Thanks guys!!

You guys are so cute!! Love the suggestions, they are very helpful.

I am going to upload the files to Lulu on Sunday at the latest. That way I will receive it on the 8th giving me enough time to mail it to Beth by the 14th, her anniversary and the last day that I am able to give her a wedding present without causinng bad luck ;) As of now, the book is illustrated, and I am in the process of painting the illustrations with watercolor.

I decided that I am going to send her a fairly straightforward version and keep working on the book as a design piece. I love the ideas for mediums that you guys suggested and I am going to check out the sites.

Hope to have something uploaded by Thursday or Friday.

I am not making excuses.

This is just where I am.

I won't be coming to class today. Since Friday morning when I woke up to now (Wednesday at 6:22 a.m.), I have spent every free minute I had working on a pet project. It is a pet project because it a wedding/anniversary gift for a friend, and it is in children's book form. I love children's books, and obviously I love this particular friend to put some much love into a gift for her.

I am illustrating this piece by hand. I am a decent illustrator at best and it takes me sooo long to create artwork I am satisfied with. I thought I would be done with this by Monday. It is Wednesday morning, and I am halfway done. I have not been fooling around, I have been working non stop because I have to finish this in the next few days. My goal is to make a design piece out of a children's book. Children's books are usually straightforward and simple. What techniques can I use to make it a more sophisticated design piece?

I have declined invitations to social events. I had to visit the family upstate on Sunday (this was unavoidable, I couldn't get out of it) and I had an appointment today that I made months ago. I attended dutifully but left early so I could work. I have to be at the doctors in 3 hours, to get results from blood tests. I was there for an hour and a half on Friday so that a nurse could spend 2 seconds while on the phone to check the results of another test. Argh.

I feel class is important, definitely, but I am tired of bringing in half finished work because I don't feel you guys can give me proper feedback if the pieces are not finished. So I am going to finish the pieces I am working on and bring them in next class. That way you guys can give me feedback, and I will still have 2 weeks to improve the work. Other than work work and this doctor appointment (hopefully the last one for a while!!) I will not be leaving the apartment. No disruptive family events. No engagements that I made months ago. Just work work work.

Part of me hates being a slave to the work, but at the the same time it feels like a drug. Its all I can think about, doing this work. But thats great, because in the past, I used to treat it as a chore.

Speaking of, I am going back to it. Hopefully will have this project posted tomorrow.

Two possible uses for Op Art posters

I know that for tomorrow we are supposed to have posters for tomorrow's class, but I would like to try to turn these OP Art pieces into either men's apparel or use them for a bookcover series, since I need both of these forms for my portfolio.

Men's Apparel
A lot of skateboard t-shirts are very trippy, repetitive and geometric. I think Op Art designs would fit right in with that design sensibility. Please note, I know these aren't the best designs, and it is not my goal for my shirts to come out like the ones shown below. I am merely trying to illustrate how Op art fits this aesthetic.










Bookcover Series
I have chosen to re-design the 4 Augusten Burroughs memoirs for my bookcover series. The current ones are ok, I am not in love with them. Chip Kidd designed 3 of them, I am not blown away.

Chip Kidd did this one. Clever concept, but eh.

Some guy named Steve Snider did this one. I don't like it.

Chip Kidd. Pretty clever I have to admit.

Chip Kidd, clever, but not brilliant.

Augusten himself did this one. I think its awful.

The titles:
• Running with Scissors (novel)
• Dry (Novel)
• Possible Side Effects (collection of short stories)
• Magical Thinking (collection of short stories)

I don't know how familiar you guys are with good ol' Augusten, but his writing is incredibly intelligent, funny, shocking. His sense of humor and his views on life are twisted and warped, but at times he can be incredibly poignant and touching.

I like when design evokes an abstract feeling or emotion. The Op Art I have looked at elicited feelings of dizziness, made me slightly queasy. I think the above titles lend themselves well to having a little fun with the viewer, evoking strange sensations within them, just as the book themselves do. Plus I think it wo uld be easy to unite them as a series. I am not delusional to think that this is going to be easy, but I do think it would be really fun.

Blog in progress (This is my online sketchbook after all!!)

So I have been doing a lot of online research on Op Art. Its just occurred to me to go to the library and look for books on Op Art and the artists famous for it. I probably won't be able to get to that till Thursday.

Anyways, I am kinda getting the idea of what is necessary to create a successful illusion. It requires repetitionl, variation of line. The line must be clean and very considered, otherwise the mind processes the minute difference and the illusion doesn't work.
I found this online. I am guessing it was done by a child.

