic" experiments done by Leanne in my class (hers are really superb; she did them when there were more things still growing and she has been silk-screening for a while). Still I think all of my experiments make for a really lovely composite!

6-color Nasturtium

2008-10-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

Here is one with two screens of the 6th color... the screen slipped, so I have some with one, two, three, and four black dots in the middle. This one is matted in gold, which the scanner kind of went crazy with. I didn't like the black dot too much (looks more like a poppy) so I kept a bunch without the black dot (see below). I like the freedom to be able to do that and change your mind as you go. If you start with enough to begin with you can have numerous final pieces! I love print-making:)

5-color Nasturtiums

2008-10-13T09:00:00.001-08:00

For midterm I added two more colors. Here I liked how the 5-color looked and kept a few just like this. This one is matted in a slightly darker ivory mat...

4 of 4 colors

2008-10-12T14:25:00.005-08:00

The final (for midterm, anyway, and on a diff colored paper) Mt Roberts print... I called it "Mystic Mt. Roberts" although I'm sure there's a better name for it in my head somewhere... maybe just "Mystic Mountain." This was one of three prints I did with a water-soluble stencil for the black... the other lost all detail and came out all black. I am going to redo the black plate so that I have more detail and the little flecks of other colors can be seen as windows. I was going to redo it as a photo stencil (this one was a water soluble stencil and all detail went away after I printed this!); now that I think about how I want it to look, I may do the Speedball screen filler like used in the rest of this technique (it is called a "Reduction" since you block out until you are down to your last color). You paint the filler on with a brush and it gives it that painterly look. Maybe I will try both and see which one works better...

3 of 4 colors

2008-10-12T14:08:00.003-08:00

The deep purple came out a little funky... It is a pretty loose process, so I just have to embrace the imperfections and I do like how it came out kind of bubbly where it bled a little, which gives it more of a misty feeling...

2 of 4 colors...

2008-09-28T17:06:00.004-08:00

I had a really productive class last Thursday... but I forgot to bring home examples! Here is one from two weeks ago. It now has the third color (indigo/purple) on it, after last week. I will do a black screen over it to add some details on the "tram/pagoda." I might try to add some detail to the Mt as well, but I don't want it to get too busy!

I also did a rainbow pull that turned out really cool. I used silver, white, lt blue, and lt lilac and it looked like the moon! Then I printed the bear and waterfall from the Ak quarter, because I was working through my process for a project at work (that probably will go to the wayside... :( unless I can think of a way to use it!) The best things that I have learned in this class is: don't expect perfection, enjoy the happy accidents, and try new things to cut-down on starting over. When the bear's ink started bleeding I would turn the screen and pull from a different direction... I wasn't able to save all the moons, but Dianne says I might be able to print a black "drop-shadow" to cover the bad spots.

mt roberts

2008-09-12T22:53:00.004-08:00

I drew a picture of the Tram on a very misty night and it was the inspiration for this marker drawing that I am then going to interpret into a silk-screen print. I forget what our teacher called it, a block-out build or something. We are using screen-block and painting it on the screen with the lightest color showing being printed first, on the bottom, then we will block out the areas we want to stay the lightest, next lightest and so-on... it is really messy and fun, and even if it isn't perfect, that is the point. It is really nice not zooming 300x's to work on something (I like things to look perfect at 300%!(?) It gets worse the longer I work on a design). I miss doing "hand work", it is so rewarding to see the happy accidents happen:)

old sketches

2008-09-09T07:00:00.005-08:00

I was looking for some free space in my old sketch books... none! But I did come across some great quick sketches that I did in school. Some times, some days you've just got it... other times it just doesn't come. I hadn't had a drawing class in more then four years, and was getting back into the grove! I think I had it with these; jonesing for figure drawing... of course this model was good; I have a great longer pose of her that is too big to scan at home.

printmaking

2008-09-07T20:49:00.006-08:00

I'm way overloaded... but if I can devote some time to my printmaking class, I will be extremely happy! Here is the first thing we've done... a paper cut screen print. I need to work on registration, but it was fun to give it a over-achiever shot with four-colors. It is a nasturtium vine... they are everywhere here this year. I don't remember seeing so many here before, but I love them! So bright, happy, and overgrown during a very bleak summer.

school?

2008-08-24T18:43:00.001-08:00

School starts in 6 days, which means I won't have any time to do anything... I already don't. I give myself one month before the breakdown. I'm hoping that won't happen, but I am working two jobs and doing this on-site property manager gig. I may be giving one up and it will cost me. Cool thing is I am doing a logo identity package for a friend and they are creative people who have been a dream to work with:)

I am feeling like I need to create something since I haven't left the house all day... I think I will try to do a tree for a friend:) It's easier to create for someone else then for myself. I feel that autumn inspiration coming on! I guess that happened when I realized school time is here.

proclivity!

2008-08-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

I have a certain proclivity to using this word! I woke up with it in my head... crazy:) I also have a proclivity to all things design. What a wonderful word; I love how it sounds, even.

DEFINITION:

pro·cliv·i·ty /proʊˈklɪvɪti/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[proh-kliv-i-tee] –noun, plural -ties. natural or habitual inclination or tendency; propensity; predisposition: a proclivity to meticulousness.

