b e e ' s * k n e e s

lil' bit of a new look.

2010-05-07T05:01:00.000-07:00

So. My website has finally been updated! Take a peek here. In the mean time, I will attempt to create a similar look for the blog. So in the next few weeks, please do not be alarmed if my blog looks like an artistically-challenged nutjob is running it. There is a method behind the madness. No worries.

progress...

2010-03-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

I've currently been working on a slight design change for my website. It's nothing huge, quite similar to the old site, but a little more "2.0 style". I've been researching 2.0 sites for a few months now, and I'm really loving the new look. This particular article really helped me out. I'd also like for my blog to take on a similar look to the site. Keep an eye out for changes.

Client work has started to look up again. The calls/emails/wall posts showed up just in time, keeping the winter blues from getting the best of me. The interesting part of it all is the type of work they're asking for. I'm having a lot of portrait requests lately and loving it. It's really hard to find time for drawing, but when it's part of a job, cha-ching!

so yeah. Watch for the new site, and eventually, the new blog.

Noel

2009-12-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

Tis the season and I've been gift wrapping! I thought I'd share my handmade gift tags. They're cute and add a nice personal touch to the gifts. I've only made some for my parents so far, but I will be making more soon. Havvapeek!

They're very simple, and not made carefully at all (I'm too spastic to do something like that). I just cut out some tag-like shapes, tinted the paper with some Fluid Chalk by ColorBox, and then added the graphics and text with Staedtler pens. It was a fun project, and I love old looking stationery. I usually don't think twice about gift wrapping but this was actually enjoyable and put me even more in holiday spirit. :)

On a side note, what are some favourite Christmas traditions? I love watching Muppet's Christmas Carol every year. I haven't watched it yet, but I have been listening to a few songs from the soundtrack. I especially like It Feels Like Christmas.

Hope everyone has a fantastic holiday. And don't forget to slow down and get past the materialistic view society oh so wonderfully tends to shove in our faces every year. Christmas is way too cool to be labeled the way it is.

Google decor

2009-10-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

When I'm feeling as though I need to be motivated or inspired, I almost always click the Stumble! button on my Firefox browser. (For those of you who haven't heard of StumbleUpon, it's wonderful... check it out!) Today I've been stumbling a little bit, but for some reason the Google logo ran through my mind. So I went to Google, to see if there was anything they were celebrating with their beautiful illustrations today. Sure enough, the illustration for today depicts the Adventures of Asterix, a series of French comic books, and today happens to be their birthday. This was slightly inspiring and fun to look at, but only for a moment. I wanted to look at more Google illustrations. So naturally, I Googled them. I started looking at all the latest illustrations from the past few months and enjoyed it very much. For those of you who like illustration, they are very good inspiration. I couldn't help but wonder how much an illustrator or designer makes for one of them. I'll have to Google it.I've added a few that took my eye. I tend to like any with an oriental theme, or prominent organic brushstrokes. Anyone else have favourites?

sketchbooks are my fave.

2009-06-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

What inspires you? Is it one of the greatest artists in history? Is it nature? Is it just random people walking the streets around you? Inspiration is pretty cool. I'm inspired by so many different things, it's always difficult to put a label on what exactly does the trick. I used to have a stupid little motto or whatever you wish to call it that I was "easily inspired but poorly motivated". By this I mean that I can see or hear something and automatically want to do something artsy. But to make myself actually do this wasn't so automatic. One of my biggest inspirations is music. The variety of things I want to do while listening to a good song (of my crazy tastes) ranges anywhere from organizing the house all the way to writing my own song. If there's music playing while I'm drawing, I often draw better. I'm inspired by a huge number of other things as well. I'm only going to mention my two big inspirations in this post, because rambling is boring to read and pictures are fun to see! So these two big inspirations include music as I already said, and sketchbooks. If I could sit with a pile of sketchbooks from artists of all over (new artists, old artists, doesn't matter) I would be just beside myself with joy! :) I love the realness of them. I love that they're full of art that they actually wanted to do, not just some commission job. Something they did while sitting on the bus or in the coffee shop, while listening to their favourite song. Lots of doodles, maybe a few photographs paperclipped inside, notes jotted down along the sides, music lyrics, or full out beautiful pieces of art. It's all awesome and soooo inspiring!