It is almost a successful piece, but there are tiny irregularities that prevent it from being completely successful.

This one was definitely done by a child. I think it is quite good considering.

I am working on my own, don't know if I will post tonight but will have them tomorrow.

Op Art

I LOVE THIS IDEA!! I looked up some examples of Op Art online and man, that stuff is TRIPPY!! Its gonna be hard but if I can pull it out its going to be soooo cool! I only searched for a about 20 minutes and came across a lot of cool stuff. These are the ones I really liked; I think most are Bridget Riley but there might be a couple other artists mixed in.




This bottom one is my favorite.

Hyperactive monkey sketches.

For my cd packaging, I wanted to meet some specific requirements that I decided upon after doing a bunch of research.
• The packaging had to be uncoventional, made of a biodegradable material. No simple straightforward jewel case. The reasons for this are Pearl Jam only used the jewel case format for their first 2 releases. The rest are cardboard foldout type things. I mentioned this in a previous post but they do this because they are very eco-friendly, and also because they like to be different and experimental.
• The packaging also had to be uncoventional because the band likes to push the limits with their cd design. Previous releases have very interesting concepts. 'Vitalogy' is supposed to look like a book from the 1800s, "No Code" features collectible polaroids with liner notes; the cd flaps unfold to reveal a bigger picture. Whatever design I came up with had to have some kind of interactive quality to it, some kind of puzzle for the viewer to solve and appreciate.
• A Hand done quality. In the band's posters there is all sorts of interesting hand done type and imagery. Almost all of the cds feature some kind of hand done element, in the forms of sketches and handwritten lyrics. I wanted to bring that handmade element to my piece.

My orginal concept was that this is a compilation of outtakes, B sides, and rarities. It is made up of tracks that were cut from other albums and songs that are hard to find. My goal was to figure out how to derive the style directly from the substance. Since the compilation is made up out what was cut out, I thought it would be really cool to have 4 flaps with interesting cutout shapes, that when folded together read "Lost Dogs". Essentially, the negative space, that which is not there, comes together to form the words "Lost Dogs", just as the random cut tracks come together to form the compilation.
Here are some of my rough drafts that I mocked up to help me figure out the kinks.

First I sketched out a design and then traced it in illustrator.

A mock up to figure out what the hell I am doing.

Mockup; detail.

Ideas for liner notes.
Please note the colors featured are arbitrarily chosen, I haven't worked out a color palette yet.

After mesing around with this idea for a while, I have decided that it isn't going to work. There are just too many kinks to work out. It was hard, but I decided to let it go and try something else.

I came across a new idea I like much better. It is a slight modification of the old idea, but it is cleaner, more streamlined, easier to execute. The concept behind this is "Random elements coming together to form a whole." This is what I am attempting to do with the text: create it out of elements that make no sense on their own, but come together to create a larger idea. This is one of my first drafts of this idea, this is just a sketch that has a ways to go, but I think its got a LOT of potential, and I definitely excited about exploring all the possibilities.

Fold flap A over flap B and get . . .

THIS!! (Again, this is one of the first drafts, the type is going to be much more considered and interesting. Also, I still haven't picked a color palette and am just using these colors in the meantime.)

I would like for the pattern on flap B to form either an image or some other type, but I would be happy to just create in interesting abstract image if thats my only option. I have figured out other details for the cd which are too hard to explain in blog form so I will show them in class. My goal by Wednesday is to have a more finalized version of this.

Ok, so I have hit a little bit of a wall.

For the past couple of days I have been sketching and cutting paper and photocopying because as a result of my RESEARCH (:P) I have come up with a concept I really like. Now, I know we are supposed to come up with more than 1 concept and pick the best, but I really think there might be some strength in this one and I think once I find a way to make it work, I can play around with it and execute it in a bunch of different ways. I have been trying this thing where I really go with my gut, and my gut really likes this idea. But to be on this safe side I am gonna play with this idea till I come up with something that resembles the thought in my head, and then skecth out a few others as backup.

Sorry to be vage, I promise promise promise I will put some sketches up. I don't have my scanner cause I am at the library - I don't have AC or even a fan at home so I am getting stuff done at the library to keep cool and sane. Also, I am taking small steps, so right now my sketches are messy and fastened with tape and look like something that was done by a hyperactive monkey.

I am not worried about having hit the wall, I think I have been trying to wrap my brain around this project for too many hours in a row and I think a nice walk and a starbucks mocha frappe will set me straight.