[Origin: 1585–95; < L prōclīvitās tendency, lit., a steep descent, steepness, equiv. to prōclīv(is) sloping forward, steep (prō- pro-1 + clīv(us) slope + -is adj. suffix) + -itās -ity]

busy, busy... and Special K Saves The Day

2008-07-26T10:19:00.007-08:00

I have been very busy... I found a new job and started that on Tuesday! I love it:) It is doing what I do with some extra learning thrown in for good measure. I will have to find out from my boss if I can share some of my work here. I did two ads and point of purchase displays for an August promo... I will try to do a fun online "button" as well, if they go for it. They have been really open to my ideas and this is the first job where they trust my expertise and are using me and my abilities in the correct way (well the state did, but I had to convince each client of my skills... when you have to do that with every client and you have a lot of clients, it gets old!)

decided I didn't like the way I drew Kanon. I used his blue blanket with clouds as a backdrop, this little cloth world, and his big Alligator crawl toy (I forget what they are realTo feel productive, I am including a little caricature of my son that I did when he was 18 months...he's seven now, so no it's not recent. I was concepting for a class powerpoint presentation that was basically Kanon saving the world from a gigantic alligator. I took actual pictures when Ily called...) Then I took pictures of him beating the Aligator down... His weapon of choice? The balloon! If I can find the presentation, I will post it. I have had good intentions of making it into a cartoon-strip in Illustrator; started it, but didn't finish... I am including my story-board. Fun Stuff ~ julie

more work...

2008-06-29T12:00:00.002-08:00

This is a good way to get these into picassa, so I can start my portfolio slide show!

As you can see I like rounded corners, so much so that I find it hard to use "sharp" cornered boxes (bad design feng shui!) Speaking of feng shui, I had to confess to my supervisor (she is design obsessed like me) that even in my home I round the corners; I looked around one day and realized that I have furniture in every corner of my living room. I really think that the rounding the corners helps the energy flow:)

a little bit of my work...

2008-06-28T16:35:00.009-08:00

This annual report was one of my biggest accomplishments; the first being the logo and identity resdesign that I did for the Alaska Pioneer Homes (I did the logo and then everything project I received got a similar treatment... it was really fun to put branding into action!).

(Back to the Annual that I was talking about...)
The biggest challenges of doing something really well designed for Government agencies is convincing them that well thought out and presented documents will get a better response, and keeping the cost low (this annual was done on a digital press and it came out beautifully; althought the ink will rub off on you if you're not careful).

my crazy resumé!

2008-06-28T15:53:00.003-08:00

I have gone live with my site:) I am going to buy my business licence on Tuesday... and try to get my business cards ordered this weekend. I also need to put together a leave-behind portfolio (for real design jobs) and that can be my "promo" until I get my home computer up and running.

I am going to try to get some of my professional work together for an online portfolio; just a simple picassa slideshow, but it will be faster then doing it properly; my perfectionism will take over when it comes to doing the actual web pages and the process will get very complicated, I'm sure!

moving on...

2008-06-14T12:37:00.004-08:00

I'm getting overloaded with job leads... I barely know where to focus my search! My supervisor is really helping me out and putting the word out there; she is feeling responsible which is ridiculous. Unfortunately I don't think how we feel about things or how it affects us has any effect on what comes from above. It has been really politically motivated and I'm still shocked that the bottom of the ladder are the only ones feeling it (me and two others; one other cut was actually shocking because of the seniority they had). I expect things might change direction once a new commissioner has been chosen. I am not holding out hope that they will change for me... but that sure would be nice. Any way it goes, I have moved on in many ways and will not be nearly as dedicated as I was last month; I will continue looking for something better, something that will actually pay me enough so that I can pay my student loans!

I found another great quote, and words to live by in my inbox the other day:

June 12, 2008

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.

— Victor Frankl

horse on the mountain

2008-06-11T08:00:00.001-08:00

I've been looking at this great shape in the snow and rocks on the top of Mt. Roberts... had to try my hand at it before more snow melts. I would like to do a vector illustration of it; it reminds me of tribal. It would at least make a great graphic!

new mind-set... new pastel

2008-06-09T17:47:00.004-08:00

We'll, I'm still laid-off. Everyone is sad to see me go, but no-one seems concerned enough about it to DO anything. There are programs that I work for that have $35,000 (some have more) dollars that they HAVE to spend on outreach, but they can't save my job. I don't think anyone even tried, or at least not that hard.

So, I am still a little angry about it... but I am not enraged about it (anymore). I realize now that the "universe" or "higher power" or God, or whatever you believe (I believe it all...) is telling me what I need to do. I have been taking really small baby-steps to get there; now I have to charge ahead and get serious about it. I'm starting my own freelance business... I'm terrified. I really can't imagine relying on freelance to make a living! I will continue my job search, but if I can make money at it I won't have to take just any job out of desperation... I can actually wait until I find a creative job better then the one I had. That is my ultimate goal... my next job will be the next step. I will not go back and I don't really want to step to the side. There is a job that pays the same as my old one, and I would accept it because the experience is the "next level."

The wheels are in motion. I have paid for my url (when I upload my pages I will announce it); I have a friend who will help me to get a small business loan; I am going to get my business license with my next paycheck. Then I have tons of other things I need to do... business cards, promo cards, leave behind mini-portfolios, invoices, etc. It is a little overwhelming, but now that some of it is done I feel much more sure about it. The big thing was my web-site and now I am glad that I did it for my mid-term; I need to change some things and add some pages, but it is ready to make "really" live! Yay:)

I have also started trying to create "fine art" in my new space and it is doable. It's no studio, but if I work in the kitchen I can just mop up the pastel dust. If I had a large easel... I could do it out my front door! I'm just not committed enough to it to get it done.