I came across these displays of sketchbook passion on Smashing Magazine a few weeks ago and immediately got my own book out and started doodling. Take a look at some of the examples. They're so much fun!! :)

I love the last one! It makes me want to put flowers in my sketchbook. (real flowers, hah)

So as you now know, I love sketchbooks, and you'll perfectly understand the nature of my website which is finally up and running! :)
Check it. www.beedeon.com

2009-03-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

I'm logo-ing tonight. Well, I guess "logo-ing" is more of designing logos. I'm actually just researching them. And I'm finding brilliance! Go to logopond and look at them. Some of them are just genius. I've spent the last hour just browsing through pages and pages of them. The logo I should be working on right now is for one of our final school projects. We're doing a huge identity design for a theoretical hybrid car company. Car logos are difficult. I find them very, very, very vague. And there are many other logos out there just like them. I'm not saying there's something wrong with them, but I'm not very good at them. Simplicity is one of the main topics on my list of "Bee must practice" things. I don't know if it's because I'm so used to drawing in high detail or just because I'm not good at "seeing". Sometimes it takes me a minute or two to figure out a clever logo with more then one angle, but I think that's often the point of those logos.

Oh by the way, isn't that logo just fantastic? Practice, practice, practice.

Broaden my knowledge.

2009-03-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've come to realize that web design (especially with Dreamweaver) requires constant practice. Even though I've been working on a site for client almost every day now, I still find myself forgetting how to do things you'd think I know by now. I wish it was easier but at the same time I don't because it makes our work as designers that much more valuable. I suppose no matter how much people learn the technical side of something, if they don't have the design bit down pat, they may as well be a code monkey. I really appreciate learning new things when it comes to design. I want to be good. Really good. And practice makes good.

I've finished the website I've been working on to the point where it's ready for browsers. I uploaded it this afternoon. After a little bit of strife and technical difficulties, it's now online. Liftoff. You can view it here. I'm quite pleased with myself for not ripping hair from my head or attempting any violence towards my computer. Another thing I've learned is that a good client makes things run ten times smoother. This client was awesome. Very cooperative and easy going. We had lunch in a cafe last week and went over some things that I had worked on. We also made some printing orders and here we are a week later with a brand new logo, business cards, invitation cards, and entire website.

I'm extremely thankful for a good start.

dreamweaver...im a day dream believer

2009-03-11T05:38:00.000-07:00

Dreamweaver is cooperating.
I'm actually getting good at this thing we call web design. I worked on a website for a client all day yesterday and when it was time to go to bed, I still wanted to work on it. I'm not sick of it at all. Oh yeah oh yeah. My patience is growing. 2 points for me!

My sketchbook is full!

2009-03-09T15:59:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited. I barely ever fill sketchbooks. I have this disease or disorder--whatever you wish to call it--in which I compulsively buy sketchbooks/notebooks all the time. I have lots of work in all of my sketchbooks but I think this is the first one I have completely filled. If there are any others, they're probably just department store 30 page Hilroy cheapies.

But I filled this one! :)

Good on yeh.

2009-03-09T15:48:00.001-07:00

It's a good day. Design ideas are coming to me, I've read some good blogs, and I plan to revamp my blog's appearance very soon. Yeah. You'd think a designer would use something they designed rather than a template. Like I said, it will be updated soon.
I'm quite pleased with my work. A client chose a poster I designed out of 20(or more) others. We do these projects quite often in my class. A client comes in, tells us what they want, we make it, they choose it. And this is the first time I've been chosen. It was quite a surprise.
I think I'm easily inspired. I've always said I was easily inspired but poorly motivated. I could be sititng here stumbling on all these great sites and thinking, What a great idea, I want to do it too.. But then something on the TV catches my eye or my stomach growls and the inspiration weens off into the abyss.
Designers have short attention spans. True story.
If you're a designer and you don't, good on yeh mate.

What a good day. I think I'll go design something.

Doctor! Is there nothin' I can take..

2009-02-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a few months. Yup. And I've drawn the irresistably cocky Dr. House.
House MD is the only tv show that I watch faithfully. Makes a girl wanna get sick. Hm.

SO!