I am just running into questions . . . how much freedom do I have to play? I am operating under the assumption that I have a lot of freedom, that I can take liberties with this existing cd to fit my concept.

Documenting my research.

I really hate my own handwriting. When I am writing nicely and thoughtfully and carefully it doesn't bother me so much, but who writes that way when they are trying to jot ideas down?! Because I hate my handwriting, I don't sketch and doodle and journal as much as I should. I am trying to break myself of this neurosis. Until then, I will blog out my thought process.

For my cd project I have picked Pearl Jam's "Lost Dogs." I picked Pearl Jam for 2 reasons:

• They have been my favorite band since I was 12. They still have the ability to affect me as deeply as they did 15 years ago. They constantly reinvent themselves, they aren't afraid to take chances, they create stuff that is true to their vision, whether it is popular or not. I am very familiar with them and their music, design, belief system, etc, and so I wouldn't have to do quite as much research. They say "write what you know." I think the same is true for design.
• In keeping with my thesis, I wanted to pick a band who influenced me the most when I was performing and creating music. I am inspired by the skill, versatility and drive of every single one of the band members, and I tried to cultivate those qualities in myself.

"Lost Dogs" is a collection of B-sides and rarities. The reason I chose this particular release is because it features music that spans the 13 years of the band's career and is a double disk set.

This is the existing artwork for the release: It features a large textured metal trash can filled with tape that has been discarded. I actually like this idea. I think the image and the mood fit in with PJ's style. The front says "These are the ones that didn't make the cut."


On the back is a simiarly toned photo of flyers searching for lost dogs. (Will upload an image, need to scan it first.) This to me says "We've lost our babies. We miss them and we want them to come home." I kind of like the idea that even though the songs didn't make the official releases, they are still valued and beloved. Maybe I have got this all wrong, but to me the compilation represents all the lost rarities and B-sides coming home, safe and sound in one place. (Does that make sense?)

So for the past few days I have been doing a lot of research. I have been looking at PJ concert posters to see the kinds of aesthetic and style they value, that fits them. I have been looking at past cd designs. From looking at the posters and cds, and the work of the artists they choose to create these pieces, I am really getting a feel for how I want to design my piece.

I am going to post examples of what I mean when I have time, but for now, I will just describe my ideas.

• The packaging should be unconventional. Only the first couple cds come in regular jewel cases; the rest are in these cardboard fold out things with specific pockets for liner notes. One of the releases, No Code, had collectible polaroid type cards that varied from cd to cd. I am not exactly sure of the reason for the lack of jewel cases, but I think it has something to do with the cardboard being environmentally friendly, and also the band wanting their cds to stand out from the rest.

• The concert posters are usually very bold and graphic, and definitely convey a sense of being designed by someone who knows what they are doing. They also usually make some kind of social or politicial statement.

• The concert posters and t-shirts also feature the band's name taking on various quirky shapes. You can see this in the tiger stripes I posted in a previous post, or the cross shape. I will post a couple more examples.

• The cds artwork usually conveys a deeper meaning. The cd "Vs." features a photo of a sheep who refuses to be a stereotypical, well, sheep, and is struggling to bite through a fence which is holding her captive. "No Code" has 4 flaps that when unfolded, reveal a large image that alludes to the concept behind the album.

So I feel I am off to a pretty good start here. I am in the process of sketching out ideas that will embody the above qualities but will still be different and unique and mine. Oh, I guess thats another reason I want to design artwork for Lost Dogs. I like and understand the concept, but I think it could be much more fun and experimental.

I must say, I am having a lot of fun with this!! :)

Hanoch Piven

I am working on my own stuff!! Its mostly in sketch form but I should have some stuff posted by Sunday. In the meantime, I am very excited to share this very talented funny illustrator with you. I am sure most of you have seen his work before; its been featured in art directors annuals and various publications. I think the Barbra Streisand one is the most successful and probably the most recognizable.














I like Piven's work because it is funny, it is deceptively simple, and it is meaningful. He is able to boil down people into their simplest shapes, as evidenced by the Clint Eastwood portrait. I love that he creates the likeness using elements that relates something about the subject's personality. I am very inspired by the seamless integration of form and function. To see more of his work enter his name into Google and a few sites pop up.

Incredible.

Both of these things stun me. The first for its sweetness and tenderness, the second for its shocking gruesome brutality. Like humans, chimpanzees are capable of being very loving and very evil. We're not all that far apart when you really think about it.