Here is a small (4"x 4" canvas) pastel taken from my "Soar" ideas... I like it, but is isn't quite there yet. I did put it in a shadow box to see how it looked and it really popped out against the black. I'm kind of excited. I could make a ton of these and just hang them all together on one wall and then I could give them away for presents, one by one! We'll see about that, too.

inspiring quote... demoralizing situation

2008-05-28T13:00:00.008-08:00

“If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.”
— Anonymous

I was laid-off from my job (that I love and I tell everybody that all the time...) yesterday. I am pretty upset, but that is just part of the healing process. The hard part is not to take it personally; it was definitely for budget reasons (they had to cut our budget by 25%). I was the last of the Publication staff hired, although I was hired at a higher class then another person. My immediate supervisor is really upset. The scary thing is that we have four people in our office, and two of us have been laid-off... They have only laid one person off from our Anchorage office and they seem to be keeping all the writers and hatcheting the designers. It seems that "capital creep" strikes again. So, to the the Alaska State Legislature... my son and I thank you for putting me out of a job! So much for all our wealth and oil money if you see a need to cut already marginal folks, like myself.

I love the Dr.

2008-05-16T10:05:00.002-08:00

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”
— Dr. Seuss

frogs!

2008-05-10T16:57:00.007-08:00

I found these frogs I did... it was after graduation when I started getting my "desire" to sketch again. It's funny, because I rarely sketched in school except for assignments, like for comps and concept drawings. I do have a handful of misc drawings that got into the mix. I guess I felt like I might use up my creativity and not be able to perform... I'm glad that is not the case. I have been more productive in my personal and private artwork since I've had my full-time creative job; it's actually a huge relief to know that the spring still flows and for the most part I don't get "creative-blocks" that I can't get around (so far).

I love how I did little circles, gestures really, for the large frogs toes... I can never plan things like that, it's just nice when it works out.

IF Seed

2008-05-05T16:49:00.002-08:00

I have actually been inspired by the last two Illustration Friday topics... but since my Computer Graphics class ended on the firsst, this is the first one I've had time to sketch. For wrinkles I wanted to do a picture of an elephant... I love elephants and there wrinkly, tough skin and their slow (seemingly) gentle ways. I'll post it if I ever get back to it.

For seed this image just popped into my head. It reminds me of the majic beans from Jack and the Beanstalk. I could and may still try interpreting it in Illustrator; even if I don't I am happy with the way the sketch turned out:)

make your own easel!

2008-04-23T11:51:00.006-08:00

I know I haven't been posting much artwork... but I keep finding great things online. Like, I found these plans for a huge easel. I happened upon a link to it during my blog-break at linesandcolors.com.

I have been meaning to search for plans to build my own for a while now. When I went to Atlin Centre for the Arts (way back in 1990; I guess it is called Atlin Centre now) Gernot Dick, the owner/operator/teacher/founder/very-cool-guy, gave us plans for the ones he had in the painters studios. I still have them, but after two decades of moving from place to place there is no way I will find them easily. I actually really liked the benches they had (don't know if they still have them) at UAS-Juneau (or was it UAA?) You could flip them on their backs and use them like a table for your drawing board. Definitely not for canvases, large or otherwise. So, we shall see if I can get this project done this summer... If I miraculously do get to it, I will definitely share the final product here!

submissions for ATC exhibit wanted

2008-04-22T09:16:00.003-08:00

Just in case any of my fellow Art & Tech class mates are still trolling around these old blogs... The Ankeny Art Center in Iowa is asking for submissions of Artist Trading Cards. Might be fun to enter a few- they keep them, so don't expect them back if you decide to enter. I found this at theartlist.com, which looks like a great resource for artist opportunities!

By the way... Happy Earth Day! Although, I really do believe that every day is Earth Day (I'm a dork, I know!)

me 10 years ago...

2008-04-21T11:31:00.006-08:00

I needed to sketch the other day and I have been thinking about doing a new illustration for my avatar... The only pictures I have and/or that I like are from 10 or more years ago! They still look like me, but obviously better; I am a big believer in improving with age, but then I see a new picture of me and am shocked at how I look because I still see myself in my minds eye as a 25-28 year old! Oh well, maybe it's just the old adage in works: You're only as old as you feel!

(looking at the sketch... it really doesn't look like me... My face isn't that gaunt and the lips aren't quite right. I could probably make it look better digitally, but we shall see if I feel the need! My avatar now really looks like the original picture; in that one I was a fresh 23 or 24:)

build your own pinhole camera!

2008-04-18T12:34:00.004-08:00

Free pinhole camera download from Corbis! Looks cool. I don't know if I will do it, but just knowing it is there to download and build anytime I want makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside:)

origami bird trials

2008-04-18T09:09:00.005-08:00

I just wanted to record my origami bird trials... I still don't know if I want to incorporate them as a 3-d element; I think I do, but if I do the shape has to be just right... They aren't there yet. I may have to cut the square down into a rectangle to get the shape I want. The little ones from my collage turned out (for the most part) the way I want them to look. They are also 3/4" compared to these which are about 5"; it's much easier to manipulate something small and get it to look polished! Now I wonder if I should just paint/draw the shape and cut the paper to fit in the shapes I want... I would like it to be more 3-d, though!

bursting with creativity!

2008-04-17T10:15:00.005-08:00

I have been going crazy! I need art:) I have all these things swirling through my head... Decorating (but I have no money). I am in love with this modern room from Domino Magazine; it has a grass green velvet chair and lighter yellow-green textural curtains (not shown below) with pops of red and fushia (I am not a pink person, either, it just works with that green!). There is also a huge ebony statue of a stag. It is really whimsical... I want a whimsical space! Good thing my space is small; I won't have to spend much to decorate! I have this page open on my desk so I can look at it longingly and it seems to help negate all the ugly rain (and 12 inches of snow this morning). I just look at that room and it is my cocoon of spring time yummy color.
Here is the link to the Domino page.

a little break:)

2008-04-15T11:20:00.005-08:00

I am still here! I finished up my Art & Technology class and life has been rolling ever since... so I haven't had time or the internet to blog. Since I last posted... I turned 37; moved; will be moving again (I can take my time this time); became a single mother (!); got deathly ill (103-104 degree temps)... I don't really like change. I really don't like being at the mercy of change, but it is easier to relax into it then it is to fight it. It comes whether your ready or not, I guess. I need to set up a place in my new place to do my art work... I think I have a spot. Then I will start blogging again, in earnest!

oops... the title should be "a little break" not "a little bread"! I need to improve my proof-reading skills :)

ffffound it again...