2009-01-13T15:56:00.001-08:00

I haven't written in this thing for a while but I thought I would today since I have nothing better to do. I watched Taken tonight with Liam Neeson. Good show, short but good. I was really into it. I like Liam Neeson a lot. Anyways. I've been trying to motivate myself to draw something lately but it's just not happening. I've been checking out one of my favourite artist's website a lot lately and I just stare amazed at her work. If you'd like to it see it her site is here.
She does incredible graphite drawings and I'd give my legs for her patience. She spends a LOT of time on drawings.
That's my problem, I'm too impatient, if a drawing is taking me forever I don't have the motivation to finish it. I put it down and never pick it up again. I need to practice patience like crazy. Draw every night and learn to really enjoy it.

Anyways, I'm too impatient to write anymore. Hah. Have a good one.

Day 2...er...3.

2008-12-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

Here I am at 1:30 in the old A.M. adding a blog entry because staying up that extra hour to finish your Illustration project because you're a procrastinator, will drive you to insomnia. I doubt I could ever be diagnosed with insomnia because most likely, if I just convince myself to turn this computer off, my eyes will close and BAM, there I go... to la la land.

So. I'm pretty sure I'm stuck in Halloween mode or something. No, I'm listening to Christmas music, so I guess I'm just stranger then a three dollar bill. We've had to do a bunch of different projects lately and one of them is a traditional collage for either Dracula or Alice in Wonderland. I chose Dracula. I don't know if it was just because I found more images that would work for it rather than Alice or just because I have some ditzy brained unknown turn-on for blood sucking freaks (you'll get my point as we progress in my story...sit tight) but anyway! I chose Dracula, made a great collage, and my poster for the potential Dracula "play" is all done, as you can see by the freakish looks of it on here. It definitely works for "creepy".

Now, we're starting to get the whole All Hallows Eve vibe eh?

Anyway, so another project I was working on today consisted of 4 movie posters of different art era styles. Each poster had to advertise the same movie and do you know what movies I've been watching lately (here's my freakish obsession again)? Hannibal. The ol' boyfriend and I downloaded Silence of the Lambs a few weeks ago and since then we've watched all of them: Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Red Dragon, and Hannibal Rising.

And last but not least, tonight, we went on a double date with some friends of ours to see the movie, Twilight. Great movie! But, again, it's that freakish where-did-it-come-from obsession with blood-thirsty lunatics. Here it is not even 3 weeks til Christmas (it is 3 weeks right? don't make me do math), and I only want to watch movies I shoulda watched back in October. The strange thing is, I'm almost completely done my Christmas shopping, which usually isnt done until Dec 24 at 11:59pm. Maybe I should watch freaky movies every year. Hmm.

Nevertheless, I am quite excited for Christmas. Going home and whatnot. Running around in the woods fulla snow. Hee.

To kick things off

2008-12-09T06:55:00.001-08:00

So I'm going to try to keep this blog updated with bits of my work and thoughts. I've had blogs before but for the love of pancakes, I just can't keep them going. So this will be a huge attempt.

It's so pretty out. There's snow everywhere. I love it. I have Tuesdays off so while the mister's at school I can chill at his house and use his exercise equipment or something productive like that. Yup. Sure.

I'm taking a graphic design course here in the city and we finished our first semester web design class yesterday. Each student designed and built their own portfolio-based website and I gotta tell yas, we kick derrière. The whole process of building the site for me, however, felt more like a good kick to my derrière. We used the program Adobe Dreamweaver, which if you've used it yourself, know the program works a lot like a woman. If you know how to treat us, we run pretty smooth, but if you just start pressing buttons and ignoring the warning and error messages, things get ugly.

ANYWAY. All in all, I finally finished mine early Monday morning once we got to the school and I was psyched. And after looking at the rest of the students', I wanted to improve mine. So I will definitely work at that over our Christmas break when I get the time.

So if you'd like to see the website, you can go here and check it out. It's very simple but it will do for now. After 5 hours of Dreamweaver one night, I felt like using my computer for target practice with an AK-47.
Enjoy!
I've used the image I chose before in a facebook note, and I just had to use her again, because I love her. She's wonderful and she is the perfect example of my long hours of the night with Dreamweaver for the past few weeks. Heeee. :)