lil' bit of a new look.

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...

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.