2008-03-15T16:50:00.004-08:00

Thank you Alex for sharing this site with me (and Nicole)... It's one that is usually blocked at work when I take my blog-breaks, but we have free-range now (!) We are our own administrators:) so I will be checking out www.ffffound.com a lot more now. I guess they have so many contributors that they will get three new pages of posts every day.

We traded Art Trading Cards and I will try to get some pictures of those posted... they are really cool and unique. I might rotate like collections through a shadow box... it would be like an ever changing gallery show on my wall!

good quote

2008-03-13T10:59:00.004-08:00

I'm actually in class, but wanted to put this quote up... for my future reference (I need all the inspiration and guidance I can get!):

March 13, 2008

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

— Scott Adams

IF "garden"

2008-03-09T18:23:00.008-08:00

I am using my old illustrations like modular building blocks... oh what fun:) I have (obviously) been in love with these flowers (they are all over my web-site)... and these green garden illustrations fit the bill for this weeks Illustration Friday theme to the tee; my container "garden." I killed two birds with one stone and worked on this in class this last Saturday. We are making artist trading cards to trade with one another; very fun, I can't wait... maybe I will scan my favorite to share next week!

check it out, now!

2008-03-06T22:51:00.005-09:00

Colleen said I could give this link out... so if you want to see what I've done so far, click here! It is a work in progress...like everything.

I think I am going to make more of a portal out of the default page and move all the "about me" stuff onto an "about me" page. But for now, to get it in for grades this is where it will stay. I am so excited:) I thought it would take me a long time to get my own site up and now all I have to do is get my url and choose a web hosting service (I've heard webhotel.com is good and cheap, but godaddy.com seems to have some good packages... I think I'll research it a bit more).

my website (?!!)

2008-03-05T09:30:00.011-09:00

I'm sooooo excited:) My website will be done in just a couple of months! It has been years in the coming... I am finally taking a class at UAS and learning a lot and getting a lot out of it. Colleen Mckenna is really great and knows her stuff.

Here are two screen shots; I will post the link when I get them all done and choose a web server. I am not a flowery person, so I'm sure this site will change when I get tired of the flowers. The flowers are from a sketch I did in 2006, so maybe I will change it up with another sketch that I will develop and then I can do that every 6 months or a year. Yes, it will be a site with an identity crisis... But the navigation and content will stay consistent (I know not to alienate people... but I've got "itchy designer" syndrome.

I'm also just putting my picassa.com slideshow up until I can find the time to do a really well designed flash gallery. I could do a poorly designed one using PhotoShop, but I would rather take the time and get it right... So, I'm cheating for now.

IF "multiple"

2008-02-28T10:50:00.007-09:00

I did this digital illustration in PhotoShop two weeks ago in my Art & Technology class blog. Now I'm glad I didn't already post it here... I'm trying not to be too redundant (not that it matters, but I want two separate records of my progress).

Anyway, the original title was "cheesey pop-art" because I love Andy Warhol (I did a report on his life in high school) but I have never done the whole pop-art thing. I also haven't gotten to really play in PhotoShop in a very long time... This class has been really good for that. Really pushing what I already know and trying to bridge fine art and digital art. The original sketch is from a previous post as well. I love being able to revisit things and I am really playing with version-ing in a tangible way. I don't really have a set process yet, but this is how it seems to be coming together: original sketch, digital rendering, original pastel... then maybe I will start compositing and collaging the two together.

becoming an illustrator?

2008-02-23T09:50:00.009-09:00

My last post brought up some thoughts about where I see myself going with my career. I love being a working graphic designer, but I see the limitations looming ahead of me. We just aren't valued unless we bring something else to the table. Employers want to get two positions filled for the price of one and it is like that all over. The jobs that pay well want way more then the extra money is worth. I see all kinds of jobs in different cities and towns that pay $5,000 - $7,000 more/year then what I make now, but that money would barely cover my moving expenses and daycare expenses (I would loose the Grandparent's, thankfully, free daycare). And these jobs want more education and experience then they are really worth. The ones that sound the best to me are the ones that won't have a lot of room to move up in; I went to school so that I could be happy in my profession and that is VERY important to me. If we have to spend 30% of our lives at work (is that the correct percentage?... I think we spend 30% working and 30% sleeping; I spend more then 30% working, though) I am determined to be happy!

So, I think that doing illustration as a free-lancer sounds like the best way to supplement my income... I do it anyway, on my own, because I love to do it! So...

I don't see myself ever being an illustrator of the caliber of the ones featured in 3x3 Magazine, but looking at what great illustrators are doing helps me to put my own talents into perspective and to know what I love to look at and what I enjoy working on. When I think of "illustration" I think tedious... so I need to change my perceptions about it. I'm still figuring all that out, and trying to figure out how to turn what I consider playing into making a living. I just have too many "good ideas" that I get excited about and then they just fizzle out. The best ideas seem to take money to get started, and if I had the money to get started, I wouldn't need to branch out. Although, I must say, that I am not as money motivated as I am driven to create. I just need to figure out how to do one while doing the other!

belated thank you

2008-02-23T08:48:00.006-09:00

I just wanted to finally write an official thank you to Annie Patterson (imagine and create illustration blog) for sending me her extra 3x3 Magazine, issue 8, cover pictured below. Annie is an illustrator living on the Arctic Ocean in Alaska. I really love her whimsical illustrations and the beautiful Arctic pictures... the light there is so different then anywhere I have ever seen.

