Fat, Hairy Dudes

You have to admit that for fat, hairy little blobs they're pretty damn cute. When they grow up these hairballs will be illustrations for a calendar project. But right now they are a mere footnote in my extensive and ongoing Color Angst Saga. Behold my latest bout of indecision! At the moment I am leaning toward Balloon Boy Green over Noshing Big Blue, but who knows what I'll think in the morning.

Boys in Skirts

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers is a real band based in Scotland. They are known for playing hard rock bagpipes while sporting fetching kilts. (Which is part of the reason I love Scotland. Bring on the man legs!) These dudes were all over the radio when I was in Scotland, driving through the Isle of Skye, headbanging along to the melodic skirls of "We Will Rock You." To the best of my knowledge they have never actually played in Seattle, but I'm sure they'll rectify that oversight soon.

The poster and postcard were designed for my Illustrator class. Let's all take a moment to admire the sporran.

If you click to enlarge, you'll be able to check out the lovely plaid pattern I made to fill the type. 

Below is the front and back of the postcard for this completely fabricated concert.

Color Studies of Birds

For this assignment we were asked to take an image of a bird and color it using three different color pallets. It's fun to see how changing the color story completely alters a picture.

Because I am a mythology geek, I drew a bird based on Anthea's Owl, an image that used to be stamped on ancient Athenian coins. Behold:

 

Below is my original sketch, done in ink on white drawing paper:

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I traced the black and white image with the mighty Illustrator pen tool and then added color.

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It's Not a Bird! It's a Didot!

Some more proof that I can make images that are not birds! Here is an informational poster on Francois Didot, whom you all need to learn a little something about. No. Really. Read it.

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Launching with a smile

I may as well begin this blog on a happy note. This is my very first assignment using Adobe Illustrator, which is a massive program that could probably do my laundry if only I knew how to ask. Which I don't.

But I do know how to make adorable little birds, those are right in my wheelhouse. Maybe I'll take all the time I'm spending on the bus these days and write a children's book to go with this illustration: Purple Penguin Goes to the Moon. I can hear the royalties rolling in already. Huzzah! School has already paid for itself.

And I know it looks simple, but that freaking moon took hours. HOURS! I may never have time to watch crap TV again.

Click on the picture to view it in all its glory.