So, THANK YOU, Annie!

I have, of course already thanked her personally... but I wanted to take pictures of the actual magazine for my blog. My camera just isn't good enough, so the picture below is from the 3x3 site... it is a really beautiful publication and they have great galleries featuring the illustrators from their issues. Their is some great eye-candy there. I love to see what these working artists are doing.

I was really impressed with the cover illustrator, Yuko Shimizo. She has some really brilliant, modern, youthful (emo comes to mind) illustrations that have a Japanese wood block feel. Love her work! She is not the same Yuko Shimizo who created Hello Kitty, it says so on her site!

playing in PhotoShop

2008-02-09T16:34:00.001-09:00

I will be the first to admit that I am more comfortable in Illustrator then PhotoShop, but that is changing! I mean, knowing when to use which one is half the battle... I've known that for a while. But when you are more comfortable in something you are able to dig and figure out obscure things, which is where I am with Illustrator. Now the tables are tipping and I am learning all kinds of great PhotoShop tricks in this class. It is also really nice to be able to play and not worry about getting something done/figured out for a deadline.

This is my PhotoShop version of last weeks collage... not happy with the choppiness of the lines, but that is where you would have to choose to do certain elements in another program. But it is great for concepting... I can now take this to another level or in a different direction :) julie

Wearable Art Show Tonight and Tomorrow!

2008-02-09T09:01:00.001-09:00

They took the panels away before we were completely finished! It was okay, though, because on Wednesday night we said if we couldn't finish them they looked complete as is. We had wanted to put a visual focal point inside each of the cogs on each panel, oh well.

I have to go down and sign them, and this is ridiculous, but I have anxiety about that. I don't sign my work and it is a habit I learned from AP art in high school. You aren't supposed to sign your work so that you don't get preferential treatment from the judges if they know you. So, I am really bad about that. It just isn't important to me. I also have anxiety about how it will look. I think my crappy little signature ruins the picture, a lot of times... am I the only artist who has this weird hang-up? And, I am okay if I am signing with pen or pastel or pencil, but I don't even know if I can do my signature with paint! I am going to practice. It's not like it has to look exactly like my signature... I'm sure it will be fine.

mural progress

2008-02-05T15:12:00.001-09:00

I've been talking about these enough, and spending enough of my life working on them... I thought I should at least give a glimpse of them. I must just say that the artistic direction has really been helmed by Jay Crondahl and James Voelker; they are both true artists... And even with foam brushes!

Here is the work in progress. Keep in mind that this is made up of five 10'x10' (yes, feet) canvases. It has changed since this picture, so you'll have to come to the Wearable Art Show to see them in person! julie

cool design sites!

2008-02-03T23:26:00.000-09:00

I really need to go to bed! I found this site as I was searching for mechanical renderings (or inspiration for the murals). It is an ultra-mod German site dedicated to new, cool, clever design. Clean mod design clears the senses! It's called designspotter.com and I'm adding it to my inspiration links:) I'm also adding Orla Kiely, orlakiely.com, who does the most amazing textile designs and makes really cool (I will own one some day) purses out of her laminated textiles (and really exquisite leather bags for much more $!) I really love her simple leaf designs that are used for the flash intro to her site... and on the bag below. Check it out:) julie

very productive...

2008-02-03T21:56:00.000-09:00

Yes, I have been very productive this weekend... which is amazing since I have so much going on. I don't know how I've found the time. Well, I know I skipped a lot of sleep; early this am I did that collage (three posts down). And, I was never able to meet up with anyone to work on the murals, so I worked on some ideas digitally and finished my istock.com illustrations. Yay me, again! istock has accepted the arbor and I am now waiting to hear back about my urn and lady liberty from the previous post. The arbor and urn are illustrations that I did in school for my graphics standards manual. I made up a company I called Garden Gate, and did a series of these green illustrations of garden items (no scale wasn't important to me, obviously... now I am questioning it with them right next to each other). I also have an adirondack chair and a glass and brass hanging lantern which I will post later. I love(d) all the things that I chose... they are things that I would love to have in my garden if I had a garden or even a yard!) I will try to get some pictures of the graphics standards manual (my old computer and, thus, my old school files aren't working).

The illustrations themselves have been a little problematic... istock wants all blocks of color and shapes to be closed, but I use a brush tool a lot of the time to get variations in line weight more easily and to give them a more sketchy look. So, I have to go in and close shapes and make sure there aren't any stray lines or points. I has really been a lot of work! So, now when I do a new illustration, I am making sure I do those thing as I work... not too hard to remember unless I am really wrapped up in the moment. julie

recent digital illustration

2008-02-03T21:33:00.000-09:00

This is an idea I worked up for the mural project... but the murals have taken another direction! I uploaded it to istock.com (for those who don't know... a great source for cheap but professional looking stock). I am trying to get approved (or all three trial illustrations approved) to start uploading and selling my digital illustrations. I figured it would be a good way to get some of my images out there with the least amount of trouble and money! They approved one and declined on two, saying that the style wasn't what they were looking for. Hopefully this one isn't too crazy. I think it would make a great album cover or t-shirt, but I am biased:) like a mother with her children! julie

digital flowers from sketch

2008-02-03T21:08:00.000-09:00

Here is my original sketch and digital version of flowers that I drew last year I also made one into a single flower for a repeating background... tested it and it works great! Yay me:) Nothing major just fun (I love the colors... of course they look so much better in the sketch, although you can't tell from the scan). I used prisma color pencils for it, Illustrator for the digital file, and took that into PhotoShop for the repeating background. julie

collage for Art and Technology class

2008-02-03T00:36:00.000-09:00

I am stealing this post from my class blog... Too tire to write anything different!

I had to leave class early today... but I didn't want to miss the collage exercise! I wanted to play with a theme I have been kicking around. I love origami paper and have a couple of pieces that I am working on the incorporate the simple origami shape of birds. Until now the bird shapes were left white, because of all the other color going on. In this I used actual origami paper. I thought, it would be good to play with another media and try to get the bird shapes down, since I am thinking about making them 3-d on the canvas. I know it's cheesy, but it was good to work through it this way! (Hope I didn't miss the whole point of the collage assignment:) julie

Volunteering?!

2008-02-02T09:20:00.002-09:00

I accepted an offer to be a part of a mural project. It is kind of funny, because I am not really a painter and I don't really have much free-time... but it is a great opportunity to work with other artists and collaborate. At first I was the only one that was there to meet with the shows designers and to come up with a direction... so in the interest of getting the project over with as soon as possible with the least amount of disruption in my life, I came up with a concept and a plan to to see that concept through... then the other artists showed up! I have to get my brain out of the idea that I have no time and am not taking care of myself, and just get into the process. It is hard to get my head out of my bills and work and family needs... I am really overwhelmed, but when I let myself get into the process it really is satisfying to see the art and concept emerge. The other artists have been very patient with my hesitation and I appreciate that.

The really eye-opening thing that I have experienced in the last three weeks is that I have realized that even though I work creatively every day, I don't think like a traditional artist; although I think many traditional artists think methodically and conceptually like I do. The mural project being the most recent spring-board to realization, I also received a forwarded email of a spinning silhouette from which you can tell what side of your brain you are using by which way you see it spinning. When I received the email I was taking a break from working on the lay-out for a big project and I saw it spinning clock-wise. I wasn't too surprised; it meant that I was using the left side of my brain (mathematical, relational, analytical). Which means that I spend most of my work life using the left side of my brain. What a rip-off! I thought I was a "creative" and that is how I want to identify myself. But, it makes sense that I have all these "artistic" ideas that are trying to jump out of my head... I am still not getting that side fully-realized at my job. Would I really want to waste my art on work? I don't think so. So, I am happy that I have a "creative" job, but I have realized that I still need to realize my deeper art.

In my Art and Technology class John Fehringer has said that he keeps some of his art to himself and doesn't show it or sell it. He says that he has to separate his art from the art that he sells, because with his the latter he is thinking as he creates it "will this sell?" I am finding myself torn because I want to make my fine-art and sell it (!), so what is left for me? I guess trying to sell what you've made for arts sake is different from making something to sell... but where does the line blur? When everything you make sells? When do you start needing to come up with a different kind of "fine art"?

Anyway, the class and the mural project have been really eyeopening. I would highly recommend taking a class from John Fehringer... he is a really great artist and teacher!

Sketches

2008-01-12T03:38:00.000-09:00

I haven't even finished the last piece and I have ideas rolling around for another one... I want to depict something that happened to me a few years ago. I used to walk my dog around a pond that is in the forest by my old house and in the winter at 5am it is completely dark. I continued to walk there, though, because there is a board-walk with old, worn, lightly colored planks.
The day I stopped going through there in the dark was when we disturbed a Great Blue Heron on the pond. I almost had a heart-attack when I heard the sound of its great big wings at such close proximity and in an enclosed space; it was really startling... It took me a moment to even figure out what was going on and that I wasn't going to be attacked by some nocturnal beast!

Here are my rough, preliminary sketches. The Great Blue Herons are really beautiful birds... I have been really into birds lately (?). julie

New Year contests

2008-01-10T00:21:00.000-09:00

First of all I have to say, I really like these two illustration blogs; The Little Chimp Society and Drawn!. They both always have new posts daily, they highlight great designers, illustrators and artists as well as interesting design-y and arts-y things, and they always announce contests and call-for-entries. Two of the latter sound really cool. I don't know if I will have time to participate, but I'm going to try:)

1) posted on The Little Chimp Society, the MAiLmeART project (deadline is January 30th! They are going to sell the pieces they receive and give the artist 70%... cool things shown on their site: www.mailmeart.com)

2) posted on Drawn, the Post-it-note project
(doesn't start until February 01; check out the original post at theartoffee.livejournal.com.

back to school...

2008-01-10T00:07:00.001-09:00

I have been busy at work and busy signing up for school... I have to go back to school so I can get an in-school deferment for my student loans- I've used up all my other deferments and forbearances :( And since there are classes at UAS that will benefit my career and my art, I decided to at least make the attempt. Now we will see if they will give me anymore money for school! I am especially excited about the John Fehringer classes (I registered for Art and Technology). I love his work and really want to see what his process is as a designer. Looking at his site it looks like he is doing all web design. I've heard he doesn't do air-brush at all any more and works exclusively in digital format; I can see how you could go that route, although I really like doing hands-on hand-work. I will post about all the exciting things I learn! Julie

New work inspired!

2008-01-06T22:52:00.000-09:00

Thanks to Illustration Friday I have some really good brain fodder to work with! I am determined to take my work to the next level this year... the piece I did for last weeks topic, "soar," is something I want to play with more and it actually made me get my canvases prepared and get my pastels out. I am going to play with the idea of origami birds added to my pastel background. I will post when I come up with a good solution (I have a some ideas in mind, but I'm not sure if I will like the results...) The picture isn't great, I need a new /better camera. The flash is blowing out all the detail in the trees, but you can see the basic result :) Julie

cute wallpaper!

2008-01-05T18:00:00.001-09:00

I just wanted to show off the wallpaper I downloaded for my son's computer... Heather Sloan has the cutest illustrations! I especially like her "monster girl" (#13 and #14 under portfolio/illustration). My son thinks the bunny saying "I think I peed" is hilarious (I do too until he tells everyone at school about it:) The wallpaper is free to download on (one of) her other site(s) barknuggets.com.

t-shirt design for a friend...

2008-01-04T20:54:00.000-09:00

Here is a variation of the Mendenhall Glacier illustration I did a while back... It is for the Coast Guard medical clinic here (a friend of mine works there). I don't know if it is what they were thinking, but I like the way it turned out! Julie

from the left...

2008-01-03T23:30:00.000-09:00

This is just a short post to share this great site for left-handed artists and designers. It is a well designed site and it's fun to go through the profiles and read their left-hand stories; not to mention there are some really great artists highlighted. My sister and I are both lefties but we cut with our right hands(?)! Check it out: lefthandside.com :) Julie

IF SOAR

2008-01-02T22:43:00.000-09:00

Here is my Illustration Friday try at "soar." I've had a picture similar to this in my mind since last summer when I saw a bunch of birds flying over Twin Lakes... I believe it was stormy and misty out, but when I went to interpret it I had to let loose with the color. I like the idea of the birds being origami birds. I need to add trees (if it doesn't get horribly busy) and I'd like to add some pattern. I will post the final later when I get to it;)

Here is my rough, rough sketch... but I know I liked it. Sometimes just putting a concept on paper helps even if it isn't a perfect pencil drawing!

inspiration

2008-01-01T23:26:00.001-09:00

I know I just posted, but I wanted to make sure I pointed out this really great blog... it is two friends/sisters and they live 3,191 miles apart. They both take a picture every day and post them side-by-side. They both have similar aesthetics (an aesthetic I can really relate to), and many times the pictures turn out strangely and surprisingly similar. I found them at the end of their year of mornings which will be published in book form some time this year... But starting on January 15 they will be doing a year of evenings. www.3191.visualblogging.com.
It is one I can count on for (almost) daily inspiration. I have become really obsessed with needing eye-candy (design wise) to look at every day to keep me inspired... There are worse obsessions I suppose:)

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T22:07:00.000-09:00

I have been extremely busy, as always at the end of the year... Have to make the kiddo happy and I am an overachiever when it comes to presents and wrapping (even when b-r-o-k-e).

I felt bad that I ran out of cookies for my colleagues at work, so I found this template on designverb.com for paint-chip card holders! Really easy and cool, although I don't recommend staying up until 2am making them like I did:) There are two templates: one for a standard 3.5" x 2" business card and another for moo.com mini cards that are 2.76"h x 1.1"w (and 19.99+shipping for 100..! I guess you can upload pics from flikr... not sure if other picture services will work, but I'm sure you can upload directly from your computer!) Moo.com seems to be super cool. I have plans to get sticker books made and possibly the mini cards; they would both be great giveaways. They also do postcards; I highly recommend checking them out!

Here are pics of a few of the ones that I made... The back row has unfinished ones shown.

I got really carried away at Home Depot and grabbed two of every color that I liked. They didn't even bat an eye. I also grabbed some of the small single color paint-chips and used those for gift tags. They worked great! They have rounded corners and yummy colors, what more could you ask for?

Click on the template size you want (open it in a photo editing program, or else it won't print as the correct size):
1) Standard Business Card Holder 3.5" x 2"
2) Moo.com Mini Card Holder 1.1" x 2.76"

The Mendenhall Glacier

2007-12-10T01:00:00.000-09:00

For "Little things" I also thought of our glacier, the Mendenhall glacier in Juneau, Alaska. Glacial ice is pretty amazing, they put a chunk out in front of the vistor's center to show the tourists how the compact ice crystals are like a 3-d puzzle that you can pull apart as it melts. I am designing a t-shirt for a friend using the glacier as the main image... I put the logo style wording in for this post! It looks like I need to rotate it. I like off-kilter, but that might be a bit much.

IF LITTLE THINGS

2007-12-10T00:49:00.000-09:00

Now I am up-to-date! Here is my concept for Illustration Friday's "Little Things." I heard a piece on NPR about Daimler's Smart car and they were test driving one. The reporter said that he was able to park it between the end of the curb and a big SUV; of course Hummer came to my mind!

IF EXCESS

2007-12-10T00:41:00.000-09:00

Here is my rough sketch for last week's Illustration Friday topic "Excess." We had been experiencing a cold snap and it had been hovering aroung 20 degrees F. We dodn't have the snow (last year it was up to my waist by November 30), but I thought that I should combine the two excesses for this year and last.

IF HATS

2007-12-10T00:23:00.000-09:00

I have been doing the Illustration Friday topics... I just haven't had it together enough to post them on time. So, here is "Hats" from two weeks ago. I had a picture of the hat scene from The Prestige where they find all the duplicate hats from Nikola Tesla's contraption (played by David Bowie; a foreshadowing of things to come). This was just a rough sketch of that basic concept (only with cute bunnies!).

My Avatar

2007-11-30T03:07:00.000-09:00

Well I have been working on some things... just not sketching:( But I did finally finish my icon/avatar. I'm sure it will change as I get tired of it. I have been working on it using Ilustrator's Live Trace tool and I haven't been very impressed (!) I was really afraid that it would be the end of digital illustrators... but I don't think anyone needs to worry. You still need to do a lot of clean-up and of course layout and composition and line quality; the things that everyone takes for granted. Basically you still need to be an artist.

I found a new vector conversion tool at http://vectormagic.stanford.edu/. A colleague said her friends think it is better then Live Trace. It is good, but you don't have the same amount of control, although you can edit individual paths more easily. I combined the two, and still had to do a lot of clean-up. I would rather do it by "hand" with the pen tool. I will post some old digital illustrations I did in school. At my art school they did not focus on digital illustration and I had to figure it out on my own... I'm sure it has changed a bit, but they are mostly about cranking us out into the industry.

As for the one below, it still needs some work to mesh the two styles. (But) I felt like I really needed to put my identity up and it looks better smaller!

Here is one that has a fixed ear! Couldn't stand that dark line (looks like I'm wearing a headset!) :) 1.4.08 julie

2007-11-21T09:18:00.002-09:00

I have been a blog slacker... and I haven't been sketching either... I should know better, as soon as Halloween hits the holidays have begun and I don't have time for myself (and I am too broke to go to the life-drawing sessions at the Ruby Room). It seems like it is non-stop planning, shopping, and celebrating starting there. My son's birthday is 30 days after, and of course Thanksgiving is about a week before that. This year is especially hard because Thanksgiving is so early and daylight savings happened so much later. It has thrown off more than one person's schedule, so I've heard.

We also had a family tragedy that happened a little over a week ago (very sad). The family is recovering slowly. We all had our own plans for Kadyn, but we especially feel for Angie and Steve; as a parent you worry about this from day one. I know that I don't understand the exact feelings they are experiencing, but I know how it would devastate me. I am a "struggle-through-on-my-own" kind of person and would get lost in the pain, but they have been surrounded by this huge supportive net of family and friends- I hope they know how much they are loved and how much we wish we could help take way the pain they are feeling.

Anyway, here is my tribute to Kadyn Robert Lewis. He was a really beautiful baby that we are very blessed to have known.

2007-10-29T22:42:00.000-08:00

I am trying to get all my things in one place without a website. It's been fairly easy with all the new free services out there. Gmail has everything I need easily accessible through my email. I'm sure there are other ways, but I like everything in one place!

I have my sketch book set up in Picasa as well as the trees I did for Zen and my favorite, "Driftwood on Atlin beach" (hanging in my office- I look at it when I need to remember: I am an artist!)

The trees are hanging in Zen Restaurant in Juneau, AK. They are huge, approximately 5'8"x6', and they are Pastel on stretched canvas. Making pastels "drip" was no easy task! The drips look better in person.

The "Driftwood on Atlin Beach" was a project I did for my Advanced Image Manipulation class. I scanned the original photograph and a pastel drawing of it making a composite of them in PhotoShop. I then printed the composite as well as the original scans onto different types of paper and collaged them together. The effect is very cubist and I loved the way the handmade papers took the ink, but remained transparent when I added them to the collage. I hope to play more with this technique... I need to get my printer fixed or buy a new one first. I think I wore my printer out in school; it broke down a couple months after graduation! Hope you enjoy them *Julie

2007-10-18T11:19:00.001-08:00

Hi again!

I meant to post these with my first post... I am going to set up the full sketches in flickr (unless someone knows of a better place!) Some of these are from 2006, and I have edited my book and only put the "best" here. I also wanted to have a little process here; the trees (two per page) were studies for the trees I did for Zen. They are the oldest, so they are pretty smudged up. I love the looseness of the lines on the colored one and I tried to incorporate the graphic elements from the more detailed pencil drawings into the finals (the hatch marks and directional lines to delineate the different planes of the foreground and background). I will post the pics of the pieces I did for Zen later. Hope you enjoy my little slide show! Here is the link to the picasa album with the larger versions of my sketch book. Julie:)

2007-10-18T10:42:00.001-08:00

Hi all!

I have been sticking with my sketching and have even sucked it up and started attending life drawing sessions at the Ruby Room (juneaudrawing@gmail.com if you are interested). I thought I would be intimidated, because many of the people there are professional artist. My goal is to get serious enough to be considered "professional," so I need to put myself out there more. I went to school with some of the people there and have worked with others, so I didn't feel out of my element... it was good to get some serious drawing in. The figure is so different then objects, there is so much more to pay attention to and so much more personality and mood that comes out when you draw the human body. The model was very good and she had really long graceful arms and really pretty lines. I had nothing but good angles... I hate it when you get stuck with the worst views of the poses, but this was not a full circle were someone gets the back or what have you. So, I think everyone had good angles.

I am trying to get my supervisor to come, and she seems excited. She was wondering if there was a lot of discussion about technique, etc... there wasn't we were all pretty focused. I always get like that. I transport myself to another place. I have always done that. That is why I like night classes, because I like to walk out under cover of darkness... I guess that way the spell doesn't get broken:)

Here are the longer sketched I did. I ran out of large paper, which I prefer to work on, and did these in my little 5.5"X8.5" sketch book. I used pencils rather then charcoal, and you can see how tight my style is when I work like that. I am much looser and can get my compositions laid out better on large paper... I need to get to the art supply store. Julie:)

my first blog...

2007-10-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

I have been planning on getting a blog going for a while. Not that I think that what I have to say is so great, but I always thought the picture-a-day blogs sounded like a great way to let off some creative steam. This will be more like a picture-when-I-have-time-to-create blog!

I love following artist and illustrator blogs to see how they deal with the creative process. I know that there is a process for each artist and I love to see how differently we arrive at our final piece. It is like offering a little piece of our soul to the rest of the world which can make one feel very vulnerable. I know for me I do not like the spot light and creating art is very personal, but there comes a time when you have to stop creating in a vacuum and get input from the outside world.

I am usually terrible at keeping up on my sketching, but now that my work life has evened out and I'm out of school I have a lot of creative energy bubbling over. My goal is to produce a body of work by the end of November that I can approach a "gallery" space with (coffee shop or some such!) I am going to explore my favorite medium, dry pastel, which I have been using on canvas with (surprisingly) a lot of success. Right now my sketches are just a way of tuning my eye; they don't represent my final subject matter.

I would love feedback... every comment is appreciated:)

Julie